Columbia Basin Pictures, Photos, Photography

The Columbia Basin, also known as the Columbia Plateau, is a rolling, semiarid, and prairie-like region east of the Cascade Mountains in southeastern Washington. In the southeast, just north of the Snake River, is the large wheat-growing dunelike area of the Palouse River section. West of the Palouse lie the Scablands, or Channeled Scablands, an almost barren lava plateau that was channeled, or carved, into coulees, or deep canyons, by glacial meltwaters at the end of the last Ice Age, about 10,000 years ago. The largest of the canyons are Grand Coulee and Moses Coulee. Occupying the extreme southeastern part of the Columbia Plateau are the Blue Mountains, which range up to 7,000 ft (2,100 m).

The Juniper Dunes Wilderness is a protected wilderness area comprising 7,140 acres in Franklin County. Established in 1984, it is noteworthy for the northernmost growth of western juniper trees that live among the area's large sand dunes. Common wildlife include mule deer, bobcat, coyote, badger, pocket gopher, kangaroo rat, several species of hawk, owl, raven, quail, partridge, pheasant, dove, numerous songbirds, and rattlesnakes. Currently no legal access to Juniper Dunes Wilderness exists, as the entire surrounding land is privately owned. An agreement in early 2007 with landowners allows visitors, with permission, to travel on one of several old jeep trails that end near the Wilderness boundary.

Several notable photographic stops in the Columbia Plateau are the Buffalo Eddy petroglyphs, the Twin Sisters, and Steamboat Rock State Park. Buffalo Eddy is an eddy located on the Snake River where several different petroglyphs are etched onto rocks. The petroglyphs date from early Nez Perce people over 4,500 years ago, and are located on two groups of rock outcroppings found on both sides of the Snake River. When visiting, a short trail leads to the petrogylphs and pictographs, but there are no facilities provided. Near Wallula Gap on the high slopes overlooking the Columbia River, stand the notable twin basalt towers known in Native American stories as the "Twin Sisters." Also known as the "Two Captains" Ð in tribute to Lewis and Clark Ð scientific theory attributes the existence of these two pillars to the catastrophic Ice Age Floods.Steamboat Rock State Park is located near the north end of Banks Lake in the Grand Coulee. The park takes its name from Steamboat Rock, a basalt butte found in the lake. Steamboat Rock is a long-established area landmark, first used by nomadic Native American tribes and then by early settlers. The plateau is over 600 acres in area and rises 800 feet above Banks Lake, which nearly completely surrounds it. It was once an island in the Columbia River bed during the last ice age. When the Columbia returned to its natural course, after centuries of being dammed by ice, the massive rock remained.