Dry Falls Visitor Center renovation
Project summary
The Dry Falls Visitor Center is one of the youngest features on the Ice Age Flood-carved landscape off State Route 17. But this much-loved interpretive center still has many of its original features and needs an upgrade, so it will close in April 2026 for major renovations.
The building, which was originally constructed in 1965, still has much of its original infrastructure. To maintain public safety, accessibility and to enhance the visitor experience, the building is in need of several upgrades.
Building improvements include:
- New HVAC and electrical systems
- A new wheelchair lift to the building
- Refreshed exterior stucco, roof and observation window
- More ADA parking spots
- Restored rock wall along the parking lot
- ADA-compliant bathrooms
The project is expected to take less than a year. State Parks anticipates reopening the center in winter of 2026.
- Location: Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park
- Estimated start date: April 1, 2026
- Estimated end date: December 31, 2026
- Budget: $2.3 million
Impacts
Restrooms
When construction begins, the visitor center’s restroom, parking lot and outdoor overlook will close.
Sun Lakes State Park has year-round open restrooms three miles away. Soap Lake to the south and Coulee City to the north also have services.
Recreation and events
Sun Lakes State Park is open year-round for camping and recreation (Note: Deep Lake and Dry Falls close each winter). The geological wonder of Dry Falls can be viewed from spots in the park.
Sun Lakes will host pop-up interpretive events and activities highlighting the history and geology of the area starting in spring 2026. Additional interpretive programming will take place at Steamboat Rock and Potholes state parks.
Ice Age Flood alternatives
Ice Age Flood enthusiasts can still see channeled scablands on the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail at several Washington state parks, including:
- Steamboat Rock
- Palouse Falls
- Lenore Caves State Park Heritage Site
- Ginkgo Petrified Forest (and neighboring Frenchman Coulee).
Visitors can follow the Ice Age Flood National Geologic Trail, managed by the National Park Service, through several western states, including Washington.
What to expect after construction
When the building reopens next winter, it will have the same 1960s "New Formalism" architectural style, but with 21st century updates for public safety, improved access and visitor experience.
The parking lot will hold a similar number of vehicles to its current capacity, though there will be more ADA parking and more spots for large vehicles.
Project history
The Dry Falls Visitor Center, originally built in 1965, has been an important stop on the National Ice Age Geologic Trail, an initiative of the National Park Service, which runs across several western states and follows the approximate route of the Ice Age floods. The Ice Age Floods carved much of the landscape in Central Washington over thousands of years between 40 and 13,000 years ago.
Being on the National Ice Age Geologic Trail, the center and its State Parks staff offer historical exhibits, interpretive programming, a souvenir shop and the chance to get NPS passports stamped.
The center and overlook are two of the optimal viewpoints for Dry Falls, a 3.5-mile-wide, 400-foot-high cliff that held a waterfall more voluminous and powerful than Niagra Falls during the Ice Age floods. The falls is considered a world geological wonder. In addition, the center and overlook allow visitors to gaze out onto a prime example of channeled scabland landscape carved by the floods. The falls and scablands can still be seen from Sun Lakes State Park below the center.
For the last few years, the center has hosted an annual Floodfest put on by the Ice Age Flood Institute on the last weekend in July. Alternate locations for Floodfest 2026 are being considered, including the main Sun-Lakes State Park amphitheater.