This area is a natural coulee. The sandy soil allows water to drain through soil and collect in the bottom of the coulee forming the Wahluke Branch-10 (WB-10) Wasteway. The wasteway water flows westward into the White Bluffs area. The gradual slope of this coulee has allowed the water to spread out and form several small ponds and cattail marshes. Russian olive and willow trees have been spreading rapidly, taking over some of the wetlands.

The Hanford Reach can be seen from the long stretch of the White Bluffs. Wildlife makes full use of this pristine stretch of river and surrounding native lands. Look for horned lizards sunning themselves on the rocks and big rafts of waterfowl on the free-flowing river. On a recent winter day, we spotted more than a thousand Canada geese on the river, with scores of tundra swans resting on the sandy islands dotting the river.

Heading north from the parking area, you'll find a remarkable desert trek along the White Bluffs, just across the river from the still heavily restricted Hanford Nuclear Reservation managed by the U.S. Department of Energy.

The trailhead is near the historic White Bluffs Landing. A modern boat ramp now sits at the site of an old ferry that used to cross over to the town of White Bluffs--now a distant pre--World War II memory. A faint trail leads up from the parking area by the grove of cottonwood trees on the slope above the trailhead. The path is faint but grows into an established trail once above the bluffs. The route follows the crest of the bluffs above the river for nearly 4 miles.

The White Bluffs themselves are shimmering ivory-colored cliffs towering 400 feet above the river. The rolling crown of the bluffs sports a thick garden of foliage, including an array of spring- and summer-blooming desert wildflowers. With the free-flowing, untamed Columbia below, the sprawling wildflower meadows at your feet, and an array of birds and animals all around (mule deer and Rocky Mountain elk call the Bluffs home), this is as close as you'll get to seeing the Columbia River country as Lewis and Clark experienced it. To the east of the trail, take note of a series of huge sand dunes great for off-trail roaming.

At 4 miles out, you'll reach the Saddle Mountain National Wildlife Refuge. This area is adjacent to the Hanford Nuclear Reservation and is closed to the public. Heed all signs you see--the federal government doesn't take unauthorized visits to the Hanford site lightly.