The dam burst and released flood waters across Washington, down the Columbia River into Oregon before reaching the Pacific Ocean. The Ice Age Floods forever changed the lives and landscape of the Pacific Northwest.
Photo: NPS Photo
Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail
At the end of the last Ice Age, 18,000 to 15,000 years ago, an ice dam in northern Idaho created Glacial Lake Missoula stretching 3,000 square miles around Missoula, Montana.
- LocationCoulee Dam, WA
- Entrance No fee listed
- HoursOpen 24 hours, daily
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Weather now53°F Sunny
- Alerts No active alerts
Overview
Topics
- Floods
- Geology
- Tragic Events
Things to Do
4 activities. Pick one to find other parks that offer it.
Plan Your Visit
Hours
Open 24 hours, daily · Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail
Hours details
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Ice Age Floods National Geologic TrailOpen 24 hours, daily
The Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail is a collection of sites operated and owned by a variety of partners. , Hours of operation and season will vary from site to site. Please check each respective site for more details and information.
Entrance fees
No entrance fees listed.
Address
Program Manager, Ice Age Floods National Geologic TrailCoulee Dam, WA 99116
Contact the park
Weather & conditions
53°F
Sunny · feels like 49°
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Today
58° 40°
Sunny3% rain
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Tomorrow
62° 40°
Sunny2% rain
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Wednesday
68° 45°
Sunny2% rain
Updated 9 min ago
What to expect by season
The National Geologic Trail is a collection of sites stretched across a four state area, the weather will vary from site to site. Please check the weather for your local region, or the region you'll be visiting, through their respective sites.
Upcoming Events
1 coming up-
UNESCO International Geodiversity Day
Event page for UNESCO International Geodiversity Day (opens in a new tab)About
The International Geodiversity Day was established by the 41st session of the UNESCO General Conference!! From now on, the 6th of October will be an annual worldwide celebration, raising awareness across society about the importance of non-living nature for the well-being and prosperity of all living beings on the planet!
Geodiversity is all around you. It is all the parts of nature that aren't alive; including the Earth's minerals, rocks, fossils, soils, sediments, landforms, topography, geological and morphogenetic processes, and hydrological features such as rivers and lakes.
The winner of the competition for the International Geodiversity Day logo, Silas Samuel dos Santos Costa, is a student at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (Natal, Brazil) and produced the logo that can be freely used in all initiatives related with the International Geodiversity Day. Congratulations Silas!
The website geodiversityday.org is the virtual focal point for all information regarding this International Day. New social media feeds were launched that you can use to stay updated with plans for International Geodiversity Day:
facebook.com/GeodiversityDay
twitter.com/GeodiversityDay
Photos
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Dry Lake lake bed and falls in winter — NPS Photo -
Getting There
Coulee Dam, WA 99116
To Trail Headquarters from Spokane Take I-90 West At Exit 277, merge onto US-2 toward Davenport/Fairchild AFB/Spokane Airport Just past Wilbur, turn right onto WA-21 Stay left onto Highway 174 Turn right onto WA-155 Stay on WA-155 past Grand Coulee Dam and into the town of Coulee Dam Cross the Columbia River and continue on WA-155 Turn right onto Crest Drive and follow up the hill. The HQ Office is located on the left
Mailing address: Program Manager, Coulee Dam, WA 99116
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