We started our eastern wa tour here at this trail. It was windy and cold and I got the look from my husband. The one like "what the heck are you doing to me"? But after we arrived at the waterfall wind died down and we were out of the shade. We had the whole place to ourselves. A few campers were up above and rock climbers but not in the valley. Loved the area, another one crossed off my list.

I led my Feb Winter Walk for the Cascadians today. We went east to Frenchman Coulee in search of sun & were not disappointed. We walked the road down the coulee to the end below the waterfall, which was spectacular today. We then climbed up the talus slope just to the west of the waterfall to a broad bench where we had lunch overlooking the entire coulee. As I was eating I saw a number of little desert parsleys in bloom. The clouds started moving in as we ate and the afternoon was mostly high overcast. After lunch we walked west along the top of the northern cliffs of the coulee. The 300' sheer drop was impressive. We walked out to the mouth of the coulee where it slopes more gently down to Babcock Bench and then back to the cars for a nice loop hike. The day was mild enough that some of the time we walked in shirtsleeves. There were quite a number cars at the trailhead, but we only saw a few people all day, mostly at a distance.

We went to the coulee Saturday to (like most people) go rock climbing but its a worthy hiking destination as well in my opinion. We actually did do some wandering after we got tired of climbing. It was sunny all day with only a few clouds rolling in here and there. Got to a comfortable climbing/hiking temp but never too hot. I had some friends camp there and they said the wind kept them up all night and they could not get away without staking their tents. I arived Sat morning at about 8:00 Am Sat morning and the parking lot/ camping area was pretty full with climbers who had camped to get an early start. We climbed without much trouble from the crowds though as the coulee is very spread out, and as most of the crowd are there to climb, the hikers can avoid a crowd pretty easily. A good walk would be across the platau between echo basin and frenchman coulee and then back around the far end. Take you time though cause its not very long and there is a lot to see in the desert if you are observant. We saw a couple different types of rodents (maybe marmots?)scurrying and crawling in the scree piles. Desert flowers are also in bloom. You can also watch climbers do their thing. The Desert is a good option for those of us getting impatient with the stubborn mountain snow.

Who knew time travel could be so easy, but it is. Puget Sounders, why wait for summer to come to you...in mid-July...when you could go visit it NOW? First off, the drive is beautiful, complete with a herd of elk just before hitting Ellensburg. After only a short ramble through Frenchman Coulee near Vantage I was feeling very lucky. For one, I was plenty warm in a t-shirt well before 9 am. Then, there is the abundant sage brush giving the morning a great scent. Cheery balsamroot and phlox and larkspur provide a splash of color and the little yellow buckwheat add texture. I found a deer staring at me and followed him a little ways to see another deer watching me. At a small pond, I was startled by a huge splash but didn't see what made the noise. A beaver, I suspect. The rocks are full of festive lichen. I saw two quail running around and little bunnies dashing about every which way. I even came within three feet of a rattlesnake. Eagles soared overhead and marmots (maybe?) scampered in the camprground. All of this animaly, naturey fun is set against a stunning backdrop of basalt columns. The nearby columns have climbers dangling from them which can be fun to watch with or without binocs. Frenchman Coulee is perfect for meandering, but you can follow the climbers trail to ""The Far End"" past the Sunshine Wall for a good mini-hike and a spendid panorama of the Columbia River and surrounding gorge. More hike info in 55 Hikes in Central Washington. Puget Sounders, remember that it will still be spring when you return home.