Ancient Lakes

We drove out to the lower trailhead for Ancient Lakes near Quincy WA. There are several trail options here, the route we took, was basically a large loop, with a side trip down to the Columbia River, overall 7.6 miles with 900 ft of gain. View of the trail we took down towards the Columbia River.

Downriver along the Columbia

Upriver along the Columbia

After returning to our choice of loop, we headed up along the west wall of the Coulee holding the Ancient Lakes  and up to a gap in the wall. View looking down at the Ancient Lakes as we headed up.

We saw a marmot in the boulders.

Lovely basalt column in the Coulee wall

Lots of loose rocks on the steep trail heading up to the gap.

Another look down towards the Ancient Lakes

View of Dusty Lake in the next coulee from the gap in the wall between the two coulees.

View along the top of the coulee wall where we hiked in the gap.

View of Dusty Lake from the other end of this gap

The trail then drops down on a table up on the coulee to head towards the next gap in the wall. More basalt columns and large boulders.

Wide angle view of Dusty Lake from the other gap in the coulee wall.

More loose rock and boulders at the coulee wall gap

We continued along the trail descending back to the table area in the coulee wall.

View of two of the Ancient Lakes as the trail descends down into the coulee.

Looking back to the coulee wall where we hiked earlier.

Another view of one of the Ancient Lakes

Waterfall coming of the other coulee wall as we headed back to the trailhead.

some of the wildflowers we saw in bloom along the trail today: