Rock Lake is the deepest and largest of all scabland lakes left behind from 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 ...

, and holds that distinction for all of eastern

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 ...

. At its deepest, it is more than deep, although the official measurement is uncertain. The lake is over long and averages in width, and is accessible via a solitary landing area located on the south end. The rest of the shoreline is inaccessible to vehicles, other than a few private properties. Located approximately south of Cheney, Rock Lake is in a moderately remote location. Other towns in the area include

Sprague Sprague may refer to: Places ;Canada * Sprague, Manitoba, a small town near the Minnesota/Manitoba border ;United States * Sprague, Alabama, Montgomery County, Alabama * Sprague, Connecticut * Sprague, Missouri * Sprague, Nebraska * Sprague ...

, St. John, and

Rosalia Rosalia or Rosalía (with diacritic) may refer to: Persons * Saint Rosalia (1130–1166), the patron saint of Palermo in Italy * Rosalia (given name) * Rosalía (born 1992), Spanish singer Places * 314 Rosalia, an asteroid * Rosalia, Pisidia ...

, although all are a number of miles away. Rock Lake receives the majority of its water from Rock Creek, which further downstream is a tributary of the

Palouse River The Palouse River is a tributary of the Snake River in Washington and Idaho, in the northwest United States. It flows for U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 3, 2011 southw ...

, as well as Negro Creek. The lake is approximately long and wide and has a wildly varying depth with steep drop offs that reach over 300 feet. About half a mile from the boat launch, the lakes characteristic geography can be seen, with its high basalt cliff walls on either side with rock pillars and spires protruding from the bottom of the lake. The steep basalt cliffs and stone pinnacles that can rupture a hull and a lack of shoreline coupled with the

wind tunnel Wind tunnels are large tubes with air blowing through them which are used to replicate the interaction between air and an object flying through the air or moving along the ground. Researchers use wind tunnels to learn more about how an aircraft ...

effect with the regions notable Palouse winds has led to many deaths on the lake. In addition to the perils in the lake, the banks of the lake are also habitat for

rattlesnakes Rattlesnakes are venomous snakes that form the genera '' Crotalus'' and '' Sistrurus'' of the subfamily Crotalinae (the pit vipers). All rattlesnakes are vipers. Rattlesnakes are predators that live in a wide array of habitats, hunting small an ...

in the spring and summer months.

Recreation

The primary recreation activity on Rock Lake is fishing. Popular sport fishing species in the lake include: Crappie, Brown trout, Bluegill, and Rainbow trout. Running along the eastern shore of the lake is the John Wayne Pioneer Trail, which is a converted rail trail. This section of trail is now open, completing open access from Idaho to North Bend, Wa with the addition of the rail bridge over the Columbia River near Vantage..

Dam considerations

A dam was first considered at the mouth of Rock Lake in the lake 1930s, and base columns were installed. The idea of a dam was abandoned at that point, because of the difficulty the topography would present. Recently, interest in building a dam at this site has been renewed. Representatives of the Palouse-Rock Lake Conservation District are interested in having a dam built for the primary purpose of stabilizing water supply to right-holders below the dam by creating a consistent flow throughout the year. The current plans for a dam would impound 110,000-120,000 acre feet of water.

Reference list

{{authority control Lakes of Washington (state) Bodies of water of Whitman County, Washington