Soap Lake Voyage Tips and guide

Soap Lake is a town of 1,600 people (2018) in Columbia River Plateau of Washington State. The lake's naturally occurring foam gives its water a soapy appearance, and the lake's mineral-rich waters have a slick, soapy feel.

Soap Lake is a meromictic soda lake formed by the Missoula Floods at the foot of the Grand Coulee. The name came from the word Smokiam, an Indian term which translates to “Healing Waters.” The tribes used the lake for healing purposes for themselves and their animals for many years before the area was settled by pioneers.

By 1908, Soap Lake was a busy resort and health spa, with four hotels and many rooming houses and businesses catering to sojourners seeking a cure. The residents were very proud of the two-room schoolhouse built in 1907. Even though Soap Lake’s main industry was derived from the medicinal lake, it became a social center. In its heyday celebrations, socials, and gatherings where held continuously. Especially well known were the open-air dances, which would draw participants from miles around.

Soap Lake is at the intersection of State Route 17 (WA-17) and State Route 28 (WA-28).

• Grant Transit Authority, ☏ +1 509-765-0898. Operates bus routes in and connecting Ephrata, George, Quincy, Moses Lake, Soap Lake, and Warden (updated Oct 2024)

Map of Soap Lake

Brewster ← Sun Lakes-Dry Falls S.P. ←

N  S

→ Moses Lake → Mesa