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Welcome to the audio-described version of Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area’s official print brochure. Through text and audio descriptions of photos, illustrations, and maps, this version interprets the two-sided color brochure that Lake Roosevelt’s visitors receive. The brochure explores the history of the park, some of its highlights, recreational opportunities, and information for planning your visit. The audio version lasts about 30 minutes which we have divided in to 11 sections, as a way to improve the listening experience. Sections 1 through 5 cover the front of the brochure and include information regarding the cultural and natural history of the park; Sections 6 through 11 cover the back of the brochure, which consists of the park map, visitor activities, fees and permits, and accessibility. Other highlights include area maps, amenities, and points of interest along the lakeshore.
Download the audio files above or use a text reader for the transcript below.
OVERVIEW: Front Side of Brochure
Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area has the largest reservoir in the Pacific Northwest. Located in the northeast portion of Washington State, the lake stretches 133 miles from Grand Coulee Dam to Onion Creek, 16 miles south of the US-Canada border. The park manages more than 300 miles of publicly accessible shoreline, providing a wide range of primarily water-based recreational opportunities. The lake’s open water and extensive, but narrow, shoreline provide opportunities ranging from solitude to group activities, and encompass a wide variety of recreational possibilities. Boating, fishing, camping, picnicking, exploring history, and sightseeing are a few of the activities supported by this regionally popular and nationally significant recreation area.
Long before Lake Roosevelt was formed by the impoundment of the Columbia River by Grand Coulee Dam, Native Americans fished, hunted, and gathered wild fruits and vegetables in the Upper Columbia River Basin. Life began to change in the early 1800s as vastly different cultures arrived, including fur traders, missionaries, settlers, and soldiers. Encroachment on indigenous lands led to tensions between American Indians and newcomers, culminating in a brief war, treaties, and the establishment of Spokane Tribe of Indians and Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservations.Dam construction, which began in 1933, finished in 1941. The Grand Coulee Dam and the creation of Lake Roosevelt resulted in the loss of life-sustaining fisheries, forever changing the cultural, spiritual, and economic lives of the Colville and Spokane tribes.
The historic salmon fishery at the now submerged Kettle Falls was an important center of human activity in the inland northwest during more than 9,000 years of continuous habitation. In 1946 the Secretary of the Interior, by his approval of a three-party agreement between the Bureau of Reclamation (BoR), the Office of Indian Affairs (now Bureau of Indian Affairs or BIA), and the National Park Service (NPS), designated the NPS as the manager for the Coulee Dam National Recreation Area. The agreement provided for NPS management of the area and noted that Lake Roosevelt and the adjacent lands offered unusual opportunities through sound planning, development, and management for health, social, and economic gains for the people of the nation.
The 1990 Lake Roosevelt Cooperative Management Agreement, or “five-party agreement,” replaced the 1946 agreement and detailed the key responsibilities for the NPS, the BoR, the BIA, and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, and the Spokane Tribe of Indians. It further identified three zones of management. The “reclamation zone” managed by the BoR for all lands below 1290 feet in elevation. The “reservation zone” is land and shoreline attached to either of the Reservations and managed by the appropriate tribe. The third is the “recreation zone” managed by the NPS, which includes all lands acquired during the Grand Coulee Dam construction not attached to either of the Reservations.
The National Park Service at Lake Roosevelt offers 27 car-accessible and boat-in only campgrounds, 22 boat launches, and nine day-use areas, as well as the Mission Point and Fort Spokane historical sites. To find out more about what resources might be available or to contact the park directly, visit the “Accessibility” and “More Information” sections at the end of this audio-described brochure.
OVERVIEW TEXT: Front Side of Brochure
The front side of the brochure contains a mix of park photos, illustrations, and text. The top of the page is taken up with a landscape image of the shoreline of the lake and followed by text summarizing the natural history of the area. Next to this text is a map of the extent of the massive floods that raced across the region during the last Ice Age. Below are several narratives on the park’s cultural history. Along the bottom stretches a timeline of the park, accompanied by colorful illustrations of the people and places connected to the park throughout history.
IMAGE and TEXT: The Mighty Columbia...
DESCRIBING: A long horizontal color photograph.
SYNOPSIS: A river landscape. A rocky shoreline, treed cliffs, and sloping hills are separated by a wide blue river.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION: On the left, a steep rocky hillside covered in dark green pine trees interspersed with dark grey patches of loose rock and tan vegetation ends abruptly at light tan rocky cliffs along a calm dark blue waterway. A huge, triangular, sheer-sided, light-colored craggy rock rises out of the waterway at the tip of the shoreline. The river narrows and bends around the massive stone face, implying the river flows to the left behind it.Sandy shoreline inlets on the right of the river are met by a smooth tiered landscape covered in light brown and yellow grasses. In the faded distance, a hilly, tree covered landscape continues along the riverway toward the left under a clear blue sky.
CAPTION: Whitestone rock is on the south side of the lake 10 miles east of Keller Ferry. This granite pillar rises nearly 600 feet above the water’s surface when the lake is at full pool (1,290 feet). In the 1800s the Whitestone area was part of the traditional territory of the Sanpoil Indians.
CREDIT: NPS
RELATED TEXT: The river now becomes deeply encañoned . . . . the bluffs are many-colored . . . . To this must be added the green of the trees . . . . the old gold of the bunch-grass shining in the sunlight . . . . forming one of the grandest, most beautiful sights in the universe.”-Lt. Thomas W. Symons, Columbia River Navigation Survey, 1881.For tens of thousands of years the Columbia River flowed wild and free. The untamed waters made their way to the Pacific, changing channels, skirting glaciers, suddenly flooding—controlled only by what nature dictated. Nomadic Indians moved with the seasons and followed their sources of food. Various Salishan tribes in the north whose lives centered around the Columbia River called it Swah-netk’-qhu—Big Water. Indians knew the river for its rich salmon runs. In the 1800s traders and settlers knew it as a transportation route that brought supplies upriver and delivered furs and crops downriver. In the mid-1900s the building of dams harnessed the river as never before. People now experienced the river in new ways. Dams provided electricity and irrigation water and protected homes from flooding. Construction of Grand Coulee Dam led to the creation of Lake Roosevelt. In 1946 the area was federally designated a national recreation area. Today sagebrush and golden bunchgrass adorn the shores along the southern half of the lake. Lichens on basalt cliffs add splashes of yellow, red, and green. The northern half of the park reveals cooler mountains forested with ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, and western larch. As Lieutenant Symons did in 1881, you can marvel at the landscape—it is still a grand and most beautiful sight.
MAP and TEXT: Reading the Rocks
DESCRIBING: A color inset map.
SHORT DESCRIPTION: This map illustrates the path and extent of the floods that raced across the region at the end of the last Ice Age. The glaciers responsible for the event, the ice-dammed lake, and the flooded area extend across four states in the Pacific Northwest.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION: The map covers the area of present-day Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and western Montana. A sky-blue color over western Montana indicates the extent of ancient Lake Missoula, taking the shape of long, branching tendrils filling the valleys between mountain ranges. In the northern panhandle of Idaho and upper western Montana, a white shaded blob indicates a glacier that continues off the map into present day Canada. This glacier is shown blocking water from Lake Missoula and forming a glacial dam. On the other side of the glacial dam, in eastern Washington, light blue channels map the path of the floodwaters. These channels weave and braid like rivers across the landscape. This region, called the channeled scablands, extends across southeastern Washington. Modern day Lake Roosevelt is marked in a slightly darker shade of blue. Only the southern arm of Lake Roosevelt overlaps with the very top of the flood path. The flooded area continues south along the border of Washington and Oregon, including a dip into the western part of Oregon, before reaching the Pacific Ocean. Large blue arrows indicate the flow of water generally across the region from northeast to the southwest.
CREDIT: NPS
RELATED TEXT: During the last ice age a massive glacial lobe moved down from Canada, creating an ice dam that blocked the natural courses of rivers. Rivers backed up. Huge lakes formed, including Lake Missoula. The increasing level of the water behind the ice dam caused it to float and burst. Sudden, massive walls of water—some thought to be 400 feet high with speeds approaching 65 miles per hour—flushed across central Washington. This cycle, glaciers advancing and retreating, floods caused by ice dams forming and bursting, repeated many times. The water carried gravel and debris, icebergs and boulders, scouring bedrock into the bizarre landscape we call channeled scablands and gouging steep-walled gorges called coulees.
TIMELINE: River of Life, River of Dreams (1750-2000)
IMAGE 1 of 12: 1750, Indians
DESCRIBING: A vertical color illustration.
SYNOPSIS: Three Native American people in buckskin clothes stand in front of a teepee.
IN-DEPTHDESCRIPTION: A solidly-built man stands, facing front. He is shirtless and barefoot, with a narrow band holding a skirt-like, faded brown breechclout hanging at his waist. His long, dark hair is pulled back from his face and his head is tilted slightly to the side. He is holding a long, three-pronged fishing spear in his right hand that rests on the ground and extends several feet past his head. Behind his left shoulder, another person stands holding a folded Hudson Bay trading blanket that is white with a wide red stripe. They have a broad, round face and black hair that is parted, with long, thick braids hanging down their chest. They are wearing a traditional tanned buckskin tunic with horizontal sewn-in bands of white and black vertical lines and long strings that hang down to their waist. They also have short, choker-length necklace of white beads. The third person is standing behind the second person’s left shoulder and is facing slightly off to the left. They have shoulder-length black hair that is parted in the center and hangs loosely around their face. Their face has deep lines by their nose and mouth. They are wearing a long, unbelted buckskin tunic with long sleeves that has a slit collar at the front of the neck with faded red patterns along the opening. They are holding a woven bowl-shaped basket with vertical rows of red triangles that climb up the sides. A teepee stands behind the group with faded brown sides and the vent flap positioned wide at the top. More than a dozen tines of long, narrow support poles reach up to the sky in a spiral cluster. A tall, deep green ponderosa pine tree, twice as tall as the teepee, stands beyond, with horizontal branches revealing patches of dappled light here and there along its height. An American black bear clings to the trunk about two-thirds of the way up the tree, watching the people in the timeline below.
CAPTION: For centuries Indians fished in the river that carried life-sustaining salmon. Loss of fisheries above the dam changed their lives forever. “Then God put fish in the rivers. . . . When the Creator gave us Indians life, we awakened and as soon as we saw the fish and the game we knew that they were made for us.” —Colville and Okanogan Chiefs, 1925
CREDIT: NPS/Matthew Frey
IMAGE 2 of 12: 1775, Fur Traders
DESCRIBING: A vertical color illustration.
SYNOPSIS: A man kneels, setting an animal trap on a chain in shallow water.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION: Wearing heavily stained, fringed buckskin coat held in place with a belt, the man bends toward the water, looking for the best place for his leg-hold trap. The clear water ripples around his ankles and against his dirt-mottled leggings, that are held in place with a knotted piece of red cloth. Stained buckskin pants are barely visible between the leggings and coat. A heavy fur-covered cap is pulled down low above his eyes. His shoulder-length black hair falls loose around his face and full beard.
CAPTION: Traders like Jaco Finlay ventured here in the early 1800s. Rivals Hudson’s Bay Company and North West Company bartered with Indians for pelts in exchange for blankets, cloth, mirrors, tobacco, ammunition, and rifles. Traders exchanged a $6 rifle for 20 beaver skins, each worth $50. In 1832 a HBC employee wrote, “We made an enormous profit on the Indian trade.”
CREDIT: NPS/Matthew Frey
IMAGE 3 of 12: 1800, David Thompson
DESCRIBING: A vertical color illustration.
SYNOPSIS: A man in a long colorful coat looking through a surveyor’s instrument.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION: A light-skinned man with short brown hair and a full beard, steps forward to the left. He holds the brass sextant in his left hand up to his eye and sights into the distance. Two long rolls of white paper are held in his crooked left arm and secured by his hand. He wears a long, fur trader capote coat made of a Hudson Bay blanket. The lower half has wide, horizontal stripes of bright colors alternating with the white background from waist to hem: green, red, yellow, and black. There is a thin black line just above the hem. The coat is tied with a fringed red and blue patterned belt that is knotted at the waist. The long white sleeves have broad red bands encircling the wrists, with fringe around the cuffs. The heavy collar and hood of the jacket are barely visible on his shoulders. A band of geometric, square-stepped patterns in red and white is draped over his right shoulder. A mottled brown leather bag hangs from a thick strap that he wears slung across his body.
CAPTION: The first explorer to document his travels here was fur trader and mapmaker David Thompson in 1811. He had two motives: build trading posts and chart the Columbia from its headwaters to its mouth. (Lewis and Clark traveled the lower river in 1805.) Thompson’s party reached Kettle Falls on June 19, in time to see Indians from many tribes harvesting salmon.
CREDIT: NPS/Matthew Frey
IMAGE 4 of 12: 1825, Missionaries
DESCRIBING: A small, vertical colored illustration.
SYNOPSIS: Man with white features is wearing a black, long sleeve, body length clothing coat, cassock. Behind him is a large, brown wooden building with a cross on the roof.IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION: The man is standing and looking forward to the right. He has light brown hair, small almost-closed eyes, and two wrinkles on the side of his frown up to his nose. There is a white color under the black coat. The coat has a line at the waste and at the middle of the chest he is wearing a gold, elbow length necklace. The top of a red and gold cross charm on the end of the necklace is exposed behind a book. The book’s white pages are front facing, and its cover is brown. There is a red ribbon bookmark hanging out the bottom of the book. He is holding the book in front of his round belly and necklace. The book is lying flat in his right hand while his left hand holds the side of the book. The building behind the man is square shape with a pointed roof. The walls are stacked, brown, thin, and horizontal pieces of wood. There is a vertical rectangular window on the top of the front wall. The roof has rows of tan, square shingles. At the top of the roof toward the front of the building is a brown wooden cross. A green Western Larch towers behind the Mission building.
CAPTION: In the mid-1830s missionaries began visiting the upper Columbia region, hoping to convert Indians to Christianity and improve their lives. In 1841 Father DeSmet spent 10 days at Fort Colville (near Kettle Falls), preaching and baptizing. Father Ravalli built the first Indian chapel at Kettle Falls in 1845. Two years later St. Paul’s Mission was built above the falls.
CREDIT: NPS/Matthew Frey
IMAGE 5 of 12: 1850, Fortune Seekers
DESCRIBING: A small, vertical colored illustration.
SYNOPSIS: A middle-aged white man carrying a pickaxe on his right shoulder and standing next to a gray pack mule carrying items on its saddle.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION: The man has a short dark hair, gray beard and mustache, and European facial features. He is wearing a battered, brown hat with its brim curled up in the front. His red coat is dusty and reveals a white shirt underneath. There is a gray pan and spatula hanging from his waste. He is wearing long gray pants tucked into knee-high tan boots. The man’s right arm is bent holding a wooden handled, metal pickaxe. His left arm is mostly hidden while his hand is exposed holding a tan, leather leash leads to a tan face harness on the mule’s face. The mule is shoulder height to the miner and is facing right showing its white muzzle, black, thin mane, and large stocky body. On the mule’s back is a white blanket under two tan boxes and a tan, rolled-up bedding.
CAPTION: Gold discovered near Kettle Falls! In 1854 a Hudson’s Bay Company employee found gold on the sandbars of the upper Columbia. When the news leaked out a wave of fortune seekers flooded the region. Miners found relatively little gold, but their presence—as they rushed from one reported gold strike to the next—created demands for new businesses and settlements.
CREDIT: NPS/Matthew Frey
IMAGE 6 of 12: 1850-1875, Chinese
DESCRIBING: A small, vertical colored illustration.
SYNOPSIS: A person with Chinese features is wearing a woven, tan conical Asian hat and is squatting to the left next to a puddle of water.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION: The person has olive colored skin and long, braided black hair that wraps around the person’s back. They are wearing a wrinkled black, long-sleeved tunic, wrinkled black pants, and white solid shoes. The person has their arms extended out in front of them holding a red, circular pan above a puddle of water.
CAPTION: Chinese were the first Asians to arrive in eastern Washington in large numbers. By the mid-1860s hundreds of men worked placer mines along the Columbia, from China Bend to the river’s mouth. By 1870 Chinese miners outnumbered American-born miners two-to-one. They built mining camps, laundries, and stores, providing services for nearby towns.
CREDIT: NPS/Matthew Frey
IMAGE 7 of 12: 1875-1900, Settlers
DESCRIBING: A small, vertical colored illustration.
SYNOPSIS: A farming family in simple attire stands beneath the Fort Spokane archway, looking sternly to the viewer.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION: A light-skinned husband, wife, and young girl are grouped in a cluster toward the middle of the timeline. The mother’s hand rests on the daughter’s shoulder while the husband stands behind both holding a long-tined pitchfork. The husband wears a mottled yellow, brown, and white shirt with red suspenders and dull brown pants. His eyes are shaded beneath a brimmed hat with a rounded crown. The wife, standing slightly to the right, wears a blue dress that covers her from neck to toes. Over the dress, she has a white pinafore and a minimal yellow scarf tied at the neck. Her hair is caught up in a bun and she boasts a solemn expression to match her husband’s. Standing in front of her parents, the daughter is clothed in a red dress that comes to her knees. White stockings and shoes complete her outfit. Her hair is tied back, and she holds a doll attired in a white and yellow dress that cinches in at the waist before spreading into a bell shape that ends above the knee.
CAPTION: In the 1870s settlers established permanent homes and businesses in the area. Some ran supply boats on the river, others farmed wheat or harvested and sold lumber. The completion of railroads in the 1880s brought a new influx of settlers. The railroads gave farmers and businesses a new way to get orchard crops, grains, and livestock to market.
CREDIT: NPS/Matthew Frey
IMAGE 8 of 12: 1900-1925, Soldiers
DESCRIBING: A small, vertical colored illustration.
SYNOPSIS: A soldier in a blue uniform stands in profile in front of the Fort Spokane archway.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION: A soldier with light skin and dark hair stands at attention with a long rifle resting on his shoulder. His chest is puffed out and his eyes are pointed straight ahead beneath a domed blue hat of Prussian design with a gold spike and bill. He wears a blue jacket belted at the waist. Gold buttons run from waist to neck. White stripes are visible on the man’s shoulder, arm, and sleeve. His pants are faded blue with a white stripe running down the outside of the leg. Behind the man looms a square white gate labeled “Fort Spokane, W.T., 1880.”
CAPTION: The presence of troops at Fort Spokane in the 1880s pacified settlers moving into the area and helped keep peace among Indian tribes as they saw their traditional hunting, farming, and homelands shrink. At the height of U.S. Army occupation, over 300 soldiers plus their families and other civilians lived at Fort Spokane.
CREDIT: NPS/Matthew Frey
IMAGE 9 of 12: 1925-1950, Franklin D. Roosevelt
DESCRIBING: A small, vertical colored illustration.
SYNOPSIS: Pictured in his elder years, Franklin D. Roosevelt sits in a chair with one leg crossed over the other.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION: The former American president is shown wearing a gray suit, black shoes, a white collared shirt, and a red tie. He is seated in a low-backed wooden chair regarding the viewer with an even expression. His silver hair is parted to one side and combed down neatly. His pale face is shaded to reveal cheekbones and age lines. Roosevelt has one leg crossed over the other with a hand resting on one knee. His right leg appears slightly narrower than one might expect, perhaps hinting at Roosevelt’s bout of polio.
CAPTION: Roosevelt (FDR) promised a New Deal for the American people during his presidential campaign. When FDR took office in 1933, he quickly launched programs to create jobs and bring the U.S. out of the Depression. The new Public Works Administration oversaw construction of housing, bridges, and dams, including Grand Coulee. Today the lake bears FDR’s name.
CREDIT: NPS/Matthew Frey
IMAGE 10 of 12: 1950, Dam Builders
DESCRIBING: A small, vertical colored illustration.
SYNOPSIS: Two workers wield instruments used to construct Grand Coulee Dam.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION: A light-skinned man peers through a narrow surveyor’s instrument held at eye level by a wooden tripod. The man steadies the scope with one hand while propping the other on his hip. He wears a red collared shirt, a belt and denim pants. A white hard hat is pulled low over his eyes. Near him, another man with light skin and red hair bends over a jackhammer that rises to his waist. Extending high above both men are the concrete arches and white rushing water of the Grand Coulee Dam.
CAPTION: During the peak of dam construction over 8,000 people worked in various jobs. Engineers and surveyors determined the exact placement of the dam and location of new roads and railroads. Laborers cleared trees from the reservoir area, excavated the dam site, built towns on each side of the river, rerouted the river temporarily, and poured tons of concrete.
CREDIT: NPS/Matthew Frey
IMAGE 11 of 12: 1975, Park and Partners
DESCRIBING: A small, vertical colored illustration.
SYNOPSIS: A park ranger stands behind two park visitors.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION: The ranger is speaking into a walkie-talkie while smiling pleasantly at the viewer. She wears the distinctive olive-green pants, black belt, short-sleeved brown shirt, and flat-brimmed hat of park rangers. Behind her, a slice of the park is visible, including boulders, sagebrush, rabbitbrush with yellow blooms, a coyote howling into the sky, a tall green ponderosa pine and, high above, a red-tailed hawk with wings spread wide.
CAPTION: The creation of Lake Roosevelt led to the establishment of the national recreation area in 1946. Today the lake, shoreline, and surrounding federal lands are managed by the National Park Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Colville Confederated Tribes, and Spokane Tribe—five partners protecting resources of the lake.
CREDIT: NPS/Matthew Frey
IMAGE 12 of 12: 2000, Park Visitors
DESCRIBING: A small, vertical colored illustration.
SYNOPSIS: Two visitors stand near the park ranger, demonstrating the recreational activities available in the park.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION: The first visitor, a young boy with light skin and brown hair, wears a life jacket over a white T-shirt. His red shorts are smudged with dirt, and he carries a net on a short pole. Beside him stands another light-skinned man wearing a green shirt rolled up to the elbows, a brown fishing vest, blue jeans, glasses, and a brown hat with a short brim. The man holds a clutch of dead fish in one hand and a fishing pole in the other. The man and boy smile easily at the viewer while a blue tent waits behind them.
CAPTION: Water, cool water. Most visitors come to Lake Roosevelt for its refreshing water and its premier opportunities for boating, water sports, and fishing. But there is more here than the lake. You can camp, picnic, hike, visit historic Fort Spokane and St. Paul’s Mission, and join ranger-led activities, offered seasonally.
CREDIT: NPS/Matthew Frey
TEXT: Tribes and Reservations
American Indians have lived in this region for over 9,000 years: fishing, hunting animals, and collecting wild fruits and vegetables. Each year tribes gathered at the river to catch salmon, trade goods and ideas, and socialize. Life began to change in the early 1800s as vastly different cultures arrived: fur traders, missionaries, settlers, and soldiers. Encroachment on traditional native lands led to tensions between Indians and newcomers, culminating in a brief war, treaties, and the establishment of reservations. Eventually the Spokane and Colville tribes moved to land allotted along the Columbia. In the 1930s, with the building of dams, traditional fishing ended. The upper river was blocked to salmon; homes and sacred sites flooded. As a member of the tribes explained, “The river we had known was destroyed. . . . The salmon came no more, and with the disappearance of the salmon, our traditional economy was lost forever.” Today the Columbia is still alive, and Spokane and Colville elders tell stories of the river to their children.
TEXT: Kettle Falls
Kettle Falls once was an annual gathering place for American Indian tribes who came to fish. Here huge, angled slabs of rock straddled the river, forcing the water over a series of falls. The waterfalls produced a natural barrier for migrating salmon, making fish easier to catch. The gathered tribes speared and netted thousands of salmon, enough to provide half of their families’ diet for the coming year. In the early 1800s, fur trappers came to trade, and missionaries came to baptize. The Hudson’s Bay Company established Fort Colville in 1825, a self-sufficient trading post with homes, farms, shops, and buildings for storing furs. The fort’s location at Kettle Falls made it a prime spot for collecting and sending valuable pelts, such as beaver, bear, mink, lynx, and wolf, downstream for shipment east. Missionaries, like fur traders before them, had considerable impact on local tribes. Priests introduced a new religion, promoted farming and a sedentary life (over traditions of fishing, hunting, and gathering), and built churches, including St. Paul’s Mission. The falls and the site of Fort Colville are now submerged, but the American Indians still gather annually, praying for return of the salmon.
TEXT: Fort Spokane
Fort Spokane, established in 1880, was one of the last frontier forts built in the West. Ownership of land became a problem as the area filled with entrepreneurs seeking the agricultural opportunities promoted by the Northern Pacific Railroad. Keeping the semi-nomadic Spokane and Colville tribes within reservation boundaries and keeping land-hungry settlers out was potentially a difficult job. The fort’s strategic location at the confluence of the Columbia and Spokane rivers allowed a small peacekeeping force of infantry and cavalry troops to keep an eye on the tribes and the settlers. Fortunately, this was a time of relative peace. The troops at Fort Spokane saw little action aside from routine drills, parades, and patrol duty. In 1898, most troops left for duty in Cuba after the outbreak of the Spanish-American War. The post was decommissioned and transferred to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The fort opened as an American Indian boarding school in 1900, but declining enrollments closed the school in 1908. The fort served on and off as a tuberculosis sanatorium and Indian hospital until its final closure in 1929.
TEXT: Grand Coulee Dam
The decision to build Grand Coulee Dam was not made casually. For decades politicians, private companies, landowners, and the public argued about the dam’s location, design, and purpose. Was it to provide hydroelectric power, irrigation, flood control? The election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) in 1932 ended the debate. FDR was convinced that building large, public infrastructure projects would revive the economy and get people back to work. Roosevelt was especially interested in projects in the Columbia Basin.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation began construction in 1933. When completed in 1942, Grand Coulee Dam was the largest masonry structure ever built, breaking a record, set by Egypt’s Great Pyramid, that stood for 47 centuries. Today the dam is the largest producer of hydroelectric power in the United States and third largest hydroelectric facility in the world. Grand Coulee provides electricity for hundreds of cities and supplies irrigation water for over 500,000 acres of cropland.
OVERVIEW: Back Side of Brochure
The most prominent feature on the back of the brochure is a map of Lake Roosevelt and the surrounding area. This map shows the 130-mile-long lake snaking its way from the lower left-hand corner of the page to the upper right-hand corner. Along the left-hand side of the page is text describing the different places to visit and things to do in the park. Along the very bottom edge is a map of Washington State showing highways and additional National Park sites, further details on visiting the park, and a grid listing the specific services at each park location.
TEXT: Enjoying the Lake and Shore
Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area stretches north 129 miles, from Grand Coulee Dam to Onion Creek, 13 miles from the U.S-Canadian border. It embraces the lower reaches of many streams, including the Spokane and Kettle rivers.
IMAGE and TEXT: Boating
DESCRIBING: A horizontal color photograph.
SYNOPSIS: A white two-story houseboat with blue stripes and Lake Roosevelt in blue on its hull is floating broadside on calm reflective waters.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION: The boat’s bow faces to the right of the image where the water fades into the background.Three light skinned people are on the lower-level deck at the bow near the water, wearing summer attire. Behind them are dark doors leading into an enclosed cabin with dark windows spaced along the boat’s side all the way to the stern. A woman wearing a yellow and blue patterned tank top and blue jean shorts is standing on the right, using an open, silver barbecue grill along a white safety railing. A man wearing a tan ball cap with a blue brim, a light t-shirt, and blue shorts stands to her left watching. Next to the couple, a man wearing a tan bucket hat, white t-shirt, and dark shorts looks out over the water. A red inflated tube rests against the wall nearby.Five light skinned people are on the open top level of the boat. A man sits in the cockpit at the bow of the boat wearing a dark blue shirt and dark ball cap. His left arm is resting over the back of his seat. A man and a woman wearing bright teal t-shirts stand behind him facing each other talking with their arms resting on a railing. The man is wearing a navy ball cap and is facing the women and away from the camera. She has shoulder length dark brown hair. At the stern, a woman with short, dark hair wearing dark sunglasses and a black tank top stands looking at a seated woman on her left. The seated woman is partially obscured by the side of the vessel, her right elbow is resting on the top of the boat’s side while her shoed feet peak out to the right of her behind a white safety railing.
CAPTION: A houseboat on calm water with people on the decks recreating and using a barbecue.
CREDIT: NPS
RELATEDTEXT: Docks, launches, water, and sewage dump stations are available at developed areas. Maps showing lake depths, contours, and surrounding topography are sold at visitor centers. For safe boating know the federal and state regulations and the boating traffic signs.
TEXT: Camping
All car-accessible campgrounds require a reservation. Reservations are required for all group sites. Visit the website to choose and pay for your campsite: www.recreation.gov or call 877-444-6777. Boat-in campgrounds are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Many park campgrounds can be reached by boat. Campgrounds have tables and restrooms; most have water and fire grills. No showers or utility hookups are provided.
TEXT: Fees and Permits
Fees are charged year-round at the National Park Service boat launches for all types of boats and at campgrounds (boat-in campsites are free). Reservations must be made at recreation.gov or by calling 877-444-6777. Boat launch permits can be purchased online at: www.pay.gov/public/form/start/656441199 for weekly permits and: www.pay.gov/public/form/start/64970644 for annual permits. Check with the Tribes concerning permits to camp, fish, and hunt on Indian reservations.
TEXT: Fishing and Hunting
Walleye, rainbow trout, kokanee, and smallmouth bass are popular catches. In season hunters take deer, black bear, turkey, pheasant, quail, goose, duck, and other small animals. State licenses are required. Tribal fishing licenses may be required if crossing reservations to access Lake Roosevelt. Check with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Colville or Spokane tribes. Tribal hunting regulations apply on reservations; check with the tribes.
TEXT: Fort Spokane
The visitor center, located in the guardhouse, is open mid-June through Labor Day. It has information, permits, exhibits, and a bookstore. Exhibits on the fort’s Indian Boarding School history were created with the help of the Colville and Spokane tribes. A one-mile trail around the fort is open year-round. For hours contact 509-633-3830 or: www.nps.gov/laro
TEXT: Kettle Falls and St. Paul’s Mission
An information station near Kettle Falls campground is open seasonally. It has publications, permits, and a bookstore. Nearby St. Paul’s Mission is one of the oldest churches in Washington. Signs and an audio tour along the ¼-mile Mission Point Trail explain the history of the falls, the Mission, and the Hudson’s Bay Company’s influence on the area. For hours contact 509-738-6266 or: www.nps.gov/laro
TEXT: Scenic Drives
If you enjoy backroads, the Lake Roosevelt area is a great place to explore. You can make a small loop along roads that include Washington State Route 25, a mid-lake ferry crossing, and Washington State Route 21 through the Colville reservation. Or try a big loop that includes Republic, an old gold-mining town, and Washington State Route 20 over Sherman Pass, the highest year-round accessible highway pass in the state.
TEXT: Ride a Free Ferry
Keller Ferry links Washington State Route 21 on the lake’s north and south shores. It is free and operates year-round. Gifford Ferry connects with Washington State Route 25 near Inchelium (about mid-lake). It is also free and operates based on water level.
TEXT: Colville Confederated Tribes
For camping information call 509-634-3145. For fishing and hunting permits and regulations contact 509-634-2110 or www.colvilletribes.com.
TEXT: Spokane Tribe
For camping, fishing, and hunting permits, information, and regulations contact 509-258-7750 or: www.spokanetribe.com
MAP: Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area
DESCRIBING: A color map that takes up almost the entire back half of brochure.
SYNOPSIS: This map shows a long thin lake surrounding by varying terrain, roads, towns, and amenities.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION: This is the main map for Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area brochure. It shows wayfinding, and topographical information and is oriented with north at the top. The map shows a long, narrow lake that is roughly shaped like a backwards capital letter L, that stretches 130 miles from Grand Coulee Dam to Onion Creek, 10 miles from the Canadian border. The Grand Coulee Dam is at the western terminus of the L, adjacent to Washington State Highway 155. The visitor center is located at the eastern bend of the L at Fort Spokane on Washington State Highway 25. The town of Kettle Falls is located at the northern end of the L on Washington State Highway 25. Onion Creek, the northern border of the park, is a small waterway on the eastern edge of the lake near the top of the map. A large portion of the maps represents the land, towns, and highways adjacent to the park. There is no tactile map available.
CREDIT: NPS
GRAPH: Recreation Area Services Graph
The boat ramp elevation figure is the minimum water level at which a boat may be launched.
Lower Lake Roosevelt / Crescent Bay, 1265’ / Boat launch Lower Lake Roosevelt / Spring Canyon, 1222’ / Campground (tent, trailer, and group sites), Waste disposal (trailer), Picnic area, Telephone, Drinking water, Boat launch, Waste disposal (boat), Winter boat launch
Lower Lake Roosevelt / Keller Ferry, 1229’ / Campground (tent, trailer, and group sites), Waste disposal (trailer), Picnic area, Telephone, Drinking water, Marina, Boat launch, Boat fuel, Waste disposal (boat), Winter boat launch
Lower Lake Roosevelt / Hanson Harbor, 1253’ / Boat launchLower Lake Roosevelt / Jones Bay, 1268’ / Campground (tent sites), Boat launch
Lower Lake Roosevelt / Lincoln, 1245’ / Boat launch, Winter boat launchLower Lake Roosevelt / Hawk Creek, 1281’ / Campground (tent and trailer sites), Drinking water, Boat launch
Lower Lake Roosevelt / Seven Bays, 1227’ / Campground (tent and trailer sites), Telephone, Drinking water, Marina, Boat launch, Boat fuel, Waste disposal (boat), Winter boat launch
Spokane River Arm / Two Rivers, 1280’ / Campground (tent and trailer sites), Waste disposal (trailer), Telephone, Drinking water, Marina, Boat launch, Boat fuel, Waste disposal (boat), Winter boat launch
Spokane River Arm / Fort Spokane, 1247’ / Campground (tent sites), Campground (trailer sites), Campground (group sites), Waste disposal (trailer), Picnic area, Telephone, Drinking water, Boat launch, Winter boat launch
Spokane River Arm / McCoys / Boat fuel
Spokane River Arm / Porcupine Bay, 1243’ / Campground (tent and trailer sites), Waste disposal (trailer), Picnic area, Telephone, Drinking water, Boat launch
Upper Lake Roosevelt / Hunters, 1232’ / Campground (tent, trailer, and group sites), Waste disposal (trailer), Picnic area, Drinking water, Boat launch, Winter boat launch
Upper Lake Roosevelt / Gifford, 1249’ / Campground (tent and group sites), Waste disposal (trailer), Picnic area, Drinking water, Boat launch, Winter boat launch
Upper Lake Roosevelt / Cloverleaf / Campground (tent sites), Picnic area, Drinking water
Upper Lake Roosevelt / Daisy (boat launch), 1265’ / Picnic area, Boat launch, Winter boat launch
Upper Lake Roosevelt / Daisy (town) / Telephone, Boat fue
lUpper Lake Roosevelt / French Rocks, 1265’ / Boat launch
Upper Lake Roosevelt / Bradbury Beach, 1251’ / Picnic area, Drinking water, Boat launch, Winter boat launch
Upper Lake Roosevelt / Haag Cove / Campground (tent and trailer sites), Picnic area, Drinking water
Upper Lake Roosevelt / Kettle Falls, 1234’ / Campground (tent, trailer, and group sites), Waste disposal (trailer), Picnic area, Telephone, Drinking water, Marina, Boat launch, Boat fuel, Waste disposal (boat), Winter boat launch
Upper Lake Roosevelt / Marcus Island, 1281’ / Campground (tent and trailer sites), Waste disposal (trailer), Picnic area, Drinking water, Boat launch
Upper Lake Roosevelt / Kamloops / Campground (tent and trailer sites), Drinking water
Upper Lake Roosevelt / Kettle River / Campground (tent and trailer sites), Drinking water
Upper Lake Roosevelt / Napoleon Bridge, 1280’ / Boat launch
Upper Lake Roosevelt / Evans, 1280’ / Campground (tent, trailer, and group sites), Waste disposal (trailer), Picnic area, Drinking water, Boat launch
Upper Lake Roosevelt / Snag Cove, 1277’ / Campground (tent and trailer sites), Drinking water, Boat launch
Upper Lake Roosevelt / North Gorge, 1280’ / Campground (tent and trailer sites), Drinking water, Boat launch
Upper Lake Roosevelt / China Bend, 1280’ / Boat launch
MAP: Long Description
This long description is broken into categories starting here with a short description and moving in the next sections into further details on the legend, amenities, roads, highlights, topography, and map text by district.
SHORT DESCRIPTION: This is the main map for Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area brochure. The map shows wayfinding, and topographical information. It is oriented with north at the top and shows a long, narrow lake that is roughly shaped like a backwards capital letter L, that stretches 133 miles from Grand Coulee Dam to Onion Creek, 10 miles from the Canadian border. The Grand Coulee Dam is at the western terminus of the L adjacent to Washington State Highway 155. The visitor center is located at the eastern bend of the L at Fort Spokane on Washington State Highway 25. The town of Kettle Falls is located at the northern end of the L on Washington State Highway 25. Onion Creek, the northern border of the park, is a small waterway on the eastern edge of the lake near the top of the map. A large portion of the maps represents the land, towns, and highways adjacent to the park. There is no tactile map available.
MAP: Legend
The legend has symbols for park jurisdiction, roads, amenities, and wayfinding information. Park jurisdiction symbols include Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area (symbol medium shade of blue) and river mileage from dam in five-mile increments (symbol black number). Road symbols include unpaved roads (symbols two black parallel lines). Amenities symbols include a ranger station (symbol building with flag on top), hospital (symbol H), campground (symbol white tent on black square), boat in campground (symbol black tent), boat launch (symbol boat on trailer on top of ramp), marina (symbol anchor) fuel (symbol gas pump), and picnic area (symbol picnic table). Wayfinding symbols include North arrow (symbol North with an arrow with a circle around it) and distance indicator (symbol black text with miles and kilometers over a black bar);MAP: AmenitiesAmenities are divided by district and listed by location north to south. Compass points indicate district of the park map.
Upper Lake Roosevelt:
Northport (approximately 33 miles northeast of Kettle Falls on Washington State Route 25) - non-NPS boat launch
China Bend (approximately 8.9 miles south of Kettle Falls on Washington State Route 25) - boat launch, canoe/kayak/small boat launch, dock/pier, information kiosk/bulletin board, auto parking, boat trailer parking, bus/RV parking, vault toilet/restroom, scenic view/photo spot, and wheelchair accessible
North Gorge (approximately 17 miles north of Kettle Falls on Washington State Route 25) - campground, boat launch, canoe/kayak/small boat launch, dock/pier, information kiosk/bulletin board, auto parking, bus/RV parking, vault toilet/restroom, scenic view/photo spot, and wheelchair accessible
Snag Cove (approximately 7 miles north of Kettle Falls on US Interstate 395 then west 6.7 miles on Northport Flat Creek Road/River Bridge Road) - campground, boat launch, canoe/kayak/small boat launch, dock/pier, information kiosk/bulletin board, auto parking, boat trailer parking, bus/RV parking, vault toilet/restroom, scenic view/photo spot, and wheelchair accessible
Napoleon Bridge (approximately 11 miles north of Kettle Falls on US Interstate 395, then west 0.5 miles on Napoleon Road, then right 0.1 mile on Hedland-Napoleon Road) - boat launch, canoe/kayak/small boat launch, information kiosk/bulletin board, picnic area, auto parking, boat trailer parking, bus/RV parking, vault toilet/restroom, scenic view/photo spot, and wheelchair accessible
Kettle River (approximately 9.8 miles north of Kettle Falls on US Interstate 395 then west 0.2 miles on Waterview Drive) - campground, canoe/kayak/small boat launch, dock/pier, information kiosk/bulletin board, auto parking, boat trailer parking, bus/RV parking, vault toilet/restroom, scenic view/photo spot, and wheelchair accessible
Evans (approximately 13.3 miles north of Kettle Falls on Washington State Route 25) - campground, group campground, boat launch, canoe/kayak/small boat launch, dock/pier, information kiosk/bulletin board, auto parking, boat trailer parking, bus/RV parking, vault toilet/restroom, scenic view/photo spot, day use, beach access, picnic area, and wheelchair accessible
Summer Island (Across the lake to the west from Evans Campground) boat-in campground, boat dock, vault toilet
Kamloops (approximately 7 miles north of Kettle Falls on US Interstate 395 then west 0.2 miles on Northport Flat Creek Road/River Bridge Road) - campground, canoe/kayak/small boat launch, dock/pier, information kiosk/bulletin board, auto parking, boat trailer parking, bus/RV parking, vault toilet/restroom, scenic view/photo spot, and wheelchair accessible
Marcus Island (approximately 6.5 miles north of Kettle Falls on Washington State Route 25) - campground, boat launch, canoe/kayak/small boat launch, dock/pier, information kiosk/bulletin board, auto parking, boat trailer parking, bus/RV parking, vault toilet/restroom, scenic view/photo spot, and wheelchair accessible
St. Paul’s Mission (approximately 3 miles west of Kettle Falls on US Interstate 365) - audio guided trail, interpretive trail, historic building, scenic view/photo spot, auto parking, boat trailer parking, and bus/RV parking
Kettle Falls (approximately 59 miles north of Fort Spokane on Washington State Route 25) - campground, group campground, boat launch, canoe/kayak/small boat launch, dock/pier, boat fuel, marina, information kiosk/bulletin board, auto parking, boat trailer parking, bus/RV parking, vault toilet/restroom, scenic view/photo spot, wheelchair accessible, trail, interpretive trail, beach access, day use area, picnic table, and ranger station
Haag Cove (approximately 3.7 miles west of Kettle Falls on US Interstate 365, then south 4.1 miles on Washington State Route 20, then east 2.2 miles south Inchelium Route/Kettle Falls Road, then 1 mile on Haag Cove) - campground, canoe/kayak/small boat launch, dock/pier, information kiosk/bulletin board, auto parking, boat trailer parking, bus/RV parking, vault toilet/restroom, scenic view/photo spot, and wheelchair accessible
Colville (approximately 8.9 miles southeast of Kettle Falls on US Interstate 365) – hospital
Bradbury Beach (approximately 8.9 miles south of Kettle Falls on Washington State Route 25) - beach access, day use, picnic tables, boat launch, canoe/kayak/small boat launch, dock/pier, information kiosk/bulletin board, auto parking, boat trailer parking, bus/RV parking, vault toilet/restroom, scenic view/photo spot, and wheelchair accessible
French Rocks (approximately 3.7 miles west on US Interstate 365, then south 4.1 miles on Washington State Route 20, then east 7.9 miles south Inchelium Route/Kettle Falls Road) - boat launch, canoe/kayak/small boat launch, dock/pier, information kiosk/bulletin board, auto parking, boat trailer parking, bus/RV parking, vault toilet/restroom, scenic view/photo spot, picnic table, and wheelchair accessible
Barnaby Island (Across the lake to the west from Rice) – non-NPS campground, floating restroomBarnaby Creek (Across the lake to the west from Rice, south of Barnaby Island) - non-NPS campground
Daisy (approximately 21 miles south of Kettle Falls on Washington State Route 25) - boat launch, canoe/kayak/small boat launch, dock/pier, information kiosk/bulletin board, auto parking, boat trailer parking, bus/RV parking, vault toilet/restroom, scenic view/photo spot, picnic table, and wheelchair accessible
Cloverleaf (approximately 25 miles south of Kettle Falls on Washington State Route 25) - campground, beach access, information kiosk/bulletin board, and auto parking
Gifford (approximately 26 miles south of Kettle Falls on Washington State Route 25) - ferry, campground, group campground, boat launch, canoe/kayak/small boat launch, dock/pier, information kiosk/bulletin board, auto parking, boat trailer parking, bus/RV parking, vault toilet/restroom, and wheelchair accessible
AA Encampment (Directly south of the Inchelium-Gifford Ferry) non-NPS campground
Hunters (approximately 40 miles south of Kettle Falls on Washington State Route 25 then west 1 mile on Hunters Campground Road) - campground, group campground, boat launch, canoe/kayak/small boat launch, dock/pier, information kiosk/bulletin board, auto parking, boat trailer parking, bus/RV parking, vault toilet/restroom, wheelchair accessible, beach access, day use, and picnic table
Rogers Bar (approximately 3.7 miles west on US Interstate 365, then south 4.1 miles on Washington State Route 20, then east 23 miles south Inchelium Route/Kettle Falls Road, then south 0.4 miles on Boise Haul Road, and then west 1.2 miles on Bridge Creek Road, and the south 20 miles on Silver Creek Road, then east 0.7 miles on Rogers Bar Road) - non-NPS boat-in campground
Wilmont Creek (West of Rogers Bar on the Silver Creek Road) - non-NPS boat-in campground
Enterprise (Where Oh-Ra-Pak-En Creek joins the lake, north of the town of Enterprise) - boat-in campsites, vault toilet
Spokane River Arm:
Pierre (Across from Crystal Cove on the Spokane River) - non-NPS campground
McCoys (East of Pierre on the Spokane River) - non-NPS boat-in campground, boat launchColumbia (On the main lake shore immediately north of Two Rivers) - non-NPS campground
Two Rivers (On the confluence of the Spokane River and the lake, across from Fort Spokane) - non-NPS campground, marina, and boat fuel
Crystal Cove (On the Spokane River east of Fort Spokane) - boat-in campsites, vault toilet
Ponderosa (On the Spokane River opposite McCoys) - boat-in campsites, vault toilet
Detillion (Up the Spokane River from Ponderosa) - boat-in campsites, boat dock, vault toilet
Fort Spokane (approximately 23 miles north of Davenport on Washington State Route 25) - visitor center, museum, historical building(s), ranger station, campground, group campground, boat launch, canoe/kayak/small boat launch, dock/pier, information kiosk/bulletin board, auto parking, boat trailer parking, bus/RV parking, vault toilet/restroom, wheelchair accessible, trail, interpretive trail, beach access, day use, and picnic tables
Porcupine Bay (approximately 12 miles north of Davenport on Washington State Route 25, then east 6.5 miles on Porcupine Bay Road) - campground, group campground, boat launch, canoe/kayak/small boat launch, dock/pier, information kiosk/bulletin board, auto parking, boat trailer parking, bus/RV parking, vault toilet/restroom, wheelchair accessible, beach access, day use, and picnic tables
Davenport (approximately 23 miles south of Fort Spokane on Washington State Route 25) – hospital
Lower Lake Roosevelt:
Seven Bays (approximately 20 miles north of Davenport on Washington State Route 25, then southwest 6 miles on Miles-Creston Road) - marina, boat launch, canoe/kayak/small boat launch, dock/pier, information kiosk/bulletin board, auto parking, boat trailer parking, bus/RV parking, vault toilet/restroom, and wheelchair accessible
Hawk Creek (approximately 20 miles north of Davenport on Washington State Route 25, then southwest 7.2 miles on Miles-Creston Road, then west on Hawk Creek Road North) - campground, boat launch, canoe/kayak/small boat launch, dock/pier, information kiosk/bulletin board, auto parking, boat trailer parking, bus/RV parking, vault toilet/restroom, scenic view/photo spot, and wheelchair accessible
Lincoln (approximately 20 miles north of Davenport on Washington State Route 25, then southwest 19 miles on Miles-Creston Road, then west 11 miles on US Route 2, then 13 miles north on Washington Route 21) - boat launch, canoe/kayak/small boat launch, dock/pier, information kiosk/bulletin board, auto parking, boat trailer parking, vault toilet/restroom, wheelchair accessible, day use, and picnic tables
Sterling Point (Midway between Jones Bay and Lincoln) - boat-in campsites, vault toilet
Jones Bay (approximately 16.6 miles north of Wilbur on Sherman Road North/Hanson Road North) - campground, boat launch, canoe/kayak/small boat launch, dock/pier, information kiosk/bulletin board, auto parking, boat trailer parking, bus/RV parking, vault toilet/restroom, scenic view/photo spot, and wheelchair accessible
Penix Canyon (Up a small side canyon from Jones Bay) - boat-in campsites, vault toilet
Hanson Harbor (16.4 miles from Wilbur on Hanson Harbor Road) - boat launch, canoe/kayak/small boat launch, dock/pier, information kiosk/bulletin board, auto parking, boat trailer parking, bus/RV parking, vault toilet/restroom, scenic view/photo spot, and wheelchair accessible
Goldsmith (East of Keller Ferry) - boat-in campsites, vault toilet
Keller Ferry (approximately 15 miles north of Wilbur on Washington State Route 21) - ferry, marina, campground, boat launch, canoe/kayak/small boat launch, dock/pier, information kiosk/bulletin board, auto parking, boat trailer parking, bus/RV parking, vault toilet/restroom, and wheelchair accessible
Sanpoil Campground (10 miles north of Keller Ferry on Washington State Route 21) - non-NPS campground
Plum Point (East of Spring Canyon Campground) - boat-in campsites, boat dock, vault toilet
Spring Canyon (approximately 4 miles east of Grand Coulee on Washington State Route 174) - ranger station, campground, group campground, boat launch, canoe/kayak/small boat launch, dock/pier, information kiosk/bulletin board, auto parking, boat trailer parking, bus/RV parking, vault toilet/restroom, wheelchair accessible, trail, beach access, day use, and picnic tables
Crescent Bay (in Grand Coulee east of Washington State Route 155) - boat launch, canoe/kayak/small boat launch, dock/pier, information kiosk/bulletin board, auto parking, boat trailer parking, bus/RV parking, vault toilet/restroom, scenic view/photo spot, and wheelchair accessible
Grand Coulee (411 Fortuyn Road) – hospital
Steamboat Rock State Park (approximately southeast 10 miles on Washington State Route 155, the west 2 miles on Steamboat Rock Park Entrance Road) - non-NPS campground
Sun Lakes State Park: Dry Falls Visitor Center (approximately southeast 30 miles on Washington State Route 155, then 3.9 miles west on Washington State Route 17, then north 1.2 miles on Park Lake Road Northeast) - non-NPS campground
MAP: Roads
A large portion of the map represents the land, towns, and highways adjacent to the park. The long, narrow lake is roughly shaped like a backwards capital letter L. The Spokane River joins the lake at the eastern bend of the L. Here you can find the Fort Spokane Visitor Center, which is at approximately the midpoint of the park. To travel north to Kettle Falls from Fort Spokane, follow Washington State Route 25, which runs north-south along the eastern side of the lake. The section most relevant to the park runs 85 miles from Fort Spokane to the town of Northport near the Canadian border. Washington State Route 25 also continues south from Fort Spokane for 22 miles to the town of Davenport.
From Newport in the north, branching off Washington State Route 25 going south to Kettle Falls, are several access roads including William Lake Road and Interstate 395, leading to Colville, Chewelah, and Spokane to the east and off the map. Other access roads south of Kettle Falls include Orin-Rice, Addy-Gifford, and Cedonia-Addy. Washington State Route 25 runs 29 miles / 47 km from Northport to Kettle Falls; 14 miles / 23 km from Kettle Falls to Rice; 22 miles / 35 km from Rice to Hunters; and 20 miles / 32 km from Hunters to Fort Spokane. Washington State Route 292 runs 25 miles between Hunters and Springdale. WA State Route 231 connects to Interstate 395 on the right edge of the map and runs 45 miles to Rearden and Interstate 2 at the bottom.
In the Fort Spokane area, Miles Creston Road runs 18 miles southwest from Fort Spokane along the bottom of the L at the crook, intersecting with Interstate 2 near the town of Creston. Interstate 2 runs along the very bottom of the map from Spokane in the east, which is off the map on the right, to Coulee City at the southern end of Banks Lake in the west. Several roads branch off south of Interstate 2 including from east to west, Washington State Routes 213, 28, 21, and 17.
In the bottom left corner of the map is the Grand Coulee Dam and surrounding area. This area is located at the eastern end of the lake and includes the towns Grand Coulee, Coulee Dam, and Electric City. This area also sits at the north end of Banks Lake, a long rectangular reservoir running northeast to southwest, with the top angled to the right. Washington State Route 174 runs 26 miles south along the east side of Banks Lake to Coulee City. Washington State Route 174 intersects with Interstate 2 near Coulee City. Washington State Route 17 continues south from Coulee City to the Dry Falls Visitor Center at Sun Lakes State Park. Washington State Route 17 also continues north up the west side of Banks Lake. 23 miles west of the Grand Coulee area Washington State Route 17 intersects with Washington State Route 17. Washington State Route 174 runs from Bridgeport, a town off the map to the east, to the Grand Coulee Area.
North from the Grand Coulee area Washington State Route 155 continues 16 miles north to Nespelem and continues to Omak, which is off the map. Southeast from the Grand Coulee area, Washington State Route 174 runs 22 miles to the town of Wilbur.
In the northwest portion of the map is the Colville National Forest in the north and Colville Indian Reservation in the south. The primary access road through this area is Washington State Route 21 which runs north to south. This road begins in the north in Grand Forks, British Columbia, passes through the communities of Curlew, Republic, and Keller, before intersecting with Lake Roosevelt. At this point on the lake there is a free ferry service called Keller Ferry. Once across the lake the road continues south to Wilbur and further on to Odessa.
Several access roads split off Washington State Route 21 in the east to west direction. Splitting off to the east, these include Sherman Pass National Scenic Byway, which connects to the Kettle Falls area, Bridge Creek Road which connects to a free vehicle ferry service at Inchelium, and Silver Creek Road which accesses several non NPS campgrounds. Two access roads split off to the west and connect Washington State Route 21 to Washington State Route 155 including Cache Creek Road and Manilla Creek Road that becomes Peter Dan Road.
MAP: Highlights
This highlights section is broken into the districts of Lower Lake Roosevelt District, Spokane Arm, and Upper Lake Roosevelt.
Lower Lake Roosevelt:
Beginning at the most western point of the park, administrative headquarters is located at the foot of the world’s largest manmade sand pile, a remnant of the construction of the dam, located on the northern edge of Coulee Dam. Moving east along the southern edge of the lake, you will find the trailhead for the Bunchgrass Self-guided Trail near the first restroom of the middle loop at Spring Canyon campground. There are two parking spaces available at the trailhead. This steep trail is approximately a half mile long loop with multiple numbered stops to learn about the local sagebrush and bitterbrush environment.
Spokane Arm:
The Fort Spokane Visitor Center and Museum is located at the confluence of the Columbia and Spokane Rivers just after the river turns north. The visitor center, housed in a historic guardhouse, is open between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend each year and houses exhibits on the history of the site, including the military, the American Indian boarding school, and tuberculosis sanitarium. The military mule barn and powder magazine are also open to visitors during the summer season. The surrounding grounds, including the Sentinel and Bluff Trails are open all year long, but are not groomed during the winter. The Sentinel Trailhead begins at the visitor center parking lot but is also accessible from the parking lot at the Fort Spokane day-use area or through the walk-in campsites in the Fort Spokane campground. Except for the connecting trails from the day-use and campground, this trail is relatively flat.The Bluff Trail can also be accessed from the Visitor Center parking lot on the opposite side from the Sentinel trailhead. This trail leads up past the historic water reservoir building and onto the top of the bluff overlooking the Fort Spokane grounds. This trail is steep.
Upper Lake Roosevelt:
Just north of Kettle Falls, near the bridge that spans Lake Roosevelt on Interstate Highway 395, is Saint Paul’s Mission at Mission Point. The mission, originally built in 1845, was the site of the first Jesuit service west of the Rocky Mountains. To the immediate left of the hewn log mission building is the Mission Point Trailhead. The relatively flat quarter mile trail has five stops with interpretive signs and a mobile cell phone tour that lead the visitor to an ancient tool sharpening stone and the inundated Kettle Falls. The trail also leads to an overlook of the former site of Hudson Bay Company’s Fort Colville, which is now flooded by Lake Roosevelt.
MAP: Topography
The topography represented by this map covers multiple ecological zones and landforms. The southern tier of the map, south of the lake and the Spokane River, is a high plateau of rolling hills cut by north to south, steep-sided canyons that open toward the lake. The main canyon of the Columbia River is considered a coulee: a very broad, near vertical sided, flat-bottomed canyon. The impoundment of the river to create Lake Roosevelt fills the lower reaches of this coulee. The lake itself forms a backwards capital letter L, from the Grand Coulee Dam on the west, to the bend at Fort Spokane, to the northern terminus of the park at Onion Creek. The Spokane River joins the lake from the east at Fort Spokane. The Kettle River, flowing from the north, joins the lake to the north of Kettle Falls. The Sanpoil River flows from the north past Keller and joins the main lake directly across from Keller Ferry.
The spine of the Kettle River Range trends north from the midpoint of the lower arm of the lake. Numerous ridges reach to the east and west from this high point and down to the upper arm of the lake on the east. On the eastern side of the lake, the Huckleberry Range parallels the shore from Gifford to Kettle Falls. This region has smaller ranges running north to northeast across the landscape, trending to the higher mountains on the east.The Columbia River, once past the Grand Coulee Dam, flows to the north in a sweeping turn to the west. Banks Lake, another large reservoir, trends southwest through a large coulee from the junction at Grand Coulee Dam.
MAP and TEXT: Plan Your Visit
DESCRIBING: An inset map of Washington state.
SYNOPSIS: A small inset map shows the key highways, rivers, mountains, and parks in Washington State, allowing visitors to plan their route to Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area. The map is oriented with the north at the top, and the scale is 50 miles per inch. It extends from British Columbia in the north to Oregon in the south, from the Olympic Peninsula in the west to Idaho in the east.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION: This map inset highlights the locations of other national parks, recreation areas, and national monuments throughout the state.Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area is located in the northeast corner of Washington State. To the west of the recreation area is the Grand Coulee Dam. Farther to the west are Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, Ross Lake National Recreation Area, and North Cascades National Park. To the south and west are Mt. Rainier National Park and Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. All three of these sites are found in the Cascades—the spine of mountains that crosses the state from north to south. Olympic National Park is found on the western peninsula that juts into the Pacific Ocean.Also represented on the map are major highways and interstates that crisscross the state. Interstate 90 runs between Seattle to the west and Spokane to the east, while Interstate 5 runs north and south. Visitors can reach the recreation area by accessing Washington State Highway 25, which intersects Washington State Highway 20 to the north and Washington State Highway 2 to the south.
CREDIT: NPS
RELATEDTEXT: Find up-to-date information on fees, activities, facilities, safety, and regulations at visitor centers, www.nps.gov/laro, Facebook (LakeRooseveltNRA), Twitter (LkRooseveltNPS), and Instagram (Lake.Roosevelt.NPS).
TEXT: Area Services
Plan ahead! Be prepared for limited services. Food, lodging, gas, boating and fishing gear rentals, and other services are available in Coulee Dam, Grand Coulee, Kettle Falls, Colville, and North port. Find small stores at Keller Ferry, Seven Bays, Two Rivers, McCoys, and Daisy. (See chart at right.)
TEXT: WARNING—Lake Levels Vary
Water levels in the lake fluctuate often and quickly, even overnight. Low water may make some boat launches unusable at times. The maximum lake level is 1,290 feet above sea level. For a lake level forecast call 800-824-4916.
TEXT: Safety and Regulations
Regulations differ among areas managed by federal, state, and tribal agencies. Read bulletin boards, ask rangers, and know the rules. Beware of navigational hazards like deadheads (protruding logs and snags), sandbars, and floating debris. Always wear a life vest (PFD) when on the lake. Never ride on the bow of a boat. There are no lifeguards; swim at your own risk. Do not swim alone. Dispose of human waste in proper sanitation containers. Do not use plastic bags. Use dump stations and floating pump out stations. Marine sanitation devices (MSD) are required when shoreline camping. Pets are not allowed on developed swim beaches or in picnic areas. Protect yourself from the sun and drink plenty of water. Please watch your children. Collecting artifacts is strictly prohibited. All plants, animals, rocks, historic areas, and submerged town sites are protected by federal law. Emergencies call 911.
OVERVIEW: Accessibility
Accessibility features throughout the park include designated parking spaces, accessible campsites, picnic tables, ramps at restrooms and other facilities. We strive to make our facilities, services, and programs accessible to all. For additional information go the Fort Spokane Visitor Center, ask a ranger, call 509-754-7800, or check our website: www.nps.gov/laro
OVERVIEW: More Information
Check bulletin boards in campgrounds and at boat launches. Contact the park, and check: www.nps.gov/laro
ADDRESS: 1008 Crest Drive, Coulee Dam, WA 99116
PHONE: 509-754-7800
WEBSITE: www.nps.gov/laro
Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area is one of over 420 parks in the National Park System. The National Park Service cares for these special places saved by the American people so that all may experience our heritage. To learn more about national parks and National Park Service programs in America’s communities, visit: www.nps.gov
Last updated: March 12, 2024
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Contact Info
Mailing Address:
Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area
1008 Crest Drive
Coulee Dam,
WA
99116
Phone:
509-754-7800
Please leave a detailed message if no one answers your call. Our rangers are often out talking to visitors.
