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4.5
196 votes

Palouse Falls State Park

Palouse Falls Road, Starbuck, Washington 99143 USA

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Closed Now
Opens Fri 6:30a
  • Independent
  • Pet Friendly
  • Public
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“The jewel of eastern Washington”

Palouse Falls State Park is a 105-acre camping park with a unique geology and history. The park offers a dramatic view of one of the state's most beautiful waterfalls. Palouse Falls drops from a height of 198 feet with high volumes of water flow in spring and early summer. "Its size and splendor make Palouse Falls one of the most scenic and impressive waterfalls in all of Washington, but its location adds even more magic and wonder to its image. Nestled in a deep coulee, the Palouse River creeps mostly unseen through the scablands north of the Snake River. It is only when you are right at the edge of the river's chasm that you can see and appreciate the deep cut the river makes through the basalt highlands. The same holds true for the falls, which starts in a deep cut and falls into a deeper hole. The falls can't be seen until you are nearly on top of it, but then--wow! A broad, broken plateau of black basalt stretches out to the horizon as you approach the entrance to the state park, when suddenly--boom!--there they are: the thundering waters of Palouse Falls pounding 198 feet into a circular bowl carved out of the cinder-black rock. Winter and spring are the prime times to see the falls. In the dead of winter, the jagged cliffs around the falls are lined with shimmering bands of ice, while in spring, the runoff from snowmelt in the high country has the falls running full bore as a thundering spectacle. Palouse Falls is a photographer's delight.

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Reviewed by
whattheheckeroth

  • 1 Review
  • 1 Helpful
August 06, 2014
Rated

This place is epic. So beautiful and unexpected. Definitely worth the drive..even in August when it is supposedly less spectacular.

1 person found this review helpful

Reviewed by
Dan Putnam

  • 7 Reviews
  • 11 Helpful
January 31, 2014
Rated

Took a big detour on our way home from Boise to Seattle one weekend to come here and it was totally worth the trip. I've lived in Washington my whole life and I'm glad I finally took the time to come see this beautiful spot. Make sure you've got plenty of gas though as the nearest stations are about 50 miles away for Premium. Regular is available though. Make some time in your trip to do the hike!

1 person found this review helpful

Reviewed by
gunnercarvo

  • 3 Reviews
  • 1 Helpful
June 08, 2013
Rated

That picture must have been taken in Spring with all that greenery and how far out the waterfall is hitting the bottom. You can hike to the bottom on the right of this picture.

1 person found this review helpful

Reviewed by
rickysmix

  • 1 Review
  • 0 Helpful
May 25, 2013
Rated

Amazing!

1 person found this review helpful

Reviewed by
denise.d.brown.5

  • 1 Review
  • 0 Helpful
May 04, 2013
Rated

Beautiful. On the list!

1 person found this review helpful
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Reviewed by
Campendium

May 02, 2016
Rated

Palouse Falls State Park is pretty much in the middle of nowhere, so it's very convenient that there is well maintained campground on site next to the gorgeous 200 foot waterfall. There are 11 first come first served tent-only sites at the park. The campground is essentially a shared grass lawn with good shade coverage, fire pits, picnic tables, and pit toilets. You should not stay at the Palouse Falls Campground if you are arriving under any illusions of a spacious, private campsite with all the bells and whistles. You SHOULD stay at Palouse Falls if you want to fall asleep to the sound of one of the United States' most beautiful and unique waterfalls, only a couple hundred yards away from your tent. There is just a small parking lot separating the campsites from the falls itself. It's a great place to camp if you want to spend a full day hiking the trails and exploring the falls, or have quick access for photographing sunset/sunrise/night shots. I slept in until around 9 a.m., and found I had the entire park to myself for a couple of hours before leaving in the morning! Fuel up and grab any food/supplies you need in Connell because there really isn't much of anything between Connell and the falls!

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Reviewed by
Campendium

September 26, 2017
Rated

It seems that they have cracked down on RVs. The upper parking lot has signs specifically saying no RV or trailer overnight parking, subject to a $150 fine. Maybe they look the other way but we ended up at the Lyons Ferry KOA which was small but nice. Three large RVs showed up as we were leaving and they were at the KOA in the morning.

Palouse Falls was breathtaking and I would highly recommend coming here and tent camping.

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Reviewed by
Campendium

May 16, 2021
Rated

Tried staying here May 13, 2021 and it’s closed to all camping. Parking lot is open even though it says no overnight parking we saw two groups parked in the lot when we arrived the next morning. They said no one bothered them ( if you want to chance it)

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Reviewed by
Campendium

October 02, 2022
Rated

The campground permanently closed when the park became a heritage site.

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Reviewed by
Campendium

September 09, 2018
Rated

While the falls are fun to visit, there is no free camping here, only tent camping at about 11 sites. Also, you can pay $10 or get the Discovery Pass for $30 that will be good for a year at Washington State Parks. The free camping spot near the Lyons Ferry campground is also no longer available as there is a gate blocking access now. Did find a dead end road about a mile away from the entrance to the falls that provided a nice place to spend the night in peace.

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Palouse Falls State Park

Palouse Falls Road
Starbuck, Washington
99143 USA
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Hours

Closed Now
  • Sun - Sat: 6:30 am - 7:00 pm

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Good for picnicking and walking.

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    Parking
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    Pets Allowed
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    Restrooms
  • Unknown
    Wifi
  • Unknown
    Wheelchair Accessible
  • Unknown
    Credit Cards Accepted
Affiliation
State park or forest
  • Unavailable
    Fifty Amp
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    Paved Sites
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    Rec Facilities
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    Open Seasonally
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Campground, Parking, Restrooms, RV Services

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