Sun Lakes Trail Runs

Join Northwest Trail Runs for a beautiful 7, 14, or 21-mile trail run at Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park, a natural amphitheater ringed by majestic cliffs.

Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park encompasses a natural amphitheater ringed by majestic cliffs that were once an enormous waterfall. This is a beautiful flood-carved monument to the epic geology of Washington State. Massive basalt flows blanketed the state east of the mountains several million years ago, and then ice age floods carved and ripped into the basalt tens of thousands of years ago, leaving whimsical lakes, dips, caves, and canyons carved into the land. These channeled scablands are breathtaking to behold and fun to explore.

The park is a remarkable oasis on the sunny side of the Cascade Mountains with great amenities for a getaway: A neighboring resort with cabins and RV hookups, camping, miles of trails, lakes for swimming, boating, and fishing, a golf course, a store, an amphitheater, WiFi and a concession stand with snacks and fast food at the nearby Dry Falls Visitor Center and scenic overlook, and expansive lawn areas with picnic tables for relaxing and enjoying the view or a picnic by the lake.

One more reason to make a weekend of the run is that the Grand Coulee Dam is a scenic 45 minute drive to the north of the park along the Grand Coulee!

The course is a loop of approximately 7 miles length, and the three event distances will run it one, two, or three times.

The route has a variety of running surfaces, trail/road widths, and terrain views. The majority of the route is on single-track trail (79%), which varies from sandy to rocky. The route also includes paved road (12% at the end), dirt and gravel roads (6%), and grassy lawn (3%). Less than half a mile of the single track trail (about 7% of the route) is infrequently used and will appear to be more of a beaten-down path in the grass or a collection of animal trail segments than an established trail. The entire route will be well marked.