Tours of dam should restart at end of May

Tours at Grand Coulee Dam should start at the end of May, following the end of masking and distancing requirements that made tours impossible last year.

The Grand Coulee Dam Visitor Center is currently open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Bureau of Reclamation plans to resume the “One River, Many Voices” laser light show and the return of the tours of the John W. Keys III Pump-Generating Plant public on May 28, the Saturday before Memorial Day, the traditional opening of the season.

Masks are no longer required inside the Grand Coulee Visitor Center and federal buildings, said Erika Lopez, a Reclamation public affairs specialist in Boise, Idaho.

“The safety of our visitors and employees remains our top priority,” Lopez wrote in an email. “We will continue to follow safety protocols consistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance and are closely monitoring any changes in the CDC guidelines. Mask mandates and tours are subject to change and can be canceled without notice.”