If you live in Washington, you may have heard of Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park in Coulee City. You may have even heard that Dry Falls used to be, well, not dry. But the story behind this beautiful area is actually pretty fascinating.

Between 10,000 and 20,000 years ago, glaciers moved south through North America during the end of our last Ice Age.
Mike / Flickr
An ice sheet dammed the Clark Fork River near Sandpoint, Idaho, causing a big portion of Western Montana to flood.
Around the same time, Glacial Lake Columbia was formed on the Columbia River, which was dammed with ice.
Cecily / Flickr
The flood swept past Western Montana, Northern Idaho and much of Eastern Washington, carving the coulees and Channeled Scablands from the basalt.
andrechinn / Flickr
The flow of that flood water was estimated to be 10 times the flow of all rivers in the world combined.

Related Stories

The Magnificent Bridge Trail In Washington That Will Lead You To A Hidden Waterfall

The Magnificent Bridge Trail In Washington That Will Lead You To A Hidden Waterfall

 Your Kids Will Love This Easy 2-Mile Waterfall Hike Right Here In Washington

Your Kids Will Love This Easy 2-Mile Waterfall Hike Right Here In Washington

 The Washington Waterfall Hike You've Never Heard Of But Have To Try

The Washington Waterfall Hike You've Never Heard Of But Have To Try
The sudden flooding put parts of these states under hundreds of feet of water in only a few days.
Jim Trodel / Flickr
This extraordinary flooding is what greatly enlarged the Grand Coulee and Dry Falls in a short period of time.
Palouse Falls was also formed by these floods.
thomas alan / Flickr
Visiting Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park allows you to get an up close and personal view of the power of Mother Nature.
Jacob Moyer / Flickr
The park is located on State Highway 17 just south of Highway 2 in the middle of the state.

You can make a day trip to Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park happen no matter what part of Washington you call home. That being said, it would probably be a long day, so you’re free to spend the night a few miles from the park at the Sun Lakes Campground. For more beautiful places to camp in Washington, check out this list.

OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Related Articles

Explore Washington