At the end of the last ice age, huge lakes formed behind dams of ice, eventually breaking through the dams, releasing their water in vast floods. One of the most notable of these was Glacial Lake Missoula, which, when it unleashed its water, flooded a large portion of Washington and Oregon states. The huge volume of water, travelling at up to 60 miles per hour, scoured the countryside, carving out many large valleys and canyons, the Grand Coulee being one.
One of the more notable features left by the floods is Dry Falls in Washington's Grant County. A 3.5-mile wide and 400-foot tall waterfall, it is shown in the photo below. Surrounding Dry Falls is
Dry Falls State Park. As well as a showcase of natural wonder, this is a recreational park, a 3,774-acre camping park with 73,640 feet of freshwater shoreline and 15 miles of hiking trails.
The place to view Dry Falls is from either in or near this stone gazebo, also known as Vista House, which was built near the rim of the gorge, overlooking it. The "Then" photo of Vista House, judging by the car behind it, is from the early 1930s, while the "Now" photo is from our visit in May of 2018. Both were taken from southwest of the gazebo, looking northeast.
For full information on the park, see the
Printable park brochure.