Category Archives: Day Trips

Side Trips to interesting places you can visit for a day

Day Trips, Hikes, Places to See, To Dos, Uncategorized

Northrup Canyon invites you

A spring hike up Northrup Canyon puts you in the midst of a thriving environment between coulee walls.
A spring hike up Northrup Canyon puts you in the midst of a thriving environment between coulee walls.

Soon, Northrup Canyon will be full of green. If you like a nice hike, this one is recommended.

It’s a great place to shake off winter and welcome spring. A creek runs through part of it, and a blue sky gives a beautiful contrast to the basalt coulee walls that rise up closely on either side.

Don’t forget to take water. It can be a three- to four-hour hike, or more, depending on how far you want to go.

An old homestead of the Northrup family sits at at nice turnaround spot at the top of the canyon. But you can go further, up a rough trail to a small hidden lake.

A restroom and information kiosk sits near gate at the beginning of the trail, but there no facilities past that. As a part of the state park system, a Discover Pass is required to visit. The most convenient place to get one is at Coulee Playland in Electric City.

 

Day Trips, Events, Places to See, Soon, Uncategorized

Great things to do at Spring Canyon this weekend

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Saturday August 2, 2014
3:30-4:00pm Birds and Beaks
Join Ranger Deb in the day-use area in front of the Spring Canyon Exploration Center Building and learn about why birds have their particular beaks.
30 minutes.
6:00pm Bunchgrass Prairie Nature Trail Plant Walk.
Join Ranger Deb on a ½ mile walk on the Bunchgrass Prairie Nature Trail in the campground at Spring Canyon. We will be talking about the areas native plants and also learning about some invasive plants and their roles in the ecosystem. Please meet at the trailhead.
45-60 minutes.
 Please bring water and apply sunscreen.
 This is a very active bee and wasp area. Please, no bare feet and have epinephrine if highly allergic.
Sunday August 3, 2014
9:30am Crescent Bay Canoe Trip
Join Ranger Deborah for a free canoe trip exploring the wonders of Crescent Bay Lake. We
supply the canoes, paddles, life jackets and instruction. Beginners are welcome but an adult must
accompany children under 16.
 The trip is limited to 17-19 people, so reservations are strongly encouraged. Please make your reservations in person at the Spring Canyon Exploration Center on Saturday August 2, 2014 between 1:30-3:30.
 You must have your own transportation for the 10 minute drive to Crescent Bay Lake.
 Bring water. No water=No Go.
 Approximately 2 ½ hours, including drive time.

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Day Trips, Events, Places to See, Soon, To Dos

Spring Canyon offers activities

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Spring Canyon campground is beautiful campground near Grand Coulee in the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area.

Several activities are planned by park staff in the near future. Here’s the schedule:

 

What: Spring Canyon Ranger-Conducted Activities

Hands-on activities, Junior Ranger Activities, brochures and park information!

Where: Spring Canyon Exploration Center

Open 1:30-3:30 Saturday and Sunday

All Activities meet in the Spring Canyon Exploration Center unless otherwise noted.

 

Saturday July 12, 2014

Sunday   July 13, 2014

Sunday   July 20, 2014

4:30 PMGuided Bird Walk. 

Join Ranger Deborah on a walk through the campground area and Bunchgrass Nature Trail of Spring Canyon to discover and experience the area’s birds. We will be walking about a mile while observing the birds. We will also be talking about why birds are so important. Please meet at the Bunchgrass Nature Trailhead. 45-60 minutes.

  • Please bring a bottle of water and apply sunscreen.
  • This is a very active bee and wasp area. Please no bare feet and have epinephrine if highly allergic.

 

Saturday July 19, 2014

6:00 PM Crescent Bay Canoe Trip

Join Ranger Deborah for a free canoe trip exploring the wonders of Crescent Bay Lake. We

supply the canoes, paddles, life jackets and instruction. Beginners are welcome but an adult must

accompany children under 16.

  • The trip is limited to 17-19 people, so reservations are strongly encouraged. Please make your reservations in person at the Spring Canyon Exploration Center on Saturday July 19, 2014 between 1:30-3:30.
  • You must have your own transportation for the 10 minute drive to Crescent Bay Lake.
  • Bring water.
  • Approximately 2 ½ hours, including drive time. 
Astounding Facts, Boating, swimming and fishing, Day Trips, Places to See, Soon, To Dos

New Visitors’ Guide coming out; see the print edition online now

Our latest printed issue of the Visitors’ Guide is at the printers’, but in this day and age, why wait?
Take a look right now by clicking on the image below to open it up in your browser (Flash required, sorry; so here’s a link for iPhone or iPad access. It’s limited.)

Day Trips, Places to See, To Dos

Russian artist shares his perspective of region in exhibit at Dry Falls

The photographers dog takes a peek over the edge of the cliff early in the morning at Dry Falls, with the visitor center in the background.

The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission invites the public to attend an oil painting exhibit at Dry Falls Visitor Center featuring work by Russian artist Gennady Ugryumov near Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park.
The oil paintings are on display throughout 2012 in Dry Falls Visitor Center, 34875 Park Lake Road N.E., Coulee City.
The post-impressionist landscapes on canvas feature Ugryumov’s interpretation of the middle Columbia River and the Columbia Plateau region as experienced in his July and November 2009 visits to the area. Ugryumov’s exhibit, titled the Big River series, includes 20 individual landscape pieces and a three-section mural entitled, “Children of the Big River.” The exhibit is recognized by the Colville Confederated Tribes.
“Children of the Big River” is a large, 51- by 204-inch mural inspired by Ugryumov’s July 2010 visit to the Colville Confederated Tribes’ annual powwow ceremony. The mural depicts themes of the past, present and future of the Columbia Plateau region, using gradual value changes to illustrate the viewer’s movement from past to future.
Ugryumov is a native of Vesyegonsk, a small village along the Vologda River in the Tver Province of west-central Russia. His formal training is from the Tver Fine Arts Institute, of which the Big River series was displayed in 2010. Ugryumov is also a member of the Russian Fine Artist League.
Dry Falls Visitor Center is located two miles north of Sun Lake-Dry Falls State Park on Highway 17. The center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (except Thursdays) Jan. 2 to April 30 and Oct. 1 to Dec. 31; and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily May 1 to Sept. 30. Admission is by donation.
Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park is a 4,027-acre camping park with 73,640 feet of freshwater shoreline at the foot of Dry Falls. Dry Falls is a geological wonder of North America. Carved by Ice Age floods, the former waterfall is now a stark cliff, 400 feet high and 3.5 miles wide. In its heyday, the waterfall was four times the size of Niagara Falls. Today, it overlooks a desert oasis filled with lakes and abundant wildlife.
The Commission manages a diverse system of more than 100 state parks and recreation programs, including long-distance trails, boating safety and winter recreation. The 98-year-old park system will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2013.
Washington State Parks is on Twitter at WaStatePks_NEWS and YouTube at WashingtonStateParks.