American Falls Recreation in Southeast Idaho High Country

American Falls Idaho

Visit our 128 acre year-round recreation area called Willow Bay. Willow Bay is easy to reach, the State Highway 39 bypass connects to Marina Road and can be reached from either end of American Falls. The marina area has a cafe and store, RV campgrounds with hookups, a dump station, laundry facilities and even a propane filling station to top off your stove tanks.
In the winter you can even take a stroll out on to the reservoir. OK, it’s ice by then, but local residents take advantage of ice fishing. You can also use the boat docks at Sportsman’s Park near Aberdeen on the north side of the reservoir, at the public boat dock on the west shore across from American Falls, or the Seagull Bay Yacht Club. On the lower side of the falls is the Oregon Trail Sportsman access, you’ll find it at the end of Falls Avenue in town. The access is one of the better fishing and boat launch accesses below the falls.

The area features a Golf Course and a driving range at Indian Springs two miles east of American Falls. Trenner Park offers picnic facilities, access to a fishing dock, and a spectacular view from the lower side of the dam. During high water flows you’ll see a torrent of water spilling over the falls that originally gave the city it name Because the area has a large body of water along the Canada-Mexico flyway it’s a haven for bird watchers. The area around the reservoir and nearby Massacre Rocks State Park has recorded more than 200 species of birds. Almost any time is a good time for Bird Watching in American Falls, but you may want to make a special effort to be here for the American Falls Family Bird Festival.

City of American Falls
3680 Park Lane
American Falls, ID 83211
(208) 226-2569

American Falls Chamber of Commerce
History of the American Falls Dam
Power County Website
Power County Press

American Falls Recreation

American Falls Reservoir

At 56,000 acres, this is the largest reservoir on the Snake River with abundant boating and fishing.

Indian Springs Resort and RV Park

Hot Springs swimming pool. Public-lands-campground with 30 and 50 amp full hook ups available. Bird watching and wildlife.

Springfield Ponds

The Springfield Bird Haven has hundreds of shorebirds and waterfowl including Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Long-billed Dowitcher, yellowlegs, Osprey, Caspian Tern, Marsh Wren and Virginia Rail. See a full list and more details at the website listed below.

Massacre Rocks Rock Climbing

Steep basalt rock walls range from 30' to 200' in height. The rock is high quality basalt. It is steep with overhangs, edges, pockets and cracks that make for great varied sport climbing. Watch the fun video Rock Climbing at Massacre Rocks Video by Murphy Travels.

Willow Bay Resort

Willow Bay Resort has an RV Park Campground and Willow Bay Marina. Beautiful scenery, city park, walking path, and a large lake well-stocked with fish. Newly renovated RV hook-ups. Weekly and monthly rates available. Small store for drinks, snacks, and worms. Visit Willow Bay Café.

American Falls State Fish Hatchery

Visitors can see the life cycle of rainbow trout from eggs to 12-inch long young fish and enjoy a 2-mile nature trail near this hatchery.

American Falls Fine Arts Center

The American Falls Fine Arts Center serves the local community and schools with Theatre, Music, Dance and Public Speakers. Visit the American Falls Arts Council website.

Part of Massacre Rocks State Park, was an emigrant campground where travelers inscribed their names on basalt boulders. As travelers on the Oregon Trail paused at Register Rock, they succumbed to the all too human desire to leave word of their passage. They inscribed their names and often the date…

American Falls Golf Course

Beautiful 9 hole golf course overlooking the American Falls Reservoir. Easy to walk but carts are available at the clubhouse. Open daily during the spring, summer, and fall months.

Big Canyon to Knox Canyon Route

View Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, View Horned Lark, Mourning Dove, Vesper, Dusky Flycatcher, Brewer’s, and Lark Sparrows, Western Meadowlark, Brewer’s Blackbird, Juniper Titmouse, Mountain Bluebird, Green-tailed Towhee, Virginia’s and MacGillivray’s Warblers, Lazuli Bunting and many more. Raptors, Shorebirds, Songbirds, Upland Birds, Waterbirds, Waterfowl. See the full route map and details on the…

Power County Historical Museum

Open summer only. The museum features exhibits detailing the history and development of Power County. Visitors take a trip back to the era of the moving of the town to make way for the American Falls Dam. We have pamphlets available with the list of National Historic Place

The Springfield Bottoms

The northeastern corner of American Falls Reservoir is called "The “Bottoms”. View Cattle Egret, waterfowl, and shorebirds including Tundra and Trumpeter Swans, Northern Pintail Snow Goose, Marbled Godwit and yellowlegs. Raptors, Shorebirds, Songbirds, Upland Birds, Waterbirds, Waterfowl. Find details on the website below.

Massacre Rocks State Park

Massacre Rocks State Park is one of the Historical Areas operated by the State of Idaho to remind visitors of the march of history through the state. Ten miles west of American Falls on I-86, take exit 28 and follow the signs. The park has stories to tell which date…

Sportsman's Park & Campground

RV parking with hookups are available for 16 vehicles and 10 more without hookups. Tent sites are available throughout the park and there is a RV dump station.