Before I went to Palouse Falls, I didn't really know what to expect as far as hiking options, so here is a quick overview of what I learned: --The drive is long (from pretty much anywhere ha) but lovely --No cell service --It requires a Discover Pass as it's a state park --You can camp there! --Arrive early. We arrive at 9ish and had almost all the lots to ourselves. When we left, the lower and upper lots were full (and this was on a cold, kind of rainy/cloudy, April Saturday. --Pit toilets only --Lots of wind --Official trail is from your car to a couple of scenic overlooks with signage (also, don't skip these! very interesting) --Unofficial trails lead all over the park. We followed some above the falls and over the the river behind. You can go down a service road to get to the riverside and then loop around get above the falls. Some of the trails look very sketchy, as in narrow on ridges, but lead to some very neat viewpoints I imagine. We didn't explore too much because we had more to see, and because my partner isn't the hugest fan of heights (though he did say that next time he'd attempt to do some of the ridge trails) --We saw marmots all around, and mountain goats down in the canyon! --Because of the snowy winter, the falls were running heavy and the surrounding area was green and lush. I hear this is not the case in the summer... it's a trade off I guess for more sun and warmer temps. I highly recommend coming here but I would not have it be the sole destination of my trip. I would make sure it's part of a day of exploring the area; otherwise, you'll be done in a couple hours and wondering what to do next.

Beware! We did the 5 hour drive from Seattle yesterday only to be turned away at the park road. The park ranger says there has been a sudden increase in visitors. There are 60 parking spots available at the park, and the ranger said he has seen a couple hundred cars show up the last few weekends. I would venture to guess that's a low estimate because as my friend and I were trying to figure out what to do, while parked on the side of the road we must have seen 50 plus cars arrive only to be turned away. The park ranger said last weekend the highway partrol gave hefty tickets to every single car who parked on the road and walked the 2 miles into the park, and they know now to keep coming back and checking for cars. If you are going to make the trip you should really plan to arrive as early in the morning as you can manage.

Spring and sunset are both good times to catch this massive bit of Nature in action. Though we got there too late to hike all the way down to the river, scrambling down onto some of the rocky overlooks was vertigo-inducing enough: big, scenic, cliffy drops to be had here from as close up as you'd like.

We explored the trail overlooking the Palouse River behind the falls and got to see a pair of mountain goats grazing their dinner on the hill across the river. Continuing on behind the falls leads to the trail that drops down to the river and traverses to the top of the falls. All the caution signs are warranted, as nothing good would come of a slip here, particularly when the river and falls are running so hard.

Possibly even more mesmerizing than the giant falls though are the layers upon layers of basalt, each a relic of a lava flow from 14 to 17 million years ago, and the massive canyon carved by the Iceage Floods of 15,000 years ago. Go ahead and try not to picture all that drama when looking down this gorge.

Though only one valiant bush was trying to flower, the desert is currently Spring-flocked in greenery.

The last two miles to the trailhead (right after the turnoff onto the state park road) is pretty rough with lots of potholes in the hardpack dirt road, but we've all likely seen worse.

The drive through the surrounding farm country though is gorgeous with plenty more basalt architecture to admire, and this time of year, brand new calves with their stoic mamas on rolling pastures just starting to green up. On my drive, I had to pull over for a couple of bovine teenagers who'd busted through some fencing and were pretty excited to be out on the open road. I was just about to get out to try to herd them back when their people pulled up shaking their heads from the pickup, while the yearlings bounced back to their pasture as though it was not their first time on a walkabout.

Finally, no hike in Eastern Washington can be had without some concern of ticks, and that festive season has begun. The dog will need a doll to relay the inspection he got after this hike, but it seems neither he nor I picked up any grody bitey things on this outing. Amen.