The power of water, both present and ancient, can be seen just about everywhere in Idaho: cascading waterfalls, plunging canyons, uniquely carved rock formations... our big-little state has it all. After an intense winter, however, Idaho's natural wonders are bigger and bolder than ever and our reservoirs overflowing.

One sight everyone should check out at least once this spring? A dam spillway bursting forth magnificently with excess water runoff. These man-made displays are rare, but the timed releases are impressive, to say the least, coming in all shapes and sizes depending on the type of dam. But there's one in particular display that every Idahoan should see:

Lucky Peak Dam's "Rooster Tail" has historically been one of Boise's favorite on-again-off-again attractions.

The Rooster Tail discharge pours through the dam's slide outlets, pressured upwards against angled concrete platforms that launch the water hundreds of feet into the air in a man-made waterfall spray unlike any found in nature.

But this planned event only happens when reservoir levels are high enough, and is a public display put on by the Army Cops of Engineers to wow locals.

The highly pressurized water has the potential to erode the river channel if released too quickly; the Rooster Tail lessens the pressure of what would otherwise be 2000 cubic feet per second of built up winter runoff gushing out of the dam.

However, there are other ways to keep all that excess water (whatever is more than needed by the dam's powerhouse) from hitting the river directly. This method just has a little extra flair to it! But... it only happens twice a year.

It's been a few years on hiatus, but finally the Rooster Tail will be back in action this weekend!

Catch this awesome show April 22-23 from 12-6pm. Thank you Gary Flowers for the footage!

Getting Here: Do not enter Sandy Point when you first see the Rooster Tail Display; instead, proceed along Highway 21 up to the top of the dam. Turn right to cross the dam and you'll easily find your way, enjoying a number of different views of the display.

If you'd like to get out and walk around, Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation State Parks - Discovery Park and Sandy Point Park - are available for a $5 fee.

But Lucky Peak's Rooster Tail isn't the only incredible dam display going on right now!

If you've read our previous article about Hells Canyon (wait...you haven't yet? You should!), you know that Idaho and Oregon share a number of things: Hells Canyon itself, the Snake River, the Owyhee Canyonlands (just to name a few)... and, the wild and scenic Owyhee River.

This whitewater river starts in far, far south just outside of Idaho's Owyhee County, flowing north through the rugged red rock canyons and sagebrush, and meandering through an overlooked and virtually uninhabited landscape that is often referred to as the most isolated spot in the country.

Tucked away at the end of this isolated river - just a few minutes over the state line - the Owyhee Dam and Reservoir creates a towering concrete spillway into the man-made Lake Owyhee. This year's winter, however, has pushed the reservoir to max capacity, which has created quite the spectacle - a "Glory Hole" or "Morning Glory Spillway Ring" that is a mesmerizing, thundering whirlpool:

The majority of Idaho's dams have traditional chute spillways, but the Owyhee Dam spillway at the end of our glorious Owyhee River - just a few minutes into Oregon - is little different.

It's called a Bell-Mouth Spillway - a giant vortex of sorts that is absolutely phenomenal when seen from above. These spillways help prevent floods from "dam"-aging or overflowing a dam. And right now, it's an incredible sight to see!

See it for yourself! This epic drone footage was taken by YouTube user James K.

This winter has been one to remember in the Northwest - be sure to get out and see the spectacular sights as a result! Word on the street is that Brownlee Dam has quite the incredible spillway as well this year.

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