The park is situated underneath basalt cliffs carved by the flood waters of the last ice age. The basalt emerged as immense lava flows from massive cracks in the earth's crust. These flows covered all of eastern Washington and Oregon long before the floods.
An observer can identify the various flows by the distinct stratigraphy along the cliff walls. Some flows appear to have been hundreds of feet thick in some areas.
For more information on the floods and geology of eastern Washington, visit Sun Lakes State Park and the Dry Falls Interpretive Center.
| | • Alder
• Poplar
• Lupines
• Rose
• Berries
• Poison Oak
| Native American villages existed up and down the Oregon and Washington shores of the Columbia River. Consequently, there are artifacts associated with those village sites. The disturbance of sites and/or collection of artifacts is prohibited by state and federal laws. Penalties for such violations are high, and the areas are patrolled by local, state, and federal officers.
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