NPS Website; Local Website
WHAT IS IT?The Lake created by the 1935-41 construction of the Grand Coulee Dam. From the base of the dam, Lake Roosevelt extends an amazing 151 miles upstream, nearly reaching the Canadian border.
BEAUTY (4/10)
“Enjoy your tour,” a dam worker told us, “get ready to see a whole lot of concrete.” He was right. This mighty concrete-gray monolith stretches across the wide Columbia River for nearly a mile, 5,223 feet to be exact. It stands as high as the Washington Monument (550 feet tall) and has a base nearly as wide (450 feet).
When large-scale dam construction began in the early 20th Century no one believed the wild Columbia River could be dammed. The tireless toil of Great Depression battling workers proved the doubters wrong. The Grand Coulee Dam project was among FDR’s many iconic Public Works Admistration-era buildings. In today’s terms, the Dam’s cost would near $3 billion.
HISTORICAL INTEREST (5/10)
The Grand Coulee Dam is an American icon. It symbolizes our taming of the wildest natural sources and was immortalized in the 26-song Columbia River Ballads by Woody Guthrie, which included Grand Coulee Dam and Roll On, Columbia, Roll On.
Today the dam generates only emergency power for distant cities but during World War II it may have won the Allies the war. The hydroelectric power harnessed at Grand Coulee fueled the airplane factories of the Northwest and allowed us to produce 60,000 aircraft in those vital four years, a number that could not be matched by the Germans and Japanese.
CROWDS (6/10)
Where do the people come from? We did not see any cars on the desolate roads leading into Electric City, but what do you know, the Spring Canyon Campground was nearly full, one motel had no vacancy and the Visitor Center was crowded.
A Park mimeograph says that thousands watch the Laser Light Show every summer night. Give me a break, we thought. Sure enough, come 10:00pm the Crown Point State Park was full and droves of people were sitting on the bleacher seats. More on the absurdly wonderful Light Show later.
EASE OF USE/ACCESS (2/5)The Grand Coulee Dam is located in central Washington, 82 miles west of Spokane via U.S. Route 2 and Washington Route 174. Seattle is a circuitous 225 miles to the west.
CONCESSIONS/BOOKSTORE (1/5)
We could not find one.
COSTS (5/5)
Park entry is free. Grand Coulee Dam employees give frequent tours of the facility free of charge. The spectacular laser light show broadcast nightly during the summer on the Dam’s face is also free.
RANGER/GUIDE TO TOURIST RATIO (1/5)
We showed up at the Spring Canyon Ranger Station no less than three times during working hours and found no Rangers, just a locked door. Oh, how you National Parks Passport stamps elude us!
TOURS/CLASSES (4/10)
The Grand Coulee Dam tour was superficial at best, rushed at the very worst. The tour sprinted along at a Carl Lewis in 1984 pace. We saw some cool things, we guess, but did not stop in one place for more than 20 seconds. The guide spoke really fast as well. Michael sort of zoned out. We did not learn much but we did get to travel in a neat glass elevator.
The nightly laser light show, on the other hand, was incredible. From 10:00 to 10:35pm, a booming voice of the river, sounds just like Charlton Heston, narrates the Grand Coulee’s history while multi-colored laser spin a dramatic narrative on the dam’s face. Neil Diamond and Vangelis play in the background while the lasers form horses, Uncle Sam, airplanes, U.S. outlines and countless more things.
FUN (4/10)We had a terrific time at the light show. Maybe because 10:00pm was the first time the temperature dipped below 100-degrees.
WOULD WE RECOMMEND? (3/10)
We had a good time but we would not recommend a visit unless you live nearby or are a Woody Guthrie fanatic. The guides and the brochures kept emphasizing the Grand Coulee Dam’s immensity but it did not look that impressive to us. Half of the base is submerged in water and it just does not seem to be as big as the Pyramids or as awe inspiring as the Empire State Building. It did not look much different from the nearby Chief Joseph Dam or the myriad other dams of the American West.
TOTAL 35/80
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