Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park (formerly, Sun Lakes State Park) is a public recreation area located at the foot of

Dry Falls Dry Falls is a scalloped precipice with four major alcoves, in central Washington scablands. This cataract complex is on the opposite side of the Upper Grand Coulee from the Columbia River, and at the head of the Lower Grand Coulee, northern ...

, three miles (4.8 km) west of

Coulee City Coulee City is a town in Grant County, Washington. The population was 549 at the 2020 census. History The town was named after nearby Grand Coulee. Coulee City was officially incorporated on May 10, 1907. Geography Coulee City is located at ...

Grant County Grant County may refer to: Places ;Australia * County of Grant, Victoria ;United States *Grant County, Arkansas *Grant County, Indiana * Grant County, Kansas *Grant County, Kentucky *Grant County, Minnesota *Grant County, Nebraska *Grant C ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

. The

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

covers along Route 17 at the head of the Lower

Grand Coulee Grand Coulee is an ancient river bed in the U.S. state of Washington. This National Natural Landmark stretches for about 60 miles (100 km) southwest from Grand Coulee Dam to Soap Lake, being bisected by Dry Falls into the Upper and Lower ...

Park history

The state purchased land to create the state park from 1933 through 1972. Fifteen parcels were purchased from the

Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands. Headquartered in Washington DC, and with oversight over , it governs one eighth of the country's ...

, the Department of Natural Resources, and private interests. The

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government unemployment, work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a ...

built rock walls and a lookout at Dry Falls called Vista House in 1938. The CCC workers also constructed a residence and water pump house. The Camp Delany group retreat facility was added to the park in 1956, the buildings at Sun Lakes Park Resort were constructed in 1959, and the interpretive center overlooking Dry Falls was built in 1965.

Features

Dry Falls is a stark cliff measuring high and wide. It was the site of a waterfall formed during the

Missoula Floods The Missoula floods (also known as the Spokane floods or the Bretz floods or Bretz's floods) were cataclysmic glacial lake outburst floods that swept periodically across eastern Washington and down the Columbia River Gorge at the end of the las ...

which was ten times the size of

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the Canada–United States border, border between the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario in Canada and the U.S. state, state ...

. The cliff overlooks a desert oasis filled with lakes and abundant wildlife. It is a prime example of shrub-steppe habitat. Umatilla Rock is a large

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90 ...

rock which resisted being eroded by the Great Floods. Its location is downstream of the falls and upstream of the main park and resort. Nearby lakes include Dry Falls, Perch, Red Alkali, Green Alkali, and Meadow.

Activities and amenities

The park has of lake shoreline and offers fishing, swimming, boating, hiking, and golf. The park's interpretive center offers exhibits on area geology. The Umatilla Rock Trail is accessible via a dirt road from the main portion of the park. The trailhead is located near the southwest portion of the rock. The five-mile round-trip trail navigates the outer circumference of the rock. An alternate section cuts up and over a notch on the northeast portion of the rock.

Sun Lakes Park Resort

The Sun Lakes Park Resort, a privately operated recreational area leased from the state, is located within the park along Park Lake. It includes an RV park, rental cabins, a

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". ...

, concessions, and rentals for boats and other watersports equipment.

References

External links

Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park
Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park Map
Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission {{authority control State parks of Washington (state) Parks in Grant County, Washington Protected areas established in 1933 Civilian Conservation Corps in Washington (state)