Ice Age Floods Fest 2026 – July 25th, 10AM-3PM, Sun Lakes Dry Falls Amphitheater
Sun Lakes Dry Falls State Park The Ice Age Floods Fest is happening Saturday July 25th , 2026 – 10 AM – 3 PM Even though the Dry Falls Visitor Center is under construction/renovations, the event has been moved for this year to the Amphitheater, Sun Lakes Dry Falls State Park. It will be a nice casual gathering of “ologist” types, who enjoy sharing their knowledge, history, and expertise. Cold drinks and snacks will be available! Dale Lehman, Ice Age Floods Institute – Puget Lobe Chapter President, and an EXCELLENT Earth Science teacher is leading a hike at the Umatilla Rock trailhead to Green Lake. The hike is an easy 3 miles that will highlight the amazing features of Ice Age Flood geology, geomorphology, and Shrub Steppe ecosystems. There will be booths manned by IAFI and local agencies, maybe a stream table as well as information related to the floods story. Each participant will have their own picnic table, folding table, and canopy. We are setting up on the lawn directly behind the Mobile Office in the Amphitheater parking lot. • Archeologist – Mark Amara, representing the Cascadia Conservation District, WSU Master Gardeners; focusing on soils, archaeology, native seeds, and stone age tools as well as a hands-on sieving activity and rocks quiz for those interested. The booth will highlight the importance of historical artifacts, tools of trade, and hands-on activity too. • Columbia Basin Conservation District – programs on Shrub Steppe ecology, Soils, promoting healthy soils, clean water, thriving wildlife habitat, and sustainable agriculture for present and future generations. • Grant County Historians/authors: Dan Bolyard & John M. Kemble – Dan Bolyard has been a lifelong Grant County Big Bend area resident and railroad historian. John M. Kemble is a local historian and explorer highlighting Dry Falls, Sun Lakes, Steamboat Rock, The Grand Coulee, and Banks Lake. • Ice Age Floods Institute - Lower Grand Coulee Chapter, Puget Sound Lobe, and other Ice Age Flood Institute chapters highlighted on a 3D map of Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Washington. • Lucy Stanger – An enrolled member and Historian of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. Lucy will have historic photographs telling the story and the history of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. She will also share the history of the beautiful landscape of the Dry Falls area and surrounding landscapes. • National Park Service – Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail mobile visitor center, plus the history of the local area and features found. • North Central Regional Library –April Harward, learn about the NCW Summer Library programs – “Plant a Seed, Read” – Summer Reading Program • The River Mile Network - Janice Elvidge, Founder + Program Manager, The River Mile, Retired Education Specialist, Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area. • Washington State Parks – hosting the Rolling River showcasing the power of water, Impression of the Park – Arts & Crafts & cool Ice Age button making too. Umatilla Rock @ Dry Falls Field Trip hike: 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM Saturday, July 25th, 2026 Where: Umatilla Rock Trail to Green Lake at Sun Lakes-Dry Falls S.P. The Umatilla Rock Trail at Sun Lakes–Dry Falls State Park offers one of the best short geologic hikes in Washington's Channeled Scablands. The trail winds through a landscape carved by the immense Ice Age floods that swept across eastern Washington about 15,000–18,000 years ago. From the trail, hikers enjoy sweeping views of Dry Falls, Monument Coulee, and the chain of lakes left behind by the Ice Age floods—an unforgettable reminder of one of the largest flood events known in Earth's recent geologic history. With: Dale Lehman, an outstanding Earth Science Teacher, and Puget Lobe Chapter President of the Ice Age Floods Institute. Dale has taught Earth science, Honors Earth science, and Earth and Space sciences 101 through the University of Washington's college in the high school program. Dale's passion for the landscape of the Columbia Plateau continues today. For more information contact Ranger David McWalter (david.mcwalter@parks.wa.gov) at 509-634-9993