Palouse Falls, Waterfall in Franklin County, United States.

Palouse Falls is a waterfall on the Palouse River in Franklin County, Washington, where the river drops 200 feet (61 m) over a main fall into a wide, dark plunge pool. The cliff face above and beside the falls is layered horizontally, with a reddish upper band above a pale, vertically fractured middle section and darker rock below. To the right, the pool narrows into a dark channel bordered by a low, pale gravel bar and patches of green vegetation.

The canyon formed around 13,000 years ago when massive ice age floods from glacial Lake Missoula broke through and carved deep channels into the Columbia River Basalt. These repeated floods shaped the current gorge and left the tall walls that frame the river today.

The falls lie within Palouse Falls State Park, whose displays explain both the region's geology and its ties to the Palouse people and the Mullan Road, which used the easy plateau access near the falls. The park was created in 1951 from parcels donated by several landowners.

The park offers paved paths leading to several overlook points above the canyon where you can see the drop clearly without a steep climb. Restrooms and picnic tables are open year-round, though summer afternoons can get very hot in this part of eastern Washington.

The bill making Palouse Falls the state waterfall, HB 2119, passed the Washington House of Representatives unanimously on February 12, 2014. It began when elementary students from Washtucna, the small town nearby, lobbied the legislature for the designation.