Nearby Cities and Towns
Banks Lake, 15 miles
Coulee City, 30 miles
Coulee Dam, 1 mile
Electric City, 4 miles
Elmer City, 3 miles
Grand Coulee, 2 miles
Cities and Towns of Northeast Washington
Here (photo right) on the downstream side of the dam is the left power station (which by the uninitiated could be mistaken for the right power station!). To get some perspective on the size of the dam, consider that the power station is a six-story building. Note also the "tiny" cars. To the right of the power station, you can also see the pipes that deliver water up over the canyon wall into a feeder canal, and then into Banks Lake.
Washington Travel Regions and Maps
Map
Cascade Mountains
Map
Northeast
Map
Northwest
Map
Olympic Peninsula
Map
Puget Sound
Map
San Juan Islands
Map
South Central
Map
Southeast
Map
Southwest
Northeast Washington Travel Region
Grand Coulee Dam
Grand
Coulee Dam, one of the largest concrete structures in the world, is an
awesome sight. After decades of planning, it was built over an 8-year
period, starting in 1933, as a depression relief project.
What it does
Grand Coulee is a hydroelectric dam, and part of the Columbia River Hydro
System, a series of 14 dams harnessing the energy of the mighty Columbia
River. Interestingly, the System is an example of the close ties between
Canada and the US in this Pacific Northwest region, as it includes 3 dams
above the border. Grand Coulee Dam is the largest U.S. producer of
hydro-electric energy, generating 6,800 of the 35,000 megawatts of
electricity generated by the System. That translates to about $500 million
worth of power that is supplied to British Columbia and hundreds of towns
and cities in the western states.
Grand
Coulee Dam also provides water that irrigates over 500,000 acres of
eastern Washington, and without which much of the farming you see would
not be possible. In addition to Franklin D Roosevelt Lake, water is
actually pumped out of the dam to create Banks Lake above which functions
as a stabilizing reservoir and also stores irrigation water. This was
quite a controversial design decision at the time, and took advantage of
an existing containment area in the form of the upper Grand Coulee Canyon.
Viewing the dam
A good place to view the dam, (as well as the town and its monumental sand
pile) is from "Crown Point" lookout, about two miles west out of Coulee
Dam, just off WA-174. The lookout can be spotted from the town
below. In terms of photo opportunities, the evening sun shows off the
downstream side to its best advantage, while the morning sun bathes the upstream side.
In the open desert landscape of low rolling hills it can be hard to gain a perspective of just how large this structure is. One exercise is to look at the town, then look at the dam... the dam is a lot bigger!
The dam has its own Visitor Arrival Center overlooking the downstream dam wall. In summer there are tours of parts of the dam including a ride down the face of the dam in a glass-enclosed elevator, designed to access the powerhouses. You can make a picnic dinner of the evening laser light shows projected onto the dam wall. The are free, run for 36 minutes, include music and narration and have been updated in 2014.
Go Northwest!
Bookstore
Best selection of books on the Northwest.
Click here!
Grand
Coulee: Harnessing a Dream by Paul C. Pitzer and Isabel Valle.
Informative book providing an in-depth look at the dam as well as the
political decisions that allowed the dam to be built. Learn about the
history of the dam from its first conception to modern times.
Order now...
Moon
Washington, 11th Edition (Moon Handbooks) by Matthew Lombardi. This
travel writer and Seattle resident gives an insider's view of everything
the Evergreen State has to offer such as great places to eat, scenic
drives and volunteer vacations. Discover Seattle's arts and culture,
details on climbing Mt Rainier and so much more.
Order now...
Great
Places: Washington: A Recreational Guide to Washington's Public Lands and
Historic Places for Birding, Hiking, Photography, Fishing, Hunting and
Camping
by John Kruse. The geology, animal and plant life, and history of
Washington's most-storied and scenic locales, including the best local
lodging and amenities are explained in this full color guide.
Order now...
We appreciate your orders. They help keep
Go Northwest! online.
Northwest Books
from . . .
Shopping at
Go Northwest!
