The Columbia River borders Franklin County to the west, south and east. Rivers, protected landscapes and museums offer different ways to spend your stay: outdoors, confluences and waterfalls take center stage; exhibitions cover, among other topics, Indigenous history, pioneer life and aviation.
Rivers and Parks
At the confluence of the Snake River and the Columbia River lies the 267-acre Sacajawea Historical State Park, a park for day visits. Self-guided outdoor interpretive experiences and depictions of Native American dwellings complement the river landscape. The Sacajawea Interpretive Center offers views of the confluence and tells the story of Sacagawea, the Indigenous interpreter and guide, as well as the Lewis & Clark Corps of Discovery. It also covers the history of the Lewis & Clark Trail and displays Native American artifacts.
Lyons Ferry State Park lies at the confluence of the Snake River and the Palouse River. Its Palouse landscape was shaped by Ice Age floods. Possible activities include boating, fishing, hiking and swimming. Kayaks and paddleboards can be rented on weekends on a first-come, first-served basis.
Palouse Falls State Park Heritage Site covers 94 acres and is intended for day visits. It offers views of Washington State’s official waterfall. At Palouse Falls, the Palouse River plunges 200 feet into a churning basin; the landscape was formed more than 13,000 years ago. Here, the immediate spectacle of the water and a long geological history exist side by side.
Protected Landscapes and Wildlife
Hanford Reach National Monument preserves more than 196,000 acres of shrub-steppe habitat and the White Bluffs escarpment. The area is home to white pelicans, great egrets, great blue herons, mule deer, elk, porcupines, coyotes and bald eagles. Hanford Reach also includes 51 miles of free-flowing Columbia River and offers anglers an important year-round fishery.
Cycling is permitted in Hanford Reach on roads open to vehicle traffic, as well as between the locked gates on Ringold Road. This guideline helps you plan a bike ride: the key is knowing which road sections are open to vehicle traffic and where Ringold Road is restricted by locked gates.
Museums and Regional History
The Franklin County Historical Museum opened in 1911 as a Carnegie library. Its permanent exhibitions cover paleontology, wildlife, landscapes, Native American history, pioneer life, and the development of the railroad, river and aviation industries. The “Marmes Man” exhibition covers remains dating back about 11,500 years, among the oldest evidence of human habitation in the Western Hemisphere. They were found in eastern Franklin County.
Another exhibition, “Snake River-Palouse Indian Exhibit,” presents objects and cultural values connected with ceremonial traditions, tribal mythology and ecological knowledge. The Clement-Hooks Gallery of Rural Art features works inspired by the landscapes of Franklin County and the Columbia Plateau. The museum’s offerings thus range from archaeological and cultural subjects to artistic interpretations of the landscape.
The North Franklin Heritage Museum is housed in a restored 1904 Gothic Revival church. Its exhibits include Adams Homestead, a fully restored local farmhouse dating to about 1910, a 1973 Burlington Northern caboose and the Pepiot Ranch House. The museum is open Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.; visits at other times can be arranged by appointment. Confirm opening hours before your visit.
Aviation and Everyday Life in Pasco
The Pasco Aviation Museum is located in a former control tower that was once part of Naval Air Station Sand Point in Seattle during World War II. The museum offers flights in a restored 1943 Stearman biplane. The flights pass over the same areas where naval cadets trained at NAS Pasco in the 1940s; reservations are required. Availability and conditions may change.
Big Pasco’s history is also part of the aviation and logistics story: during World War II, it was an important logistics and transshipment center, serving, among others, the Hanford Engineer Works. Another chapter in aviation history began on April 6, 1926, when a small biplane carrying 200 pounds of U.S. mail took off from Pasco. This marked the beginning of the first airline airmail service in the United States. For a different perspective on technology and knowledge, the CPCCo Planetarium has a 36-foot panoramic dome.
The Pasco Farmers Market is held Saturdays from May through October, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., at Peanuts Park, 426 W Lewis. Check market dates before your trip. Pasco is also a transportation hub with connections by road, air, waterways and rail.
Plan Your Stay Around Your Interests
When looking for a hotel in Franklin County, you can first decide what interests you most: museums and aviation history, rivers and protected landscapes, or waterfalls and water activities. Opening hours, seasonal offerings and rental options available only on weekends can make a difference when planning specific visits.
Explore more destinations: Pasco, Connell, West Pasco, Clallam County, Douglas County, Cowlitz, Whitman County, Chelan County.
For the main travel overview: Washington.
