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Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail

The Seasonal Waterfall In Frenchman Coulee, Channeled Scablands, Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail

When the colossal Ice Age floodwaters of Glacial Lake Missoula swept through Eastern Washington, the water gouged and eroded the land, pushing out soils and rocks and carving huge, wide channels known as coulees. Frenchman Coulee is one such channel measuring about 0.5 miles wide from wall to wall. This coulee is bounded on either side by almost vertical cliffs of mostly columnar basalts created from the Columbia River Basalt lava flows.

Rebecca Latson
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Drumheller Channels Landscape along the Channeled Scablands, Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail

A National Natural Landmark, "the Drumheller Channels are the most spectacular example in the Columbia Plateau of basalt "butte-and-basin" channeled scablands. This is an erosional landscape characterized by hundreds of isolated, steep-sided hills surrounded by a braided network of (usually) dry stream channels. The landscape is the result of dramatic modification of the Columbia Plateau volcanic terrain by late Pleistocene catastrophic glacial outburst floods—the Missoula Floods.

Rebecca Latson
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The Road Out Of Moses Coulee, Channeled Scablands, Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail

"At the time of one of the first floods to be released from Glacial Lake Missoula, the Okanogan Lobe of the continental ice sheet had spread across the Columbia Valley and onto the Columbia Plateau to a position about 24 kilometers (14 miles) north of the site and so had caused the diversion of the glacial Columbia River into the former channel of Moses Coulee.

Rebecca Latson
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Dry Falls Vista, Channeled Scablands, Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail

Dry Falls is a geological wonder of North America. Carved by the 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.

Rebecca Latson
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Photography In The National Parks: Exploring Along The Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail – Part 1

The National Park System has 423 park units, including the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail. Traveler contributing photographer Rebecca Latson and her cameras began exploring the Washington state portion of this NGT and she returns with photos from places visited during a day trip close to home.

Visiting the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail

A mile south of Washtuchna, Washington, State Road 261 – which has been curling through close hills – suddenly straightens and drops down the wide Washtuchna Coulee. On either side of the road the land sweeps up to rocky outcroppings and ledges. Drive 60 mph and you’re shooting across the landscape at about the speed of the ice age floodwaters that first tore open this former river channel some 15,000 years ago.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.