Cleo’s Ferry Museum and Nature Trail
I would describe Cleo’s Ferry Museum and Nature Trail as a sort of fairy garden, except it was built for humans.
This interesting nature trail is located at 1984 ID-45, Melba, Idaho 83641. Even with this address written down it can be a bit hard to spot the entryway if you do not know what to expect. You should be looking for a gravel road that runs downhill next to a convenience store. This gravel road will eventually lead you to a parking lot where the trail begins.
And the first thing you will likely see at the start of the trail: Peacocks. Yes, these animals freely roam the grounds and are one of the most interesting features of the trail. Though there are plenty of other interesting things to stop and look at. That is sort of the point of the entire trail.
Cleo’s Ferry Museum and Nature Trail is named after Cleo Swayne who was part of a husband and wife duo who bought the land that used to be part of Walter’s Ferry Crossing. This historic ferry crossing operated from 1863 to 1921. After the Swayne’s purchased the land, they began adding art and trinkets to it until it grew into the fascinating cluster of curiosity that it is now.
Physically speaking, you can walk this one mile trail in a short time. But, given how the trail is designed to pull your curiosity this way and that, you will want to stop and look at sculptures, birdhouses, and other interesting fixtures. So I would suggest you budget at least an hour and a half of your time for a visit. Finding this time should be relatively easy because the trail is open from 9 am until 5 pm for most of the year, and 8 am until 7 pm in the spring.
And this outing won’t break the bank. There is no admissions fee, but donations are encouraged and there is a donation box mounted near the parking lot. Thus, this is a very cost-effective day trip for you and your family, but you will want to leave any dogs at home so they do not disturb the peacocks on-site.
If you are planning a trip to Idaho to visit Cleo’s Ferry, you will want to read up on how to get rewarded for your flights. You can use the money you save as a donation to help keep this out of the ordinary trail open.
Further Reading: If you visit this nature trail in the fall, you may be able to also catch the Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic, which is a hot air balloon festival in the nearby city of Boise.
