Sun Lakes State Park
Encyclopedia
Dry Falls
Dry Falls is a 3.5 mile long scalloped precipice in central Washington, on the opposite side of the Upper Grand Coulee from the Columbia River, and at the head of the Lower Grand Coulee. Ten times the size of Niagara, Dry Falls is thought to be the greatest known waterfall that ever existed...
, which is located near Coulee City, Washington
Coulee City, Washington
Coulee City is a town in Grant County, Washington, United States. The population was 600 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Coulee City is located at ....
. Formed by the Missoula Floods
Missoula Floods
The Missoula Floods refer to the cataclysmic floods that swept periodically across eastern Washington and down the Columbia River Gorge at the end of the last ice age. The glacial flood events have been researched since the 1920s...
, Dry Falls is the site of a former waterfall which is now a stark cliff, 400 feet (121.9 m) high and 3.5 miles (5.6 km) wide. When the floods occurred, the waterfall was ten times the size of Niagara Falls. Today it overlooks a desert oasis filled with lakes and abundant wildlife.
Recreation opportunities include fishing, swimming, boating, hiking, horse rentals, and a golf course. It is a prime example of shrub-steppe
Shrub-steppe
Shrub-steppe is a type of low rainfall natural grassland. Shrub-steppes are distinguishable from deserts, which are too dry to support a noticeable cover of perennial grasses or other shrubs, while the shrub-steppe has sufficient moisture levels to support a cover of perennial grasses and/or...
habitat. There is an interpretive center on area geology. The park is located in Grant County, Washington along Route 17, at the head of the Lower Grand Coulee
Grand Coulee
The Grand Coulee is an ancient river bed in the U.S. state of Washington. This National Natural Landmark stretches for about sixty miles southwest from Grand Coulee Dam to Soap Lake, being bisected by Dry Falls into the Upper and Lower Grand Coulee....
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There is a camp site that contains access to the lake, a swimming pool, and a mini golf course.