Palouse Falls

Palouse Falls

near Walla Walla / Franklin County / Whitman County, Washington, USA

Palouse Falls took our breath away when we gazed upon its powerful flow amidst a rugged and naturesque canyon that very much reminded us of the raw scenery in Iceland. Except in this instance, we were in a remote corner of southeast Washington. Indeed, it was that combination of nearly unspoilt scenery combined with a quality waterfall that further reminded us of how beautiful waterfalls could be when left alone to Nature.

Even though this waterfall was said to be only 180ft tall, it had a power that threw up enough mist to produce rainbows. In fact, the Palouse River, which was responsible for this falls, was the geological legacy of repeated glacial dams and floods (especially the Great Missoula Flood) from the Ice Age. It was said to be the only year-round waterfall that resulted from this turbulent history. The accompanying canyons and hills surrounding both the falls and the deep gorge here provided clues as to violence of the geological forces at work from that last major Ice Age.

Indeed, we gave this waterfall the benefit of the doubt both in its ratings and in its place on our Top 10 US Waterfalls List. Perhaps it was also because we were starting to get jaded after seeing potentially larger waterfalls that ended up getting compromised in the Snake River Plains of Southern Idaho. However, Palouse Falls was such a refreshing sight that it literally stole the show on our Idaho trip in April 2013. We had read in the literature this preservation was aided in part by a majority of ratepayers of Franklin County rejecting a proposal to build a dam immediately upstream of the falls despite the promise of lower rates.

We were able to experience this waterfall in a few ways. We'll describe these options separately on this page.



Even though this waterfall exhibited power and precipitous gorges, it was hard to believe that someone managed to kayak over this falls and still live! This happened back in April 2009, and I'm sure you can find YouTube videos of the feat if you do a search for "Palouse Falls kayak".

Since there were a few very different ways to experience the falls, I've decided to describe each method separately so we can paint a clearer picture for you about the experience and the logistics of a visit to Palouse Falls. All of the methods being described start and end at the main car park. See below.
 

source: http://www.world-of-waterfalls.com/pacific-northwest-palouse-falls.html

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Whitehaven Beach

Whitehaven Beach is a definite "must-see" in the Whitsundays. The crystal clear aqua waters and pristine silica sand of Whitehaven stretch over seven kilometres along Whitsunday Island , the largest of the 74 islands in the Whitsundays. It defines nature at its best and provides the greatest sense of relaxation and escape.


As soon as you arrive it’s easy to see why it is the most photographed beach in Australia and has been named the South Pacific's Best Beach by the 2015 TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Awards.

At the northern end of Whitehaven Beach is Hill Inlet, a stunning cove where the tide shifts the sand and water to create a beautiful fusion of colours.  As the tide shifts, the white silica sand and turquoise shades of the inlet blend seamlessly to create a breathtaking view of swirling Whitsunday colours.  

For the best view, journey to the lookout at Tongue Point on Whitsunday Island. Time your lookout experience on low tide to fully experience the beautiful fusion of colours that surface. For bareboats, the best spot to anchor is in Tongue Bay, and tender into the beach to commence the short walk up the hill to the lookout across Hill Inlet and Whitehaven Beach and back down the other side to secluded Betty's Beach, at the tip of Hill Inlet.
 

There are several ways to experience the beauty of Hill Inlet. Many companies offer day trips to Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet by ferry, power boat or luxury yacht. Most overnight sailing trips also stop here. Self-sufficient boaties and campers can even anchor overnight off the beach, or book a national park campsite and camp on the southern end of the iconic Whitehaven Beach itself. Scenic helicopter and seaplane flights over Hill Inlet promise amazing aerial views as the magical waters and sand dance below. However you choose to explore Whitehaven Beach, it will be an experience that you will remember for a lifetime. Whitehaven Beach Recent Awards Whitehaven Beach is constantly being named amongst the world's best beaches. Here are just a few of the accolades awarded our famous Whitehaven Beach in recent times: • Best Beach in the South Pacific - 2015 TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Awards • Best Beach in the South Pacific and Top 5 of the world's best beaches - 2014 TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Awards • Best Beach in Australia and Top 3 of the world's best beaches - 2013 TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Awards • Cnn.com named world's top eco-friendly beach - 2010  source

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18 NATURAL WONDERS OF THE US THAT WILL INSPIRE YOUR NEXT ROAD TRIP

I’VE BEEN FORTUNATE ENOUGH to have traveled to some amazing places around the world over the last 10 years: Bolivia, Papua New Guinea, South Korea, Mongolia, Jordan, and the list goes on. But I’m not exaggerating in the least when I say that some of my favorite trips have taken place here in the US — typically behind the wheel of my car, on a lonely state highway.

America is just massive. At 3.8 million square miles, it’s three times larger than all the countries listed above combined. So it’s kind of a given that our country would be home to spectacular deserts, mountain ranges, volcanic features, ancient forests, waterfalls, canyons, glaciers, caves, and swamps. But that fact doesn’t diminish the awesomeness of these places.

As summer approaches, my wife and I can’t wait for our next opportunity to hop into our little Mazda with the dog and go find a spot we haven’t been to yet in our thousands of miles of driving around this country that keeps on giving. Hope to see you out there.

1. Death Valley, CA

A section of the Mojave Desert, Death Valley is the lowest, driest, hottest place in North America.
(1) Trey Ratcliff (2) Pedro Szekely (3) Gleb Tarassenko

2. Kilauea, HI

Kilauea, on the Big Island of Hawaii, sends streams of lava steaming into the Pacific Ocean.
(1) Tumanc (2) Esten Hurtle

3. Monument Valley, UT

The sandstone buttes of Monument Valley stand like towers in the Four Corners region of the Western US.
(1) Wolfgang Staudt (2) Trey Ratcliff (3) clockwise L to R: Bosure, Wolfgang Staudt, Jason Corneveaux, Kartik Ramanathan

4. Niagara Falls, NY

The tourist vessel “Maid of the Mist IV” does a float-by of the American Falls.
(1) Arne Bornheim (2) paul bica (3) Daniel Peckman

5. Redwoods, CA

The tallest trees on the planet hide out in a few remaining tracts of Northern California’s old-growth coastal forests.
(1) m24inStudio (2) clockwise L to R: Giant Ginkgo, Mike Baird, jjgardner3 (3) Justin Brown

6. Grand Canyon, AZ

A mile down from the canyon’s rim, the Colorado River is still cutting.
(1) Ignacio Izquierdo (2) Randy Pertiet (3) Steve Dunleavy

7. Mammoth Cave, KY

Mammoth Cave National Park protects a portion of the longest known cave system in the world.
(1) Peter Rivera (2) clockwise L to R: clarkmaxwell, Peter Riviera, Insley Pruitt, Peter Riviera

8. Florida Everglades

The Everglades are a 60-mile-wide, super-slow-moving subtropical river covering the tip of Florida.
(1) Timothy Valentine (2) Brian Koprowski (3) crow 911

9. Hubbard Glacier, AK

Where Hubbard Glacier meets the sea, its 6-mile-wide face calves huge blocks of ice.
(1) Alan Vernon (2) Mike McElroy (3) Rich Englebrecht

10. Black Hills, SD

Harney Peak (pictured at top), within the Black Hills National Forest, is the highest east of the Rockies.
(1) blucolt (2) Ryan O’Hara (3) Dave Morris

11. The Mississippi

This monster river system drains 31 US states and is the fourth longest in the world.
(1) Jon Haynes Photography (2) Adventures of KM&G

12. Bryce Canyon, UT

Bryce can be more accurately described as an immense eroded amphitheater, populated with hoodoos (pictured at middle).
(1) Todd Petrie (2) Wolfgang Staudt (3) Sam Gao

13. Mt. Desert Island, ME

The island is protected by Acadia National Park and is all rocky shoreline and crumbly mountain woodland.
(1) Scott Kublin (2) clockwise L to R: Andrew Mace, Scott Smitson, Jim Liestman, Howard Ignatius, Frederico Robertazzi (3)A.D. Wheeler

14. Crater Lake, OR

Collapsed volcano, now a deep blue lake in southern Oregon.
(1) Ninad (2) Howard Ignatius (3) Andy Spearing

15. Arches, UT

The national park preserves land that’s home to over 2,000 of these weathered sandstone arches.
(1) Keith Cuddeback (2) Katsrcool (3) Kartik Ramanathan

16. Yosemite Valley, CA

Looking down the Yosemite Valley, you can see Bridalveil Falls and the granite cliff of Half Dome in the distance.
(1) John Colby (2) Nietnagel (3) clockwise L to R: Craig Goodwin, Scott, Nietnagel

17. Carlsbad Caverns, NM

The caverns’ “Big Room” is the third largest cave chamber in North America.
(1) FMJ Shooter~Off to the last frontier (2) G (3) J.J.

18. Old Faithful, WY

This geyser in Yellowstone National Park erupts a 140-foot spout of water at regular 45- to 120-minute intervals.
(1) David Kingham (2) Scott Kublin (3) frazgo

source: http://matadornetwork.com/trips/photo-essay-18-natural-wonders-of-the-usa/

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