Palouse Falls — Friday, Jun. 5, 2015

Eastern Washington > Palouse and Blue Mountains

What an incredible area! My hubby and I were on vacation and just loved the beauty of this place. We combined this trip with a combo of hiking and wine tasting at Walla Walla- great fun! Walla Walla is about an hour and half drive from Palouse Falls. We would not recommend the hike itself for small kids. There are seriously some dangerous spots along this trail. Wear good shoes, watch your feet, watch for rattlesnakes too. Besides, with a family, you really have a great view of the falls from the top anyway. The advantage with the hike is getting a more centered view of the falls and enjoying some adventure! We did the hike past the top of the falls all the way around the edge of the canyon until direct opposite face of the falls. Bee-utiful view! You can scramble down from this point, to get to the base of the falls and cool yourself off by the water, but please know what your doing and where you're going because honestly we got too hot and weren't sure where to go, so climbed back up after an attempt. There is a nice spot to sit in the shade and look at the loveliness if you don't care to scramble. Totally understandable. HOWEVER! When we hiked back over to the top of the falls, we watched another guy coming from the other direction, obviously knowing what he was doing, scramble down with relative ease. There's a trail that goes down (as you're facing the waterfall that side) to the left that's not easily seen because its by a bush. We had noticed its rockier there, and must be easier on the footing and handling as you scramble down. He still had to take it pretty easy toward the bottom because it gets more sandy and slippery but he made it and there is a nice area to hang out once you get to the bottom. Next time we go, we plan on camping for the star gazing and trying this route out so we can finally make it to the bottom! Have fun and be safe!