Dodson Frenchman - George, Washington |
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| Price: Free | ` | |
| Address: Unknown | Coordinates: 46.991699, -119.557556 | |
| Site Type: Fish and Wildlife Service | Status: Official | |
| Open Dates: Unknown | Max Stay Length: 21 in 30 nights | |
| Road Type: Unknown | Miles to Paved Road: Unknown | |
| Number of Sites: Unknown | Max RV Length : Unknown | |
| Contact Email: colbaswa@dfw.wa.gov | Contact Phone: (509) 765-6641 | |
| Website: www.wdfw.wa.gov/lands/wildlife_areas/columbia_basin/unit.php?searchby=unit&search=Desert | ||
This week's weather forecast for this location.
Tue High 66° F Low 48° F |
Wed High 64° F Low 46° F |
Thu High 64° F Low 48° F |
Fri High 73° F Low 50° F |
The 34,920-acre Desert unit was wholly desert prior to the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project. It is the lowest part of the very large Quincy Basin that once was filled with glacial floodwater. The natural basin now serves as a collector for irrigation water from upslope farmlands. Most of this water is collected in the Winchester and Frenchman Hills wasteways, which meander southeasterly across several miles of the Desert Unit and eventually empty into the southwestern part of Potholes Reservoir. The vegetation in this mosaic of wetlands and desert uplands is very diverse. In addition to naturally-occurring shrub steppe communities, many acres have been aerially seeded to non-native grasses. The wetlands and shallow ponds created by the high water table and wasteways were once occupied by native marsh vegetation, but non-native invaders like Russian olive and purple loosestrife are now taking over. While county roads provide access to much of the perimeter of this area, access to the interior is very limited. The area supports waterfowl, white pelicans, mule deer, and other wildlife. Many ponds have been isolated from the wasteways with low sand dikes to exclude carp and improve
waterfowl habitat.
Unmarked campsites in designated area.
Camping is free, but a permit is required to be on all Washington FWS land. Once purchased, it is good at all Washington WMAs.
Buy a Washington FWS vehicle use permit ($10.95).
Directions
23.7 mi S of Ephrata on Dodson Rd
| Amenities: - Restrooms |
Activities: - Wildlife Viewing |
More free camping in Washington.
We recommend that once you locate a suitable camping location on our website, you do additional research to confirm that it is still open, the correct location, and free or less than $11 prior to driving there. In most cases, we provide the current contact information in the entry for each campsite. We make every effort to be up to date and accurate, but with number of campsites we have to keep up with, there may be some discrepancies. Thank you again for your contributions. Please let us know if you encounter any items that need to updated.


