Dry Falls, Washington
N 47° 36.419 W 119° 21.803
11T E 322371 N 5275325
One large lake of northwest Montana, played an important role in the formation of Dry Falls. As this lake grew in size, it broke through the ice dam, unleashing a tremendous volume of water to rush across northern Idaho and into eastern Washington.
Waymark Code: WM5A2H
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 12/04/2008
Views: 17
After stripping away 200 feet of topsoil, the flood ripped away huge boulders from the underlying lava rock. These boulders were picked up and carried in the floods only to be stranded in fields and prairies when the floodwaters subsided. Some boulders, called glacial erratic, were rafted on icebergs and transported great distances from their source by the floods of Glacial Lake Missoula. As the floods in this vicinity raced southward, two major waterfalls formed along their course. The larger was that of the upper coulee, where the river roared over an 800-foot cliff. The eroding power of the water plucked pieces of basalt from the precipice, causing the falls to retreat 20 miles and self-destruct by cutting through to the Columbia River valley near what is now the Grand Coulee Dam.
The other major waterfall started near Soap Lake, where less resistant basalt layers gave way before the great erosive power of this tremendous torrent. As in the upper coulee, the raging river yanked chunks of rock from the face of the falls and the falls eventually retreated to their present location.
Here then is Dry Falls, the skeleton of one of the greatest waterfalls in geologic history. It is 3.5 miles wide, with a drop of more than 400 feet. By comparison, Niagara, 1 mile wide with a drop of only 165 feet, would be dwarfed by Dry Falls.
Describe - Highway or Road number: SR17
Closest town or city: Coulee City
Number of parking spots available: 25
Name if a website describes this location.: [Web Link]
Winter View: yes
Summer View: yes
Year around access ?: yes
Comfort station on site: yes
Is a photo of an "Information Sign"included?: Yes
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