Ice-Rafted Erratics in Jackknife Canyon

This huge granite boulder was floated to this location aboard an iceberg during one of the Ice Age Flood events that swept over eastern Washington near the end of the most recent Ice Age.

In late February I visited two of these large erratics above Jackknife Creek after hiking north from the Rocky Coulee parking area near the Gingko Petrified Forest State Park visitor center. Later in the year it may be easier to access the Jackknife Creek area via the green dot road system for those that don't mind a bumpy ride using high clearance vehicles, motorcycles or perhaps a rental car.

After crossing the State Park, I entered the Whiskey Dick Unit of the L.T. Murray Wildlife Area. This is wide open country with both erosional and depositional Ice Age Floods features to explore. If you head out here to visit the big erratics make sure to pack a lunch. The hike ended up covering 20.7 miles.

The largest of the Jackknife Creek erratics is visible from Frenchman Coulee. When visiting Frenchman Coulee, take a few minutes to explore the west side of the river with your binoculars. The floods really did a job on the basalt over there.

From Bruce Bjornstad's book: On the Trail of the Ice Age Floods "Of special interest is a high, sculpted-out area in the steep wall of basalt visible on the opposite side of the Columbia River from Frenchman Coulee. Like a giant fire hose, a forceful jet of floodwater hit this rock wall head on after cascading through Frenchman Coulee."

As soon as you start hiking across the State Park land you'll see plenty of ice-rafted erratics scattered over the landscape. This part of the state has been covered by dark brown Columbia River Basalt so granitic boulders are often visible from great distances.


The flood sculpted terrain along with the material deposited by the floods are enough to get me out here. Viewing the petrified wood is a bonus.

Hard to select just a couple petrified wood shots to post. I took quite a few during the hike.


So much petrified wood out here that the guys setting this benchmark in 1957 pressed some into the concrete.

Petrified Log


I sure enjoyed the view as I walked north high above the Columbia River. Locations marked on photo are: 1. Sunland, 2. Babcock Bench, 3. Frenchman Coulee, 4. Interstate 90. Click any of the photos to enlarge.

Degree Confluence
A destination for some is out there on the surface of the Columbia River: 47°N 120°W

I'm not sure what I was thinking when I decided to cross the Hole In The Wall drainage rather than walk around the west end. It sure ate up the time and I didn't find much of interest down there other than a small cave.

As I was trying to work my way down to the river I saw this guy to my right. He was looking down the river and didn't realize that I was behind him. As soon as my camera clicked he gave me this profile view and then took off.

Wish I could have spent more time at:
N 47°00.411'
W 120°00.482'
Some nice basalt exposures in all directions.


Walking on top of the columns.

Moss covered petrified log.


Leaving the hike for a minute here. Wanted to mention that I visited the Yakima Museum's new Miocene Forest exhibit a couple weeks ago. The museum page notes that geologist Nick Zentner (Ellensburg IAFI chapter President) was one of the experts consulted in the development of the exhibit. The display is beautiful and helps tell the story of the forest that existed here 15 million years ago.

The museum's Time Tunnel exhibit provides information relating to the Columbia River Basalt Group, the Ice Age Floods and some of the animals that once inhabited the area.


Antlers near Cayuse Creek
Many deer (like the one that wore these) use the Whiskey Dick Unit but the animal the area is known for is the Rocky Mountain elk.

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COLOCKUM ELK HERD

This area is important winter and early spring habitat to some of the 4,500 animals that make up the Colockum Elk Herd. The link opens a 58 page document that describes the herd including a description of the strategy used by WDFW to manage their population on the West Bar (Giant current ripples).

The WDFW herd history states that the main Colockum herd developed from 45 Montana Rocky Mountain elk released near Boylston and driven north at Vantage in 1915 (Pautzke, 1939). Zooarchaeological data from the Columbia Basin suggest elk were present and utilized by early inhabitants (McCorquodale 1985, Dixon et al. 1996). By the late-1800s elk may have been extirpated from the Region (McCorquodale 1985). The current Colockum elk population
developed from the reintroduction of Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) from
Yellowstone National Park in 1913 and 1915, which significantly contributed to any remnant animals in the area (Bryant and Maser 1982).

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Frenchman Coulee

These small current ripple marks in the sand caught my eye along the Columbia River (note footprints for scale). They reminded me of ripple marks on a much larger scale created a few miles to the north by the Ice Age Floods.

This photo of the giant current ripples on West Bar was taken just before sunset in June. Some of the West Bar ripples are 24 feet in height and 360 feet apart. Geologist believe the water that created these ripples was 650 feet deep!


I like seeing the suitcase size erratics but I was anxious to see the large one I'd spotted from Frenchman Coulee.


Cluster of small erratics, Frenchman Coulee in the distance.

The smaller of the two large erratics above Jackknife Creek. Note: Columbia River in the distance.


Another view of the erratic shown in the previous photo. Arrow identifies the large erratic I viewed from Frenchman Coulee.


Hard to believe this 9' tall rock floated into Kittitas County.




Could be the top of a 30 footer?


Many sections of the green dot roads near the river are cut into flood deposits.

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Area Roads Closed Until May 1st

A closure to motorized vehicle access on the Whiskey Dick and a portion of the Quilomene wildlife areas in Kittitas County is in effect from February 1 through April 30 during 2008 and 2009 to protect wintering elk. The area is north of the Vantage Highway, south of Quilomene Ridge Road, east of the Wild Horse Wind Farm, and west of the Columbia River. The effectiveness of the closure will be evaluated at the end of that period to determine whether it should become permanent.

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Anyone know what kind of bird this is?
Tom Email


On my way back to the car I spent some time looking at Sentinel Gap. This restriction probably had a lot to do with the location of many erratics in the Ginkgo area.

The movie below is VERY low quality but it does show views of the large erratics above Jackknife Creek:



Links to December 2008 hikes at Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park:
Ginkgo State Park Part I
Ginkgo State Park Part II

Ginkgo Petrified Forest S.P. - Part I

Ice-rafted erratic boulder stranded above Columbia River
(Cayuse Creek drainage, eastern Kittitas County)

NEW VIDEO: Petrified Tree

Each time I visit Frenchman Coulee I find myself looking to the west side of the Columbia River. The Cayuse Creek and Whiskey Dick Creek areas appear to have been blasted by violent Ice Age Floodwaters that swept over the Columbia Basin near the end of the last Ice Age.

Last Sunday I decided to take a loop hike across Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park to Whiskey Dick Creek then west for several miles before walking back to my starting point. The wildlife, petrified wood and numerous Ice Age Flood features kept me entertained all day.


Most of the images will enlarge if you click them.


Looking west from Frenchman Coulee


Note: Cayuse Creek on the other side of Columbia River. If you're familiar with "The Feathers" in Frenchman Coulee, the feature is identified in photo.


In his book "On the Trail of the Ice Age Floods", geologist Bruce Bjornstad points out:

Of special interest is a high, sculpted-out area in the steep wall of basalt visible on the opposite side of the Columbia River from Frenchman Coulee. Like a giant fire hose, a forceful jet of floodwater hit this rock wall head on after cascading through Frenchman Coulee.

Many pieces of petrified wood in the park are only partially exposed.

Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park is an amazing place. Start with Columbia River Basalt Group lava flowing into the area from the southeast, building layer upon layer. About 15.5 million years ago some of the basalt in the Vantage area was covered by debris (ash, dirt, rocks, trees) carried by at least one lahar (volcanic mudflow) flowing from the west or northwest. The course of the Columbia River was obstructed and a large shallow lake formed in the Vantage area. The lake held a mixture of water logged trees, some from the Vantage area but many other species carried by the river and lahar(s).

When the basalt flows resumed, water and mud provided protection for some of the trees and prevented them from burning. The lake disappeared under the basalt and the logs were entombed. Water draining through the cooling basalt slowly petrified the logs.

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"Ginkgo logs are so well preserved because they were rapidly buried and sealed off from exposure to air. If the logs had come to rest on the surface they would have rotted and decomposed to nothing. But being deeply buried there was no oxygen or animals/microbes for decomposition."

Bruce Bjornstad

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So ... We started with basalt flows, then lahars, cover that mess with more basalt, let things cool off for a few million years ... Don't get too relaxed Vantage because here come the Ice Age Floods!


One of my first stops on the hike was a quick visit to the "Karlson Erratic". This is the largest ice-rafted erratic I know of in Kittitas County. It sits right where the iceberg left it at 1,105' in Rocky Coulee. Ryan Karlson measured it 10' x 8.5'.

There could be bigger ones out there. I just need to find the time to search Tarpiscan, Tekison, Brushy, Quilomene, Box, Skookumchuck and Jackknife canyons along with Dry Gulch and all their tributaries.


Petrified red gum log exposed by the Ice Age Floods.


I always enjoy walking up to lone erratics and small clusters of erratics in the Channeled Scablands of eastern Washington but it's really cool to walk up to these bergmounds where a large iceberg has grounded and melted out leaving a large pile of debris. I'll post other images of this bergmound in the future. The view looking south is scenic with Sentinel Gap in the distance. In this shot I'm looking NE.


Aerial view looking north over the Interstate 90 bridge at Vantage.


A. Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park
B. Cayuse Creek
C. Mouth of Frenchman Coulee
D. Babcock Bench

When crossing the bridge, try to imagine floodwaters 700 feet above the Columbia River surface (Wanapum Reservoir normal pool elevation 570 ft).


Hiking SE out of the upper Cayuse Creek drainage.


In 1975 the Washington State Legislature adopted petrified wood as the official "state gem". The Wanapums and other Native Americans used pieces of the petrified wood for arrowheads.


The petrified growth rings are interesting.

Looking east towards the Columbia River. One of the highest Ice Age Flood markers I found.


I felt like I was being watched all day.


Seems to be a healthy cactus population in both the Cayuse and Whiskey Dick Creek drainage. This area receives 8 inches of precipitation annually.


Visit the Mid-Columbia Basin in the spring and check out Hedgehog Cactus blooms.


Another shot from the spring. When visiting Ginkgo State Park in late November, it's hard to remember how beautiful the spring wildflowers are in Schnebly Coulee.


During warmer months I've seen a few of these guys around the park. They always seem to be working hard to get out of the way, but it's a good idea to try and watch where you step.

Warning posted by the State Parks Department:
WESTERN RATTLESNAKE
Rattlesnakes are inhabitants of this area. Although largely active in the evening and cooler hours of the day, they can be found anytime from early Spring through late Autumn.
Rattlesnakes are important predators of birds, mice, rabbits and other rodents. Because the kill their prey by using a deadly venom they can be dangerous to man. Exercise caution in this area.

Vantage area petroglyphs on display at the Ginkgo Interpretive Center.

Humans have used the Vantage area for at least 6,600 years. This part of the Mid-Columbia was known to the Wanapum Indians as pank'ú.


Lichen covered erratic

Erratics have been found at a distance of more than three miles from and nearly 700 feet above the Columbia River at Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park. Ryan Karlson (Washington State Parks), completed an incredibly thorough inventory of Ice Age Floods erosional and depositional features within the park. During this study he found the highest frequency of ice-rafted erratics above 1,100 feet. The highest erratic discovered in the study was sitting at 1,263 feet.


Another traveler found in the upper Cayuse Creek drainage. Resting here 15,000 years and still thought of as an out-of-state visitor.


Here's a shot taken in the spring of 2006, during an Ellensburg Chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute field trip. Chapter President Nick Zentner (tan vest - left) tells a story about the Trees of Stone. Note Cayuse Creek drainage identified in the distance.

THE HISTORY of GINKGO PETRIFIED FOREST STATE PARK

In 1931, geologist George F. Beck of Central Washington College of Education in Ellensburg noticed highway construction workers removing petrified wood from a jobsite near Vantage. Beck and his students eventually identified dozens of species of trees at the site, including petrified ginkgo.

The State purchased 10 acres of the fossil bed and created the State Park in 1935. Today Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park personnel manage more than 7,000 acres.


It sure is depressing to think about the amount of petrified wood removed from this park over the years.

Three miles west of the Interpretive Center the State Park maintains a trail constructed by CCC workers that leads visitors to 22 pits containing various species of petrified wood. In their book "Fire, Faults, and Floods", Marge and Ted Mueller state:

"It's a sad commentary on the ethics of visitors that each display must be enshrouded in concrete walls secured with a locked steel rebar gate to prevent vandalism or theft. Even this doesn't prevent garbage from being tossed into the pits by thoughtless oafs!"


"THOUGHTLESS OAFS"? ... You're very kind Marge & Ted. I had two other words in mind.

On a positive note: The National Park Service identified Ginkgo as a place of "Interpretive value" in the "Ice Age Floods Study of Alternatives and Environmental Assessment" for Congress.

A study completed for the Washington State Parks Commission in 2006 found: Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park to be a "Primary Gateway" to the Ice Age Floods region and one of the six "Highest priority" locations in its system for Ice Age Floods interpretation.

Washington State Parks Master Plan for the Ice Age Floods
Highest priority parks:

• Dry Falls Interpretive Center


• Sun Lakes State Park


• Steamboat Rock State Park


• Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park


• Columbia Hills State Park


• Beacon Rock State Park

Undated photograph showing a petrified log partially exposed by the Ice Age Floods. Note Echo Basin and Frenchman Coulee on opposite side of river.

The next time you travel between Vantage and Ellensburg: Monitor the elevation display on your GPS. When you reach 1,270 feet, notice how high above and how far away you are from the Columbia River. I hope the State will soon install signs that identify the point Interstate-90 bisects the Ice Age Floods high-water line. Thousands of vehicles cross this line each day with drivers unaware of the amazing story of the Ice Age Floods.

Click to view: Ginkgo Petrified Forest S.P. - Part II