Six things to do outdoors in the Grand Coulee area

BY CRAIG HILL | THE NEWS TRIBUNE • Published August 06, 2008

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GRAND COULEE, Grant County - The Grand Coulee area churns out recreational opportunities as well as it produces electricity.

Here are six ideas for playing in the area:

1. Banks Lake

Let’s face it, a trip to Grand Coulee isn’t complete without playing in the water. Susan Miller, manager of the area’s Chamber of Commerce, said water sports — including fishing, personal watercraft and other forms of boating — are by far the area’s biggest recreational draws.

There are several places to launch watercraft on Banks Lake and the coulee’s other lakes. KJ Watersports of Coulee City rents everything from canoes (only at the Sunbanks Resort) to 18-foot party barges for $225 per day. Personal watercraft rent for $185 per day. The company delivers rentals to your campground.

More information: Check on the Web at www.kjwatersports.net.

2. Candy Point Trail

This short hike might have the oddest trailhead in Washington. The trailhead is located in a Coulee Dam neighborhood and is easy to miss. Hikers usually park at the credit union and follow the sidewalk to a house with a sign in the front lawn that points to the trail and informs hikers that it’s OK to walk across the grass.

The trail starts climbing immediately and doesn’t stop until reaching the Crown Point Vista overlooking Grand Coulee Dam. The trail is so steep that much of it consists of stone steps (421 by our count) laid by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression.

More information: Check on the Web at www.grandcouleedam.com.

3. Lake Lenore Caves

A short hike of two miles or less is all it takes to explore the caves on the rock walls above Lake Lenore. According to signs on the trail, the caves were carved by the last ice age and were used by American Indians for shelter 5,000 years ago. There is lots of loose rock on the trail, so wear good shoes to protect your ankles. More information: 1-509-632-5583.

4. Steamboat Rock

Good luck trying to score a campsite at one of the state’s most popular campgrounds. “If you don’t book by January, you are out of the luck for the rest of the year,” Miller said. Even if you can’t camp here, you can still hike. The four-mile hike climbs about 700 feet to the top of Steamboat Rock, a rock island on Banks Lake. The views of the coulee from the top of the rock are spectacular, but don’t take this short hike lightly. The trail is rocky and dusty, making it easy to twist an ankle if you aren’t wearing sturdy hiking shoes. More information: http://parks .wa.gov

5. Ride 155

According to the Washington State Department of Transportation’s state bicycle map, Highway 155 along Banks Lake averages less than 2,000 vehicles per day. Combine the low traffic with the steep rock walls on one shoulder and the lake on the other and this is an ideal route for a bike ride. The stretch from Electric City to Coulee City is 26 miles, but the route can be shortened to 16 miles by starting at Steamboat Rock State Park.

The only knock about this ride is the road’s surface. Eastern Washington’s smoking hot summers followed by frigid winters leaves numerous cracks in the road. These cracks every 50 feet or so make for a bumpy ride for those on road bikes.

More information: Call Moses Lake Multisport at 1-509-765-1372.

6. Dry Falls, Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park

There are nine lakes in this state park, but perhaps the most impressive is Dry Falls Lake. The lake is at the base of what was once one of the largest waterfalls in the world. The ice age flood that carved the Grand Coulee once flowed over the 400-foot-high cliffs above the lake, according to Washington State Parks. Before the falls dried up, it was 3.5 miles wide and 10 times the size of Niagra Falls. There are 15 miles of trails in the area, including the Umatilla Rock Trail that leads to the lake. However, during the summer you can drive a dirt road to the lake. More information: http://parks.wa.gov