Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park (formerly, Sun Lakes State Park) is a public recreation area located at the foot of
Dry Falls, three miles (4.8 km) west of
Coulee City in
Grant County,
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 on ...
. 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.
[
]
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 la ...
, the Department of Natural Resources, and private interests. The Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government 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 major part of ...
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 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 border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Falls, ...
. 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 aphanite, 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 planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...
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
A recreational vehicle park (RV park) or caravan park is a place where people with recreational vehicles can stay overnight, or longer, in allotted spaces known as "sites" or "campsites". They are also referred to as campgrounds, though a true ...
, 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". Th ...
, 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)