All posts by Scott Hunter

Scott has been living in the Grand Coulee Dam area since 1988 and loving it.
Entertainment, Events, Places to See, To Dos

Grand Coulee Dam laser light show and public tours begin Memorial Day weekend 

 – Starting May 26, the Bureau of Reclamation will begin operations of the “One River, Many Voices” laser light show and the John W. Keys III Pump-Generating Plant public tours. 

laser light show
The lasers tell the story of the dam and surrounding area and people, drawn with light figures 300 feet tall and up to nearly a mile away.

The light show will run nightly at 10 p.m. Pacific Time through July 31. Beginning Aug. 1, the show will start at 9:30 p.m., and from Sept. 1–30, it will begin at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are not required to enjoy the light show.

Public tours at the John W. Keys III Pump-Generating Plant will be available on a first-come, first-served basis at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. PDT, running approximately one hour. Availability is limited and subject to change. Tours can be canceled without notice. Please call 509-633-9265 for accessible accommodations. For additional tour guidelines, visit https://www.usbr.gov/pn/grandcoulee/visit/tour.html.

Admission is free to watch the laser light show and to join a public tour. The Grand Coulee Dam Visitor Center remains open daily from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. PDT, free of charge.

The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation’s largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR. 

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Ice fishers beware starting Feb. 17, 2023

Two people on the ice of Banks Lake, with fishing gear and. more all around, attend to their poles and look into holes in the ice, which extends for far around them, with the shore visible hundreds of feet away in the background.
A couple anglers fish through the ice on Banks Lake near the feeder canal Thursday.

The ice on Banks Lake could “could rapidly change without warning” as the Bureau of Reclamation will begin pumping water into the lake on Friday, Feb. 17, the Bureau announced Thursday.

A similar warning applies for those fishing at Potholes Reservoir.

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Lasers to hit dam May 28, 2022

laser light show
The lasers tell the story of the dam and surrounding area and people, drawn with light figures 300 feet tall and up to nearly a mile away.

The famous laser light show on Grand Coulee Dam will begin the season Saturday night, May 28, 2022 at 10 p.m.

And TOURS ARE BACK!

After a couple covid-harried seasons, tours will begin Saturday too, from the pump-generating plant that irrigates half of Eastern Washington. Well, okay, 670,000 acres,— but really that’s impressive. You can learn a lot more on the tour.

The Bureau of Reclamation says the Grand Coulee Dam “One River, Many Voices” laser light show and the John W. Keys III Pump-Generating Plant public tours will come back on May 28.

The light show will run nightly at 10 p.m. Pacific Time through July 31. Beginning Aug. 1, the show will start at 9:30 p.m., and beginning Sept. 1 through Sept. 30, it will start at 8:30 p.m. Start times are subject to change. Tickets are not required to enjoy the light show.

Public tours at the John W. Keys III Pump-Generating Plant will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, at 10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. PDT, running approximately one hour. Availability is limited and subject to change. Admission is free. For accessible accommodations, call 509-633-9265. 

Reclamation will continue to monitor any changes in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance. Tours can be canceled without notice. Additional tour guidelines are available on our website at https://www.usbr.gov/pn/grandcoulee/visit/tour.html.  

The Grand Coulee Dam Visitor Center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PDT. Admission is free.

Entertainment, Events, Places to See

Laser show starts tonight

For the first time since the coronavirus shut everything down, the Bureau of Reclamation will open the Visitor Center and display the Laser Light Show at Grand Coulee Dam.

The Grand Coulee Dam Visitor Center and laser light show will begin on Saturday in time for Memorial Day weekend. 

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced the re-opening for the visitor center and the “One River, Many Voices” laser light show in a statement May 19.

“To safely re-open the visitor center and return the laser light show, Reclamation will be following the recommended guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” the release states. “Fully vaccinated visitors are no longer required to wear a mask.”

“The health and safety of the public and our employees remains our number one priority,” said Grand Coulee Power Manager Coleman Smith. “We recognize the visitor center and laser light show are important to the Grand Coulee community and beyond. We appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding with the new safety guidelines we have in place.”

The visitor center will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week.

The laser light show will begin at 10 p.m. from May 29 through July 31. Beginning on Aug. 1, it will start at 9:30 p.m., and for the month of September it will start at 8:30 p.m.

Dam tours will not take place this year due to the inability to social distance during parts of the tour.

https://www.grandcoulee.com/story/2021/05/26/news/laser-show-and-visitor-center-open-this-saturday/14205.html

Astounding Facts, Soon, To Dos

changes coming for Spring Canyon?

Kids jump off the popular swimming platform at Spring Canyon.

You have until the end of the day on May 30, 2020 to comment on potential changes in Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, including Spring Canyon, and on the potential removal of the swim dock, removal of the concession building, and more.

Find out more in this story. There’s a link you can use to comment to the National Park Service on its draft plans.