Panjab Trail, Rattlesnake Trail — Sunday, Jun. 9, 2013

Eastern Washington > Palouse and Blue Mountains

Wildflowers, bluebirds, blowdowns, disappearing trails and great views of Eastern Washington’s Blue Mountains: the Panjab Loop Trail offered it all during a recent hike. We followed the directions provided by George Romano in his new book Day Hiking: Eastern Washington, but we went in the opposite direction, starting at the Panjab trailhead. We got an early start since it promised to be a very hot day. Due to a large forest fire in 2005, much of the hike is through burned timber, but the Panjab Trail was nicely shaded. The cooling sound of flowing water accompanied us most of the way up the 2500 feet of elevation gain. The trail is used by both hikers and horseback riders, so it was easy to follow. Near the top, still in the woods, there is an unmarked spur trail going to the left, but we stayed right, following the horseshoe tracks. Near its end, the Panjab Trail opens into a beautiful meadow filled with wildflowers. We also saw numerous Mountain and Western bluebirds. At the four-way intersection, we took the sharp left on to Rattlesnake Trail. It was easy to follow for about a mile, but then we came to a section where four or five small trees had fallen, obscuring the path and its left-hand turnoff into the woods. After searching for several minutes in the nearby shrubbery, we picked up Rattlesnake Trail again, but additional blowdowns and overgrown vegetation left us looking over and over again for the path. If you’re not comfortable with a trail that keeps disappearing, consider turning back at the first set of blowdowns on the meadow’s edge. Despite its challenges, Rattlesnake Trail provided great views in both directions as we walked along a sharp ridge. At the bottom of the trail, you have to cross a stream, but the water barely came over our ankles. In fact, after about 13 miles of hiking, the cold water felt great on our feet and gave us the strength to walk the last 2.5 miles along a dusty gravel road from the Rattlesnake trailhead back to our car at the Panjab trailhead.