This section covers trails in Grant and Douglas Counties from the Potholes area south of Moses Lake along SR 17 and the Sun Lakes area up SR 155 to the Grand Coulee Dam.

Discover a shrub-steppe, with arid, wide-open land and columnar basalt rock roughly defined by the course of the Columbia River. The geology of this area, formed by multiple floods during the last Ice Age, is fascinating. A huge lake built up behind an ice dam in Montana unleashed the floods each time that the ice dam broke, pouring millions and millions of gallons of water over Eastern Washington. Scientists estimate that the water volume in just one of those floods was 10 times greater than the combined flow of every river in the world today. That water tore through Eastern Washington and formed the unique land formations along the entire length of the Columbia River. Dry Falls, 33 miles south of Grand Coulee, is part of Sun Lakes State Park featuring an interpretive center and a viewing point. Coulee means dry ravine. The Grand Coulee is the largest of the canyons cut by the flow of this ancient flood. Dry Falls is midway along the Grand Coulee - a cliff 3 miles wide and 400 feet high, cut by the flowing water. Imagining the water going over this canyon makes Niagara look like a baby waterfall. But during the peak of the flood, it was covered by an additional 800 feet of water and would have made barely a ripple in the surface. Click here to see a website with a great panaramic photo of the Dry Falls. Driving south on Hwy. 155 from Grand Coulee you'll see Steamboat Rock and across from it, the Devil's Punch Bowl.

This part of the state has a unique ruggedness and beauty that will stir your senses. This is wide open country - a perfect place to find solitude. Smell the sage and view the wildlife of this region including the golden eagle, prairie falcon, and other species commonly found in high shrub-steppe deserts of the West. The Columbia Basin is also a magnet for thousands of ducks, geese, and migratory wading birds that nest and winter in this vast system of ponds and marshes.Hopefully some day there will be more accessible recreational opportunities and trails in this area such as the Douglas Creek Trail near Waterville in Douglas County from Palisades to Alstown. This rail-trail connects the low, dry sagebrush of Moses Coulee with the high plateau farmlands near Waterville, but at the beginning of 2003, the trail is not yet accessible.

If you like to fish or birdwatch, combine these activities with one of the trails below. Banks Lake, the Potholes and Sun Lakes areas (see photo above) are popular fishing locations. Take the tour of Grand Coulee Dam while you are there. [Map]

Northrup Canyon - Steamboat Rock State Park

Directions:
The road that accesses Northrup Canyon is located 7 miles south of Coulee Dam on State Highway 155. The access road is about 4 miles north of the Steamboat Rock campground entrance and almost directly across from the day use area. Drive in for about a mile on a gravel road to the parking area. There is a pit toilet there.

Features:
A short trail at Steamboat Rock State Park's Northrup Canyon leads to a viewpoint where you can observe roosting Bald Eagles. The trail is ADA accessible, but the route around the gate is narrowly blocked with rocks, which may be difficult for some, and the trail has a steep grade that may require help for some users.

A significant number of Bald Eagles winter in this area. Their main night roosting area is in Northrup Canyon along the south wall in the pine and fir trees. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the State Park jointly developed an Eagle Viewing Site including two small parking lots off of State highway 155 access Northrup Canyon. The trail starts across from the parking and winds up a knoll in the center of the canyon. At the end of this trail is the actual viewing site. Bring field glasses or a spotting scope and dress warm for it may be cold (freezing or below). The best Viewing of Bald Eagle Nighttime Roosting Sites are from 2:00pm to Dusk. The Grand Coulee Dam area holds a Bald Eagle festival mid February - see their website for details and photos of the area.

Other:
For able bodied companions or horseback riders, the Northrup Canyon Trail begins in a sheltered canyon and extends through the only forest in Grant County. At the top of the gorge is a picturesque lake which is stocked with trout. This section of the trail is rated easy to moderate, but not accessible to wheelchair users. The Castle Rock Natural Area Preserve is a large flat-top butte on the north side at the mouth to Northrup Canyon.

The Canyon runs in a northeasterly direction across from the turnoff to Steamboat Rock Rest Area Boat Launch. The Canyon is rich in history and was named for one of the original homesteaders. The remains of a road can still be found in Northrup Canyon. The road was constructed up the south side of the canyon in the late 1800s. Stage coach and freight wagons between Almira and Bridgeport used the road.

Banks Lake is a man made lake built to provide water to the central areas of Washington state to support agriculture. The lake is 28 miles long and is located along Highway 2 and 155 between the towns of Electric City and Coulee City. This lake is known for its great bass fishing. Several bass tournaments are held each year hosted by the Coulee Playland Marina in Electric City. Steamboat Rock State park, located on the lake is a great place for camping or a day at the beach. This park has many facilities: rest rooms, picnic tables, kids playground toys, roped off swimming area, boat launch and more.

North Dam Park - Grand Coulee Area

Directions:
North Dam Park is located between Electric City and Grand Coulee.

From Seattle take I-90 east to George. Take Hwy 283 north from George through Ephrata and Soap Lake to Coulee City. From Coulee City, take Hwy. 155 north to the Grand Coulee Dam. Alternatively, take Take Hwy 2 to Wenathcee and go north on Hwy 97 to Hwy 2. Take Hwy 2 to Coulee City.

From Spokane, take Hwy 2 to Wilbur. At Wilbur, get on Hwy 174 and go to Grand Coulee.

Features:
North Dam Park has a one-mile, accessible path, which is multi-purpose. The trail goes across the man made dam which holds Banks lake, down by the softball fields, and then back up through the park.

Other:
The park also contains a ballfield, a playfield, and playground equipment. The Grand Coulee Dam laser light show may be seen each night of the week from Memorial Day through Sept. 30th. The worlds largest laser light show is displayed right on the face of the dam.

Grand Coulee Dam is the largest hydroelectric project in North America, and the third largest in the world. It generates 6,809 Megawatts of power, and can do this almost continuously throughout the year. Roosevelt Lake formed above the dam extends about 130 miles, nearly to Canada. There is year-round fishing in both lakes featuring kokanee, walleye, large and small mouth bass, rainbow trout, perch, crappie and sturgeon.

Stop at Crown Point Vista overlooking the Grand Coulee Dam and surrounding communities. See some great photos of the dam and surrounding area from here.

The Coulee Dam casino is located in the city of Coulee Dam, offering black jack, slot machines and KENO.

Bunchgrass Prairie Nature Trail - Grand Coulee Area

Directions:
From Grand Coulee, E on SR 174 3 mi; L at entrance sign to Spring Canyon, go 2 mi to park facilities; ramp on R.

Good area map at the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area website.

Features:
The National Park Service offers an excellent nature trail among native vegetation complete with an interpretive booklet to help identify plants. Brochures are at trail head, see park ranger for additional details or interpretive walks. This is an easy trail for slow walkers, but it is not wheelchair accessible.

Other:
Spring Canyon Campground is an 87-site campground on the shores of Lake Roosevelt with some covered RV sites, restrooms, and fresh water. The spacious campsites are terraced into the side of a hill overlooking the lake, so that every site has an attractive view. Popular for fishing, boating and swimming. Most of the developed campgrounds and picnic areas at Lake Roosevelt are fully accessible. There are tables and bathrooms accessible for people who need special accomodations available throughout the park. All camping sites are paved.

North Shore Trail - Chief Joseph Dam (Bridgeport Area)

Directions:
From Wenatchee: Drive East on US 2 for 13 miles, and then North on US 97 for 57 miles. Turn right (East) on WA 17 for 8 miles until you see Chief Joseph Dam. Turn left shortly before the Columbia River Bridge and begin your visit at the Orientation Area.

From Spokane: Drive West on US 2 for 97 miles until you intersect WA 17 past Coulee City. (Note WA 17 joins US 2 for 2 miles before turning North.) Follow WA 17 North for 40 miles until you reach Bridgeport. Continue driving across the Columbia River Bridge where you should turn right and begin your visit at the Orientation Area.

Features:
Hike or bike on the 5 mile (round trip) . The Orientation Area pathway also serves as a trailhead for this trail. The majority of this trail is an 8 foot wide paved barrier free trail. The trail connects the Orientation Area to the Spillway Viewpoint at the North end of the dam. The trail continues onto the boundary of Bridgeport State Park where it currently ends at the Dunes Trailhead. The first 2 portions of this trail are completed with benches, posts and crosswalks.

Future trail plans will hopefully connect the trail to the campground in Bridgeport State Park and possibly across the Columbia River Bridge to Bridgeport. Until then, trail users may choose to use the existing roadway to connect to Bridgeport State Park or simply drive to a trailhead.

Other:
The Chief Joseph Dam facilities are generally accessible but may have some areas where you might have problems. Wheelers should check this link out before going. The Orientation Area is open all year, while the Visitor Center is open from 9 AM thru 5 PM seasonally from April 1st thru October 31st each year.

The fifty-one mile long Rufus Woods Lake, created by the dam, provides excellent kokanee, trout and walleye fishing. The lake is a haven for boaters, water-skiers and wind surfers as well as a great area for wildlife viewing and bird watching.

Camping. Bridgeport State Park is multipurpose park located on the north shore of Rufus Woods Lake just upstream of Chief Joseph Dam. Campsites include 30 all purpose paved sites which also accommodate tenting. Twenty of those sites have electric and water hookups and there are two ADA accessible restrooms with showers. An RV dump station is located nearby. These campsites are available on a first come/first served basis. The park is open seasonally each year from about April 1st thru October 31st

There is also a Bridgeport city park located on the Columbia River, 2 miles downstream from Chief Joseph Dam. Campsites available include 18 paved sites with hookups which can also serve as tent sites. Sites include fire rings, picnic tables, and access to restrooms with showers. The park also offers 2 boat ramps, fishing, playground equipment, horseshoe pits, a swimming area, and 2 covered picnic shelters. When the camp host is on site, reservations can be made at (509) 686-4747

Fishing. The dam here is the end of the line for fish that wander down river, and a fish over 21 pounds was taken within site of the launch. The launch here is also excellent. Sand is provided for icy days and there is a very large dock to handle the number of boats that use it year-round. There is a large, paved parking lot here, too. The area just above the dam is also very popular with shore-bound anglers. Rufus Woods is a Corps of Engineers project, and the Corps has added a lot of amenities to this site in recent years. In addition to the work on the dock and launch, they have created shore fishing areas complete with picnic tables, fireboxes (bring your own wood), and a handicapped fishing platform. This spot is only about two miles from the town of Bridgeport where hot meals, gas and other supplies are available. A good rig to use here is a slip-sinker rig with a pretty hefty egg sinker above the swivel. There is a varying amount of current here, but it isn’t very deep. About two to three fee of leader is adequate with at least a size 10 bait hook. This hook is usually dressed with an ample amount of Power Bait. Nightcrawlers are also popular baits, and some anglers use an egg and mallow combination or corn.

Dodson Road Nature Trail (WDFW)

Directions:
From Moses Lake, go west on I-90 to Dodson Rd. Go south on Dodson Road for about 10 miles. Watch for area on left.

Features:
Accessible rail around ponds and wetlands on the Desert Unit of the Columbia Basin Wildlife Area. Accessible viewing blind along trail for wildlife Viewing

Neppel Landing Trail - Moses Lake, Grant County

Directions:
From I-90 exit 175 go east on 171 (I-90 business route or Broadway Avenue) 2.8 miles (1 block east of turn for # 28) to Ash Street. Turn north (left) on Ash. The street ends at the park. A parking lot is on the east (left) side of the end of the street

Features:
This .5 mile, concrete and asphalt trail starts at Neppel Landing park near the downtown area of Moses Lake. Heading southwest from the park, the trail parallels an active spur railroad line and runs along the water from North Alder Street to W. Marina Drive. Near the south end, the trail curves away from the tracks, crosses W Marina Drive, and becomes a wide sidewalk on the east side of the road for a few blocks.

Other:
This is a good birdwatching, wildlife viewing, and fishing area. There is a small pier at Neppel Landing Park with good views of the lake. While you are in the area, if you like to fish, here's some accessible spots.

Moses Lake - North Outlet (WDFW). has an accessible fishing platform just to the east of the parking area. Restroom - Vault. From Exit 174 on I-90, cross freeway, L on Sage Rd at "T". R on Sand Dune Rd, go 1.5 mi to access site. Camping is limited to three days. Parking is across the outlet from the boat access area.

Columbia Basin Hatchery (WDFW). Asphalt trails to 4 accessible fishing platfroms adjacent to Hatchery Creek. Hatchery Creek recieves plants of rainbow and brown trout. From SR 17 in Moses Lake, go east on Broadway Extension 0.5 mile, then north on Road K NE 2.56 miles to hatchery on the right.

Rocky Ford Creek #1 (WDFW). Public Fishing Access with accessible restrooms and fishing. Designated parking, boardwalk to piling supported fishing dock. This is a premier small flyfishing stream. From Soap Lake, travel south on SR 17 for 4 miles. Turn left onto Hatchery Rd. Travel 2.1 miles to "T" and turn right. Access is on the left.

Lenore Lake Fish Trap (WDFW). Paved parking and accessible path to excellent viewing of lahontan cutthroat trout. From Soap Lake, travel north on SR 17 for 9 miles. Access on left. Lake Lenore has four access areas, three with restrooms. The three boat launches are suitable for very small boats and float tubes only because of the shallow shoreline. Only the first launch mentioned has a Handicap access.

Canal Lake, Windmill Lake (WDFW). Fish for rainbow trout on accessible concrete fishing platforms in a public fishing/hunting area. From Moses Lake, travel on SR 17 for about 5 miles. Turn right at County Rd M SE. Travel 6.5 miles and turn left at O'Sullivan Dam Rd. At .5 mile, turn right at public fishing sign. Travel 3.75 miles and turn left at Canal Lake sign. Travel about 1 mile to access.

Potholes State Park

Drections:
Located 17 miles southwest of Moses Lake, Wash., just east of the Cascades. From I-90: Take exit 179 at Moses Lake and follow signs to park. From the south: Take Hwy. 17 and turn west on Hwy. 262 (O'Sullivan Dam Rd.). Or take Hwy. 26 and turn east onto Hwy. 262 (O'Sullivan Dam Rd.). Each direction is well signed.

Features:
At Potholes state park there is a short paved trail at the first day use area near the entrance.

Other:
Potholes State Park also has accessible utility campsites, water, picnic tables, restrooms and wildlife viewing. The full hookup area is in a nice grassy park-like area. There are also standard campsites in the more remote sage brush area north of here along the Frenchman Hills wasteway. Watch for ticks in this area and keep your dog on the trail - I spent the evening pulling them off my dogs after walking the trail along the wasteway. Great fishing for trout, bass, walleye, yellow perch, crappie, and bluegill.

The Washington Department of Fisheries and Wildlife has five major pull-in sites that are part of the Desert Wildlife Area along Frenchman Hill Road and Dodson Road. These sites offer great looks at wetlands and marshes as well as some of the ponds that give the Potholes area its name.There is a variety of birds in the trees and marshes along Potholes Reservoir and in the nearby Columbia National Wildlife Refuge two miles east of the park: Tri-colored and Red-winged Blackbirds, Western Meadowlarks, Canyon and Marsh Wrens, Loggerhead Shrike. Raptors such as Northern Harrier, Golden Eagles, Sharp-shinned Hawks to name a few. Also see the Central Basin Audubon Society website, Seattle PI Getaways, and another Seattle PI article. (These trails have very little elevation gain for an easy hike, but are not deemed accessible.)

Symbols

	An agency or a trip evaluation has rated all or part of the trail as wheelchair accessible.
	There is some terrain greater than a 5% grade. A wheelchair user may require assistance on portions of this trail. Suitable for power mobility devices.
	No Dogs are allowed on the trail.