Celebration Park
Nestled near the Snake
River on the western boundary of the Snake
River Birds of Prey National
Conservation Area is Celebration
Park; an attraction that shouldn’t be missed. The twenty-one mile drive out
of Nampa
is well worth the time it takes to get there.
Travel south on 12th Avenue South, which is also Highway 45.
Turn left (east) on Ferry Road, near Walter’s Ferry and the Snake River, then
right on Warren Spur Road. Take another right on Sinker
Road, which takes you to the north end of the
picturesque Guffey Bridge,
then follow the river to Celebration Park.
All roads are paved on this route.
At Idaho’s first—and only---archeological park, unique
Paleo-Indian ‘rock art’ pictures (called petroglyphs) can be found by the
thousands, dating up to 12,000 years ago, thus creating a sacred site in the
eyes of the Native American Indians. These were painted or etched onto the
Bonneville melon gravel that was long ago washed up by the Lake Bonneville
Flood. The Interpretive Specialists at the park assist in immersing their
guests in the Indian culture, telling of the customs, geology and history of
the valley. Imagine learning to throw an ‘atlatl’, that 45,000 year-old
slinging weapon, and then doing so competitively (after a bit of instruction)
at the atlatl range. Not to mention getting an education about the rock
chipping and arrowhead making methods of the past. Scattered near the Visitor’s
Center are several teepees to both view and enter, to get the feel of that
ancient lifestyle.
Feel like a hike? Before you take that first step on the
trail, apply a liberal amount of sunscreen. Celebration
Park is considered the high desert;
that means shade trees are at a minimum. Oh, and you’d better take plenty of
water.
About two miles upstream from the Visitor’s Center along the
marked trail is Halverson
Lake,
a natural seepage that pops up out of nowhere as an oasis. Before arriving at
the Lake, keep your eyes peeled for a waterfall or two,
pouring over the basalt rim. You’ll also see several rock cabins (or their
remnants), en route, built by the miners in the late 1890’s to 1900’s. These
guys were looking for the super-fine ‘flour gold’ that was in the region.
The panoramic view includes high desert flora, the rushing
waters and incredibly rugged scenery.
Halverson Lake
is a hot spot for fisherman early in the calendar year, due to its smaller size
and depth, which causes it to heat up a lot sooner than other bodies of water
in the surrounding areas.
If you’re really
feeling like a hike, just continue along the non-motorized marked trail, twenty
miles upriver to the next park over, which is the Swan Falls Reservoir. You’ll see lots of birdlife along the way; according
to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, you are in the home of one of the highest
concentration of raptors in the world. Raptors are not the only feathered
friends you’ll see, however. Keep a keen
eye out for bugs, rabbits, Canadian geese, coyote, lizards, and even the
occasional scorpion or snake.
When hiking downriver from the Visitor’s Center, you can’t
miss the prominent fixture of Guffey Bridge. Renovated
into a walking bridge, it was built in 1897 for the railroad and is the popular
subject of many a photographer and painter.
The beauty of this park, beyond its breathtaking views and
haunting fields of lava deposits, not to mention the meandering Snake
River that clings to its edge, is that it is open to the public
year-round. Better yet, the location shelters the park from the elements when
other areas are snowbound, making hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding
trails accessible all year long. The clincher for those that like to camp
during the winter months is drinking water and heated restrooms, making Celebration Park just about as user-friendly as it can get.
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