With the closing of Grand Coulee Dam’s gates in 1942, Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake (or Lake Roosevelt for short) was created.

The waters of the Columbia River behind Grand Coulee rose up to 400 feet, creating over 600 miles of shoreline. The length of the lake is over 150 miles, extending from Grand Coulee dam to near the Canadian border. The size of Lake Roosevelt, however, only begins to tell the story of a water and land area with a rich cultural, geologic and ecological history dating back thousands of years.

In this section you’ll learn about the lake’s current operations, managing partners, and communities as well as the rich environmental and cultural history unique to the area.