Welcome to the Grand Coulee Dam area of Washington state. Just for a quick overview, here are a few facts about the area to help you decide if you’d like to visit.

We’re about 100 miles from the eastern border with Idaho, on the dry side of Washington. Seattle-ites come here to get away from rain, and we’re even a lot drier than Spokane, about 50 miles to the east (90 by road). I used to drive all over eastern Washington on  a daily basis and routinely found it cloudier in Spokane than elsewhere, due to the mountains to the east that block the weather from moving further inland.

The dam and surrounding towns are in the northeastern tip of central Washington’s semi-arid desert, which is tucked between wheat land to the south and east, and forest, to the north and east.

We’re surrounded by water and undeveloped beaches. From my house in Coulee Dam (just below the dam in the photo above) I can drive 5 to 15 minutes in any direction to reach one of five boat launches on three different lakes offering more than 600 miles of shoreline. Beaches are mostly undeveloped because the land is federally owned and open to everyone. State, federal and private campgrounds are top notch and drop-dead gorgeous.

You won’t find any national motel chains, but many local owners have taken great pride in their facilities and can offer you a very comfortable stay. I’ve had many people tell me they were pleasantly surprised.

We have a good selection of restaurant types, including Asian, Mexican, typical American, pizza/Italian, breakfast nookish and progressive café. I like them all.

We have great hiking trails, spectacular views and abundant wildlife and fishing, three golf courses within driving distance, and even a great little airport for you pilots.

If any of this interests you, take a closer look around.