Coulee City
As you travel State Highway 17 along a chain of lakes and recreation areas, you’ll want to make a stop in Coulee City where a variety of visitor facilities are located.
Coulee City, is the only place between Soap Lake and Coulee Dam where those traveling on U.S. 2 between Seattle and Spokane can cross the Grand Coulee.
Coulee Country has much to offer. You will see huge lakes and river valleys that were formed during the Ice Age. A stop at Sun Lakes State Park will give you a dramatic view back down the Coulee. The over 4,000 acre park and recreation area has camping, fishing, boating and even a golf course.
The Dry Falls Interpretive Center is just north of Coulee City. The center includes a model of the most extraordinary fossil ever found in the state – a baby rhinoceros. Discovered in 1935, the rhino was entombed in a massive mudflow that occurred prior to the Ice Age. A dramatic viewpoint located at the center presents a 400 foot high, three mile wide wall of lava rock which was believed to have been the greatest waterfall of all time during the Ice Age creation of the Grand Coulee. Another “must” while traveling this area is the less famous but intriguing Lake Lenore Ice Caves.
Coulee Dam
Coulee Dam, on State Highway 155 in northeastern Douglas County, straddles the Columbia River and offers access to Lake Roosevelt. It is the home of the historic dam, Grand Coulee Dam.
A short drive from Coulee Dam is the town of Grand Coulee with small shops and antiques and another mile is the community of Electric City and Banks Lake with high basalt cliffs along both banks of the river.
At the north end of Banks Lake is Steamboat Rock State Park. This popular park is open year-round and offers camping, boating and fishing. The avid hiker will enjoy the hike to the top of Steamboat Rock, rising 1,000 feet above Banks Lake.
Springtime hikers will be awarded with an elevated view down the lake and wildflowers such as shooting stars, lupine and sagebrush violets.
Reservations are accepted toll free at (800) 452-5687 only in the summer. Call Steamboat Rock State Park at (509) 633-1304.
The towns of Coulee Dam, Grand Coulee, Electric City and Elmer City offer you many sightseeing and recreational opportunities, including a wonderful wildlife habitat for dozens of species of birds, eagles, as well as deer and coyote.
The only natural forest in Grant County is located in the canyon of the coulee called Northup Canyon, located across the highway from Steamboat Rock State Park and is open to hikers. The people are friendly and offer a variety of accommodations and eateries. These towns are within two miles of each other and a stopover visit will be well worth your time.
Grand Coulee Dam
The Grand Coulee Dam, known as the eighth wonder of the world, is an experience visitors will remember for a lifetime. It is one of the largest concrete structures ever built and the world’s third largest hydroelectric facility. The dam harnesses the Columbia River for irrigation, power and flood control. When taking a tour of this phenomenon, allow about two hours.
A visitor center on the west bank below the dam is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. It is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. the rest of the year. The dam tour is closed New Years day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Phone (509) 633-9265.
Take a breathtaking ride down the face of the dam in a glass enclosed elevator and see the spectacular laser light show which is projected on the spillway at night, or rent a houseboat and cruise Lake Roosevelt. Remember to stop at the Colville Confederated Tribes Museum in the town of Coulee Dam.
Spring Canyon Park on Lake Roosevelt is a great place to picnic, go swimming, launch a boat or a sailboard. Closeby you will find the four small communities of Elmer City, Coulee Dam, Grand Coulee and Electric City.
A stop-over visit to these towns will be well worth your time. |
