A simple and easy hike with a well-maintained trail. 

There isn't a ton to say. It was nice. It wasn't life changing. You don't feel like you have left the city much but it is a nice way to spend an hour. 

Total mileage: 3.3

Dogs: None! :(

It's not a road trip without a hike thrown in.  First time in the Tri-Cities area on my way to Utah.  It's winter you say?  I know as it was 7 degrees at the eastern trailhead.

The Canyon Trail starts on stairs climbing a few switchbacks to a junction.  I went left on the easier graded Sunflower Trail that connects into the Sagebrush Trail which only had one short icy spot.  At the next junction I took the Skyline Trail to the top of Badger.  Great views all along the way as these trails climb the southeast arm of the mountain.  It was very windy at the top.  I navigated around the cell towers to get views in multiple directions.  Then I returned via the Canyon Trail.  It was steep and icy all the way down, so I put my spikes on.  Great little hike!

Is it just me or is this spring too rainy west of the mountains? Anyway, off I went to yet unexplored area of Tri-Cities.

There’re two trailheads, east and west of the mountain. This report is for a hike from Westgate trailhead.

Getting there & Trailhead

Westgate TH is just 0.1 mi of a perfect gravel road from Dallas Rd. Ample parking lot fits about 30 cars. There’re drinking water fountains and a portable toilet (running out of everything so be aware), as well as a map and information kiosk at the parking lot.

Trail

Badger Mountain Preserve has a great system of well-maintained and well-marked gravel trails that can be combined in multiple options to suit your needs.

From the Westgate parking lot, trail climbs mildly for half a mile to elevation that is about 1/3 of the total mountain height and comes to a junction. From there, one has a choice of following Langdon (to the right) or Skyline (to the left) trail. Both can be combined in a single loop hike of about 6 mi. I did the loop CCW, Langdon to Skyline.

• Langdon trail, opened just recently, remains at the same elevation as it traverses southern slope of the mountain. This is a pretty easy and pleasant trail. On the eastern slope, Langdon trail rejoins Skyline trail at a well-signed junction with panoramic views. 
• Skyline trail summits the mountain and is more strenuous as compared to Langdon trail, but quite moderate otherwise. This trail almost entirely follows the southern side of the slope, i.e. same side and views as Langdon trail except for higher elevation, but does come to the northern side for a bit.
• Canyon trail terminates at Skyline trail near the summit. It’s extremely worthy to take a short detour and follow Canyon trail just past radio towers for incredible panoramic views to north and northwest, including Tri-Cities, the Columbia river, and Blue Mountains in the distance.

Trails cross a dirt road several times. This road is a private property and should not be used by hikers.

Balsamroots and other flowers are coming to bloom along the trail. There were quite a few birds too.

Timing and crowds

The trail system seems to be quite popular with locals, so there were a lot of hikers, runners, and paragliders even on this holiday Sunday.

It took me 2 hrs to complete Langdon x Skyline loop with a short detour to Canyon trail.

Totally worth visiting, don’t miss if you are in the area!

Me (10), my sister (6) , parents, and puppy were visiting the area for spring break and loved this hike. It's not to steep and has nice view of vineyards and the valley. Its one trail all the way up so we were not likely to get lost We decided to  walk the trail up and the road down. Badger Mt. isn't to busy either.Perfect for dogs, and kids. I recommend the trail over the road because the road is very rocky and hard to walk down. We went at around 5:00 pm and were able to catch a few moments of the sunset. I would suggest this trail to any person above the age of 5 (:  .

We headed up the Canyon Trail and returned via the Sagebrush Trail.

Parking/Potties/People:
Parking lot about a quarter full arriving Sunday morning at 9-ish. Maybe half full leaving a little before 11. Bathroom by the playground in the park was open and in good shape. Plenty of people heading up and down the mountain on both trails and we were frequently passing or being passed.

Trail:
Trail is in good shape all the way along.

Flora:
It's flowering time in the shrub steppe! Balsamroot, phlox, and wild mustard could be found trailside. Looking off to the southeast toward Little Badger, the cherry orchard in the saddle between was in full, deep pink bloom as well.

Fauna:
Had a close encounter right by the trail with a couple of chukars in the canyon, and close to the top got a good view of what I think may be a horned lark?

Views:
We had a nice, overcast morning with good visibility. Neat to look out and see the town, river, and countryside beyond in all directions.