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Submission
The free camp sites - There is a designated areas located near the main parking area. There are no designated sites but you can drive in on rough dirt trail. Portable toilets are nearby but there is no running water, no picnic tables and no fires are allowed. The area can become quite busy during long weekends or when there are big concerts held at the nearby amphitheater in George.
This hike was in the Frenchman Coulee in the Quincy Lakes Wildlife Area. An awesome hike and a great workout! If you like sagebrush, it has a lot. If you fancy basalt rock, its got you covered. And its got stunning views of the Columbia River gorge. Its also a bit known for rock climbing!
The hiking trails run the gambit from easy, fairly flat to climbing near vertical rock staircases. You walk through all the trail surface types" bare, hard basalt, basalt ballast and shale, gravels, hard pack dirt, and a fair amount of soft, loose sand as you head towards the waterfall at the northeast of the coulee.
My map is incomplete, but I think the route we took was all of 6 miles.
Gorgeous scenery. Quick stop on our way to The Gorge. There is a pretty intense drop off the sides, so be careful if you have little ones with you.
This was an amazing stop!!
If you are short on time or have mobility issues it's still worth pulling off and driving the road down to the boat launch and back. The scenery is fantastic.
If you like to hike and boulder, even better! We stopped off at "the feathers" and climbed and scrambled for about an hour before completing the drive. The dirt was very loose, but if you take it slow and cling to the cliff you'll do fine. We were enthralled!
At the end of the park, by the boat launch, is a paved trail.
I don't rock climb, but I drive hours to come here to chill and watch the sun go down. Probably one of the most peaceful, secluded, beautiful, and memorable places I've ever been to.
If you don't stay to watch the sunset then you're not doing it right.
