Ancient Lakes
This route through part of the Quincy Wildlife Recreation Area offers something you seldom find in the desert: a waterfall. But not just any waterfall; here you'll find a waterfall plunging into a lake. Did I mention this watery world is in the desert?
Well it is--a quick glance at the areas around the lake reveals that. Prickly hedgehog cactus dot the slopes around the trail as does an array of desert wildflowers. In the heart of this 15,266-acre wildlife area, you'll find sparkling potholes surrounded by massive basalt cliffs. The geological wonders are a product of the erosion of lava flows by ancient glacial floodwaters. The many layers of basalt are exposed, and several of the potholes are filled with water that has seeped from the irrigation systems that feed the Quincy basin farmlands upslope. These wetlands, ponds, and lakes have added important habitat diversity to this area. Ancient Lake is one such set of numerous "filled potholes" that dot this coulee. Start hiking down the old jeep road that rolls on past the gates at the road's end. Through the first mile or so of the track, keep an eye on the brush--upland game birds abound here, with quail, Hungarian partridge, and even a few chukar living among the rocks and sage. This is a rich historical area, as evidenced by the archeological dig occurring just 0.25 mile from the trailhead (the bone hunters were excavating a giant ground sloth). At 0.7 mile, leave the jeep track and head east (left) on a single-track trail as it angles up into the heart of a vast coulee that contains the Ancient Lake potholes. Come spring, wildflowers begin to wake up. By late May, the floor of the coulee is covered with flowering plants. Above the trail, the coulee's vertical basalt walls are startlingly colorful (russet reds mixed with the blues and blacks common to all basalt). At about 2 miles in, you'll reach the lake basin. Silvery gray cottonwood snags line portions of the lakeshore, and waterfowl frequently feed in the lake. Explore the lake basin--a deep bowl ringed with black basalt cliffs--before heading back down the coulee.
Driving Directions:
From Ellensburg, drive east on Interstate 90 to exit 149 for George. After exiting, turn left and drive north on State Route 281 toward Quincy. After 5.6 miles turn left onto White Trail Road. Continue 7.8 miles on White Trail Road, then turn left onto Road 9-NW. Continue 5.9 miles on this road (pavement ends at 2.0 miles) as it winds steeply down onto Babcock Bench to the road's end. Seven to eight vehicles can park here. Do not block the gate or the road on the right (marked with a "Snake X-ing" sign): This is a private driveway and not open to the public. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife permit required. Recent Trip Reports
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Day hike
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Wildflowers blooming
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Check "Bruces Walks" YouTube Channel and find, Ancient Lake Hike, Columbia Basin. Good Times. Was ve...
Check "Bruces Walks" YouTube Channel and find, Ancient Lake Hike, Columbia Basin. Good Times. Was very peaceful. That quiet desert feeling.
http://www.youtube.com/[…]/UCaeUkaZE9EQkKrIjGv_HGmA?feature=watch
Ancient Lakes
— Apr 25, 2012
— Bruces Walks
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Check "Bruces Walks" YouTube Channel. Find, Ancient Lake Walk, Columbia Basin. Book mark, share, emb...
Check "Bruces Walks" YouTube Channel. Find, Ancient Lake Walk, Columbia Basin. Book mark, share, embed, etc. Most all clips are just a little more than a minute in length:
http://www.youtube.com/[…]/UCaeUkaZE9EQkKrIjGv_HGmA?feature=watch Day hike
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Wildflowers blooming
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I started this hike extremely early in the morning as I wanted to make it into the coulee before sun...
I started this hike extremely early in the morning as I wanted to make it into the coulee before sun up. I hit the trail at about 0530 and got half way to ancient lakes before the sun finally touched the tops of the cliffs on the southern side of the coulee. I was treated to some fabulous pinks and blues from the clouds, as well as the browns and oranges from the rocks. Well worth getting up at 0300 to make it in time.
The hike in to the lakes is extremely easy, though dusty (it is a desert hike after all) and I was grateful that I started the hike so early as the cool breeze hinted at some hot weather later in the day. Once I reached the back of the coulee I hung a right around the front of the lake on the right and followed a trail up the canyon wall, which was somewhat strenuous, but by no means difficult. I reached the ledge and followed the base of the rib out for about a quarter mile to a saddle between the Ancient Lakes and Dusty lake coulees. By following the inside of the rib on the Dusty Lake side I was stunned by the immense basalt columns which are significantly taller and larger in that coulee than they are in Ancient Lake's. I followed the scant trail around the base of these columns and scrambled down the path (not for the faint of heart, this was a fairly steep trail down scree) and into the back of Dusty Lake. I then followed the path to the North side of Dusty Lake and scrambled over the scree along the side of the lake to reach the West side of the lake. I followed some game/horse trails out into the coulee where I almost stepped on a rattlesnake sunning itself on the path (got lucky I looked down when I did!) and eventually found my way back onto the main Dusty Lake trail. Following the trail out and around the cliffs I joined back up with the Ancient Lakes trail and hiked out. Following this route made for a 9 mile loop with some leg-working climbing half way through. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who wants a little more adventure than simply hiking through the coulee looking at cliffs, and would rather see the coulee from the cliffs, or if you are wanting to see the basalt columns up close. I took some side trails up to the highest point along the cliffs at the back of the coulee to take some pictures, which added some distance, but was definitely worth the time. Day hike
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Wildflowers blooming
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We went over the cascades to see some wild flowers. It was a bit early. Balsam roots flowers start...
We went over the cascades to see some wild flowers. It was a bit early. Balsam roots flowers started blooming near Vantage area. Ancient Lake area was mostly dry but some flowers were blooming. Be ware that rattle snakes are out as you can see in my pic. We stopped by Gingko Petrified Forest State Park on the way home and noticed lots of spreading phlox. Wild flowers will be in full bloom in a week or so.
Ancient Lakes, Dusty Lake
— Apr 14, 2012
— Theresa
Overnight
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Wildflowers blooming
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From the parking lot, we hiked down to the Columbia River and found a super choice spot. We ended u...
From the parking lot, we hiked down to the Columbia River and found a super choice spot. We ended up being the only people spending the night on that section of the river. It was great! After we set up camp, we hiked up to Dusty Lake, scrambled along the north side of the lake, walked through a horse type camp and then found the trail to Ancient Lakes. The water fall was much smaller than I remember and there were at least 20 tents, 3 large groups. At Dusty Lake, there were a couple tents and the water was so beautiful and blue/green. I really enjoyed our camp on the Columbia though. And since it's before all the speed boats come out for the year, it was very peaceful.
It was a fabulous weekend with only one drawback. There were tons of horses on the trails. I enjoy seeing them, but do not enjoy what they leave behind. I wish they could adopt some leave no trace ethics! It was still worth the trip to this beautiful area! |
 Birds and wildlife abound in the Ancient Lakes basin. Photo by Kim Brown.
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