Halverson Bar / Lake

About this spot

Named after brothers Al and Roy Halverson who once farmed property to the north, the Halverson Bar and Halverson Lake area is unique for its curving two-mile sandbar along the Snake River and its two shallow lakes nestled below the rimrock and tall sand dunes. The Halverson Bar and Halverson Lake area is located at the western end of the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area (NCA). This 1,200 acre area is managed for non-motorized recreational activities. Motorized uses are not allowed in the area. The lakes were originally natural depressions that accumulated water seasonally and were sustained by small springs. The lakes have since been deepened by homesteaders and farmers. Today, most of the water in Halverson Lakes comes from irrigation run-off from the upland plateau. Decades ago the lakes were stocked with fish - blue gill, bass, and crappie - which are the primary catch today. Cliffs and sloping bluffs of basalt separate the shoreline and canyon bottom from the upland desert. Basaltic boulders, deposited by the flooding waters of Lake Bonneville 15,000 years ago, lie like giant-size melons on the sandy bar. The area includes a gravel parking area and several miles of hiking trails.