The Waterfalls of Washington

Washington State has many natural geological features that were created during last Ice Age by the movement and then melting of the enormous glaciers. Before the glaciers came and carved out the coulees, the Juan de Fuca Tectonic Plate continued it's subduction under the northern portion of the western side of the North American Plate at the Cascadia subduction zone. Because of this movement, the Cascade Mountains were born.

This lifting from the western edge is why the mountain range seems to lean to the west. The eastern slope is more of a gradual incline and is not as steep as the western side. This becomes evident when you begin the drop traveling west over Snoqualmie Pass on Interstate 90. Because of all this movement of the plates, glacial ice and then the melting water, it has made for some very interesting destinations in Washington for the travelers. There are thousands of waterfalls in Washington, too many to list in this article, so we will take a look at some of the more famous of these cataracts.

The first major waterfall in Washington is the Palouse Falls located on the Palouse River about 5 miles north of the confluence with the Snake River at Lyons Ferry. This is a short detour off the Yellowstone Trail on SR-261. Take the right at the intersection of SR-261 and SR-12 at Delaney and head north 23 miles. The Palouse Falls consists of an upper portion with a 20 foot drop and a lower portion with a 198 foot drop. The canyon at the falls is 377 feet deep and exposes a large section of the Columbia River Basalt Group.

The falls and the canyon downstream are part of the channeled scablands created by the Missoula floods which swept periodically across eastern Washington and across the Columbia River plateau during the Pleistocene epoch. The original Palouse River flowed through the now dry Washtucna Coulee to the Columbia River. The Palouse Falls and surrounding canyons were created when the Missoula floods overtopped the south valley wall of the original Palouse River, diverting it to the current course to the Snake River by erosion of a new channel. The Palouse Falls State Park now protects the area and is a welcome place to spend the afternoon.

The next important waterfall along the Yellowstone Trail is the Dry Falls which are found along the northern route of the Yellowstone Trail going east from Spokane to Coulee City. Just as the name suggests, Dry Falls no longer carries water, but is the remnant of what was once the largest waterfall known to have existed on earth. The falls are 3.5 miles in width consisting of sheer cliffs that drop 400 feet. The tourist will find it easy to imagine the roar of water pouring over them. (Niagara Falls by comparison, is 1 mile wide with a drop of 165 feet).

The falls were created after the collapse of the ice dam which held back water from the ancient Lake Missoula. This lake covered 3,000 square miles of northwest Montana (about the same size of Lake Ontario ). This lake was locked behind this glacial dam until the rising lake began to spill over and then blew out the ice dam. The massive torrent is known as the Missoula Flood and ran wild through the Idaho panhandle, the Spokane River Valley, much of eastern Washington and into Oregon.

These immense floods covered the area which is now the city of Portland, Oregon under 400 feet of water. When this deluge reached the Dry Falls area, the force of the current swept away earth and rock from a precipice 15 miles to the south of the falls near Soap Lake, causing the falls to retreat to its present position.

The Dry Falls are on the ancient course of the Columbia River. The river had been diverted this way by the encroaching glaciers during the Ice Age. The Columbia River returned to its present course as the ice melted. At that junction on the Columbia, The Grand Coulee Dam was built. Dry Falls State Park now encompasses the Dry Falls and is easily reached by taking SR-17 south from SR-2 at Coulee City. There are great viewpoints and a interpretive center for the visitor.

The next cataract is on the west side of the Cascades. The Snoqualmie Falls has been a destination for the American tourist since 1852 when there were canoe excursions up the Snoqualmie River to the falls. Later steamers would transport sightseers up the river to Fall City. The Snoqualmie Falls are located just west of the town of Snoqualmie on the Yellowstone Trail. They are easily reached from Interstate-90 at North Bend. Snoqualmie Falls has a 268 foot drop and is 100 feet wide.

Snoqualmie is the English pronunciation of “sah-koh-koh” or “Sdob-dwahibbluh,” a Salish word meaning Moon. The Snoqualmie People who lived in the valley were known as the people of the Moon. The falls have been a spiritual place for the Snoqualmie People for thousands of years, and there are many legends of the falls. There is one legend of a Klickitat Maiden who lost her lover, her life and her spirit and is said to now and forever move musically in the spray of the falls.

The legend goes on to tell a story of 2 young Klickitat Braves who fought a duel to the death at the top of the falls. During the battle, a fighter was able to throw his adversary over the falls to his death in the froth and foam of the cascading waters at the bottom, never to be seen again. They were fighting over a beautiful maiden named May Bird. She would smile so impartially at the 2 men that neither of them knew who was her favored suitor.

When she had learned of the duel, and that her favored suitor was killed in the battle, she became depressed over her loss. As her family and the rest of the tribe began packing for the trip back home across the mountains, May Bird couldn’t bare the thought of living without her lover. She then threw herself off the falls and she fell to her death on the rocks 200 feet below.

Since that time the Klickitats who would come to Snoqualmie for work in the hop fields would stay far away from the falls. There have been engineers and trainmen who rode the line between Seattle and North Bend who have seen her black eyes peering out of the mist. Wild love melodies would mingle with the clatter of the wheels as the train rushes by the cascading water. They say only a portion of the apparition can be seen and only at favorable times. A halo of light would shine around her head and dispel the darkness of the falls below. At first those who seen it just dismissed what they saw. It was just an illusion in the spray of the water.

Time and Time again people kept seeing the vision of a slender form with sad dark eyes floating about in the vapor, and always with the same intense look of searching for something which cannot be found. Those who have seen May Bird all believe that she is still looking for her lost Klickitat lover in the boiling foam and dark waters of Snoqualmie Falls. Today Snoqualmie Falls Park has been renovated and a tourist can visit the top and walk down the trail to the bottom. There is parking at both the top and the bottom for easy access. The Salish Lodge at the top offers fine dining while looking over the falls.

The last water feature in this article is called Tumwater Falls. "Tumwater" in the Chinook Jargon, which was the universal language used by the trappers, Indians and traders of the area in the early 1800's means "waterfall". Tumwater Falls are important because they had been a gathering place for the Coastal Salish People for thousands of years. In 1845, Michael T. Simmons was the first American settler to establish a home at the falls and he called the place New Market. 

By 1861 the name was changed back to Tumwater. This is the oldest permanent American settlement in the state. This town was also at the end of the Cowlitz Trail which was an extension of the Oregon Trail. The falls are located just south of Olympia at the mouth of the Deschutes River where it cascades 82 feet down into Budd's Inlet on Puget Sound.

The falls helped the growth of the community by harnessing the power of the waterfall. Simmons built a grist mill and a sawmill, and the place prospered. Over the years there were sawmills, flour mills, a tannery and a brewery. The falls were even harnessed to make electricity.

Today Tumwater Falls park is a wonderful place to spend an afternoon. A walkway was built across the river which connects to trails on both sides so a visitor can walk around the falls and take in the beauty and history there.

These waterfalls are but a small sample of the many different geological features in the state of Washington making it a great place to visit.