Hiking and Biking

Palouse Falls State Park:

Palouse Falls State Park is a 105 are camping park with a unique geology and history. It offers a droamic view of one of the state's most beautiful waterfalls that drops an astounding 200 feet, framed by 100 feet of basalt. It is the last remaining waterfall created by the ice age flood. Ater the falls the river streches 6 miles before reaching the Snake River.

Just above the falls are serieses of rapids and some littler waterfalls. The view of the rapids is easy to get to, just hike along the gravel path from the parking lot to several little foot paths.



Palouse Tribe Legend of Palouse Falls:




The Palouse River once flowed smoothly into the Snake, but four giant brothers, in pursuit of a mythical creature called "Big Beaver", speared the great creature five times. Each time Big Beaver was wounded, he gouged the canyon walls, causing the river to bend & change. The fifth time he was speared, he fought the brothers valiantly adn tore out a huge canyon. The river tumbled over a cliff at this point and became Palouse Falls. The jagged canyon walls show the deep marks of Big Beaver's claw.


Picnicking:
There is 1 sheltered area, 8 braziers & 10 unsheltered picnic tables on 2 acres of picnicking area. It comes on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Campsite Fees:
Standard: $15
Utility: $21
Primitive: $10
(these are per night w/ a max of 8 people per site)

Other Fees:
Second vehicle: $10
Dump station: $5 per use

Check in 2:30 p.m., check out 1:00 p.m. with quiet time is 10:00 p.m. - 6:30 a.m. and you may stay up to 10 days druing the summer & 20 days between Oct. 1 & Mar. 31.

Lake Lenore Caves

Lake Lenore Caves consist of 7 distinct caves, all easily accessible from the dirt trail. The caves were formed by the plucking of basalt rocks from the walls of the coulees during the recession of the last ice age. The caves were used thousands of years ago as storage and shelter for traveling prehistoric man.

Type
Length 3 mi
Difficulty 1/5
Rating 8/10
Gain 200 ft. Trail Map
Latitude 47° 31' 2.36'' N
Longitude 119° 29' 37.41'' W

PeopleHikers AccessibilityYear-roundCostParking is freeMapsUSGS: Park Lake, Soap Lake, Little Soap Lake
Driving Directions:
From Seattle, drive east on I-90 and take exit #151 to SR 283. Go through Ephrata, and continue on to Soap Lake. Turn north on Highway 17, and continue 8 miles to the

GPS Coordinates:
47° 31' 2.36'' N119° 29' 37.41'' W

Actual Prehistoric Rhino Found at the caves.