What!? Waterfalls in the desert?! Yes this hike has everything you ever wanted in a desert: lakes, waterfalls, wildflowers, lizards and lots of sun!
Bring plenty of water as it can get very hot here, and there is no clean water source, I have heard that the lake can have pesticide contaminants from agricultural runoff.
First go through the gate at the end of the parking lot, this will set you out on an old jeep trail.
Follow this for about 1/4 mile and then the trail will veer off to the left, go left. Going straight takes you to Dusty lake (which is awesome too, but thats not where we went this time). Follow this for two miles (when the trails split anytime always go to the left) and you will reach your destination. Theres not much of any elevation gain except a slight hill at the end of your journey, so the traveling is fast. There are 4 small lakes here, if you keep following the trail it will take you to the top of a hill that overlooks the farthest lake, and in the far corner of the lake is the prize, a waterfall!
We saw lots of goodies on our way to the lakes:
Sagebrush lizard in his full mating colors
Mating insects
One of the many mini waterfalls
The big water fall!
Enjoy the view from atop the waterfall.
Make a splash, go for a jump off the rocks.
Directions:
From Ellensburg, drive east on Interstate 90 to exit 149 for George. After exiting, turn left and drive north on State Route 281 toward Quincy. After 5.6 miles turn left onto 5 NW Continue 7.8 miles on White Trail Road, then turn right onto Road 9-NW. Continue 5.9 miles on this road (pavement ends at 2.0 miles) as it winds steeply down onto Babcock Bench to the road's end. Park at the roads end.
