OK, this isn’t necessarily everyone’s idea of a selling point (but the author has a fondness for things that slither and enjoys some editorial latitude).ĭuring an early-June visit to the falls, a park employee noted that he had cleared the parking lot of a rattlesnake and a bull snake just a day earlier. It has been estimated that the park greeted fewer than 50,000 visitors a decade ago now, that number has climbed to the 200,000 range. Also from the Parks report: “The vision of the park is one where visitors can experience quiet contemplation and appreciation of the landscape and its cultural and geologic history.”įor a variety of reasons, Palouse Falls’ popularity has boomed. The region was, for millennia, home to Native American tribes, a crucial point not lost on those who make final decisions on park use. That designation recognizes “the significant cultural history of the Palouse River canyon,” according to a State Parks report. The remote state park was, not too long ago, renamed the Palouse Falls State Park Heritage Site. Stay back from cliff edge.”Īnother recent change is that tent camping is now off-limits. Signage at the park pulls no punches: “People have died here,” one sign warns.

Between 20, four men died at Palouse Falls after following unofficial trails. The reasoning was pretty straightforward. On the list were the bottom of the falls, an area at the top of the falls and some narrow pathways lining steep cliffs. Not long ago, the Parks and Recreation Commission deemed that certain spots are off limits. There are three vantage points in the 94-acre state park and that’s where visitors are supposed to be – just those three. So, if you’re ready to hop in the family truckster, pick up Aunt Edna and set off an adventure, here are some travel tidbits to keep in mind.

Palouse falls