Jeffrey L. Torretta

Lake Lenore & Lower Grand Coulee, Washington

Caption: Lake Lenore & Lower Grand Coulee, Washington
Copyright: © Jeffrey L. Torretta
Photographer Code: 42280
AGPix ID: AGPix_Torretta_0121
Photo Alignment: 4x5 (horizontal)
Comments: Rimmed with basalt cliffs towering up to 800 feet high, Lake Lenore is located in the Lower Grand Coulee where some of the finest examples of Washington's channeled scablands can be found. Ancient flooding of the Columbia River scoured through the layers of volcanic basalt rock seen here before altering it's course to the north. On the distant left horizon can be seen The Great Blade formation, which temporarily separated the river's raging flow before the flood waters gouged out the lower level where the lake now resides. Washington State Route 17, the Coulee Corridor Scenic Byway, traverses the coulee bottom.