Dry Falls were mightiest ever

There was a time when Dry Falls was the wettest and biggest falls around.

During the last ice age the Central Washington cliffs roared with a waterfall two and a half times higher and five times wider than Niagara Falls.

In fact they ranked as the mightiest waterfall in the history of the planet at a towering 400 feet high and three and a half miles wide.

The question is where did enough water to form a waterfall this big come from, since even the mighty Columbia River in wetter times would not pack enough punch to power them and carve out the Grand Coulee above.

Scientists agree that it was all done in a matter of weeks and not eons of time as well, although whatever happened may have been repeated several times.

To find the answer, they point to glacial evidence at the site of the present day Grand Coulee Dam, which backs up the Columbia and diverts some of it to form Banks Lake inside the Grand Coulee.  Banks Lake is stopped from flowing over Dry Falls by the Dry Falls Dam.

Then, strangely enough, are the lines on the hillsides above distant Missoula, Mont. that look like ancient shorelines at various levels.

Putting the facts together, it is theorized that a glacier came down and blocked the river at the site of the dam and was much bigger than it, backing up the water all the way to Missoula to form a giant lake.

The pressure eventually broke the ice dam, sending all of that water rushing down the coulee.

It quickly carved out the walls of the coulee and spilled over the site of Dry Falls, turning it into a massive waterfall that dropped into what is now lake basins below.

From there it flowed on down the coulee, over the current Sun Lakes and out into the channeled scab lands by Moses Lake and the Potholes Reservoir and down to the present day Columbia River Gorge and out to the Pacific Ocean.

Backed up water from most of Western North America poured through here at the time, or times.

The Dry Falls Visitor Interpretive Center now stands off to the side of where the falls once thundered, offering a view of the cliffs and the lakes below.

Inside the center visitors can see a video presentation and an artist's interpretation of what the giant falls looked like at their peak.

The daily hours at the center vary throughout the year, and information can be obtained by calling (509) 632-5214.

Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park lies below, from which you can look up at the falls.

You can drive through the area, get out, and walk over eight miles of trails.

The lakes boast fishing, with anglers finding rainbow, brown and tiger trout in Dry Falls Lake at the base of the falls.

Swimming, boating and even golfing are available in the state park, which has 152 standard campsites and 40 RV sites.  It also has an amphitheater and climbing walls.

How to get there:

Dry Falls is located off Highway 2, which crosses the Dry Falls Dam above.  Turn south onto Highway 17 to get to the visitors center and head on down to the state park.  The road goes past more of the Sun Lakes and on to join I-90 near Moses Lake.

You can also go north onto Highway 17 from Highway 28, which can be reached from I-90 by Highway 283 near George.

Call (509) 632-5583 for more information on the 3,774-acre state park, which is located at 34875 Park Rd. NE, Coulee City, WA 99115.

Text and photos by Tim Clinton.