Palouse Falls State Park in the southeast region of Washington State is not on everyone’s “Must See List.” However, it’s been on mine for years. I’ve heard about it and seen photographs of it since I first arrived in the Evergreen State more than 30 years ago.
Why haven’t I taken the time to see it before? Well, it is one of those places that is not on the way to anywhere. You must deliberately want to go there. Which makes it perfect for snowbirds on their way south (or north in the spring) and have no where special to be. In other words it’s a great destination for an overnight RV Short Stop.
This 105-acre camping park offers a dramatic view of one of Washington’s most beautiful waterfalls that drops from a height of 198 feet. It sits in what is known as the Palouse Country–a region of rolling hills carved out by the Ice Age floods that swept through this high desert region.
The park is open, basically, year-round during daylight hours and costs $10 for Day Use (honor system). Or a Washington State Discover Pass $30/year. However, if you decide to dry camp overnight in the parking lot (or tent area) and pay the $12 camping fee, you get to see the falls and hike the grounds for free. Pretty good deal.
While there are toilet facilities and picnic tables, water is turned off October-April because it gets darn cold out there on the Palouse.
Directions: From I-90, exit 221; take WA 261 south, about 45 miles; east 2.5 miles on Palouse Falls Road, portion unpaved.
You might think twice if you are driving or pulling a big rig that needs a lot of turn around space. However, we did witness a very skilled dually driver maneuver a 35-foot 5th wheel around the small parking/camping lot.
Read more about the Falls in an expanded article I posted by clicking on RV Short Stops.
(Photos: Washington state Palouse Falls State Park; our truck/camper (center-right) in camping-parking lot; view of falls from inside our camper when we were dry-parked for the night. (Julianne G. Crane).