Massacre Rocks State Park

As we traveled through Idaho, we took some time to visit some of the Idaho State Parks.  Massacre Rocks State Park and the accompanying Register Rock is right along I-86, ten miles west of American Falls.  While it was plenty hot the day that we visited (late July 2013), in cooler times it would make a fun place to stop and take a break if you are traveling along I-86 in Idaho.

In addition to camping facilities (50 units) with electrical and water hookups for RVs, restrooms with hot showers and picnic areas, there is also a boat launch, visitors center, there is also a frisbee golf course.  If you don’t have frisbees, you can purchase them at the visitors center.

Massacre Rocks State Park gets its name from a skirmish between pioneers and Native Americans east of the park which left 10 pioneers and an unknown number of Native Americans dead.   An additional massacre occurred west of the park in 1851 and several were killed in that attack as well.

Giant boulders in and around the park were deposited there when a natural dam that held back Lake Bonneville collapsed 14,500 years ago.  The rushing water ripped boulders from the mountain sides and deposited some of them in this area.   Some of the were transported hundreds of miles to the spots they are in today.

From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the park staff offers campfire programs at sunset, which are said to be gorgeous.  There are 300 species of plants, and over 200 species of birds have been spotted in the park.   This has a lot to offer!

One of the interesting things about this park is that you can take a short hike from the east end of the park, under the freeway to the southside where you can still see ruts from the Oregon Trail.  There aren’t really exactly what you might think, being overgrown with grasses and having dirt deposited in them over the years, but you can clearly make out the depressions that years of pioneer travel made in the soil in the area.

 

 

As part of the park is nearby Register Rock, a location where weary pioneer travelers stopped to camp along the Oregon Trail.  As many did during that time, many carved their names or initials in one of those large rocks mentioned above.  You can still clearly see those names today.   There is a beautiful large lawn, picnic facilities, and just like in pioneer times, this is a great place to stop for some rest if you have traveling in Idaho and need a place to stretch your logs, let the kids run around, and enjoy the beautiful area.

 

There are many beautiful state parks in Idaho, and this one is worth stopping at for some great scenery, a hike to the Oregon Trail ruts, frisbee golf, and a friendly visitors center.

Here’s the map of how to get there:

And our Flickr stream of all our pictures:

The video of our visit is on its way.