Our View: It’s a dangerous state park. And here’s why Palouse Falls shouldn’t be closed

Palouse Falls, while magnificent, is also dangerous.

In the last three years, four young men have died at Franklin County’s natural wonder – two just this spring.

The deaths are heartbreaking, and the recent tragedies have caused state officials to pause and evaluate what, if any, safety measures can be installed to protect people from the state park’s deceivingly treacherous features.

Completely shutting the park down, however, is not among the options – which is wise.

“We are not closing off access,” said Virginia Painter, spokeswoman for the Washington State Parks department. She recently told the Tri-City Herald, “We try to recognize the right to public access.”

That is the best approach. Natural beauty is not something that should be blocked from public view.

Palouse Falls State Park offers three safe, distinct spots to view the falls. The problem is that unofficial paths have been worn down by others trying to get a better look at the waterfall, and those trails appear safer than they truly are despite the warning signs.

The waterfall was carved more than 13,000 years ago, and has a dramatic 198-foot drop into a swirling pool of water. It is spectacular, which is why people are tempted to get as close to it as possible.

In two of the recent deaths, the young men drowned while swimming in the pool. The other two fell from the ridge.

Last April, Isaac Engle, 23 of Colville, made his way on unmarked trails to the water beneath the falls and drowned when he went swimming in the cold, churning water. Another young man, James Hopkins, 22, of Lake Stevens, drowned while swimming there in May 2016.

Noble Stoneman, 25, a recent graduate of Washington State University, fell last month when a ledge he was walking along reportedly crumbled. It was the same place where a hiker, Cade Prophet, 25 of Spokane, fell to his death Memorial Day 2017.

Stoneman’s mother, Ruth Drollinger of Naches, told the Yakima Herald-Republic that the park “seduces people into going near the edge of the cliffs or into the water.”

She would like to see the state close the park, and called it a death trap.

Her view is understandable.

But we are concerned that closing the park may make it more of a temptation to the adventurous.

The site is tucked away in the middle of desert and farmland, about 20 miles east of Kahlotus. For decades its rural location made it a hidden treasure in Eastern Washington.

But in 2014, it was named the state waterfall and its popularity soared. State officials say visitors to the park jumped from 46,000 a decade ago to 200,000 last year.

Too many people are now aware of the falls, and it is a popular side trip for students at Washington State University in Pullman – like Stoneman.

People who want to view it should be able to. For now, the plan by state park officials is to put up temporary fencing along the viewing area. The fencing will funnel visitors who leave the half-mile of official trails to an area with strongly worded information on the danger of going further.

Additionally, we suggest trying to remove as much of those alternate paths as possible. The waterfall is beautiful, and those unofficial trails are inviting.

This story was originally published June 4, 2018 at 11:52 AM with the headline "Our View: It’s a dangerous state park. And here’s why Palouse Falls shouldn’t be closed."