Category: Hikes

Palouse Cascade Trail, Rock Lake and Pine Creek, a return trip.

Today I repeated an adventure from last summer. The hike from Hole in the Ground Road to the end of the trail is relatively short but extremely scenic. Best of all being an old railroad grade it is flat.

Less than a mile from the starting point is a bridge over Pine Creek and the site of a derailment before the rail line was abandoned. Two old rail cars were left here as they were too damaged to repair and moving them would have cost money. The Palouse Cascade Trail crosses Washington State from the Idaho line to the outskirts of Seattle. The trail is the Washington portion of a former transcontinental railroad known as the Milwaukee Road.

The trail follows Pine Creek from Rosalia to Rock Lake. Along the way it joins with the creek that drains Bonnie Lake, Rock Lake’s sister to the north with which it shares a canyon, the aptly named Hole in the Ground.

About two miles in we came to this old railroad tunnel. The tunnel is in excellent shape and you can get through it without using flash lights, barely.

This is the first of two tunnels along this stretch of the trail. The second is beyond the point the trail is closed. I have hiked through it many years ago before the state closed off the bridge that accessed it. The second tunnel is in much worse shape and I remember having to climb over rock fall at the far end of it.

Not long after the tunnel Rock Lake comes into view. The views of the lake steadily improve the further you push on. The far side of the canyon the lake is in is very impressive with multiple benches shaped by multiple catastrophic flood events clearly visible.

At this point the trail is hundreds of feet above the lake. Rock Lake is the largest natural lake in Eastern Washington.

The landscape the trail passes through dominated by basalt cliffs. The primary vegetation consists of open Ponderosa pine forests.

Rock Lake is a fascinating body of water. In places it is over four hundred feet deep and surrounded by shear cliffs. Boaters are strongly cautioned as it it subjected to strong winds, submerged rock pinnacles and has almost no safe landing places along the shoreline.

Just before the trail is blocked off at three and a half miles in you will be treated to awesome views of the north half of the lake.

At this bridge the trail is blocked by a chain-link fence and is well posted. The decking on this bridge is extremely rotten and the funds to rebuild it are simply not available at this time. Not too far around the bend is the second tunnel which would require extensive work to make it safe for trail users. A shorter section of the trail starting on the south end of the lake is likewise blocked by a deteriorating bridge. Additionally a section of the rail easement between these two closed bridges has reverted back to private ownership and is closed for public use.

This is one of my favorite easy hikes in Eastern Washington. The round trip is only seven miles and the grade is flat. Trail users are asked to register with Washington State Parks as the trail has extremely remote sections and no amenities. You can do so here. On this day we passed five other folks enjoying this slice of Free State America.

East from the crossing with Hole in the Ground Road, the trail continues to Malden and eventually Rosalia. Between Malden and here, several old rail bridges are still closed due to the damage they suffered from s wildfire five years ago.

North Cascades Road Trip, Hiking Lake Annie and Blue Lake.

I made the long drive from North Idaho to Winthrop Washington and secured my room for the night before I continued towards the North Cascades and my hiking destinations.

Winthrop is the nearest town to Washington Pass and the North Cascades, at least from the east side. It was reimagined as a tourist destination in the early nineteen seventy’s and rebuilt in an old west theme. It is kind of neat to look at.

This place was recommended to me, but like a lot of other businesses in town it was closed. The sign said due to staffing shortages. I tried another one but found it pretty disappointing.

Day one, hiking part of the Maple Pass Loop to Lake Annie. Winthrop is over thirty miles from the trailheads, in other words a good long haul. On the drive to Washington Pass you gain 3700 feet of elevation.

A couple of miles past Washington Pass, I came to the Rainy Pass Trailhead where the Maple Pass Loop starts and ends and is also where I paid my fee using my America the Beautiful Pass. That’s a lot of passes for one sentence.

The trail starts in mature forest and climbs using a couple of switchbacks towards Lake Annie. It was well made and moderately steep. On much of it I was treated to filtered views of the mountains on the other side of the valley. Interestingly neither this hike or the one I took on the second day are in North Cascades National Park. Both are located right at the edge of it but are inside and managed by the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest.

On the way here I drove through over a hundred miles of smoke filled skies. West of the trailheads heading towards Lake Ross were worse. Visibility was down to 100 feet. Here near the pass, I was above most of the smoke and the views were much better.

After a mile or so the trail left the mature forest and crossed several avalanche chutes on its way to a large cirque basin. The views were outstanding.

Looking up from the trail the granite cliffs were imposing. There was a lot of mountain ash along the way with their distinctive orange seed pods.

A mile and a half in I got my first views of Lake Annie with it’s unique little island. On the far side of the cirque you can clearly see some of the scars or chutes left by avalanches in the past.

I continued up the increasingly steep trail and the view of the lake became much better. Here for a couple of reasons is where I decided to turn around. I was about two and a half miles in and gained just under a thousand feet from the trailhead.

The Maple Pass Loop Trail continues over, you guessed it, Maple Pass and returns along a steep ridge overlooking Rainey Lake. The entire loop is seven and a half miles long and gains a little over two thousand feet. I talked to some folks who were finishing up the loop and they said it took them over six hours. I didn’t have that much time and wasn’t ready to tackle another grand of elevation today. I settled for five miles round trip and some outstanding views. Maybe next time.

Day two, the Washington Pass Overlook and hiking to Blue Lake. After driving the long thirty two miles or so to Winthrop to spend the night at the Virginian Inn. I got up at six in the morning to make the trip again.

At Washington Pass there is a short access road leading to a parking lot with a short trail to some amazingly scenic views. Unfortunately today was much smokier. The only other time I drove across the North Cascades was during a rain/fog event so I still had much better views this time.

The smoke did add an interesting effect on this view looking back down the pass at the surrounding mountains but still I could have done without it. At least it wasn’t as bad as my fiasco of a trip to Crater Lake last year.

Looking the other direction was a view of some impressive rock spires known as the Liberty Bell and the Early Winters. My next destination, Blue Lake was just on the other side of them.

Like the previous days hike, the trail started out in a mature forest and eventually worked it’s way up to some open meadows. Even through the smoke the views awesome.

A little less than two miles in I came to a junction with the trail that accessed the rock spires for serious climbers. I read that before they built the North Cascades Highway in 1972 that climbers had to hike in sixteen miles just to get to the base of these imposing rocks.

No wonder they weren’t summitted until the 1950’s.

At two and a third miles in I got my first views of Blue Lake. A few patches of late season snow could still be seen on the far side.

Where the trail makes it to the lake you will have to cross a small creek on a makeshift bridge of logs and rocks. Like most mountain lakes the water clarity is amazing.

The remains of an old cabin are near the shore of Blue Lake. I have no idea how old these ruins are or who built it and why but it is interesting to see.

At the cabin a side trail continues along the shore and gains elevation above the lake in a hurry. You should definitely take this short loop trail called the Tarn Loop Trail. In addition to having better views of Blue Lake it gets you away from the crowd as most people hiking to the lake stop as soon as they reach the shore. I kind of liked the upside down reflections of the surrounding landscape.

Across the lake the Early Winter spires and the Liberty Bell provided the background. By now the smoke was getting thicker.

The Tarn Loop Trail was under half a mile long and did provide access to a tarn which is a small mountain pond.

Beyond the tarn an open slab of rock gave me a nice view across the valley towards Cutthroat Peak and Whistler Mountain.

On the way back I was able to appreciate some of the small views. It looked like this boulder was trying to support it’s own little ecosystem. So after all was said and done I managed a little over five miles including the Tarn Loop Trail and a little over one thousand feet of elevation gain.

Back at Washington Pass I stopped for some of the little views also. Beauty is sometimes where you find it.

Between both days I hiked maybe ten miles and gained over two thousand feet. Now it was time for the long drive through the smoke back home to Idaho.

Hiking the Palouse Cascade Trail along the south end of Rock Lake.

The three mile section of the Palouse Cascade Trail from just east of the boat ramp on the south end of the lake to the point were it is closed to the public at an old railroad trestle is about three miles. As this section of the trail is a dead end it is seldom visited by cyclist or hikers. I decided to check it out anyway.

The old easement for the Milwaukee Railroad crosses Rock Lake Road about three miles north of the tiny village of Ewan. A section of the old rail bed south of Rock lake Road reverted to private ownership and is closed to the public. At the old railroad crossing there really isn’t anyplace to park so I settled for a gravel road shoulder just wide enough to get my car off the pavement.

From the road, a steep incline got me up to the second of two gates. For gate combos and trail rules go to the official site and register there. There must have been a bridge or an embankment here when the railroad was active. Now an abrupt cliff on the south side of the road leads to the old railbed that is now closed to the public.

Near the beginning of the hike the trail passes by Lavista Lake, a small body of water just east of Rock lake itself.

Washington State Parks places these markers so you know how far west of Chicago you are. They do correspond with the original markers used by the railroad.

Along the old railroad bed many of the old telegraph posts complete with some of the wires and glass insulators line the route. It’s nice to see a little bit of railroad history.

Less than a mile in I came to gate number three. Apparently this one stays open all the time.

The trail from here on followed the shore line of Rock Lake. Last year I hiked a section of the trail on the north end of the lake to the point is was closed to the public. Here is the post of that adventure.

For most of the route in addition to the lake on one side of the trail. The opposite side was flanked by relatively steep and impressive bluffs.

While researching Rock Lake I came across stories about lost rail cars full of Model T cars, stories about a lake monster and warnings about submerged rocks that have ripped the bottom off of boats piloted by the unwary. I wondered if these could be them.

Rock Lake sits right at the boundary between the Palouse Prairie and the Channeled Scablands. It is dry here and most of the trees are Ponderosa pines, an extremely drought tolerant species.

At three miles in I came to my turn around point. Another mile or so down the line another section has reverted to private ownership and is closed off anyway.

I held my camera above the chain-link to get a photo of the old bridge. I have to go with Washington on this one. I’ve walked across some sketchy railroad bridges before but I wouldn’t cross this one even if it wasn’t blocked off.

From the end of the trail there is a nice view of the lake. Rock Lake is the largest natural lake in eastern Washington at over two thousand acres in size. It is also very deep, over a hundred feet deep almost everywhere and over three hundred in places.

I took one last look at the old bridge and began my return trip. The supporting structure of the bridge looked okay to me but the deck was rotted almost down to sawdust.

As far as wildlife goes I saw plenty of deer and turkeys but they didn’t let me get close enough for decent photographs. That’s fine as I know what they look like anyway.

It is lonely country out here. I saw not a single other person on my six mile hike except for some fishermen in boats out on the lake.

This is the fourth trip I’ve made to hike or bike a section of the Palouse Cascade Trail. I find the old railroad history is fascinating. I’ve ridden the sections west of Tekoa and west of Rosalia on previous occasions.

The Milwaukee Road was once transcontinental railroad. It was the last one of the five completed and the first and so far only one to be abandoned. Other sections of the railroad are now used as trails like the Olympian in Montana and the Hiawatha in Idaho.

Four hours and six miles later I was back to where I started. I was relieved to find my car still intact on the side of the road.

Eagle Creek Trail and Tunnel Falls in the Columbia River Gorge

My goal for todays hike was Tunnel Falls. I ended up making it to there and on to Twister Falls just beyond for a thirteen mile adventure up the Eagle Creek Canyon.

I left my base in Hood River, Oregon at 5:30 AM and made it to the trailhead in half an hour. On the way I was treated to this view of Mount Adams across the Columbia in Washington in the early morning light. I was on the trail before 6:00 AM.

As soon as I left the parking area, the trail started it’s long steady climb up the canyon wall. This trail is an US Forest Service site and they do charge a $5.00 fee to park. My America the Beautiful Pass being the gift that keeps on giving covered the tab.

The extremely well made trail quickly gets you high above Eagle Creek as you head upstream. You gain elevation along the way but the grade is moderate and smooth.

It’s still wild flower season in the Columbia Gorge so occasionally I stopped to appreciate the small views too.

On this hike you will pass by several waterfalls. One of the first ones is Punch Bowl Falls. This one is about two miles in and is where a lot of families with small kids turn around. Beyond this point you’ll encounter far fewer people on the journey.

Another mile or so in is Loowit Falls which cascades over the west wall of Eagle Creek Canyon from a side stream.

Near the half way point to Tunnel Falls a narrow Eagle Creek flows through a narrow and deep gorge. This is where the trail crosses over the creek on the so called “High Bridge” and this is the view from it.

The views along this trail are spectacular.

If you’re afraid of heights this trail may be pushing the comfort zone a little. Here is the view of the “High Bridge” after I crossed it.

A thick carpet of ferns and other undergrowth lines much of the trail on the way upstream to the waterfalls.

Upstream from the “High Bridge” is Skoonichuk Falls. The best views are from well below these falls as the trail does not access the top of them at all.

It is a beautiful trail and in places the underbrush encroaches on the pathway.

Much of the trail is carved into cliff sides as it heads upstream.

I lost count of the waterfalls on the way up. All of them would have been star attractions by and of themselves if they had been the only fall on the trail but my goal was Tunnel Falls.

Finally I turned the corner and saw my goal. The trail passes through a tunnel behind the falls about half way between the top and bottom of the gorge.

The views inside the short tunnel are kind of unique. I didn’t get too wet from the mist and the constant dripping from the ceiling of the cave, however if you stayed their long enough you would.

The view from the other side looking back at the fall and the tunnel that gives it it’s name was pretty awesome.

After Tunnel Falls I decided to continue a little ways as there wasn’t any place right by that fall to relax and get ready for the six and a half mile return trip.

After a short stretch along a narrow ledge above the canyon I was treated to one more waterfall, aptly named Twister Falls.

At the top of this cascade their was a nice place to relax and enjoy the views. Now it was time to head back and enjoy the trail from the opposite direction.

Heading back to Tunnel Falls, this photo shows how narrow much of the trial is and how impressive the drop offs are. Many parts of the trail have these cables anchored into the rock wall to provide hand holds for the faint of heart.

Over hanging rocks lined parts of the trail on the way back.

Like a lot of places I’ve visited over the last few years in the Pacific Northwest, Eagle Creek Canyon had been subjected to a major wildfire in the recent past.

The lack of live trees in places opened up the views of the rock formations higher up the canyon walls. This impressive rock spire was eye catching.

The lack of a mature canopy allowed for more sunlight to penetrate to the forest floor and probably encouraged more wildflowers to grow including this one in the process of being pollinated.

After six hours I was back to the “High Bridge” and the halfway point to the trailhead.

It was nice to have clear blue skies for my hike. It happened that I was in the Hood River area right when they experienced a major wildfire that closed the interstate but since I was upwind of the fires, the smoke all blew to the east and away from Eagle Creek.

I did get to see one small reptile. I don’t know what the species was, but it was a pretty little snake.

Eight hours from when I started I finally arrived back at the trailhead.

The hike to and beyond Tunnel Falls is one of the more spectacular hikes I’ve been on in recent years. Considering the length it is a little easier than you would expect but still thirteen miles is a long walk and now I felt the need for a burger and a beer.

After a long day of hiking I stopped in the small nearby town of Cascade Locks and obtained my reward at a place called Thunder Island Brewing Company and enjoyed the view from the deck. Not a bad way to end the day.

The main reason I drove to Hood River and spent a couple of nights was to hike this trail. I managed to fit in a couple of other short hikes in on the trip and dodged a wildfire event. When I have time I will create another post Covering those adventures but until then I hope you enjoy the photos from one of the better hikes I’ve ever been on.

Hawk Creek Falls

Today I drove about an hour and a half west to Lake Roosevelt to check out a water fall I heard about. I found it and much more. Hawk Creek Falls is part of the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area. Lake Roosevelt is the name of the reservoir created by the Grand Coulee Dam over twenty miles downstream.

Hawk Creek Falls is a few miles past Fort Spokane and the historical site that includes remnants of the former military post. This building is the post’s stables. If time allows, I highly recommend a brief stop here on the way to Hawk Creek.

A short road leads to a small campground. Here Hawk Creek is only a creek during the winter/spring drawdown of Lake Roosevelt. In the summer this is a bay of the lake.

Just upstream of the campground, the creek passes through a small short basalt canyon.

At the end of the canyon is a beautiful little waterfall that supposedly flows year round.

From the campground a short roadway leads to a parking lot for hiking trails. On the way to it I caught a glimpse of a cave in a basalt canyon wall above me.

Even though there really isn’t a trail to it i just had to check it out. A really steep informal path lead from the parking area to the cliff. It was more of a climb than it looked at first.

On the way up the views of Hawk Creek opened up. What appeared to be a small canyon connected the creek to a bay of Lake Roosevelt. Up here the vegetation was mostly open grasslands.

The last part of the climb up to the cliff face was extremely steep and involved some hand crawling. The lichens were a nice bonus.

When I made it to the cave, I went to the back and enjoyed the view back out. Like most caves in basalt cliffs it was short and didn’t lead to the underworld.

It did make for a nice frame for the epic scenery below.

While up here I checked out the views. It looked like their might be other small caves on nearby bluffs but by now I knew the distance to these cliffs was a lot further than it looked and the topography much steeper. Also the faint trail I had followed to this point pretty much disappeared.

I made my way back to the parking lot and then took the real trail. The first part of the trail meandered through an open ponderosa pine forest and climbed over a small saddle that divided the uplands from a small ridge that screened the canyon part of Hawk Creek.

Looking back towards the waterfall I could see the valley of the creek kind of as it was before the dam flooded it.

When I made it past the saddle I had a nice view back up the canyon I bypassed. During summer pool stage boaters can head up this waterway to a small boat ramp at the same place I was parked.

The trail kind of ended at the beginning of a beautiful beach. It looked almost like the coast of Oregon.

I wasn’t expecting a beach hike but that’s what I got, at least for about a mile or so. It looked almost like dune grass growing along the shoreline.

Even through there’s no elevation gain along the lake, the hiking is harder than it looks due to the soft sand and noticeable cross slope. The beach wrapped around a couple of distinct headlands offering a variety of views.

It definitely looked like the tide was out but here instead of twice a day the water rises and falls once a year.

Eventually I did come to an end point. A headland of basalt blocked further progress along the shoreline. From here I had a view of the main body of the lake, the part that once was the Columbia River.

The return trip was just as nice and interesting. In places the terraces made by the receding water were obvious.

A waterfalls, a cave and a beach. This hike had all three. I’m not sure what my favorite was but Hawk Creek is truly a gem in the middle of Washington.

If you want to explore this area I would recommend sticking to the springtime. When the water level rises most of the beach hike would be impassible and like much of Central Washington it can get awfully hot in the summer and the shade is limited.

Palisades Park and Indian Canyon, Spokane Washington

For todays outdoor activities, I opted to check out Palisades Park on the west side of Spokane. It is an easy drive to get to and an easy hike. A group called the Friends of Palisades Park supports the city’s efforts to preserve and improve this site.

At the top of the bluffs, a small parking lot servicing the site is located up Greenwood Road from Government Way. There is overflow parking across the road.

Palisades Park is a natural area owned and managed by Spokane, the second largest city in Washington and is located on the edge of a bluff overlooking the city.

This hike is mostly about enjoying the city views and the views of the surrounding region. The main trail is an old scenic road that runs right along the edge of the bluffs for about a mile and a half. The first part of the hike has extensive views towards the east overlooking downtown.

The old park drive is no longer open to vehicles. Being flat and having a good surface makes it for easy walking or bicycling.

After a turn towards the west the view changes. Now you’re overlooking north Spokane and Spokane Falls community College. The brick buildings below are remnants of old Fort Wright. Across the valley snow capped Mount Spokane is a local landmark. This is the final week of ski season up there.

Looking down the bluff I saw one of those ubiquitous abandoned vehicles that seem be be in all the natural areas around the city. At least this one has an interesting paint job.

It is the beginning of wildflower season here. Only a couple of varieties are in bloom so far.

A mile and a half in I came to the end of the old park road and a promise of more access and trails in the near future. I see they have plans for an extension to be built by “others”.

It looked like “others” have been busy. I followed this beginning of a trail for a few hundred feet before it ended.

Returning the way I came I had a nice city view with a bend of the Spokane River included. Just across the river at the top of the river band I could clearly see the Spokane River Centennial Trail. In the far distance is Mica Peak Idaho, AKA Signal Point.

I did come across a couple of these guys trying to hitch a ride (and get a free meal). I guess it’s officially tick season in the Inland Northwest. At least this only lasts a couple of weeks, not like Florida were it’s 365 days a year.

The old park road crossed over a small seasonal creek on this arch. It made for a pretty view. In a couple of weeks it should be dry.

Inland from the bluff side of the old park road, the vegetation was mostly an open Ponderosa pine forest interspaced with seasonal wetland ponds.

After walking three miles I made it back to the trailhead crossed Greenwood Road and took a non-descript trail down into Indian Canyon, another natural area owned and maintained by the City of Spokane’s Parks Department.

Indian Canyon has a trail system. The highlight of this natural area is Mystic Falls at the bottom of a narrow steep canyon.

The view from the top is limited and finding a way to the base was a challenge.

It took a couple of tries I finally found a way. The base of the falls was kind of crowded and after a couple of minutes I wanted to get the heck out of there. One lady insisted on standing right in front of the falls preventing anyone from getting a good photo of it for the longest time.

From the canyon, I made my way back to the top of the buff through an open pine forest with scattered basalt boulders.

Palisades Park and Indian Canyon combined make for a nice place to explore. The contrast between the natural areas and the nearby cityscape is a change a pace from most of my outdoor adventures.

Ancient Lakes in the Quincy Lakes Wildlife Management Area

On a clear cool spring day, I made the two and a half hour drive to check out the Quincy Lakes Wildlife Management Area near unsurprisingly the town of Quincy Washington. As there’s still a lot of snow in the mountains close to home, I opted to spend the day hiking in the Channeled Scablands of Eastern Washington. It was my first time visiting to this particular place. I’m glad I did as the scenery was epic.

The road to the wildlife management area is a non-descript gravel trail marked only with a fishing access sign. Several trailheads are spaced along the gravel park road. There was pretty much no signage at them and the entrances to the trails weren’t really obvious so I picked one and headed cross country towards the west and what I believed would be the edge of a canyon. There were neat rock formations and wild flowers along the way. Being managed by the State of Washington a Discover Pass is required.

Half a mile in I came to an opening and followed the trail down this small side canyon towards an open basin.

The view opened up. The floor of the basin was a couple hundred feet below. Looking towards the west I never saw the mighty Columbia River as it was still hidden in it’s own gorge, but across it I could see the foothills of the Cascades still with patches of snow on them.

At the edge of a basalt cliff I enjoyed the view of several small pothole lakes below. This striking landscape is widely believed to have been formed by catastrophic ice age floods that scoured the region down to the bedrock and carved gigantic canyons as the flood waters cascaded towards the Columbia River.

Across the basin I could see what looked like a substantial waterfall. The trail I was on didn’t head that way so I continued towards the west on a bench below an impressive rock wall.

When the lava cooled, it fractured in hexagonal patterns creating the classic basalt columns that dominate the region.

The ridge I was paralleling turned out to be Potholes Coulee Rib, I thin blade of rock that separated two distinct basins. Spur trails lead to two notched or gaps in the otherwise solid wall of rock so I checked out both of them.

After scrambling up the slope, I got a peek at another lake . This turned out to be Dusty Lake.

This is the kind of place that makes you stop and really soak up the view for half an hour or so.

Apparently some of the cliffs I was on are popular with rock climbers.

While enjoying the view of Dusty Lake I could hear the sound of waterfalls feeding this lake as well but I could not see them.

Not far from the second gap in Potholes Coulee Rib the trail passed close to an interesting looking cave. Generally these caves in basalt rock walls are only overhangs from rocks that collapsed under an arch and don’t provide access to the underworld. Anyway there might be rattlesnakes hibernating inside.

I wanted to check out some other trails in the park so I returned the way I came except this time followed the trail all the way back to the parking area.

I drove south a short distance until I came across a trailhead marked for Dusty Lake. There was some signage about fishing rules and regulations so I figured this lake was popular with anglers. The trail was well made and even had a guard rail on the steepest part.

At the beginning of the trail there was an outstanding view of Dusty Lake in the distance with smaller pools of water in the foreground that were fed by a creek.

The trail followed the creek and several cascades it created on its way down towards the basin.

The basin on the south side of Pothole Coulee Rib only contained one lake but it was much larger than the several lakes on the north side of the rib.

I had one more trail to check out so I called it good and returned to the parking area.

The first trailhead as you enter the park is for the Ancient Lakes Trail so I stopped there on my way out.

The trail followed a side canyon towards the northern basin. A larger creek paralleled the trail.

Soon the views opened up. Below me was Josephine Pool, a small body of water high above the basin created by the creek.

Beyond Josephine Pool the creek continued. Looking back towards the east this impressive rock formation stood guard over the pond.

Below the pool the first water fall came into view. April is definitely the time of year to see waterfalls especially in the Channeled Scablands. This part of Washington is a semi-desert and almost no rain will fall in the area between June and October.

Further down the trail I finally came to the waterfall I could see from the far side of the basin on my first hike of the day. It had an upper and a lower fall.

The trail ended at the top of the lower falls. It was a long way down to the lake. I called it a day and headed back to my car.

Ancient Lakes State Park had the best scenery of any place I’ve been in the Channeled Scablands. I spent six hours on three different hikes there but still didn’t want to leave.

I brought this walking stick out of retirement this year. It was made for me as a gift twenty four years ago for my birthday by a friend and co-worker. Thanks Sherry Ann.

The five hours of driving to get there and back would put this one at the limit of my day trips. Any farther and I would have had to spend the night.

Escure Ranch and the Rock Creek Recreation Area, Hiking to Towell Falls.

I made the two and a half hour drive , a large part of which was on gravel roads to one of the most remote places in Eastern Washington. The Escure Ranch is in the Channeled Scablands about thirteen miles south of the town of Sprague.

On the way to the trailhead, I passed by this grain elevator in the middle of nowhere. The trail next to it is the old railbed for the Milwaukee Railroad which is now managed by the state of Washington as the Palouse Cascade Trail, I trail I explored last year. There is a trailhead just east of the lonely grain elevator but it is for the Palouse Cascade Trail, not Escure Ranch. You still need to drive a few more miles , mostly on rough potholed roads.

I crossed over Rock Creek on a small bridge. Rock Creek is the out flow for Rock Lake and Bonnie Lake to the northeast and empties into the Palouse River to the south. This time of year it has a substantial flow. By late summer this waterway will dwindle to a trickle.

These signs, the only ones on the way in, let me know I only had another mile and a half to get to the real trailhead. Allow for half an hour for this final part of the drive as you dodge potholes and slow roll over gullies.

Just past the trailhead and parking area a bridge over Rock Creek provides access to the old ranch buildings. Another trail continues on the far side of the complex to Wall Lake and Breeden Falls but that’s not where I was heading today. I did spend a few minutes checking out the old buildings.

The trail followed the creek downstream through basalt rock formations and grasslands. The few small trees on the site were confined to the stream banks. The area is a semi-desert.

The Channeled Scablands presents a stark landscape. Here you can truly be alone.

My car was the only vehicle in the parking lot when I started my hike. Four hours later when I returned it was still the only vehicle. The Escure Ranch is 14,000 acres and I was the only human on it that day.

I was far enough out there that I was out of sight of anything manmade other than the trail and out of hearing distance from anything other than the sound of the wind and the coyotes howling.

The trail veered away from the creek and followed a small canyon flanked by impressive basalt cliffs. A group of ravens perched on the rim watched me mostly in silence. Odd behavior for normally very vocal birds. I guess I was far enough below them that they weren’t particularly concerned.

After passing the high bluffs, I came to a place with a view towards the south. The creek was back within sight and through the gap in the coulee I had a fleeting glimpse of the Blue Mountains in the distance.

After about three and a half miles I made it to the waterfall. Not the most impressive fall I’ve seen this week, but it was still a nice place to stop for a while.

The hike itself was very easy. There were only a couple of small hills to climb and then descend along the way.

Hiking in this empty landscape might not be for everyone but I love the change from the forested mountains closer to my home. Late winter and early spring is the time to explore the scablands as it gets awfully hot with no shade in the summer, the few streams are flowing and the snakes aren’t as active. Anyway the mountains are still mostly covered in snow this early in the season.

Rock Creek was a welcomed sight on the way back. At one point at least three groups of coyotes were yelping behind, beside and in front of my path. It was fun to listen to them for a few minutes.

I spent about four hours covering approximately seven miles. This hike was more about the journey than the destination. The solitude is overwhelming and gives one a chance to reflect on a lot things.

Other than the very long drive to get here, I highly recommend this hike. Next time I might explore some of the other trails on the ranch.

Saguaro National Park, hiking the Hugh Norris and Sendero-Esperanza Trails in the west unit.

Saguaro National Park is divided in to two distinct areas, one east and one west of Tucson. I drove to the west unit and the Painted Hills visitor center via Gates Pass and Kinney Road.

My first stop was at the trailhead for the Hugh Norris Trail.

The Hugh Norris Trail climbs to the top of a ridge utilizing a series of switchbacks and well made stair steps gaining over 800 feet in the first half of a mile.

The steep climb through a wilderness of rocks and cactus eventually provides you with nice views to the west.

At the first saddle the view to the north opens up.

Over twenty miles away you can see the observatories on Kitt Peak and Baboquivari Peak another fifteen miles to the south of that.

Past the saddle the trail continues climbing the ridge after a brief descent as it follows the north face of an impressive cliff face.

The trail is very well made. There’s over one thousand steps like these on the first mile as it gains most of the elevation on the way to the Sendero-Esperanza Trail junction.

After the climb the Hugh Laurie Trail flattens out a little as it follows near the top of the ridge towards Wasson Peak, the highest point on the west unit of Saguaro National Park at a little over 4600 feet above sea level. Hardly a sky island but it is a very achievable goal for a hike.

The Hugh Norris Trail mostly stays on the north side of the ridge but a a few saddles they’re awesome views to the south. Here you can see the Santa Rita Mountains forty miles away with Mount Wrightson at 9,453 feet above sea level being the highest point visible from the Tucson area. Madera Canyon is at the base of that mountain.

At the point I decided to turn around I could clearly see the trail as it continued to climb towards the summit of Wasson Peak.

At the saddle I enjoyed the view of some of the Tucson Mountains much of which are in Pima County’s Tucson Mountain Park and saw the path of the Sendero-Esperanza Trail heading south towards the Kings Canyon Trailhead.

The view towards the north featured Prophecy Wash and the Pictured Rocks area.

On the way up I had a feeling I was being watched. Turned out it was a cactus wearing sunglasses with a flattop and big ears.

So I returned the way I came stopping at this pretty pile of rocks and then counted the one thousand steps back to the parking lot.

A few days later I returned to the west unit of Saguaro National Park to check out the trails out of the Kings Canyon Trailhead. I started out on the Kings Canyon Trail which appeared to be an old road servicing the mines that used to dot the area. This trail paralleled and climbed above the wash.

About a mile in the trail descended to the dry wash and presented me with choices. I could continue on the Kings Canyon Trail towards Wasson Peak or I could turn left on the Sendero-Esperanza Trail. I choose the latter.

Another half mile in I saw the tailings pile for the Gould Mine.

Other than the mine shaft and tailings pile this was the only manmade structure left at the old mine site.

The shaft was covered by a stout barricade to prevent carless hikers from plummeting to their death. I dropped a couple of small rocks through the mess and would guess they dropped at least thirty feet before hitting anything.

Beyond the mine the trail started climbing up the ridge in earnest. I noticed a couple of other tailing piles well off the trail and at this black rock the road ended and the trail continued on a single track and started switch backing up to the top of the ridge.

When I reached the top of the ridge the view looked awfully familiar. Here the Sendero-Esperanza Trail crossed the Hugh Norris Trail close to where I had turned around a few days previously.

I followed the trail east to my previous hikes end point and looked back towards Wasson Peak. Some other time. I noticed that the yucca type plants only grew on the north side of the ridge top. I guess they need a little shade.

Here I killed half an hour enjoying the view in solitude. On the way back at the intersection of the two trails I met a nice group of hikers from Wisconsin and we traded information on other local hiking spots. Sometimes you meet the nicest folks on the trail. I hiked this trail based on a recommendation from a couple of hikers I talked to at Sabino Canyon.

On the hike back down I took time to appreciate the small views. Due to the extreme drought in the Tucson area very few plants are flowering. These Ocotillos are the exception.

At the mine site I took the alternative route to the trailhead via the Gould Mine Trail. It quickly descended below the old mine site and this was the view looking back.

Near the trailhead the trail crossed the dry wash a final time.

These two hikes to the same ridge were a great way to start exploring the west side of Saguaro National Park. Between the two I covered about ten miles and gained over one thousand feet twice. It was a decent workout. Next time, if there is one, I’ll focus on making it to the top of Wasson Peak.

Saguaro National Park, hiking from the Loma Alta Trailhead in the east unit.

Circumstance brought me back to the Tucson area for an extended stay again. I used the opportunity to check out more places to hike. Southern Arizona and with the Saguaro Desert and the sky islands offers a multitude of places to stretch ones legs.

On previous trips to Saguaro National Park, I hiked the Tanque Verde Ridge Trail and the Loma Verde Trail both of which are accessed from the park loop drive. In the 1990’s the park was expanded by the addition of a couple of ranches on the south end of the park. This addition is accessed from the Loma Alta Trailhead off of Old Spanish Trail in the Rincon Valley. The valley takes its name from this prominent mountain, one of Arizona’s sky islands .

The main trail is an old ranch road. This road bisects the addition to the National Park and is three miles long making for a six mile round trip. For the area the trail is relatively level with only one medium size hill about half way through it.

The prickly pears come in purple as well as the standard green. The purple ones are used extensively in landscaping for the color contrast.

Near the beginning of the trail a one mile long spur, the Ridgeview Trail heads towards the base of Tanque Verde Ridge. This trail climbs nearly 400 feet to an overlook. The trail gives you a different perspective of the rock domes on the Tanque Verde Trail.

The trail seems flatter than it is on the way up. It’s only when you look back to the south that you realize that the reason your more tired than you should be is that you have climbed up a couple of hundred feet.

Near the end of the trail you are treated to a nice view of Rincon Mountain. This local landmark east of Tucson is over 8400 feet above sea level. On this day a little snow was visible near the summit from the previous nights rain event. The Tucson area has been experiencing an extreme drought over this winter and the light rainfall was welcomed.

A couple of puddles remained on the large slab of rock near the end of this trail. I hiked this area three times during my stay in Tucson and this was the only time it was cloudy.

After the two mile detour I was back on the main trail known as the Camp Hope Trail. This former ranch road connected two cattle watering stations. The main trail is also open to mountain biking and horses.

The first abandoned watering station is called Deer Camp and was formerly part of the Rocking K Ranch. These stations were established partially to provide get the widely scattered cattle a place to gather to make it easier to round them up.

At the one hill on the Camp Hope Trail erosion has uncovered the remains of juniper logs used to stabilize the old road.

I was told that this section of the national park has some of the largest saguaros around. Some of these guys were pretty impressive.

This is the largest one I came across. When I walked up to it, the top of my head (6 foot even) came only half way from the base to the bottom of the first arm. I’m guessing this guy was pushing forty feet tall and had at least twenty arms.

Two and a half miles in the Camp Hope Trail crosses the Arizona Trail. On one of my visits, I pushed north on this trail about one mile. This trail can be used to access Mica Mountain. A hike to this mountain, the highest point on the national park at 8,668 feet above sea level. This trek is an extreme hike involving a multiday 26 mile long round trip with a six thousand foot elevation gain. It is not on my bucket list.

Along the way I found evidence that something eats prickly pears. I’m assuming a desert tortoise with a mouth of steel.

Less than a quarter of a mile from were the trail exits the national park the remains of the second watering station, Camp Hope are found.

Camp Hope was on the X-9 Ranch before the National Park Service acquired the the property. The old wind mill blades made for a nice photo op.

At the park boundary a gate prevents cattle from wandering in. The hiking trail, The Arizona Trail continues on easements on private ranch lands.

I enjoyed hiking the south end of the east unit of Saguaro National Park. These trails are much quieter than those found closer to the visitor center and the saguaros are much bigger here. The relatively flatter hiking makes for a nice break from climbing steep ridges on my over hikes.

After checking out this hike, I decided to head to the west unit of the national park next.