A drive to Celebration Park and Cleo’s Ferry Garden creates an on-the-road, time travel experience. Just under thirty miles from Boise and Meridian, the drive takes you through suburbia, past golf courses and the Morley Nelson Birds of Prey National Conservation Area, then through agricultural lands with crops, sheep, cattle, dairy cows and dairies, and on to wine country near Cleo’s. You'll likely see Idaho landscapes you might not have seen before.
From twenty-first century subdivisions to early 1900s farmsteads and ranches, you’ll see Idaho’s agricultural history rolling past as you journey to see the petroglyphs at Celebration Park. This Canyon County Park was founded in 1989 as Idaho’s first and only archaeological park. A gentle, rocky hike takes you to the petroglyphs. A wooden boardwalk leads to the atlatl practice range where you can practice throwing the ancient atlatl tool used for hunting. Nestled in the parking lot area is a replica twig tent big enough to go into.
Celebration Park is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, year-round. The visitor center is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Educational signage around the park provides plenty of information about what to look for. Make a day of it: bring a snack or a meal and enjoy the picnic spaces. Bring your fishing license and your poles. Look for birds – flying, roosting, nesting, flitting from tree to tree. Depending on the season, you’ll see a variety of vegetation and wildlife.
Cleo’s Ferry Museum, near downtown Melba, is five miles from Celebration Park. Originally the site of ferry services across the Snake River in the 1800s and early 1900s, the permanent bridge obsoleted the once necessary ferry system.
In 1966, Dr. Samuel Swayne and his wife Cleo built the trails and populated them with whimsical joy. When exploring the cobblestone structures – homes, churches, buildings – watch for peacocks. Look for the white one, the traditional male-feathered and colorful, as well as the muted-color female peacocks. You may spot squirrels, lizards, and birds along the trails as well.
Clear, open paths, and tree-covered trails make for hours of enjoyment. History displays throughout the area take visitors back in time. The calm quiet here is a nice respite from today’s busy, noisy, traffic-filled world.
Open 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., this outdoor walk-through space with cobblestone buildings, and gnome, fairy, and sculpture garden spaces is a curious delight for all ages.
Your twenty-first century electronic map provides options for one-trip or multi-trip routes that will take you back in time to a quieter era and landscape. Take water! Stay hydrated and enjoy these strolls along the Snake River, through geology, ferry history, and historic river bridge crossings.