Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park

A stunning desert park in Central Washington 40 miles south of Grand Coulee Dam with cold snowy winters and hot dry summers. There is a drive-in campground and swimming lake. Enjoy hikes and the unique geology among basalt cliffs and pot-hole lakes in this desert habitat with Yellow Belly Marmots and Western Rattlesnakes.

Getting There

  • From I-90 west (Seattle): Take Exit 151 onto SR-283, drive through Ephrata to Soap Lake, turn north on SR-17, and drive to Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park.
  • From I-90 east (Spokane): Take Exit 179 onto SR-17, dive to Soap lake, and continue north on SR-17 to Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park.
  • From SR-2: Tturn South at the Dry Falls junction SR-2 and SR-17) and drive to Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park.

About the Park

As you enter Sun Lakes-Dry Falls, you may feel like you’re on another planet. The park is surrounded by one of Washington’s most striking and historically significant landscapes.

Dry Falls is a geological wonder of North America. Carved by Ice Age floods more than 13,000 years ago, the former waterfall was once four times the size of Niagara Falls. Today, the 400-foot-high, 3.5-mile-wide cliff overlooks a big sky and a landscape of deep gorges and dark, reflective lakes. The park is a notable site along the National Ice Age Floods Geologic Trail.

Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park web page

  • Seasons: March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November
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  • Sun Lake-Dry Falls State Park and Sun Lakes Wildlife Area
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