| Welcome to the Palouse Region of Washington! Rolling fields, punctuated with historic towns, 19th-century architecture and remnants of pioneer farms, are what make up this region. Visitors to the region can ride a raft down, and a jet boat up, the Snake River through Hells Canyon, the deepest gorge in North America. Nearby, take in spectacular Palouse Falls, where the Palouse River tumbles 198 feet over layers of basalt lava deposited here during the last Ice Age. Or explore the wilderness of the 1.4 million-acre Umatilla National Forest with its rugged backcountry of peaks and canyons. The forest is ideal for hiking, mountain biking, and horsepacking. |
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| The Palouse is the area where settlers first stepped foot in Washington. Native peoples had been fishing for salmon and eel in the rivers and cultivating the soil, rich with volcanic ash, for millennia. This is the wheat belt, but it's also the lentil capital of the world. From this quaint corner of Americana, literally millions of pounds of lentils are shipped to Europe, South America and the Middle East. Visit the National Lentil Festival in August. |
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