Channel scablands tour: Swanson Lake - Telford loop

Washington State Fish and Wildlife Photo

Looking for a unique tour of the Eastern Washington channel scablands, either in person or via the internet? The Washington State Swanson Lake Wildlife Area is just that sort of place. The stated purpose of the area’s dedication is to provide habitat for the endangered Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, seen above. However plans also include the reintroduction of the sage grouse which is no longer indigenous.

The area also provides protection for over a twenty-thousand acres of Eastern Washington channel scablands in what is generally considered the Telford-Crab Creek ice age flood channel. This channel begins basically about twenty miles west of Spokane on US Highway 2, essentially at the town of Reardan and extends to the even smaller town of Creston, about forty miles further west. A few miles west of Reardan you ascend to some of the flood exempt loess farm land, which extent unbroken for about ten miles until you descend into Davenport. Leaving Davenport you again ascend up to the loess steppe and that continues until you enter the Telford channel east of Creston. This immense flood scoured across much of the Eastern Washington basalt plateau, as Crab Creek now enters the Columbia River below Wanapum Dam 163 miles downstream from the Reardan beginning.

The lakes and area near Reardan also provide some interesting watersheds. Just east of town surface water flows into the Deep Creek drainage which drains most of the country along the highway from the west-plains of Spokane to town, entering the Spokane River near Spokane proper. North of Reardan and over a low basalt rise you enter the Spring Creek drainage which enters the Spokane River between Long Lake and Little Falls Dams, and west of Reardan waters slowly head for the Columbia across some of the most diverse country in the nation.

Specific traveling directions are found on the Swanson Lake website linked above, as well as other interesting information to peruse before your visit. Other related channel scablands information begins with the USGS scablands site.

For the more adventurous, drive west of Spokane about an hour to Creston. On the west-side of town take a left at the grain elevators and just follow the road. The headquarters is about ten miles south. The Swanson Lake office is open weekdays 8-5 but, adds little to this experience. There is a parking area at the lake with a pit toilet and the surrounding sage-steppe ecology is worth some time to experience. The white residue on the lake shore is basically sodium bicarbonate, normal baking soda. Just as you get to Swanson Lake the road changes its name to the Seven Springs Dairy Road. Once you visit the lake if you continue following the road it will head south east and eventually east. Eventually you will descend into the Telford channel itself. There you will find the Telford Road. Turning left, it will eventually take you back to US 2 about 0.3 mile west of the Telford Rest Area which has real toilets and picnic tables. The whole loop, with stops at Swanson Lake and various picture points along the way took me about two hours to the rest area. Other than a few miles of pavement on the Swanson Lake Road heading south out of Creston, the rest is rural gravel, but until you get near the highway at Telford it sees little traffic. On this loop you will pretty much literally encompass the entire Swanson Lake preserve.

Please visit our photo tour of the loop which finally adds some substance to our Creation Media Tab, with the direct link here.

Tags: Eastern Washington, channel scablands, ice age floods, Swanson Lake, sharp tail grouse