Lyons Ferry State Park is a publicly owned recreation area located some northwest of Starbuck, Washington. The park is on Washington State Route 261 near the confluence of the Snake and Palouse Rivers, which is considered part of Lake Herbert G. West since the construction of Lower Monumental Dam in the 1960s. The state park offers facilities for boating, fishing, hiking, and swimming. It is managed by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission.HistoryThe area is so-named after a ferry across the Snake River which ceased operations in 1968 after more than 100 years of service. The original ferry is still located at the park. The ferry has since been replaced with the Lyons Ferry Bridge (also known as the Snake River Bridge). The steel truss bridge was originally built in 1927 for the Columbia River crossing at Vantage, Washington. In 1963, that crossing was upgraded to a four-lane bridge, and the older bridge was dismantled, placed in storage, and then re-assembled in 1968 at the Lyons Ferry location.The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began park construction in 1969, then leased it to the state in June 1971. After being operated as a state park from 1971 until 2002, the property lease was relinquished by the state due to budget constraints. Since 2002, the property had been operated by the Port of Columbia as Lyons Ferry Park and Lyons Ferry Marina. The property returned to Washington State Park status in 2015 with the signing of a new lease with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
