Lake Creek Coulee Hike
Hike Rating: Moderate
Hike Length: 4.8 miles roundtrip
Elevation Loss: 400’
Trailhead Elevation: 1,840’
Best Season: April-May and September
Driving Access: Any vehicle
Plus
Points
• A scenic cross-country hike
along the coulee rim, returning on the dry lake bed
• Magnificent, sweeping vistas up and down the picturesque
Lake Creek coulee
• Vertical columnar basalt walls, covered with colorful
yellow and orange lichen
• Spring wildflowers, including delphinium, phlox, white
lupine and horse mint
• Mule deer are abundant on the rim, with red-tailed hawks
common overhead
• A place where solitude can be enjoyed in a cow-free,
desert landscape
Minus Points
• The 1.6 mile section along
the rim is cross-country over rugged and rocky terrain
• Little shade throughout the hike, so an early morning
start is best on hot days
• Rattlesnakes are a possibility throughout the summer, so
be aware
Download
(PDF, 607 KB): Photos of Lake Creek Coulee
Hike
Download
(PDF, 653 KB): Topo Map for Lake Creek Coulee
Hike
Download
(GPX, 1 KB): GPS Points for Lake Creek Coulee
Hike
Download
(PDF, 545 KB): Road Map for Lake Creek Coulee
Hike
Trail
Notes
From the BLM
"Road Closed" marker, the route follows a jeep track due
west downhill to a steel gate in a fence line at about 0.3
miles. Through this gate, the road gradually descends to a
wide cleared area at 0.5 miles (GPS Point 1) — just before
it drops steeply down into the coulee. From this clearing,
the route heads southwest cross-country to the rim, across
rocky terrain and past a prominent basalt tower covered in
yellow lichen. A few hundred yards past this rock tower, at
the 0.9 mile point, one reaches the rim and the first
dramatic views of the coulee below (GPS Point 2).
For the next mile, the route is cross-country south along
the rim, following game trails just back from the vertical
rock edge. Every few hundred yards, one can wander over to
the rim edge and take in the spectacular views up and down
the Lake Creek coulee. Mule deer are common in the uplands
here, as well as spring wildflowers. After a mile along the
rim, one enters a low draw trending south and the route
follows cattle trails down the draw through thick
sagebrush. At 2.1 miles, the draw intersects the BLM
Odessa-Lake Creek Trail running east-west (GPS Point 3), a
developed trail popular with equestrians. Follow this
marked trail west for about 0.3 miles, down through the rim
and past a developed spring and water trough, to the coulee
floor.
Once on the
flat coulee floor, the route turns north cross-country and
skirts the east edge of the old dry lakes on faint game
trails, under vertical basalt cliffs. The walking is easy
through the cheat grass along the former lake shores and
the views are magnificent. After crossing a wire fence
about halfway up the coulee, one comes to twin towers of
columnar basalt standing in the center of the coulee floor.
The route follows old cow trails around the right (east)
side of these towers and continues north into a long alcove
on the east side of the coulee. At the north end of this
alcove (GPS Point 4), one finds the old jeep road leading
up the hillside. Follow this jeep road for about a mile
back to the trailhead.
Road to Trailhead
From Route 28
in Odessa, WA, turn north on SR 21 and follow it for 2.8
miles north to the gravel Lakeview Ranch Loop Road on the
left (west). Follow Lakeview Ranch Loop Road, first west
for a mile, then north for 1.4 miles, then west again for
another mile, to a 90 degree turn north (3.4 miles in total
from SR 21). The trailhead is below the road to the left
(west) at this 90 degree turn.
If dry, one can pull off the gravel road onto a small dirt
road running west and park at the BLM "Road Closed" sign.
If wet or muddy, it's best to stay on the gravel road and
park off to the side, near the corner. This trailhead is
easily accessible by any passenger car.
Camping
Options
The nearest developed camping
area is the BLM Pacific Lake/Lakeview Ranch Campground,
about 2 miles north of the trailhead 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 sparse shade trees, plus tables and fire
rings, serves tent campers and picnickers. There is no
potable water, but drinking water jugs can be filled at the
City Park in downtown Odessa. Though Pacific Lake is now
dry, the area is still quite scenic, with vertical basalt
walls defining both sides of the coulee. A quiet spot for
camping, with no fees charged. Do keep an eye out for
rattlesnakes.
Agency Contact: Spokane BLM District, (509)
536-1200
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: 11/5/13