
Columbia River Plateau
Atomic Space. Native Soil. Geologic Time.
Walla Walla, Washington | May 27-30, 2026
Conference Co-Chairs:
Amanda C. Roth Clark, Whitworth University, Dean of the Library & Special Programs
J. Philip Gruen, Washington State University, Professor, School of Design + Construction
Conference Hotel
Marcus Whitman Hotel
6 West Rose Street
Walla Walla, Washington 99362
The block of rooms dedicated to VAF at the Marcus Whitman Hotel are now all booked. We expanded the room block once and are not able to add any additional rooms. As of March 13, there is one room available on Thursday, May 28 and three rooms available on Saturday, May 30. If you would like to reserve a room at the Marcus Whitman for one of the remaining available nights, use this link: LINK TO HOTEL REGISTRATION
We recommend two other hotel options that are within walking distance of the Marcus Whitman Hotel. 
Best Western Plus
7 E Oak Street, Walla Walla, Washington 99362
Courtyard Marriott Walla Walla
550 W Rose St, Walla Walla, WA 99362
Room & Ride Share
VAF offers an online forum for connecting people to roommates and ride shares. This might be particularly useful for this conference, where some people are flying into Seattle or Portland and driving to Walla Walla (for more direct flights, see below). If you need a roommate or have a ride to offer/want a ride, please check out the forum here: https://www.vafweb.org/Conference-Room-and-Ride-Share-Coordination
Travel & Transportation
By Plane
The Walla Walla Regional Airport (ALW) is five minutes from our downtown hotel and offers rental cars, limited shuttle buses, and taxi services. Flying to Walla Walla takes forty-five minutes from Seattle via Alaska Airlines.
The Tri-Cities Airport (PSC) in nearby Pasco has nonstop service on several major carriers from cities including Burbank, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles (seasonal), Minneapolis, Phoenix-Mesa, Salt Lake City, San Diego (seasonal), San Francisco, and Seattle. The drive to Walla Walla is forty-five minutes by rental car.
Other airports, train, and driving options:
If you chose to fly to a different airport and drive, there are several options:
– Spokane, WA: 2.5 hour drive
– Seattle, WA: 4 hour drive
– Portland, OR: 4 hour drive
– Boise, ID: 4 hour drive
Overnight parking is included at the Marcus Whitman Hotel. Guests are welcome to use either the main parking lot or the convention center lot. Electric vehicle charging stations are available for an additional fee at the hotel.
If you choose to take the historic Empire Builder Amtrak train to Pasco, there are connecting bus services to Walla Walla.