Swan Falls

Swan Falls is a former waterfall on the Snake River in Owyhee County, Idaho, now submerged beneath the reservoir behind Swan Falls Dam. The dam, built in 1901, gave the site its present shape, and Swan Falls Park beside it is the place to visit today.

The falls

The natural falls are gone, inundated under Swan Falls Reservoir. Judging by the modest height of the dam, the original drop was likely little more than minor rapids. No height was ever recorded, and what visitors see now is the dam spilling into the Snake River canyon.

Getting there

Swan Falls Park sits about 20 miles south of Kuna. Day use is free. The dam walkway and the canoe and kayak portage trail on the west side of the dam are closed through October for spillway maintenance; the park, campsites, river access and boat launches remain open, and boaters can portage through the park.

When to go

The powerhouse museum is closed for the season and reopens for free self-guided tours on Saturdays in May. In summer it opens Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; the building was renovated in 2024.

On site

The day-use park has fishing docks, restrooms, picnic tables, interpretive signs on the area's geology and cultural history, and a picnic shelter that can be reserved for $75 a day, including a $25 non-refundable fee. The site includes accessible facilities. Overnight camping isn't allowed in the park itself, but separate free campsites at Swan Falls are first come, first served, with campfires requiring extreme caution. There is equestrian parking below the dam.

History and name

Swan Falls Dam was built in 1901 to supply electricity to nearby mines, and Idaho Power calls it the oldest hydroelectric generating site on the Snake River. A new power plant replaced the original in the mid-1990s, and the old powerhouse became the museum. The park lies within the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area.

Nearby

Crane Falls, also on the Snake River, is about 33.4 miles away, Sage Hen Falls about 28.1 miles and Jump Creek Falls about 31.8 miles.

Distances are straight-line.