Edited to add: While flying insects were not an issue, we did find a tick on our 2-year old's head when we got home. Reminder to wear layers and do a tick check after your hike!
We wanted to get out with the kids this weekend, but equally did not feel like hiking in the rain, so over the mountains we went. The canyon is a little bit windy and colder than you might expect right now, but everything is lush and growing. We saw some flowers blooming along the way, and many of the shrubs had bitty leaves popping out.

There are no bathroom facilities at the trailhead, but otherwise the trail has some nice amenities like numbered bridges, helpful signage, maps, and benches along the way. We arrived at 10 am, and there were two other cars parked. By the time we got back in the afternoon, there were a lot more. We saw tons of kids and dogs, its a great trail for that. The only thing to watch for with smaller kids is that most of the bridges have no railing, and the water is running high and fast right now so we kept an eye/hand on them.

Lots of wild animal droppings, bird nests, and critters running about. We ended up stopping at bridge 8 for lunch then turned around due to time (averaging less than 1.5 mph makes everything feel much longer...). The trail was clear, wide, and easy to follow. We saw people on bikes, but I would not lug a stroller out here, mostly because the gravel gets kinda deep and soft and would be like pushing through sand. 

Overall a fantastic easy spring hike.

Quick hike from Summitview trailhead, along the rolling hills atop the conservancy's terrain, to check out the wildflowers.  Fading grass widow, sagebrush violets are plentiful, some goldstars and prairie stars.  A bit of desert parsley, one little blooming onion and the first peeks of balsamroot.  The grasses are beautiful green right now.  Enjoy it before the heat turns it brown for the rest of the season.

I recommend this hike to anyone who likes to be immersed in nature.  There is an upper and lower trail system that have very different eco-systems.  Good birding always and the flowers are starting to take off, especially up above. Hiked for three hours in the rain and it has been raining recently so the upper part of the trail system is muddy in places.  But the sun came out so all was forgiven.  Note that there are about five trailheads for this hike so you can make a loop that involves the canyon and the upper area. I clocked 12 miles but I also wasn't always on a normal trail - there are lots of game trails and bike tracks in the upper area.   https://www.cowichecanyon.org/trails/

The trail conditions were good. There was no mud on the trail. There were a few boulders in one section that had fallen onto the canyon floor, but none blocked the trail. It shouldn't be long before some wildflowers begin to bloom and the bugs come out! We saw a good size marmot sitting on some rocks. It watched us as we watched it. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me.

I spent the last 3 days near Potholes Reservoir Area, Columbia National Wildlife Refuge and Palouse Falls. I'll put in separate reports for my earlier days later but today I'll focus on time spent near Frenchman Hills and Cowiche Canyon. 

This morning I spent time watching sandhill cranes near the Potholes and Frenchman Hills followed by a short trip to Cowiche. The cranes are beautiful birds. I could observe them for hours. I saw 2 separate groups grazing for food.  Their wingspans are huge, their height so tall and their colors gorgeous. After watching the social networking of the cranes, I drove to Cowiche Canyon to check on the wildflowers. The flowers are plentiful and covering much of the upper trails. I parked at the Summitview trailhead and walked the Summitview route and proceeded down toward the canyon. I ran out of time to make it to the bottom of the canyon but the flowers I saw were just beautiful. Lots blooming now. The weather was warm with intermittent clouds. I saw only a few people during the time I was there.