Dry Falls is located near Soap Lake in the Columbia Basin. These once massive waterfalls were created about a million years ago during the Pleistocene Epoch. This was a period of cooling and great ice sheets and glaciers were formed across the Eastern Washington. The ice grew to be over a mile thick. As the ice age ended, temperatures warmed, and the glaciers receded massive flows of melting waters caused one of the largest waterfalls in geologic history. These Falls spanned 3.5 miles across and a height of 400 feet.
While at Dry Falls take in the view and walk through it’s rich history on display at the visitors center. The Park Ranger can direct you to the lakes and hiking below in the Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park. The park has cabins, campground, hiking, boat ramps, and picnic spots.
The rock formations throughout the valley are impressive and host a range of color and form. The Sun Lakes dot the valley floor and creates several small oasis lake amidst the desert landscape. The day we visited we encounter a lot of haze and smoke from forest fires, but we didn’t let that deter us from hiking around the valley to explore these little lakes.
This is a great adventure to pair with a visit to Lake Lenore Caves. If you are looking for another great adventure check out our adventure map.
PNW Adventure Sisters 