Agency-listedIdaho PowerFree

Swan Falls River Access

Drive-up · public land · ID · 43.24535, -116.37859

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The land manager lists this site. Someone from the agency inventoried it, so it is a real camp — not a spot we guessed at. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.

Fifteen free campsites on the Snake River below Swan Falls Dam, and 'free' is Idaho Power's own word for it: the utility's page lists the fee as 'Free. No usage fees.' and the site as 'Day use and overnight camping'. This is the reason a place like this exists -- Idaho Power holds a federal licence to run the dam, and public recreation is part of the deal, so the campground is provided rather than sold. You get 15 RV/tent sites with fire rings, a vault toilet and a boarding platform for boats. There are no water or electric hookups, so arrive self-contained and haul your own drinking water -- we are not claiming a water source here, because the utility does not. The stay limit is 14 days, one camping unit and no more than eight people per site. Idaho Power also asks that you not burn pallets anywhere around Swan Falls. Know which Swan Falls you are driving to: the utility runs three separate facilities at this dam, and SWAN FALLS PARK, the one with the picnic shelters, is DAY-USE ONLY -- no overnight camping there at all. This one is the river access downriver of the dam. The road in drops off the Snake River Plain into the canyon on a long gravel grade through the Morley Nelson Birds of Prey country south of Kuna, which is spectacular and slow; there are no services down there, so fuel and shop before you drop in. Confirm current conditions with Idaho Power (1-800-488-6151) before a shoulder-season trip, pack out everything, and leave it better than you found it.

USGS topo — contours & terrain

USGS topographic map of Swan Falls River Access

Aerial — USGS / NAIP

Weather outlook — at Swan Falls River Access

Loading the latest forecast…

Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 2,294 ft.

Fire & smoke — around Swan Falls River AccessNIFC · AirNow

Checking active fires & air quality…

Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.

Everything you need — measured from Swan Falls River Access · public land · ID

Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer

Nearest of each

GGrocery9 mi
@Mail9 mi
+Urgent care12 mi
LLaundry12 mi
FFuel12 mi
RxPharmacy17 mi
MMechanic17 mi
HHardware18 mi
WWater20 mi
EVEV fast charger24 mi
OOutfitter24 mi
AAir-up31 mi
DDump32 mi
ShShower51 mi

≤30 mi30–4545+water

The read: water is a real 20-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 9 mi out.

Not within 60 mi: Propane. Plan those before you head up.

One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗

The site — Swan Falls River Access

Access

Drive-up

Land

public land

Elevation

2,294 ft

State

Coordinates

43.24535, -116.37859

Cost

Free

Nearby & resupply — around Swan Falls River Access · public land · ID (OpenStreetMap)

Water featureSnake River (river) · nearby
Nearest townMurphy · ~8.9 mi
Drinking waternone within 10 mi
FuelDan's Ferry Services · ~13.0 mi
Propane / LPGBlue Rhino · ~17.7 mi
GroceriesAlbertsons · ~16.9 mi
PharmacyAlbertsons Pharmacy · ~16.9 mi
Hospital / clinicFamily Medicine Health Center · ~16.8 mi
HardwareAce Hardware · ~17.7 mi

EV charging — from Swan Falls River Access · public land · ID — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)

Nearest public DC fast charger23.9 mi straight-line N — Kendall Meridian Ford · Blink Network · J1772, CCS · 6 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
Public DC fast stations within reach4 within 25 mi · 25 within 50 · 31 within 100 · 53 within 150
Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)24.2 mi — WinCo Foods - Tesla Supercharger, Meridian
Nearest listing CHAdeMO24.4 mi — Walmart 2508 (Boise, ID) (Boise, ID), Boise
Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)17.7 mi — Ridley’s Family Markets - Tesla Destination, Kuna, ID · Tesla Destination · J1772, NACS (Tesla) · 4 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-08-27 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to all vehicles.
Also listed, not counted aboveLevel 2, restricted access — Candlewood Suites Boise Meridian, Meridian, 23.7 mi · J1772 · hours: 24 hours daily; for guest use only · AFDC lists it “$0.40 per kWh”
Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 316568 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center

Nearby restrooms — around Swan Falls River Access · public land · ID — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)

RestroomDedication Point Toilet 1 · ~2.3 mi N · BLM
RestroomDedication Point Toilet 2 · ~2.3 mi N · BLM
RestroomSwan Falls Fisherman'S Point Toilet · ~2.6 mi NW · BLM
RestroomSwan Falls River Canyon Trailhead Toilet · ~3.9 mi NW · BLM

Open Swan Falls River Access elsewhere

Google satellite →Gaia GPS →CalTopo →Back to the map →

Other camps near Swan Falls River Access

If this one is full, gated or washed out.

Rabbit Creek Ohv Trail~9.2 mi
Morley Nelson Snake River Birds Of Prey National Conservation Area~10.9 mi

How we know this — Swan Falls River Access

Stay limit

14 nights (14-day stay limit)

Source

public land records

Confidence

Researched — The record is detailed and internally consistent, and the coordinates land where the managing agency says this site is.

How it was placed

Source (FREE stated by the OPERATOR): Idaho Power's own page for Swan Falls River Access (idahopower.com/community-recreation/recreation/parks-and-campgrounds/swan-falls-river-access/, read 2026-07-28), verbatim: 'Day use and overnight camping'; 'Fees Free. No usage fees.'; 'Located downriver of Swan Falls Dam.'; 'Amenities include the following: 15 RV/tent sites No water or electric hookups Vault toilet Fire rings Boarding platform'; 'There is a 14-day stay limit for all parks.'; 'Only one camping unit (maximum eight persons) per designated campsite is permitted.'; 'Burning pallets is prohibited in and around the Swan Falls area.' Idaho Power's own fee page (idahopower.com/community-recreation/recreation/about-parks-and-campgrounds/fees-2/, read 2026-07-28): 'Day use at all Idaho Power parks and recreation sites is free.' That page NAMES the nine campgrounds that charge overnight (Copperfield, Hells Canyon, McCormick, Woodhead, Carters Landing, North, Scout, Cottonwood, Locust -- $15-$40/night plus a $7-$15 reservation fee). This site is NOT one of them, and its own page carries the header 'Day use and overnight camping' and the fee block 'Free. No usage fees.' COORDINATE: the utility's OWN published coordinate from the Get-directions link on that page (daddr=43.245354,-116.378591), ground-truthed against OSM -- slipway node/2525192827 0.01 mi, service road 0.01 mi, parking 0.04 mi, toilets node/3670938299 0.04 mi, waste_disposal 0.03 mi, and node/126161573 'Swan Falls' operator='Idaho Power Co' 0.10 mi. That OSM furniture matches the page's own amenity list (boat ramp, vault toilet). Nominatim reverse: Ada County, Idaho. TRAP LOGGED: Idaho Power's SWAN FALLS RESERVOIR BOAT LAUNCH (a separate free 5-site camp, 'Located upriver of Swan Falls Dam') publishes a coordinate byte-identical to SWAN FALLS PARK, which is 'Day-use only' -- a borrowed pin. It is also 0.21 mi from this one, inside the 0.5 mi dedup radius, so it was HELD rather than banked. Do not conflate the three Swan Falls facilities. GUARDRAILS: camping expressly allowed by the operator; NO entry fee, access pass, day-use fee or permit to be on the land (utility land, not a state park -- no Discover-Pass-style trap). fee=0; dispersed=0 (designated sites); camp_type NULL for Dave to set on review. water NULL -- the page says 'No water or electric hookups'. Ingest 2026-07-28.

EV chargers

US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.

Field check

On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.

What we don’t know about Swan Falls River Access

A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.

Road surface & last-mile access
How many rigs actually fit
Cell coverage by carrier
Seasonal & winter access
Current fire restrictions
Whether any water here is drinkable
Shade & wind exposure
Noise and who else shows up
Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it

Before you go — Swan Falls River Access

Finding water out here →Dumping grey & black →Cold-weather camping →Dispersed camping tips →All field notes →

Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →