Gloyd Seeps Hike
Hike Rating: Easy
Hike Length: 6.2 miles roundtrip
Elevation Change: 100’
Trailhead Elevation: 1,150’
Best Season: April-June and early September
Driving Access: Any vehicle
Plus
Points
• An easy ramble on game trails
past wetlands, lakes and streams in a desert setting
• Abundant birdlife, including ducks, geese, herons,
egrets, avocets and white pelicans
• Low basalt bluffs along marshes and streams provide views
down into the wetlands
• Spring wildflowers include purple larkspur, phlox, yarrow
and yellow mountain dandelion
• Very little sign of recent cow activity on the trails or
in the marshes
• A strong sense of desert solitude, despite the irrigated
farmlands just a few miles away
Minus
Points
• Basic route-finding and
orienteering skills required, as there's no established
trail
• Very little shade or cover, so it's best to start in the
early AM on hot days
• Rattlesnakes are a possibility throughout the summer, so
be aware
• Waterfowl hunting season is from late September thru
January — a good time to avoid
Download
(PDF, 785 KB): Photos of Gloyd Seeps
Hike
Download
(PDF, 431 KB): Topo Map for Gloyd Seeps
Hike
Download
(GPX, 1 KB): GPS Points for Gloyd Seeps
Hike
Download
(PDF, 675 KB): Road Map for Gloyd Seeps
Hike
Trail
Notes
From the
trailhead parking area, walk around the steel gate and
follow the gravel road for about 300 yards to the low dam
below the first lake (GPS Point 1). Cross the dam and
follow prominent trails northwest along the south side of
the lake. On the uplands past the lake, all trails converge
into one trail at a 3' wide gap in a fence line marked by
double posts. Past this fence, follow the single-track
trail northwest through the low sagebrush until it ends at
1.0 miles on the east shore of a long lake (GPS Point 2).
Walk north along the lake shore, finding a good game trail
on the low basalt bluffs overlooking the lake. Look for
waterfowl, herons and egrets and even white pelicans on
this lake. Past the end of the lake, the route continues
north along an old channel of Crab Creek, above a
free-flowing stream in the bottom of the coulee. At 1.9
miles, the route crosses a prominent draw coming in the
from the east (GPS Point 3). Look for mule deer among the
willow tree thickets down in the coulee.
Past the
draw, the route continues northwest on faint and branching
game trails along the east rim of the coulee. At 2.8 miles,
one crosses an east-west fence and soon encounters a broad,
impassable marsh coming in from the east (GPS Point 4).
Turn east here, following game trails along the south edge
of the marsh. Continuing southeast along the bluffs,
keeping the stream and marshes on one's left (northeast),
the route recrosses the east-west fence, then comes to a
small marshy lake with a few willow trees — the only shade
on this hike.
At 3.4 miles, the big cattail marshes of Gloyd Seeps come
into view, with numerous waterfowl. The route continues
southeast, keeping above the prickly saltbush thickets on
the marsh edges. At 4.0 miles, one arrives at
open-water,
shallow seep
lakes (GPS Point 5), where ducks, geese and avocets abound
— a good lunch and hike destination. The return route to
the trailhead is cross-country southwest, across the
sage-covered plateau, back to the old Crab Creek channel
(at GPS Point 3). The best hiking is on the uplands, above
the coulee bottoms, using the willows trees at the Crab
Creek channel for dead reckoning.
Road to Trailhead
From State Hwy 28 on the north,
10.3 miles east of Soap Lake, WA, or 7 miles west of Wilson
Creek, turn south into the small hamlet of Stratford and
look for Road J NE. South of town, near the big grain
elevators, this road turns into Stratford Road. Drive 11.5
miles south on Stratford Road and turn right (west) onto
Road 12 NE. From State Hwy 17 on the south, just north of
Moses Lake, turn north on Stratford Rd. and go 8.6 miles,
then turn left (west) on Road 12 NE.
Drive west on Road 12 NE for 1.4 miles, beyond the end of
the asphalt, and follow it as it bends northwest for 0.5
miles of gravel road to the trailhead. A WA State Discover
Pass is required at this trailhead.
Camping
Options
The largest
public campground nearby is at Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State
Park, about 40 driving miles north of the trailhead. This
campground has flush toilets, showers, drinking water, full
hookups and over 190 campsites, including spaces for tents
as well as the largest RVs and travel trailers. Be prepared
for high winds. Reservations are available April 15 through
September 15 and are highly recommended for the summer
months. Visit the WA State Parks website or call (888) 226-7688.
Camping fees are based on the type of campsite selected.
A much smaller, no-frills, no-fee alternative is the BLM
Pacific Lake/Lakeview Ranch Campground, about 45 driving
miles east of the trailhead, north of Odessa on the
Lakeview Ranch Loop Road. Here, northeast of the old
Lakeview Ranch buildings and corrals, on a flat bench above
now dry Pacific Lake, are a vault toilet and gravel parking
areas suitable for travel trailers. A grassy area with a
few shade trees, plus tables and fire rings, serves tent
campers and picnickers. There is no potable water here, but
drinking water jugs can be filled at the City Park in
downtown Odessa.
Campsites are also available at two private campgrounds in
Soap Lake, WA, about 24 driving miles northwest of the
trailhead on State Route 17.
Agency
Contact: Washington Dept. of Fish &
Wildlife, (509) 765-6641
DISCLAIMER:
Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this
information, but the authors do not guarantee that it is
either current or correct. The reader assumes full
responsibility for any use of this information, and is
encouraged to contact local public land agencies to inquire
about current conditions before
traveling.
Page
last updated: 12/8/14