Morning at Big Springs: Meeting a Moose and Her Calf

Sunday, June 21, 2026

Big Springs is crystal clear pools of water where you can see through the shallow water straight down to the gravel bottom; where grasses and plants sway in the gentle flow of the creek.  Fish live here: trout, salmon, whitefish.  A trout wiggles between the rocks and plants, a big one; gulls and mallards float by joining with the rhythm of the water.  Some gulls take flight in a great whirl of white, diving and swirling across the creek, calling out in a voice I haven’t heard before.  A mallard takes off, skids across the water to a stop.  A kingfisher perches on a pine tree branch; then takes off, disappearing downstream.  All the sounds, sights, smells; an explosion of life in this small corner of the world.

We walk down the paved path, at first crowded with other visitors, some recently come from church.  It’s noon, and Father’s Day, the perfect time for families.  The path follows the river, its banks lined by tall grasses and pine trees.  It weaves along, curving with the water, bordered by lupine and silky geranium.  Other animals live here; muskrats and moose.  The paved path gives way to pine covered trail and veers away from the springs into the woods.  That is where we see them:  a cow moose and her calf, stepping in between the trees.  They seem as surprised as we are, freezing in their tracks.  I step back immediately, tightening Daisy’s lead and pulling her back.  We are more than a safe distance away, but more than one person has warned us that moose are aggressive and they do not like dogs.

The moose and calf step back into the trees and are out of sight for a few minutes.  Then they walk back into view.  The calf is hesitant, a look of confusion on its face, as if it doesn’t know what to make of us while the cow considers us.  She is instinctively wary and mistrustful.  She steps toward Tim who is closer to her (though not close) in a warning:  Do not approach.  And that is when we turn around and head back down the trail.

There is also a cabin at Big Springs built by a man named Johnny Sacs in 1932-35.  It is in the Congressional Historic Registry; a log cabin structure built right on the springs.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t open today, but I would like to go back and see inside.  This area has so much history. https://islandparkidaho.com/attractions/big-springs

– Christine Baleshta