Discover hidden waterfalls on your way to Spokane

The drive from the Tri-Cities to Spokane can seem like a blur.

The views along Highway 395 from Pasco to Ritzville and then on Interstate 90 to Spokane offer little variety, just endless fields of wheat, and the occasional patch of lava rock.

But there is a hidden surprise just a few minutes off the highway, that reveal and showcase the amazing landforms of Eastern Washington’s channeled scablands.

Hog Canyon Falls are at the north end of Hog Canyon Lake, part of an 8,000-acre parcel near the community of Fishtrap.

Bureau of Land Management manages the fish and wildlife on the property cooperatively with area ranchers.

The arrangement gives recreationists access through gates to hike, horseback and mountain bike to the lake and to see the magnificent waterfalls without ever stepping off public land.

There are two options: One is an easy to moderate 2.5-mile loop to the base of the waterfalls. The second is a more ambitious 6.2 mile in-and-out through Hog Canyon.

The canyon walk is delightfully quiet, dropping off the grassy meadow into Ponderosa pines and then into a lush riparian zone with cattails and wildlife.

At 1.5 miles, you pass through a white-barked grove of Aspen. The trail turns into a double track and heads to the dam at Hog Lake.

You can take in the views looking up the lake and then follow the trail north along the west rim of Hog Canyon. It’s another 1.5 miles to the north end where you can get out on a little knob and catch an amazing view of the Hog Canyon Falls.

The falls are part of what geologists call a cataract — a cliff gouged out by the rushing water over the layered basalt flows that occurred 13,000 to 15,000 years ago at the end of the last Ice Age.

The flow over the falls is spectacular in the spring. The water tapers off later in the year and by late summer, the falls are dry. But it’s still worth a hike in the summer because the lake is a great place to jump in and cool off. The lake supports fishing year-round, but the road to the boat ramp is closed.

Along the trail, you’ll see several large granite erratics transported there during one or more of the Ice Age flood events. You’ll also find large broken pieces near the boat ramp of columnar basalt, pushed into place by the rushing flood waters.

The wildflowers are in bloom from March through early summer. The variety of habitats from shrub steppe to woodland to riparian offer a range and diversity of species and color.

The actual waterfalls are on private land and there is a fence identifying that boundary. So you can take pictures but don’t trespass.

The waterfalls are beautiful, the rock cliffs that rise out of the water are impressive and the view of the lake is phenomenal. And if you like to visit old farmsteads, take a short side trip and visit the old Folsom Farms.

While not as widely known as Palouse Falls or the Spokane River walk in downtown Spokane, a trip to Hog Canyon Falls makes a great hike.

How to get there:

▪  From Interstate 90, take exit 254 to Fishtrap and head south on the Sprague Highway Road. For the easy hike, you go 0.7 miles, make a left on Lake Valley Loop Road. Then drive another 0.6 miles and make another left. Then drive 0.6 mile to the trailhead and parking.

You can then hike the 1.3 mile-trail to the north end of Hog Canyon Lake and the base of the waterfalls. It’s a pretty easy walk, mostly flat along the top and then down the canyon to the lake — a 2.5-mile loop.

▪  For the more difficult hike (but still easy to moderate), you go almost 2.5 miles south on Sprague Highway Road, and then make a left on Fishtrap Road. The drive 0.6 miles to a parking lot on the right, just before the road makes a left to Folsom Farms.

Once you park, walk down Fishtrap Road 100 feet, and make the left on the dirt road, and go through one or the other of the two gates to get to the trail head. This single trail goes 1.7 miles to the south end of Hog Lake, and another 1.4 miles along the west side of the lake to the waterfalls.

This story was originally published May 21, 2017 at 1:45 PM with the headline "Discover hidden waterfalls on your way to Spokane."