75 minute hike (2.5 miles or less) from trailhead to the end of the main lakes and waterfall. We found only 2 other tents and a small group of fishermen. Never actually passed anyone on trial making this trip very peaceful. We set up camp on a small hill to the South of the lakes with a view of the waterfall to the East and the gorge and sunset to the West. The lakes and waterfalls are very nice however the towering coulees and rolling grasslands are the gems of the area as you are surrounded by basalt columns in a field of gentle hills with a new cranny to explore around every rock or ridge. The waterfall lake and the adjoining are currently connected by about at least a foot of water making accessing the waterfall more difficult.
The area is teaming with wildlife especially birds including large raptors, making me question the assertion the water of the lakes have a high content of pesticides or herbicides. Juneberry bushes had ripe abundant fruit. A pack of coyote could be heard but not seen. Sagebrush is everywhere and smelled intense, we ended up using a sprig as an air freshener for our tent. Very warm and dry near 80 midday and mid 50s nighttime, though it felt comfortably cool and more like lower 60s so don’t over-pack cold weather items. The ancient lakes area is larger than it seems in photo’s and you could easily spend 2 or 3 days exploring, which is what we will do on our return.
After setting up camp we hiked the coulee between Ancient Lakes and Dusty Lake. Finding the trails was fairly easy as was just going cross-country for short cuts but bring gators to keep the grass seed from falling into socks and boots – a mild annoyance at best. We then hiked the steeper grades of the middle coulee with stone scree (4-8” common) though hike-able with some scrambling. The middle and top of the coulee is accessible safely but prepare for some moderate scrambling with loose rock for about 20’ to the South side.
The evening brought a few mosquitoes though easily manageable with DEET. Wind picked up with some mild gusts. Assure you can view the sunset from your tent, it is amazing over the Columbia Gorge to the East. Leaving the following day was hard, this is an amazing place.

After finally finding the right turn off of U-road (White Trail Road) onto 9, (the directions say 7 miles; it should be .7 miles) we proceeded down the road to the staging area. We were only 30-45 minutes behind our projected start time, after driving from north of Seattle. We loaded up the gear, dog, 4 year old and 8 day old (!) and started down the trail. It was about 11am, and the day was already warm, around 70ish. The trail was dry and dusty, and in good condition. There were some wildflowers out, mostly yellows and purplish white flowers. After hiking roughly 55 minutes or so, we came upon Lake Susan. We saw the other 3 lakes just ahead, so we forged on to investigate, as this was our first time in the area. I let the dog off his leash, as I was a bit nervous to let him roam free in snake country, but as it turned out, he did just fine, and loved it:) It was noon on Friday, and we only came across 2 horse riders, and 4 day hikers. Since we were the first to overnight, we marched all the way up the trail to the campsite on the top of the hill, overlooking all three lakes. There is a nicely built fireplace and "kitchen" area. If you can grab that site, I'd highly recommend it. We then dropped pack and dayhiked for the rest of the afternoon, with some "swimming" and fishing in there as well. The evening was wonderful. Beautiful sunset, mild temperatures in the upper 40's to lower 50's, and a tolerable amount of bugs.
The next morning was very peaceful, and we got up early to go check out the falls that we had not been able to the day prior. We made it about halfway to the falls after rockhopping/hugging a HUGE boulder, but were stopped farther up the "trail" by the sheer volume and steepness of the rock shales. (Had we not had our 4 year old daughter and 8 day old son, my wife and I would have had no trouble scaling the rocks to access the falls). We took some pictures and headed back to our camp. Having planned ahead, we had packed up camp, so all we had to do was load up our packs and hike out. We lucked out on our timing, because we met one group of boyscouts camped up the trail (they must have come in later that first night) as well as another group just leaving the staging area on their way in! This is a very beautiful and easy hike, and VERY worthwhile!!

The flowers were out in force and will be for a few more weeks. Hedge Hog cactus, Sulphur and Alpine Lupine, Death Camas, Arrowhead Balsam Root, Desert Parsley and others. What we really found cool about this walk was the variations from side to side of the hills. One exposure would be rich enough to lay down on (watch for the cactus) and just over the top edge it would be almost a different eco-system form different exposure to sun, moisture and wind.

One note on leaving the Beezley Hills area. The map we used showed taking the road in and out of Ephrata. The road continuing north from the top of the hill (where the hiking and flowers are) is exceptional. It will take you through wide open plains, some under plow, others not that ramble on mile after mile. Take your gazeteer and just keep heading north to Highway 2. It is a gorgeous stretch of unchanged Americana.

We made a loop weekend out of our trip to Eastern Washington. Dusty Lakes trail was sweet at sunrise. A lone beaver and alpine glow-like colorations against the basalt cliffs were our high points there. There are also free camping spots directly on the water within walking distance of the DL trailhead. They are far from pristine or wilderness but they still were nice and at least on our night of stay, free from generators or other's music. Just one noisy Yellow Breasted Black Bird.

Ancient Lakes is best appreciated early or late as well. It is wide open and can be quite hot. There are a few waterfalls still doing their thing and many blooming wildflowers. We saw a few Black Legged Stilts wading along the shore and hundreds of Cliff Swallows and their mud nests tucked in up under the overhangs in the basalt. Camping was adequate but the water didn't look very appetizing. Considering the usage of pesticides in Eastern Washington I would bring my own.

A group of Everett and Seattle Mountaineers hiked the Ancient Lake and Dusty Lake trails in clear 71 degree weather. It was about an 11 mile round trip, first going into Ancient lake then back tracking a couple mile to round a canyon wall and then head into Dusty lake. Three people from the group broke off to go over the basalt canyon walls and met the trail group at Dusty Lake.
Seen on or near the trail and lakes: lizard, frogs, redwing blackbirds, several wildflowers, one rattlesnake and horseback riders at a distance.
If you go take plenty of fluids. Even at 71 degrees, dry and dusty you will need a lot of fluids. There are boulders for a bit of a scramble the last fifty yards to falls but easly manageable with care.