Information about this hike provided in partnership with Mountaineers Books.
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Bobs Lakes

Featured In: Best Desert Hikes: Washington, by Dan Nelson and Alan Bauer.
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Winter, while frequently bitterly cold here, offers unique hiking opportunities. Dress warmly and you'll enjoy exploring the snow-dappled sagelands. This area serves as a winter stopping area for trumpeter swans, cranes, geese, mergansers, goldeneyes, canvasbacks, and other migrating waterfowl.

Deer fill the coulee here, and during winter, when the lake levels are low, the many species of wildlife that roam through the area leave their tracks for you to enjoy--giving you the chance to experience the animals even if you never see them. Don't know how to find and read tracks? No worries! The soft mud of the low-water lake basins captures perfect imprints of passing animals, including birds.

This hike rolls down a wonderful old two-track trail (old jeep road) to lead you into the upland steppes of the Odessa Coulee. The path provides easy hiking with stunning views every step of the way. The 1.5-mile stretch to Bobs Lakes cuts through a prairie grass environment rather than pure sageland, offering a refreshing change of scenery from the typical desert walk.

When you come to a fence--here or anywhere--don't climb over, under, or through it. Any fences you encounter along this route mark the boundary between open public lands and adjacent private property, and trespassing on private property is frowned upon in this locale.

The trail switches back and forth steeply as it descends through the coulee cliffs to reach the bottom of the canyon near Bobs Lakes--a series of shallow lakes if there is water in them, mud holes if there is no water. The trail deposits you between the two largest lakes, so go both north and south to enjoy roaming around each lake as much as you wish. You can also scramble up the slopes above the lake in a few places to gain a better view of the area--this is the best way to spot critters that might be lurking near the lakes.

Note: Poison ivy thrives along the west shores of the lakes: Take care!

Driving Directions:

From Vantage, drive east on Interstate 90 to exit 206, signed "State Route 21-Lind/Odessa." After exiting, turn left and drive 18.1 miles north on SR 21 into Odessa. In town, turn right at the junction with SR 28. In 0.1 mile, turn left and follow the signs to "Hwy 21--Wilber." Continue on SR 21 for 2.8 miles. Turn left onto Lakeview Ranch Loop Road, which is signed with a BLM brown binoculars "wildlife viewing" sign. Take this good gravel road 3.4 miles before turning left onto the jeep track where Lakeview Ranch Road takes a sharp right. Park here and start the hike down the jeep track past the "Road Closed" BLM signs.