Northrup Canyon Hike
Northrup Cnyn Flood Deposits Join the Lower Grand Coulee Chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute on an outing on a Fall Hike in the Northrup Canyon, Old Wagon Road Trail Hike starts at 9:30 am Saturday, October 24, 2026 - 2.6 miles RT, 450 ft elevation gain Directions - Take State Highway 17 to Soap Lake. Stay on State Highway 17 for 21 miles north toward Coulee City. Just past the Dry Falls Interpretive Center, turn right (east) on US Highway 2 for 4.4 miles (passing turnoffs to Coulee City). At the “Y” junction, stay straight to merge onto State Highway 155 toward Electric City and Grand Coulee. From the US 2-State Highway 155 intersection go 19.2 miles (just south of Mile post 19) to turn right (east) up the hill on a gravel road identified as the Northrup Canyon Road. Follow the road 0.5 miles to its end at a locked metal gate where there is a small parking area, a vault toilet, and signage. A Discover Pass is required. The trail is closed November 15 through March 15 to protect bald eagle roosting habitat and nesting. It is a historically, geologically and ecologically unique area. Two different rock types and vegetation zones intermingle. Columbia Plateau basalts and Okanogan Highlands granites are both present in Northrup Canyon having been exposed by glacial activity and by the Missoula floods erosion. Shrub-steppe habitat is adjacent to native pine forest and the trail follows a historic road.
