Columbia Plateau Trail State Park

About Columbia Plateau Trail State Park

Columbia Plateau Trail State Park is a 130-mile railway line that has traced 130 miles of railway tracks since 1908. Along the way, the historic route will pass through kiosks and reach the top of Rocky Mountain National Park in Columbia River Gorge. Landscape and views reward the visitors who undertake the sometimes challenging hike, but also reward those who do.

Currently, Columbia Plateau Trail State Park and Columbia River Gorge National Park are expanding their hiking and biking trails.

Wildlife views are a popular attraction on the Columbia Plateau Trail, which runs through the scenic Columbia River Gorge National Park and Columbia Valley State Park. Many large animals are seen, such as deer, elk and elk, and the area is famous for trumpets and swans. More than 200 bird species have been identified and activities include nature watching, bird watching, hiking, camping, fishing, kayaking and more.

The best times for wildlife viewing are in the early morning and evening hours, and the best time for hiking and camping is the afternoon and early evening.

If you enjoy a hike through the refuge, you can read several boards and there is a path for you. Spring hikes take place in spring and autumn, autumn hikes from September to November. The park is open from 10 am to 5 pm on weekdays, from 9 am to 10 am and from 4 pm to 4 pm on weekends and holidays.

Columbia Plateau Trail State Park is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 4 p.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends and holidays.

A massive eruption of basaltic lava buried the landscape in eastern Washington, and more than 2.2 million square miles of water was released when an ice dam broke in northern Idaho. This large, documented flood raced through the Columbia Plateau and shaped the landscape of basaltic swamps and canyons.

Visitors to the trail recall the catastrophic floods of the Ice Age, which eroded the world's largest volcanic field. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of floods eroded lava surfaces into a unique landscape known as a channeled shell.

Desert forests with conifers, the land promotes various birds and mammals, and nearby there are many small lakes and ponds such as Slough. Waterfowl and swampland birds are attracted to the region because of the diverse landscape.

In the early 20th century, a Spokane - Portland - Seattle railroad company built a track bed in the area.

The company, which never really connected the Portland-Seattle line, operated a steam and later a diesel train for more than 50 years. It was operated by the Burlington Northern Company until it was abandoned in 1987. Some say owner James Hill promoted the railroad as a link with Seattle just to mislead rival train developers.

The land was acquired by the National Park in 1991 as part of Columbia Plateau Trail State Park, the first of its kind in the United States.

Built in 1908, the Burr Canyon View Building is one of the oldest listed buildings in the National Park Service's Columbia Plateau Trail State Park. Along the route you can also see Columbia River Gorge and the US Forest Service headquarters.

On the footpath at Cheney Fish Lake, covered and ADA-accessible picnic tables are available, and the fish lake is located right next to the footpath. Nearby there is a boat ramp and the county Fischersee offers boat ramps and a picnic area with picnic benches and picnic chairs.

The county-owned fish lake is accessible from the trail and offers fishing, but the park does not allow the flames to spread to adjacent land.

Take Exit 257 from Cheney to Tyler for fishing, or Exit 270 from Four Lakes to Cheney for fishing. It is located on the east side of the Columbia Plateau Trail, just north of Cheney, and is about half a mile from the trail entrance.