Idaho Museum of Natural History
4.3(180)google
3.7(7)yelp
ScienceFossilsEducationalFamily
Overview
The Idaho Museum of Natural History (IMNH) is the official state natural history museum of Idaho, located on the campus of Idaho State University (ISU) in Pocatello. Founded in 1934, it has collections in anthropology, vertebrate paleontology, earth science, and the life sciences. Additionally, it contains an archive of documents and ethnographic photographs.
Practical Info
Mon9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Tue9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Wed9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Thu9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Fri9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sat9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sun12:00 – 5:00 PM
Suggested Duration1.5-2.5 hours
Best TimeA premium year-round indoor science destination. Visiting between 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM on weekdays is highly recommended for a quiet, educational atmosphere. The main gallery houses the world's largest collection of bizarre buzzsaw-toothed shark fossils (Helicoprion) and ice-age mammoths, which are beautifully lit under the central gallery spotlights.
Getting ThereNestled beautifully on the campus of Idaho State University in Pocatello. By car, take I-15 to Exit 69 (Clark St), drive west, and turn left onto S 5th Ave into the university grounds. The museum building features diagonal spaces in General Parking Lot 5 out front; visitors must grab a complimentary dashboard parking permit from the front desk.
Travel Tips
- Located on the ISU campus, adjacent blocks require official university permits; non-affiliated visitors must utilize designated paid-by-phone visitor lots.
- Closed Sundays with reduced Saturday hours; interactive research terminal systems systematically log off 15 minutes prior to official close for daily data backups.
Photo Tips
Photo Rules
- The fragile helicoprion shark fossil exhibit utilizes low-lux protective ambient lighting; flash fill and extending cameras past the guide rail are banned.
Reviews
Positive
- A pilgrimage site for paleontology fans! The prehistoric Helicoprion fossils are incredibly rare and scientifically staggering.
- Managed by ISU with top academic rigor; the 3D-printed fossil zone and Ice Age giants hall feature clear, graphic explanations.
- The museum atmosphere is quiet and elegant, free from commercial noise, letting guests deeply absorb millions of years of geology.
- Sited on the Pocatello campus with painless parking; admission is highly budget-friendly, making it an awesome learning hub.
Heads up
- Compared to giant state museums, the scale is compact; if you don't read text panels word-by-word, you finish in 1 hour.
- Some high-tech interactive screens for toddlers are dated and sluggish, begging for fresh funding and technical maintenance.
- Hidden deep in the university; first-time drivers will struggle with thin city road signs and get snarled in campus one-way loops.
- The museum gift shop is miniature, stocking basic books and plastic dinosaurs with very thin creative, local cultural souvenirs.