Lake Lenore (Washington)

Lenore Lake

Location     Grant County, Washington

Coordinates     47.5020°N 119.5120°WCoordinates: 47.5020°N 119.5120°W

Catchment area     367 sq mi (950 km2)

Basin countries     United States

Max. length     8 mi (13 km)

Average depth     15 ft (4.6 m)

Max. depth     27 ft (8.2 m)

Water volume     19,500 acre·ft (24,100,000 m3)

Shore length1     14.4 mi (23.2 km)

Surface elevation     1,075 ft (328 m)

1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake Lenore is located in Grant County, Washington. It is a 1,670-acre (6.8 km2) 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 and south right beside Washington State Route 17 leading from near the city of Moses Lake to Coulee City, Washington.

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

The Lenore Caves were formed by the plucking of basalt from the walls of the coulees by the rush of melt waters and are geologically different from most caverns. They were later used as shelters by prehistoric man.

On Washington State Route 17 along Lake Lenore is a turn-off which takes you 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 which lead to the caves scattered about the eastern wall of the Grand Coulee across from Lake Lenore.