Not much is left of Teton Dam, but it's still quite a sight when you imagine what has happened in 1976. There is a parking lot at the end of paved Teton Dam Road. It's just 1.5 miles off (north) ID-33. When Teton Dam suddenly was washed away, June 5, 1976, a large reservoir (280 feet deep) was dumped on farms and towns below. Houses floated away and crop land was ruined as water surged on into Snake River and American Falls Reservoir, which finally controlled that flood. Church, government, and disaster relief agencies responded effectively, but 14 lives were lost and hundreds of millions of dollars in damage resulted from that unforgettable calamity. All that remains of Teton Dam still can be seen from a viewpoint.

The remnants of an geological folly are haunting decades later. Only down side to this dramatic sight for me wad the last time I visited some selfish person was using the canyon for target practice. Bullets pinging as the sun set destroyed the mood.

This is a self-guided tour - all of the historical markers are missing. But there is good cell phone coverage and you can google any information you need about the dam and its failure. There are no services here. There is a Teton Dam Flood Museum in Rexburg. The Teton Dam was a large earthen fill dam completed in Nov 1975 and failed June 5, 1976. The flood from the dam killed eleven people, flooded farmland, rangeland, and the communities of Wilford, Suger City, Salem, Hibbard, and Rexburg.

This is a historical site with no staffing or supervision and is totally unsecured. It is miles from medical or rescue services. The ruins can be observed safely from the parking area and inside the fence. The embankment that washed away during the failure is on the far side of the canyon closest to the spillway. The other embankment was removed after the failure to help determine the cause. The center of the dam is all that's left of the original structure. The Flood Museum in Rexburg is a great source for more information. They charge a small fee for admission and have limited hours.