Overview :
This is an all day hike. If you decide to use a mountain bike, it becomes a half-day ride.
Walk across the Swan Falls Dam.... more » Once across the dam, turn left and head upriver on the singletrack trail. Turn right where a doubletrack joins the trail. You 'll head up a short steep and rocky hill. Turn right on the major doubletrack trail and then turn right again heading downhill. Stay on the trail and you will pass the remnants of the Priest Ranch homestead and then an orchard. Turn left at the next junction, going uphill around a small butte that overlooks the river. Go through a narrow opening in the gate, continuing along the trail. You will know you are close to Wees Bar when you see a large pipe on the opposite side of the river. At Wees Bar, there will be a boulder field on the left side of the trail.
Once there, start looking for petroglyphs and Native American rock art. There are about 90 boulders with petroglyphs on them. Across from the boulder field near the river you will also find the ruins of the old Wees house.
Return the same way for an out-and-back. less «
Snake River - Wees Bar Petroglyphs
Overview :
This is an all day hike. If you decide to use a mountain bike, it becomes a half-day ride.
Walk across the Swan Falls Dam.... more »
Tips:
Avoid hiking in the canyon during high temperatures and bring plenty of water. There is about 300 feet of elevation gain.
... more »
Take this guide with you!
- 1. Download the EveryTrail app from the App Store
- 2. Search for the Snake River - Wees Bar Petroglyphs guide
- 3. Enjoy your self-guided tour
Points of Interest
The dam was built in 1901 to generate electricity. It is the oldest hydroelectric dam on the Snake River. In the 1990s the original power plant was replaced with a new one.
The dam and power plant are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The Priest Ranch operated a private ferry in the late nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century. The ferry ran until around World War I, when the Priest family relocated. In 1957 another private party put in a small ferry at the site and ran it until it was washed away by high water about 1959.
This was a small orchard for the Priest Ranch homestead. Some of the trees in the orchard still appear to be alive.
This is one of the largest known collections of petroglyphs along the Snake River. The petroglyphs record journeys to hunting grounds or neighboring tribes, used for keeping track of the weather and other cryptic carvings which archeologists have been unable to decipher.
Remnants of the long abandoned Wees House. A few of the walls are still standing.
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