- Trail:
- Columbia Plateau State Park Trail (Cheney)
- Status:
- Minor Issue / Yellow
-
Issue status:
- Condition:
- Variable - some wet spots, or some dusty spots but overall good conditions
- Reporter Primary Activity:
- Mountain Bike
Description:
I've been walking sections of this trail with the hope of thru-hiking it in the future. The first 15 miles of the western/southern end are developed, as are the 15 or so miles at the other end. The rest is variable in quality. Basically, the railroad ties have been removed & that's about it. The surface varies from hard-packed dirt to chunks of basalt. (That stuff is hell to ride on, and not a lot of fun to run on, either.) The middle section has numerous trestles that are closed: be prepared to scramble or hike-a-bike down one side of a ravine & up the other. (If you venture onto the trestles, you're both trespassing and risking injury. I ran on one a few years ago (the fencing was partially removed) and partway out on the trestle I realized how "springy" the surface felt. I quickly & gingerly walked back.)
You'll need to be self-supporting, as there's little-to-no development along the trail. Why do it? Because you'll be alone. Because you'll see some cool things. Because most people won't.
Keep an eye out for rattlesnakes. I almost stepped on a baby rattler once on this trail -- it blended in very well, and I didn't see it until my boot almost came down on it.
I've only been on about 35 miles of the trail, so I don't have much information. The rockfall in the pictures is about 3.5 miles upriver from the Snake River Road trailhead; there are two rockfalls within a half-mile of each other. That's the worst I've seen on the trail, but as I mentioned I've only covered small portion.
Someone wrote a blog post about riding the entire trail on a Surly. It's got a lot of good info, but it may be out-of-date. I'll see if I can track it down; if I do, I'll post it here.
You'll need to be self-supporting, as there's little-to-no development along the trail. Why do it? Because you'll be alone. Because you'll see some cool things. Because most people won't.
Keep an eye out for rattlesnakes. I almost stepped on a baby rattler once on this trail -- it blended in very well, and I didn't see it until my boot almost came down on it.
I've only been on about 35 miles of the trail, so I don't have much information. The rockfall in the pictures is about 3.5 miles upriver from the Snake River Road trailhead; there are two rockfalls within a half-mile of each other. That's the worst I've seen on the trail, but as I mentioned I've only covered small portion.
Someone wrote a blog post about riding the entire trail on a Surly. It's got a lot of good info, but it may be out-of-date. I'll see if I can track it down; if I do, I'll post it here.
