The Spokane area was the Ice Age Floods pathway to the Channeled Scabland Tracts and Coulees of Central Washington.

The flood waters passing through the area from Glacial Lake Missoula undoubtedly carried large volumes of rock and iceberg debris. Much of the rock debris that was deposited along this Floods breakout path formed the Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer, an underground reservoir of water that is the source of drinking water for the citizens of Spokane.

The greater Spokane area has its fair share of recessional cataracts, waterfalls, including Spokane Falls in downtown Spokane, Floods carved basalt formations, scablands and debris-dammed lakes. The flood waters were saturated with great volumes of rock flour and soil that transformed them into the ultra-dense and highly erosive flows that carved massive Floods features throughout the central Washington basin.

The Pathway area and the Gateway to the Channeled Scabland are varied and fascinating landscapes