State Parks and National Parks

Potholes State Park

Potholes State Park is near the center of the Columbia Basin desert, a unique landscape of sand dunes, lakes and rocky canyons.

This park, totaling 640 acres on the Potholes Reservoir, features a 126-site campground, boat launch and a lovely hiking trail along the Frenchman Wasteway, which is popular with fishermen.

The park is named for the area's massive potholes, depressions in the sand dunes that were created by Ice Age glaciers and floods. When the O'Sullivan Dam was built nearby, many of these potholes filled with water, creating lakes.

The birdlife that thrives in this habitat includes white pelicans, sandhill cranes and great blue herons. Fish include large- and smallmouth bass, rainbow trout, crappie, bluegill and perch.

Photo credits in order: Courtesy of Washington