Pocatello Parks & Recreation Department

The Parks and Recreation Department strives to serve the Pocatello community with quality recreation programs, well-maintained parks, trails, and beautiful open spaces. Our aim is to help provide opportunities, activities and the facilities to bring pleasure to people’s lives. Our parks serve as a source of great community pride, and we are firm believers in the benefits recreation brings to both the years in one’s life and the life in those years.
Register for Pocatello Parks and Recreation Activities
Pocatello Parks and Recreation Activity Guide
Pocatello Parks and Facilities
Pocatello Community Recreation Center
Pocatello Ross Park Aquatic Complex
Pocatello East Fork Mink Creek Nordic Center

Play Often, Live Better!

Often people don’t realize what a vital role Parks and Recreation plays in the quality of their lives. Our aim is to help the community make the connection between vital and happy lifestyles and parks and recreation.

Message from the Director

A warm welcome to the City of Pocatello’s Fall 2020/Winter 2021 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 safely 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 have been modified operationally for COVID-19 purposes to provide added safety measures for participants & staff, as well as reviewed & approved by Southeastern Idaho Public Health. How about a children’s dance class or private/semi-private swim lessons, a youth or adult sports league, or a good workout at the Community Recreation Center, followed by a yoga class and relaxing sit in the hut-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 is more your style? Or a cross country skiing or snowshoe adventure at our beautifully scenic Mink Creek Nordic Center facility? Whether your interest is in nature & the outdoors, fitness & athletics, 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 I’d like to share, the City of Pocatello has entered into a partnership agreement with Connections Credit Union to provide construction resources for the new “Zoo Connections Entrance & Gift Shop Building” at Zoo Idaho. The building will be a single-story log cabin structure, purchased and donated to the City by the Zoo Idaho Zoological Society (ZIZS), and via generous community support. Construction is slated to begin in Fall, 2020 and the new entrance building is planned to be completed and ready to open with the 2021 Zoo Idaho Season! A HUGE thank you to Connections Credit Union and ZIZS for helping Parks & Recreation Department staff accomplish big things for the community! Stay tuned for future updates.

The Parks & Recreation Department invites everyone to join us this fall & winter for all that Pocatello has to offer, and “Play Often, Live Better!”

John Banks
Parks & Recreation Director
City of Pocatello