We had been looking forward to a desert hike for a while. Frenchman's Coulee fit the bill. We parked along side the road at the trailhead, continued north along the Columbia before doubling back east to the waterfall. We enjoyed 70 degree weather with clear skies. We encountered two other groups on the 6 mile hike. The hike offers spectacular views of the Columbia, and the surrounding rock formations. Wildflowers appears a bit past peak but were still numerous. We were found by only a few mosquitoes in one area. Overall, a great hike in the desert.

I didn’t have a map of the area, but didn’t expect I would need one. That was a mistake, as the guide book entry doesn’t provide enough information to get you on the trail it is describing. I later found out that my GPS has a map which identifies the Frenchman Coulee Trail. There are two trails that depart from the parking lot. I’m still not entirely sure which trail the guide book is describing; it seems to be a composite of both. So here is some information that should help: The guide book says, “From the trailhead, the path leads straight up the bottom of the coulee.” The reality is this: From the small parking lot (room for about 3 vehicles), there is a gate across the road (to the south) beyond which is a rough road that heads east into an obvious coulee. There is also a gate at the north end of the parking area. Only if you walk up close to it can you see that another rough road leads northwest, then quickly curves to the northeast. There is no visible coulee. But according to my GPS software map, this flat 4-wheel drive road to the north is the Frenchman Coulee Trail. At 0.2 mile along it, go right at the junction to head east-northeast into a coulee where the seasonal waterfall may be flowing. At two miles, the base of the waterfall is merely a 50 foot elevation gain, not 200 feet, from the parking lot. According to my GPS map, the road/trail continues uphill beyond that, connecting to the asphalt road after gaining a total of 250 feet. I did not confirm this; I went the other way. From the parking lot at 860 feet, I followed another hiker around the gate across the road, heading east. In 0.2 mile, a trail branches away from the road and heads up steeply on loose rock onto the top of a rock formation, then climbs up to 1060 feet and contours along below the south face of the rock formation. So this trail does indeed gain 200 feet. But it does not lead to the pictured waterfall. Instead, in a scant mile from the parking lot, the rocky cliff-side trail leads to some popular rock climbing walls made of columnar basalt. I admired the rock formations and continued another half mile, past more climbers, until the route ahead started looking sketchy. By this time I realized I was not on the Frenchman Coulee Trail, and reversed course. There is also a 4-wheel drive road in this coulee if you prefer to see the basalt columns without getting up close to the cliffs. According to my GPS software map, it is the Plunge Pool Overlook Trail. I was looking down from a good vantage point at the alleged Plunge Pool, and saw nothing but dry ground. After returning to the parking lot, I hiked the Frenchman Coulee Trail 0.7 mile to where I could see the coulee, but chose not to walk the flat 4-wheel drive road all the way to the waterfall. I was able to see the waterfall from the highway as I left the area.

Max and I decided to get out and enjoy the sunshine in the Frenchman Coulee before it got too hot this summer. We were happy to find lots of flowers and a rainbow at the end of the waterfall! We love this hike because it's so easy and enjoyable.

A beautiful hike through sagebrush that ends in a lovely waterfall. The crux of this hike is making sure you don't pass the unmarked small parking lot on the right side of the road. I ended the hike by stopping off at the rock climbers area and visiting the new outhouse that was constructed by WTA partners AAC, Access Fund, Washington climbers coalition and Fish and Wildlife. It's a beauty:)

Fun hike up to the waterfall at the end of the coulee. Nothing extraordinary to report.