Covering over 52,000 feet of shoreline along the Snake River, Lyons Ferry Park is a popular summertime attraction for campers, boaters, water-skiers and anyone else who loves soaking up the sun along a riverbank.

Lyons Ferry Park marks the site of early settlements of the Palouse Indians. It covers more than a thousand acres and has plenty of freshwater shoreline on the Snake River. The park is a haven for boating, camping, fishing, hiking, picnicking, swimming and water skiing. With average summer temperatures in the 90s, it's a cool shaded spot to find some relief from the sun.

The name Lyons Ferry is associated with a ferry once powered by river current. The ferry and its predecessors crossed the Snake River for 108 years, providing an important link for the Palouse country with the Old Mullan Road.

Located at the confluence of the Snake and Palouse rivers, Lyons Ferry was the dividing point for the Ice Age floods after they carved the Palouse River canyons more than 13,000 years ago. From the confluence, the flood waters then went west into the Pasco Basin and east upriver to Lewiston, Idaho.

The Lyons Ferry area was home to a Palouse Palus Indian village. First written accounts of this village were documented by Lewis and Clark and the Corp of Discovery while passing through the area in October of 1805. Lyons Ferry was named for the ferry crossing that operated across the Snake River from 1860 until the late-1960s, when it was replaced by the existing bridge. In the fall of 1914, near present day Lyons Ferry State Park, the first Union Pacific Railroad locomotive crossed the Snake River on one of the largest bridges along the entire transcontinental route.

Lyons Ferry State Park is cooperatively managed by Washington State Parks and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The park opened to the public in 1971, and was operated by Washington State Parks until 2002, when operation was returned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In 2015, operation of the park was transferred back to Washington State Parks.

A Discover Pass is required for vehicle access to Washington state parks for day use. For more information about the Discover Pass and exemptions, please visit the Discover Pass web page.