Lake Recreation

Palisades Reservoir is formed by Palisades Dam on the South Fork of the Snake River and lies at the East end of Swan Valley off Highway 26. The 16,100- acre reservoir has 70 miles of shoreline and nine overnight camping sites. Palisades is not only a popular site for year-round lake anglers, from summer boating to winter ice fishing. Palisades’ fish species include Cutthroat and Brown trout, Kokanee, and Mackinaw. The lake trout is a sought after fish as Palisades is one of the few lakes in Idaho that contain this deep water predator. Most of the Mackinaw are caught in the winter as lake trout like cold water (50 deg.) and are closer to the surface in the winter. Palisades Reservoir has a native population of Cutthroat trout, and Cutthroats are also stocked. Brown trout in the reservoir average 17 inches in length.

The scenic reservoir, surrounded primarily by public land and stretching for 18 miles, is also an ideal lake for sailing, water skiing, jet skiing, and relaxing cruises.