Lake Lenore (Washington)

Lake Lenore (a.k.a. Lenore Lake) is located in Grant County, Washington. It is a 1,670-acre (680 ha) lake formed by the Missoula Floods in the lower Coulee just north of the town of Soap Lake, Washington. It is situated between Alkali Lake to the north and Soap Lake to the south. The lake is rather narrow, but long. The length of the lake runs north–south alongside Washington State Route 17 leading from near the city of Soap Lake to Coulee City, Washington.

Lenore Lake
LocationGrant County, Washington
Coordinates47°30′07″N 119°30′43″W
Catchment area367 sq mi (950 km2)
Basin countriesUnited States
Max. length8 mi (13 km)
Average depth15 ft (4.6 m)
Max. depth27 ft (8.2 m)
Water volume19,500 acre⋅ft (24,100,000 m3)
Shore length114.4 mi (23.2 km)
Surface elevation1,075 ft (328 m)
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lenore Canyon is a coulee associated with the development of the Scablands.[1]

One of the interesting areas around Lake Lenore is the Lenore Caves. Located at the northern end of the lake, the Lenore Caves are a series of overhangs along the cliffs at the lake. They exist in one of the largest volcanic regions on Earth.

Lenore Caves
Main article: Lake Lenore Caves State Park

The Lenore Caves were formed by the plucking of basalt from the walls of the coulees by the Missoula floods and are geologically different from most caverns. They were later used as shelters by prehistoric humans.

On Washington State Route 17 along Lake Lenore is a turn-off that leads to a parking area at the beginning of a trail. There is a sign with information about the caves and a general history of the area. There are seven caves accessible by well-maintained trails leading to the caves scattered about the eastern wall of the Grand Coulee across from Lake Lenore.

History

On January 13, 1947, the U.S. War Assets Administration disposed of drums of sodium into Lake Lenore.[2]

References
  1. Baker, Victor (2010). Migon, Piotr (ed.). Channeled Scablands: A Megaflood Landscape, in Geomorphological Landscapes of the World. Springer. pp. 21–28. ISBN 9789048130542.
  2. January 13, 1947 newsreel
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