About The Area

There are lots of things to do in our beautiful corner of Southwest Idaho! After your visit to Thunderstorm Ranch make sure to experience more of what our area has to offer. 

Kuna is in the Snake River Plain, sometimes called the Idaho Smile.  Looking at a map of Idaho you notice a crescent shaped area of open prairie and sage hugging the mountains to the north. This feature is the result of the Yellowstone Hotspot and its interaction with the North American Plate. Millions of years ago the area was covered by Lake Idaho which left rich deposits of sediment and carved Hells Canyon to the North when the lake overtopped a mountainous divide. The volcanic activity and lake resulted in the fertile soils that our agriculture and recreation is based on today. 

About 20 minutes away from our ranch is Celebration Park. It is situated along the Snake River, and was established as Idaho’s only archaeological park in 1989. A walk through the huge basalt melon gravels deposited by the Bonneville flood reveals petroglyphs 100 to 10,000 years old. Visitors learn about the Paleolithic and Archaic lifeways and enjoy throwing a dart with an atlatl. Experience a walking tour of historic Guffey Railroad Bridge and be captivated by southwest Idaho’s early mining and railroad history.

Just South of Kuna is Kuna Butte, a dormant shield volcano that is an excellent hiking spot providing views of the entire Treasure Valley.  Kuna Butte makes up the northern edge of the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation area and is also an excellent spot for birding. 

Further south is the Snake River.  Visit Swan Falls Dam for a picnic or stop at Celebration Park, Idaho’s only archaeological park.  Here you can see petroglyphs and maybe learn to throw a dart with an atlatl.  Cross the snake river on the old Guffey Railroad Bridge. This area is an excellent place to spend the afternoon fishing. Http.//idfg.idaho.gov/.

Venture further south to the Owyhee Mountains and visit Silver City, a fascinating ghost town that was at its height in the 1880’s. The first newspaper and telegraph in the Idaho Territory were established in Silver City. 

West of Kuna is the Snake River Wine Appellation.  The oldest vines in Idaho are just a half mile north of us at Indian Creek Winery! Be sure to stop there for a glass of wine on their lovely manicured grounds after your farm visit! But no need to stop there.  Head west to Sunny Slope and enjoy more of what Idaho Wines have to offer.  Take a guided tour with Snake River Wine Tours and let someone else do the driving if you would like to make an afternoon of it! Just hitting one or two wineries? Stop for lunch at delicious farm to table restaurant Peaceful Belly. 

Looking for something a little more on the adventurous side? Head north from Kuna and take a white water rafting tour with one of the many raft companies on the Payette River just one hour north of us. 

Simply looking for a great meal here in Kuna?  Stop at Enriques for award winning Mexican food or swing into Big Mic’s for the best BBQ in the Valley!