Back in February I was single, so I took myself and the dog out for a Valentine's Day hike to coulee country. Winter is the time for desert hiking in my opinion. It's cool and there are no rattlesnakes out!
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| Ancient Lakes Loop Washington State Dept. of Fish & Wildlife Parking permit: Discover Pass ($10/day or $30/year) Distance: 4.6 miles round-trip Elevation gain: 278 feet |
To get to the trailhead, take I-90 exit 149 if coming from Ellensberg or 151 if coming from Moses Lake, and head north on SR-281. After about 5 miles, turn left onto White Trail Road (Rd 5 NW). Wind through farmlands for 7.8 miles and take a left on Rd 9 NW. After a couple miles and a steep downhill grade, the pavement ends and the road becomes Ancient Lakes Road. Follow the road all the way to the end to the trailhead parking.
Even though there are lakes and waterfalls, most of the water is agricultural run-off from all that farmland you drove past earlier. You'll want to pack all the water you'll need for your hike. The valley is a popular backpacking spot; if you decide to camp overnight, make sure you bring plenty of H2O!
As you can see from the satellite, there are several trails that braid off the "official" trail. I ended up following the northernmost one and dead-ending at the lake, then working my way around until I joined the "official" trail. I don't recommend this. The path I took around the lake dwindled to nothing and ended up costing me a lot of energy to finish navigating.
Otherwise, it was a beautiful hike. There had been a light dusting of snow the evening before. For most of the hike, the sun stayed behind a cloud and gave off some fantastic lighting.
At the easternmost lake, a waterfall in the distance can be seen. There's another trailhead above that waterfall somewhere, with a hike down the cliff. Someday I'll find that trailhead and hit the valley from that angle.
There's also supposedly a route that leads up the blade that separates this coulee from its next-door neighbor. I think I saw the route but couldn't get to it this time, so next time I'm gonna give it a shot.
In the summer, I imagine the heat is sweltering out here. For a February hike, it was nice and cool. I took off my jacket when I hit the sunny spots.
This is a great off-season hike (just check the road conditions, as there's a steep curve to contend with that I wouldn't want to attempt when icy). I'll definitely be returning to this area to access it from the other trailhead and check out Dusty Lake coulee to the south.
