Pocatello Parks & Recreation Department

Play Often, Live Better!

Greetings Pocatello residents:

As the wonderful outdoor activities we participate in all summer long come to an end and fall starts to bring those crisp, frosty mornings and earlier evenings, you might be tempted to hang up your exercise gear and just hibernate. Don’t do it! There are so many reasons to stay active year-round. While the weather is still warm, try family bike rides or walking along the paved trails of the Greenway. When it’s cold outside, there are still ways to keep your family active. Go sledding, ice skating or have a snowball fight. Don’t forget Pocatello has more than 20 kilometers of groomed trails of Nordic Skiing. If you’re an avid camper, don’t let the snow stop you. Check out one of the yurts along the ski trails. For a small rental fee, you can sleep toasty warm in a yurt and fulfill your camping desires in the dead of winter. If you are limited in your activities, you can find nature on a drive to admire the fall leaves or snowy fields on the outskirts of town. Don’t forget about your neighbors. Building a snowman for all to enjoy or delivering goodies to friends can bring smiles all around. And, clearing snow is always a welcomed way to help someone else and exercise at the same time. I am impressed again and again with the many ways our citizens watch over each other. Whatever your interests, remember Pocatello Parks & Recreation has an activity for you to Play Often, Live Better!

As always, I am proud to be your Mayor.

Brian C. Blad
Mayor of Pocatello

Message from the Director

Dear Neighbors:

A warm welcome to the City of Pocatello’s Fall 2021/Winter 2022 Parks & Recreation program brochure! As together we strive to safely address and manage the challenges that COVID-19 has presented to our daily lives, the Fall & Winter seasons continue to be a great time to enjoy the outdoors. It is our hope that you, your families & friends will continue to “Play Often and Live Better!”, by exploring the City’s many beautiful parks, open spaces & facilities, as well as participating in some of the comprehensive array of program choices available.

Parks & Recreation staff are pleased to offer a wide variety of enjoyable and engaging recreational opportunities for community members of all ages, which in conjunction with Southeastern Idaho Public Health, have been modified operationally to provide added safety measures for participants & staff . How about a good workout at the Community Recreation Center, followed by a yoga class and relaxing sit in the hot tub? Perhaps a late season round of golf at the City’s Highland & Riverside public courses, or some “world class” trail hiking & biking at the City Creek Trails System? Maybe a youth or adult sports league, children’s dance class or private/semi-private swim lessons, or a cross country skiing or snowshoe adventure at our beautifully scenic Mink Creek Nordic Center facility is more your style? Whether your interest is in fitness & athletics, nature & the outdoors, or opportunities to learn new skills, all are invited to take full advantage of the many healthy lifestyle benefits that our programs & facilities provide.

In other exciting news, the Parks & Recreation Department is pleased to announce its Partnership Opportunities Program, where together, we can achieve significant projects and improvements for the use & enjoyment of the Pocatello Community! Partnership benefits include meaningful returns on investment including naming rights and exposure of businesses to thousands of residents and visitors in unique and positive settings. Since inception of the Partnership Program, we’ve already been able to accomplish so much. Pocatello Parks & Recreation has successfully partnered with:

• Connections Credit Union for construction of the new “Zoo Connections Entrance & Gift Shop Building” at Zoo Idaho, via a 10-year Partnership Agreement.
• Western States CAT for development of a new pathway connecting Zoo Idaho’s lower & upper levels with ADA accessibility, the “Western States Cat Pathway”, via donation of heavy equipment use & equipment operators.

John Banks
Parks & Recreation Director
City of Pocatello