Theodore Roosevelt Presidential LibraryPublic Lands Directory

Alerts and conditions

All clear. The managing agency, the National Weather Service and wildfire reporting show no current alerts.

Overview

During World War II, over 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry were forcibly removed from their homes and incarcerated without due process of law. Although little remains of the barbed-wire fences and tar-papered barracks, the Minidoka concentration camp once held over 13,000 Japanese Americans in the Idaho desert. Minidoka preserves their legacy and teaches the importance of civil liberties.

From the National Park Service

History

The designation history for this site (every law, proclamation and order, and the administration behind each) is being researched and checked by the Library’s historians.

What to see and do

Activities

  • Guided Tours
  • Self-Guided Tours - Walking
  • Junior Ranger Program
  • Museum Exhibits

Browse hiking, biking and paddling routes on AllTrails

Plan your visit

Hours

Minidoka National Historic Site: The Historic Site is open daily during daylight hours year-round for self-guided tours. Visitor center hours and ranger program offerings vary seasonally. Restrooms are only open during Visitor center operations.

Getting there

Minidoka National Historic Site is located between the towns of Twin Falls and Jerome, Idaho in south central Idaho.

Visitor centers

  • Minidoka Visitor Center

Weather

Jerome and Twin Falls, Idaho, gets 10 inches of rain per year. On average, there are 213 sunny days per year here. The July high is around 94 degrees. The January low is 22. High winds are common, and little shade is available at the site.

Phone: 208-825-4169

Whose lands these are

These lands are the ancestral and present-day homelands of Native nations. A section on whose lands these are is being prepared with tribal review. In the meantime, Native Land Digital offers a starting point.

Photos

The replicated Minidoka Honor Roll is part of the history at Minidoka NHS.
The Replicated Minidoka Honor Roll · NPS Photo
A view from Minidoka through the barbed wire fence.
View Across the Barbed Wire · NPS Photo
A view of the Northside Canal and reconstructed barbed wire fence.
Looking at the northside Canal · NPS Photo
An original barrack was retuned to Minidoka and placed on site.
An Original Barrack Returns to the Site · NPS Photo

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