This is my favorite hike of all time. It is always beautiful.

Palouse Falls is my favorite hike I have been on thus far! It was a pretty long drive for me coming from to Seattle to Eastern Washington but it was SO worth it! It took us about 4 hours to drive there and by the time we arrived we were sure we were lost considering it's a gigantic waterfall in the middle of Washington's desert! Once you drive down the long dusty road to the park you get to the parking area and you can literally see the falls from the parking lot! If you are not the best hiker there are plenty of areas you can see the falls from without even having to hike around, it's visible from all areas surrounding the main park. If you're feeling adventurous (like I was) there are multiple trails (unmarked) that can get you to the bottom of the falls, around the back of it to reach the top, or really any surrounding mountains around it. It's considered a 2 mile round trip hike which is what kind of made me think the drive wasn't worth the short hiking distance, but really with all the trails and surrounding land you could hike this place for days and not see everything there is out there! I heard to watch out for rattlesnakes here but luckily we didn't come across any, however there were a lot of holes in the ground which I assumed was from them. This hike is absolutely amazing and breathe taking! The waterfall itself isn't the only attraction. There was the surrounding mountains and valley, the river below, the trails along the inner cliffs of the falls, lunch areas, and more. There are trails for all difficulties ranging from easy to experienced if you want to get to the bottom of the canyon. You can stick to the main trail up high looking down at the falls, or you can venture off to other areas. We walked along the top viewing point of the falls until we reached a rocky hill where you can slowly walk down to get to the bottom of the river behind the falls. Then you can follow an unmarked trail along the side of the river up along the rock walls of the canyon until you reach where the falls begins on top. From there you can make your way back the way you came or for the skilled and risk takers you can take a thin trail along the inner cliff of the canyon all the way along the valley and as far as who knows! I unfortunately didn't do that trial, but might have to when I go back! There was only one bathroom (more like a honey bucket outhouse) and luckily we brought our own toilet paper because they were out so beware of that. Overall this was a great hike for anyone looking for an interesting and beautiful naturally created waterfall and canyon in Washington's version of the desert. Dog and kid friendly in most areas, and challenging trails to adventure on all day long, am definitely planning on going back!

This is my favorite hike of all time. It is always beautiful.

Went camping out at Palouse Falls to explore the park and try to capture the Milky Way at night. First, we hiked the trail down to the base of the falls and around the cliff. Coming down from the train tracks, the scree slope was lose in spots, but we had no issues crossing it. Out to the falls, the trail was in good condition with the exception of two spots where there is some erosion and the trail is narrow but passable. We saw three mountain goats on the opposite side of the river and marmots were everywhere. Camping at the park was more peaceful than I expected even though every spot was full. There was plenty of room for my tent and a hammock. Each site comes with a table and a pit as well. The following morning, we explored the area to the south of the parking lot. The trail there also descends to the train tracks, then down another scree field where the trail levels off and again runs along the cliffs above the river. Other than there being some loose/sketchy areas in the scree field, the trail was in great shape.

We picked a rainy but nice cool day to hike down to Castle Rock, which overlooks the waterfall. I was a little unsure if this trail would be open, due to the state parks website stating that certain trails were closed. Well I am HAPPY to report that we saw NO trail closures!! In fact, one can hike all the way down to the bottom of the falls if they are sure footed. We hiked the trail leading down to the RR tracks, then across the scree slope down to the Palouse River. Then we winded along the trail below the cliffs out to the prominent sentinel known as Castle Rock. The trail leading down was to the RR tracks was a little slippery, as was the lower trail along the river, mostly due to the fact that it was raining! Saw a few goats on the hillside but no marmots today. I bet the flowers will be popping up soon too. Great little hike this time of year. I've hiked this area about a half dozen times and this is the first time I've seen the Palouse hills in the waterfall! (muddy..)