COLUMBIA BASIN — Eastern Washington boasts a variety of different hiking trails to enjoy as the weather begins to warm up. Below are five hiking trails in the Basin to try out this year. 

Remember while out hiking to stick to the hiking trails, clean up after your pets and yourself to keep the areas beautiful. 

Ancient Lakes – Quincy 

Located on the outskirts of Quincy, sits a canyon of sagebrush trails, caves, lakes, waterfalls, wildflowers and wildlife. WTA said this trail is a haven for backpackers in the spring and early summer with multiple trailheads leading into the area.  

This trail sits on the moderate to hard scale with a 12-mile hike roundtrip, an elevation gain of 625 feet and the highest point reaching 1,200 feet. Dogs and children are welcome on this trek, and there are established camping sites for those interested in staying overnight. 

Beezley Hill Trails – Ephrata  

Looming above the city of Ephrata sits Beezley Hill and those interested can take on the variety of mountain biking and hiking trails that run through it. Trailforks.com said the total distance among all 36 trails is about 25 miles.  

WTA shows one of the easier trails, being about 2.3 miles round-trip with a 400-foot elevation gain and the highest point reaching 1,750 feet. This hike features mountain views, wildflowers and a chance of seeing local wildlife. 

Dogs are not allowed on this trek. 

The City of Ephrata asks those who take the hike to pay attention to the trail difficulty ratings and remember that the trails are located on private property. 

Desert Wildlife Area – Potholes 

The Potholes Wildlife area is enclosed in the nearly 40,000-acre Potholes Reservoir near Moses Lake as part of the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project. The wildlife area spans through miles of mineral sand dunes, but also features a variety of wildlife and lakes to see.

This hike is listed as early by the WTA with a four-mile round trip hike with no elevation gain. Dogs are not allowed on this hike, but this hike is recommended for those looking to take children on an adventure.  

Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park – Vantage  

Within the shrub-steppe of central Washington sit the remnants of an ancient forest that has long since been turned to stone. 

According to Washington State Parks, between 15 and 16 million years ago, the area featured a warm, swampy forest of elm, sycamore, walnut and many other species of trees that today grow naturally only in the southeastern region of the United States and the ginkgo tree which is extinct in North America.  

The fossilized remains of these trees can be seen scattered throughout the park along a three-mile trail with an elevation gain of 200 feet and the highest point of the trail sits at 2,600 feet according to the Washington Trails Association. In total, the hike takes around an hour to trek. 

This hike is recommended for those with children and dogs are welcome on this trek. 

Frenchman Coulee 

Primarily a destination for rock climbers, but it also features a hiking trail to enjoy the open scenery of columnar basalt features and a seasonal waterfall. Those hiking can look over the large cliffsides and pass by regional flowers blooming in the spring. 

The difficulty ranges from easy to moderate with about a 4-mile trek roundtrip, a 200-foot elevation gain and the highest point reaching 1,000 feet.  

    Along the trail at Frenchman Coulee near the edge of a cliff where hikers can see the vast landscape in the area.
  

    A fossilized tree log found at the Gingko Petrified Forest State Park. Along with a museum, there is a trail where hikers can walk through the remnants of the ancient forest.