Giant Current Ripples along Snake River - Washington - Glacial Lake Missoula Flood Features on Waymarking.com

This location is along Wash. Hwy. 263 downstream from the Lower Monumental Dam on the Snake River. The location provides a view across the Snake River to a longitudinal gravel bar with giant current ripples on its surface. The steep railroad cuts along the shoreline accentuate the profile view of the giant ripples. Note the powerpoles for scale in photo below.

Prior to the great Ice Age floods from glacial Lake Missoula, the Palouse River followed the route of the Washtucna Coulee westward from Washtucna to Connell and then south along the Esquatzel Coulee to the Pasco area where it joined the Columbia River. During the Ice Age floods the huge volumes of water entering the Palouse drainage from the north were so large that east of Washtucna waters spilled southward over a 9-mile wide divide into the Snake River drainage. These waters carved the present day route for the Palouse River south to the Snake River. Additional overflows, such as down Devils Canyon near here, also added water to the Snake River. At this location the flood waters were at least 800 feet deep based on topographic features.