Near Coulee City in Grant County, Washington — The American West (Northwest)
World's Greatest Waterfall... Without Water!
Eroding Backwards
Raging floodwaters poured over the lip of the falls, plucking chunks of basalt from its base. Eventually, the overhanging cliffs collapsed into the plunge pool. With each collapse, the falls edged further upstream. Over time, the waterfall moved 18 miles from Soap Lake to Dry Falls, creating Lower Grand Coulee.
(top illustration caption)
This painting shows how the floods might have looked from this location. During the largest floods, you would be under hundreds of feet of water. Illustration by Stev H. Ominski
(right illustration caption)
The force of water dropping hundreds of feet over the falls eroded deep hollow spots below it, called plunge pools.
Erected by Washington State Parks.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Natural Features.
Location. 47° 36.429′ N, 119° 21.806′ W. Marker is near Coulee City, Washington, in Grant County. Marker can be reached from Park Lake Road Northeast (Washington Route 17) 2 miles south of U.S. 2, on the left when traveling south. Marker is located in Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park, on the east side of the Visitor Center parking lot, overlooking Dry Falls Lake. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 34875 Park Lake Road Northeast, Coulee City WA 99115, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 6 other markers are within 13 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Explore Massive Floodscapes! (here, next to this marker); In the Path of Cataclysmic Floods (here, next to this marker); Dry Falls (a few steps from this marker); Story of Dry Falls (within shouting distance of this marker); The Cariboo Cattle Trail (approx. 6.7 miles away); History of the Stratford Area (approx. 13.1 miles away).
More about this marker. Marker is a metal-framed, composite plaque, mounted horizontally on waist-high metal posts.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park
Also see . . .
1. Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park website. From lava flows to the Ice Age floods, and from the Native American legacy to the modern discovery of how Dry Falls was created, the Dry Falls story is revealed to tens of thousands of visitors each year. The Grand Coulee, of which Dry Falls is a central feature, has been designated as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service. (Submitted on February 8, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. The Largest Waterfall that Ever Existed.
(This site features excellent professional photographs of the area, with natural and historical interpretations.) It was twice as high and three times as wide as Niagara Falls, making it the largest confirmed waterfall in the planet’s history. Geologists have discovered that when the glacier dam broke, a 300 ft-high torrent of water travelling at 65 mph tore through everything in its path and created the existing canyon in one week. Along with digging out Grand Coulee Canyon, the powerful waters swept away many layers of basalt that once filled the canyon. (Submitted on February 8, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 10, 2019. It was originally submitted on February 8, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 202 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on February 8, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.