Paynes Gulch Falls is a waterfall in Grant County, Washington, in the Columbia Plateau region, with a total height of about 286 feet. It lies about 15 miles southwest of Electric City and roughly 83.4 miles west of Spokane as the crow flies.
At 286 feet it stands in the tallest quarter of Washington’s 941 waterfalls with a recorded height, ranking 137th; the typical Washington waterfall is about 82 feet. The water comes down as a plunge, where the water drops vertically and loses contact with the rock face.
The Columbia Plateau is a vast expanse of layered basalt flows covered by sagebrush steppe, grassland and dryland wheat. Waterfalls here drop over basalt cliffs in coulees and river canyons carved by ancient floods.
There are 15 recorded waterfalls in Grant County. Ladds Creek Falls, is about 4 miles away. Lower Ladds Creek Falls, a 106-foot plunge waterfall, is about 4.1 miles away. Chase Draw Falls, a 152-foot tiered plunge waterfall, is about 4.1 miles away.
Paynes Gulch Falls is located at 47.7529° N, 119.2183° W. The listing is based on the World Waterfall Database, one of the sources compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey in its inventory of waterfalls and rapids of the conterminous United States. The exact position has not yet been verified on aerial imagery, so treat the map pin as approximate. Details on trails, parking and access have not been documented for this waterfall yet.