Radar Dome (Across Washington Part 3)

Teenage life is so full of drama!

Radar Dome is an abandoned radar and monitoring station that was active from 1952 until 1960. As an active monitoring station of the Air Defense Command of the US Air Force, it's purpose was to identify and track all unidentified aircraft. Once it was decommissioned in 1960, it was abandoned and left to fall apart on it's own. To this day you can still wander through the buildings, find bits of coal, and see where the radar itself was located.

We decided to go explore it, taking our youngest daughter as well as her friend along with us. After a quick stop at subway and topping off of the gas tank, we headed up into the hills just east of Colville.

Make the jump for more story and pictures!

Surprisingly, buildings are scattered throughout the area and have not totally succumbed to either the elements or vandalism. There is a lot of man made damage such as graffiti and walls knocked in, but the buildings are still standing and easily walked through.

Sidewalks and stairs are still present between the buildings. There were many concrete channels going between the buildings as well for cables and pipes. Sometimes you would follow a path only to find it disappear into the brush, and other times they would lead to another building or a foundation of where a building had been.

Even the foundation where the rotating radar was located is clearly visible. It's not to hard to imagine a military Jeep sitting in the same spot as ours was now parked.

As you travel further back into what was once the base property, the buildings are less damaged. Less graffiti, less bullet marks, and better general condition. Back here there were still tiles on the floor and in one building, the wood cupboards were still in place.

After dragging a fallen tree off the road, we made it back to the far edge of the base where we ate lunch, took a hike and then headed out to explore some more dirt roads.

It's interesting to find places like this. It is also quite unusual to find buildings like these still standing after more than 50 years of harsh weather and abuse.

To wonder around and think of the people who might have worked here or what they might have been doing. What it might have looked like when it was active.


We've got quite a few pictures of the day. Please go take a look and see what we explored!

Pics of Radar Dome