Swimming the Palouse Hills

After I moved to the Palouse in 1992, I found out that the thing most people miss when moving to the area is that there is no large body of water nearby. Being new to the region, I wondered why. It is true that there is no large body of water, only a few creeks, small rivers, and reservoirs. However, I found myself feeling I was living right there on the waves.

Updated 01/2026

Click on any image to view the slideshow:

Palouse hills covered in light now, the moon floating by - black and white
A tree in winter, casting a shadow at the edge of a Palouse field.
Plow lines on Palouse hills under a cloudy sky - black and white
Palouse hills freshly plowed in spring, black and white with evening shadows
Fog rolling in over the Palouse- black and white
Gentle rolling of Palouse hills, plowed in winter - black and white
Palouse hills cover in a light snow under cloudy skies
Steptoe butte in the distance over freshly plowed fields in the spring - Black and White
Rolling hills of spring wheat in sun and shadow

A few notes about the Palouse:

  • The Palouse is known and a ‘Dry Farming’ land.
  • Rolling hills shaped by wind blown rich glacial loess that has the ability to retain water, no irrigation is needed here.
  • The western edge of the Palouse is noted by the seeing of irrigation pipes and basalt cliffs.
  • Farming has reduced the native plants in the area whose roots were crucial in retaining water.
  • There are efforts throughout the Palouse to restore its native vegetation.
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