Frenchman Coulee — Sunday, May. 10, 2020

My two daughters (11 & 14) and I chose to do this hike with the idea that it would be much more sparsely populated than the local trails around Seattle.  Additionally, we wanted to combine a hike with a visit to Wanapum Dam state park.  We were indeed correct and only passed two other couples on the 4 mile round trip hike. It was easy to step off the trail and give them the necessary distance to pass safely.  The trail is mostly flat and somewhat dusty, but right now it is beautiful with all the spring wildflowers blooming. I don’t know my Eastern Washington flowers well, but I think I spotted cow parsnip, asters, and lupine.  The basalt cliffs are impressive and give you a sense of being somewhere secret. We loved staring up at the highway and imagining cars decades ago winding their way down the road. You get glimpses of the Columbia from the trail.  The small waterfall was flowing down the face of the cliff and was a good point to turn around.  Pay close attention to the directions to get to the trailhead. It is easy to miss but is well described. Look for a small turn out 2 1/2 miles after the turn onto Vantage Road. Watch your odometer and look for the concrete barriers.