Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife WILDLIFE AREAS AND WATER ACCESS P0INTS Southwest Washington / Region 5

Priest Rapids Wildlife Area

Contact Information

Greg Fitzgerald, Manager
6653 Road K NE
Moses Lake, WA 98837
(509) 765-6641
colbaswa@dfw.wa.gov


Access sites around the Priest Rapids Wildlife Area

NameCountyWater/Land
own/mgt
LocationBoat
Launch
ToiletCampSpecial
Information
Buckshot RanchGT2 mi S on Hwy 243 past Mattawa, R at sign, 1 3/4 mi access areaXXXHandicap AccessibleHandicap Accessible Goose Blind


A Vehicle Use Permit is REQUIRED
on ALL WDFW Lands

Purchase Vehicle Use Permit

About Vehicle Use Permit

The Priest Rapids Wildlife Area lies along the east bank of the Columbia River south of Sentinel Gap. The land is relatively flat and, during ancient glacial floods, was intermittently under water. A thin layer of soil covers a substrate that is mainly river cobble. This unit has three large peninsulas that create sheltered, backwater pools. Although the water in the Priest Rapids Pool fluctuates a lot, the river banks are slowly developing a riparian border. The shallow, backwater sloughs and the ponds of the WB-48A Wasteway are fringed with willows, Russian olive, and other trees. In the 1960s, many woody shrubs were planted by the department in the moist areas around the middle and lower peninsulas. An irrigated field was also developed at that time for a goose brooding pasture. The uplands are mostly a poor-quality mix of rabbitbrush and cheatgrass. A few scattered occurrences of big sage, bitterbrush, or needle-and-thread grass can be found on the upper peninsula. The department maintains a public parking area and boat launch near the middle of this unit.

Priest Rapids is just one of several Wildlife Areas in the Columbia Basin which is one of the most important waterfowl breeding grounds in Washington. Millions of other birds also use the waters and marshes for resting and feeding on their annual migrations along the Pacific Flyway. The thousands of small lakes, potholes, and seeps are home to Canada geese, mallards, redheads, canvasbacks, ringnecks, ruddy ducks, gadwalls, blue and greenwing teal, shovelers, pintails, goldeneyes, and wood ducks. Shorebirds abound and Caspian terns, pelicans, sandhill cranes, swans, and many other rare birds are seen. Ring-billed gulls, Brewer's, red-winged, and yellow-headed blackbirds, kildeer, meadowlarks, and horned larks are found. Game birds including pheasant, chukar and Hungarian partridge, and quail are common, though sage and sharp-tailed grouse have severely declined in numbers.

Coyotes are the most abundant predatory mammal. Jackrabbits, marmots, ground squirrels, muskrats, and a wide variety of mice and shrews occur. Mule deer occur in fringe areas where suitable habitat exists. Resident prairie falcons, red-tailed and Swainson's hawks, golden eagles, wintering bald eagles, colonies of burrowing owls, and the occasional snowy owl or gyrfalcon are also present. The vast expanse of water, cattail marshes, potholes, and wetlands offer a wide variety of water-related experiences. The fishing is outstanding, especially for bass, perch, sunfish, and crappie. Rainbow trout are stocked.


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