American Falls Dam, Hydroelectric power station and gravity dam in Power County, Idaho.

The American Falls Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Snake River near American Falls, Idaho, completed in 1978 to replace the 1927 structure. A flat pale grey roadway edge runs along its crest, and a row of dark rectangular gate openings is recessed into the concrete face. On the right, thick concrete piers and low walls form spillway channels where water churns white.

The dam was built in the 1920s and required relocating a large portion of the town of American Falls. This project was part of broader efforts to develop the Snake River for hydropower and irrigation.

The reservoir transformed agricultural practices in the region by storing water for irrigation across dry farmland. Today, local farmers depend on this supply to maintain their crops throughout the growing season.

Several boat ramps provide water access on the southwest side and north of the dam, making it easy to reach the reservoir. The area around the water is suitable for fishing and swimming during warmer months.

Since 1981, about 3,600 kg of rainbow trout have been stocked in the reservoir each year to bolster the fish population. The reservoir also holds brown trout, cutthroat trout, sunfish, yellow perch, whitefish and catfish, and more than 200 bird species have been recorded around it.