Palouse Falls

Palouse Falls is one of the most spectacular and dramatic waterfalls in the Pacific Northwest, a powerful 198-foot plunge where the Palouse River pours over a sheer basalt cliff into a vast, bowl-shaped canyon amphitheater in the rolling, semi-arid Palouse country of eastern Washington. Designated the official state waterfall of Washington, the falls drop into a deep plunge pool ringed by towering, columned basalt walls, a striking oasis of falling water and rock in the wide, treeless landscape.

The falls and their dramatic canyon are a legacy of the colossal Ice Age floods — the cataclysmic Missoula Floods that repeatedly swept across the region at the end of the last Ice Age, when glacial lakes burst and unleashed walls of water that scoured the basalt and carved the coulees, canyons and falls of the Channeled Scablands. Protected as Palouse Falls State Park, the falls are viewed from overlooks on the canyon rim, a breathtaking sight especially in spring high water. Powerful, dramatic and born of catastrophic floods, Palouse Falls is a treasured natural landmark of eastern Washington.

Palouse Falls State Park centers on the spectacular falls, viewed from overlooks on the canyon rim that take in the 198-foot plunge, the basalt amphitheater and the plunge pool below. Sightseeing, photography of the dramatic falls and canyon, and short rim trails are the draws, with picnicking and a small campground. The falls are the signature experience — especially powerful in spring high water — and the surrounding Palouse and scablands country offers scenic drives. The combination of the dramatic state waterfall, the basalt canyon amphitheater and the Ice Age floods story makes the park a striking destination in eastern Washington.

Spring (especially March through May) is the prime time, when snowmelt and rain swell the Palouse River to its most powerful, thundering flow over the falls, and the surrounding Palouse hills are green — the most spectacular season. Summer sees the flow drop (the falls can become a fraction of their spring volume in dry late summer) and the country hot and golden. Fall and winter bring cooler weather and variable flow (and possible ice). The falls are most dramatic in spring high water; come in spring for the fullest flow and the green Palouse, and enjoy the canyon year-round from the overlooks.

Palouse Falls and its canyon were carved by the cataclysmic Ice Age floods — the Missoula Floods — that swept across eastern Washington at the end of the last Ice Age, a story only understood in the 20th century after the geologist J Harlen Bretz controversially proposed the catastrophic-flood origin of the Channeled Scablands. Long known to the Native peoples of the Palouse, the falls were protected as a Washington state park, and in 2014 designated the official state waterfall. Palouse Falls preserves the dramatic waterfall and canyon and the remarkable story of the Ice Age floods, a treasured landmark of eastern Washington.

Palouse Falls is a dramatic legacy of two great geological forces: the vast basalt flows that flooded the region with lava millions of years ago, layering the thick, columned basalt rock, and the cataclysmic Ice Age floods that, at the end of the last Ice Age, repeatedly tore across eastern Washington when glacial Lake Missoula burst, scouring the basalt and carving the canyons, coulees and falls of the Channeled Scablands. The Palouse River now pours 198 feet over the flood-carved basalt cliff into the great amphitheater the floods gouged. The basalt and the colossal floods created this spectacular waterfall and its dramatic canyon.

The canyon, river and surrounding shrub-steppe of Palouse Falls host yellow-bellied marmots (often seen around the overlooks), along with the wildlife of the Palouse and scablands — deer, coyotes, and a community of birds, including raptors that nest on the basalt cliffs (hawks, falcons), swifts and white-throated swallows, and waterbirds along the river, while rattlesnakes and lizards inhabit the rocky, semi-arid country. The river oasis and the basalt canyon support varied wildlife in the dry landscape. The park is a pleasant place for wildlife watching and birding, with the marmots and the cliff-nesting raptors among the wildlife around the dramatic falls.

Palouse Falls State Park protects a dramatic waterfall-and-canyon ecosystem in the semi-arid shrub-steppe of eastern Washington, where the Palouse River’s ribbon of water and the basalt canyon create an oasis amid the dry, rolling Palouse and scablands country. The river corridor, the canyon cliffs and the surrounding shrub-steppe support wildlife adapted to the dry land, including cliff-nesting birds and the marmots of the rocks. The Ice Age floods shaped this distinctive landscape. Protecting the river, the canyon and the surrounding shrub-steppe sustains both the ecology and the dramatic scenery of this striking eastern Washington landmark.

Palouse Falls, the official state waterfall of Washington, holds a treasured place among the natural landmarks of the Pacific Northwest, its dramatic 198-foot plunge into the basalt amphitheater a breathtaking and beloved sight, and a vivid expression of the colossal Ice Age floods that shaped eastern Washington. Long significant to the Native peoples of the Palouse and now a celebrated state park, the falls embody the dramatic, powerful beauty of the scablands and the remarkable geological story of the floods. Palouse Falls is a cherished natural icon of eastern Washington, a powerful oasis of falling water and rock.

Palouse Falls State Park is in southeastern Washington in the Palouse and scablands country, off State Route 261, between the towns of Washtucna and Starbuck, about 1.5 hours northeast of the Tri-Cities and a couple of hours from Spokane — a remote location reached by rural roads. A Washington State Parks Discover Pass is required for parking. The park offers rim overlooks of the falls, short trails, a small campground and picnic areas. The overlooks are near the rim. Check Washington State Parks for the Discover Pass and conditions before visiting this remote landmark.

Washington State Parks protects Palouse Falls, the Palouse River canyon and the surrounding shrub-steppe of Palouse Falls State Park. Visitors help by staying on the designated trails and overlooks (the canyon rim is dangerous, and unofficial trails to the river and the brink have caused deaths), keeping back from the cliff edges and the top of the falls, not disturbing wildlife (marmots, cliff-nesting birds), protecting the river and the fragile shrub-steppe, packing out everything, and following park rules. Protecting the falls, the canyon and the surrounding shrub-steppe sustains both the ecology and the dramatic scenery of this treasured eastern Washington landmark.

Palouse Falls’ canyon is dangerous — the rim has steep, deadly cliffs, and people have died falling from the canyon rim and the top of the falls, especially on the unofficial, treacherous trails that lead toward the river and the brink, so stay on the designated overlooks and trails, keep well back from the cliff edges and the top of the falls, and supervise children extremely closely. Do not attempt to climb down to the river or the falls. Watch for rattlesnakes in the rocky country, carry water and sun protection (the Palouse is hot and shadeless in summer), and respect the deadly cliffs and the canyon.

A Washington State Parks Discover Pass is required for parking. Stay on the designated trails and overlooks; keep well back from the dangerous cliff edges and the top of the falls (unofficial trails to the river and brink are deadly). Do not disturb wildlife or remove anything. Camp only in the designated campground. Pets must be leashed. Drones may be restricted. Pack out all trash. Watch for rattlesnakes. Check Washington State Parks for the Discover Pass and current rules before visiting this remote and dramatic landmark.

The small towns of Washtucna and Starbuck lie near the park, with the rolling Palouse farm country, the Channeled Scablands and their coulees and lakes (Palouse, Snake and Columbia rivers nearby), the Tri-Cities, and the city of Spokane (a couple of hours away) in the broader region. The Palouse and the scablands define the region. Palouse Falls anchors a dramatic and remote landmark of eastern Washington’s scablands country, a centerpiece of a Palouse and Ice Age floods scenic tour, a striking contrast to the mountains and rainforests of the wet west side of the state.

Visit Palouse Falls in spring (March to May) for the most powerful, thundering flow over the 198-foot falls and the green Palouse hills (the flow drops greatly in dry late summer), and take in the dramatic plunge and the basalt amphitheater from the rim overlooks. Stay strictly on the designated overlooks and trails and keep well back from the deadly cliff edges and the top of the falls (the unofficial trails to the river are dangerous). Bring a Discover Pass, carry water and sun protection for the open country, watch for rattlesnakes, and appreciate the Ice Age floods story.