• Benton Conservation District
• Cowiche Canyon Conservancy
• Friends of Badger Mountain
• Friends of Mid-Columbia River Wildlife Refuges
• Lower Columbian Basin Audubon Society
• Open Space Coalition of Benton and Franklin Counties
• Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
• Ridges to Rivers Open Space Network
• Tapteal Greenway Association
• Washington Native Plant Society - Columbia Basin Chapter
• Yakima Greenway Foundation

• Columbia Plateau Trail State Park
• Hanford Reach National Monument
• Juniper Dunes Wilderness Area
• Lake Sacajawea & Lake Wallula Recreational Areas
• Mid-Columbia River Natural Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Complex
• Sacagawea Heritage Trail (Tri-Cities)
• State Parks
• Umatilla National Forest
• Public Lands Information Center
• Recreation.gov

Moxee - Sun Walley Shooting Park

Sun Walley Shooting Park offers covered rifle & pistol ranges, archery, trap, skeet, cowboy action, rifle competitions and much more. Note: Moxee is about 20 miles from Yakima.

Tri-Cities

Waitsburg Gun Club

The Waitsburg Gun Club has both an outdoor rifle and pistol range and offers pistol silhouette, muzzleloading, and trap shooting.

Walla Walla

Hermiston, OR - North East Bow Hunters

The North East Bow Hunters is a family friendly archery club that offers four 3-D shoots each year.

Other Associations

More associations in this region can be found using the following resources:

• National Rifle Association
• Oregon Bow Hunters
• Washington State Archery Association

Animals and Plants of Eastern Washington

Animals and Plants of Eastern Washington is an excellent resource on native plants and wildlife in Eastern Washington. In addition, maps and other resources are provided. View Wildife Areas, Refuges, and Parks to find wild places in wide-open spaces. According to the author, "The Web is useful but the outdoors is where the wonder is at."

Audubon Societies

Several Audubon Societies serve this region that conduct bird censuses, field trips, and education programs. In addition, they are involved in conservation projects.

• Blue Mountain Audubon Society - Walla Walla region
• Central Basin Audubon Society - Moses Lake region
• Lower Columbian Basin Audubon Society - Tri-Cities region
• Yakima Valley Audubon Society

Note: Larry Umthun is a member of the Lower Columbian Basin Audubon Society and has an excellent gallery of bird photographs.

Backyard Wildlife Sanctuaries

The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife is promoting the creation of Backyard Wildlife Sanctuaries. They are awarding certificates to those who have created a wildlife sanctuary. In addition, you may view their monthly Crossing Paths News Notes.

Bateman Island - Tri-Cities

Bateman Island (Tri-Cities) is classified as an urban wildlife area and is two miles long and one mile wide. It is located at the confluence of the Yakima River with the Columbia River. Access to the island is from Columbia Parkway off Highyway 240. Outdoor recreation includes walking, mountain biking, fishing, and bird watching. The Lower Columbia Basin Audubon Society offers monthly bird walks where an average of 30 to 40 bird species can be sighted.

Blue Mountain Wildlife

Blue Mountain Wildlife, located in Pendleton, aids orphaned, sick or injured wildlife, primarily birds of prey, by providing the treatment and care necessary to return them to their natural habitat.

Burrowing OwlCam in the Tri-Cities

The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife has placed a webcam in the Tri-Cities for viewers to watch Burrowing Owls from their WildWatchcams page.

Oak Creek Wildlife Area - Elk and Bighorn Sheep Feeding

During the winter months you can watch elk and bighorn sheep feed at the Oak Creek Wildlife Area located 20 miles west of Yakima.

Oregon Wildlife Visitors' Guide

The Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife offers a visitors' guide to the Irrigon Wildlife Area (near Hermiston) and the Willow Creek Wildlife Area (Pendleton).

Othello Sandhill Crane Festival

Watch the Sandhill Cranes at the annual three day Othello Sandhill Crane Festival. This festival began in 1998 and occurs every year towards the beginning of April.

Palouse Prairie Foundation

The Palouse Prairie Foundation promotes preservation and restoration of native Palouse Prairie ecosystems in Whitman and Latah Counties (Colfax, Wa - Moscow, ID region). This organization has documented the birds, animals, and plants that are native to the Palouse Prairie region. In addition to promoting landscaping with native plants, they have interesting information about the Giant Palouse Earthworm.

Pioneer Park Aviary

Visit the Pioneer Park Aviary in Walla Walla. This aviary is home to about 200 exotic birds and can be an educational experience for the whole family.

Washington Audubon - Great Washington State Birding Trail

On February 19, 2009, Washington Audubon announced the addition of the Sun and Sage Loop to the Great Washington State Birding Trail. This new addition encompasses Southeast Washington.

Washington Native Plant Society - Columbia Basin Chapter

The Washington Native Plant Society - Columbia Basin Chapter serves the Tri-Cities and Walla Walla area and is active in conducting plant surveys, salvaging, seed collecting, restoration ecology and public outreach. In addition, this organization offers a free downloadable guide titled The Natural Way to Grow: Gardening with Native Plants of Eastern Washington (PDF), maintains a photo gallery of Columbia Basin Wildflowers, and coordinates wildflower viewing field trips in the spring. Their activities take place in both the Tri-Cities and Walla Walla.

Washington State Ornithological Society

The Washington Ornithological Society (WOS) provides a forum for birders from throughout the state to meet and share information on bird identification, biology, population status, and birding sites. Although monthly meetings are held in Seattle, this organization offers Field Trips thoughout the state including Eastern Washington.

Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program

The Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP) is a state grant program that provides funding to protect habitat, preserve working farms and create new local and state parks. You may view the parks and recreation areas for proposed and funded projects for your community.

Washington Wildlife Viewing Guides and Areas

The Washington Dept. of Fish & Wildlife offers a wildlife viewing guide for the Yakima Area. In addition, information on wildlife viewing opportunities is available for the following wildlife areas: Columbia Basin (Adams and Grant Counties), Sunnyside - Snake River (Benton, Franklin, Yakima and Walla Walla Counties), and W.T. Wooten (Columbia and Garfield Counties).

Yakima Area Arboretum

The mission of the Yakima Area Arboretum is to create and share a living museum of botanical specimens in order to cultivate a greater knowledge and appreciation of native and adaptive plants in an atmosphere of beauty, inspiration, and relaxation.

Tri-Cities

Moses Lake - BMX Track

Moses Lake BMX is a non-profit organization that runs bicycle motocross events at the Larsen Recreation Center in Moses Lake.

Walla Walla

The Walla Walla region is a good area for both road and mountain biking. Road biking opportunities exist on and off trails while mountain bikers will find an abundance of tracks in the foothills of the Blue Mountains.

Walla Walla Bike Route Maps

Bike route maps for the Walla Walla region are available online:

• City of Walla Walla Bike Routes Map (PDF)
• Walla Walla Valley Bike Routes Map (PDF)

Mountain Bike Guide to the Blue Mountains

For mountain bikers, Kevin Pogue has published the Mountain Bike Guide to the Blue Mountains near Walla Walla, Washington.

Walla Walla Valley BMX

For those who enjoy the sport of BMX racing, Walla Walla Valley has a BMX track.

Walla Walla Valley Cycling

Cycling opportunities are offered by Walla Walla Valley Cycling which promotes recreational, touring and competitive cycling.

Yakima - Chinook Cycling Club

The Chinook Cycling Club promotes family participation in the sport of cycling for all ability levels with an emphasis on FUN!

Pendleton On Wheels

The bicyclists who make up Pendleton On Wheels are ordinary people with an extraordinary love of cycling.

Bicycling in Washington State

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) offers a section on Bicycling in Washington State that includes links to regional bike route maps, state bicycle laws, and safety tips for biking.

Bike Route Mapping Tools

Map My Ride is a great tool for cyclists, hikers, walkers, and others to map their favorite routes and trails and share them with the public. You can use the search form to find cycling routes and trails locally or around the world! Map details can include elevation data and 3D views.

Some of the other mapping related websites to explore include Trimble Outdoors and Google Bike Maps.

Canoeing, Kayaking & Sailing Clubs in the Tri-Cities

There are several canoeing, kayaking & sailing clubs in the Tri-Cities that include:

A River Tour Guide to the Hanford Reach

A River Tour Guide to the Hanford Reach, published in 1998 by the Lower Columbia Basin Audubon Society, describes the sights and ecology of the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River for rafters, kayakers, and canoers. To access this guide, go to www.hanfordreach.org and select the link titled "Tour Guide for Rafters" from the site navigation menu.

Columbia Kayak Adventures - Tri-Cities

Columbia Kayak Adventures offers kayaking courses and tours in the Tri-Cities area. In addition, they have published Places to Paddle.

Northwest Discovery Water Trail

The Northwest Discovery Water Trail provides the opportunity to travel and explore the Clearwater, Snake, and Columbia Rivers. The water trail connects you to over 150 sites to launch your boat, picnic, or camp along these rivers when you travel by motorboat, canoe, sailboat, or kayak.

Washington State and Oregon State Boating Information

Lake Sacajawea & Lake Wallula Recreational Areas

The US Army Corp of Engineers Walla Walla District maintains several recreational areas including Lake Sacajawea, the Snake River backup created by Ice Harbor Dam, 9 miles east of Pasco, and Lake Wallula, the 64 mile long Columbia River backup created by McNary Dam near Umatilla.

View the recreation information that is available for Lake Sacajawea and Lake Wallula. In addition to making reservations online, Recreation.gov provides detailed camping information for Hood Park, Fishhook Park, Charbonneau Park, and Windust (closed until May 2013).

State Parks

There are several state parks in this region that offer camping opportunites:

• Lewis and Clark Trail - (25 miles from Walla Walla)
• Palouse Falls - (23 miles from Washtucna)
• Potholes - (17 miles from Moses Lake)
• Yakima Sportsman - (3 miles from Yakima)

Umatilla National Forest

The Umatilla National Forest is located in the Blue Mountains of Southeast Washington and Northeast Oregon. The two nearest districts to the Tri-Cities are the Pomeroy Ranger District and the Walla Walla Ranger District.

The Umatilla National Forest has many outdoor recreation opportunities including bicycling, camping & cabins, fishing, hiking, horse riding & camping, hunting, nature viewing, OHV riding & camping, outdoor learning, picnicking, scenic driving, water activities, and winter sports.

The Pomeroy District has fifteen campgrounds to chose from with Tucannon Campground being the most popular while the Walla Walla District has six campgrounds with Jubilee Lake Campground being the most popular.

Recreation.gov

You can reserve a camping or RV spot at any park maintained by the US Army Corps of Engineers or the National Forest Service online and/or obtain a list of campgrounds or other recreational areas of interest at Recreation.gov.

Other Tri-Cities Area Campgrounds

Crowe Butte Park is located on a 1500-acre island in the Columbia River, 11 miles west of Paterson, WA on Highway 14. The park covers 275 acres and is accessible by motor and river traffic. There are 50 full service camping spots, three boat launches and a boat basin. This park is maintained by the Port of Benton.

Horn Rapids Park, near Benton City along the Yakima River, has been owned by Benton County since the 1960s and is the premiere natural area of their park system. The park has a campground, horse camp, model airplane facility, boat launch, and miles of multi-use trails.

Scooteney Reservoir Recreation Area is located in Franklin County off Hwy 17 north of Mesa. In addition to camping, there are fishing and boating opportunities.

• Grandview
• Kennewick
• Moses Lake
• Pasco
• Richland
• Walla Walla
• Yakima

Benton Conservation District

The Benton Conservation District is a non-regulatory, grant-funded organization dedicated to the wise stewardship of soil, water, air, fish and wildlife in Benton County, Washington.

Cowiche Canyon Conservancy

The goal of Cowiche Canyon Conservancy (Yakima) is to preserve, enhance and maintain Cowiche Canyon with its undeveloped uplands, and Snow Mountain Ranch as a natural area for use and enjoyment by the public. This organization has created over 14 miles of trails for hikers and mountain bikers.

Friends of Badger Mountain

The Badger Mountain Centennial Preserve is maintained by Friends of Badger Mountain. This group is lobbying to preserve local ridges for their scenic view and as open space. In their preservation efforts of Badger Mountain, three trails were created. The 1.1 mile Canyon Trail is for hikers while the 2.2 mile Skyline Trail and 1.0 mile Sagebrush Trail are both for hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders (see Access and Trails).

Friends of Mid-Columbia River Wildlife Refuges

The Friends of Mid-Columbia River Wildlife Refuges fosters understanding, appreciation and conservation of native fish, wildlife and plants located at Mid-Columbia River National Wildlife Refuges and assists USF&WS in providing opportunities and programs for environmental education and interpretation, and for wildlife-dependent recreation.

This organization maintains the McNary National Wildlife Refuge Education Center located in Burbank, WA where volunteers interested in connecting children to nature coordinate, organize, and host an outdoor classroom. Each year, approximately 2,000 students participate in hands-on experiential learning stations, including aquatic insects, shrub-steppe habitat, invertebrates, birds, and more.

Lower Columbian Basin Audubon Society

The Lower Columbian Basin Audubon Society (Tri-Cities) maintains the Dr. Rod Coler Audubon Nature Trail (aka Lower Columbia Basin Audubon Society Nature Trail) which consists of eight acres in central Columbia Park between State Highway 240 and the Columbia River in Kennewick. To get there, take State Route 240 to Edison Street in Kennewick and follow the signs to the park.

In addition, this organization supports local field trips and educational activities.

Open Space Coalition of Benton and Franklin Counties

The Open Space Coalition of Benton and Frankin Counties (OSFBF) promotes land use that sustains our great outdoors and community spirit. The coalition was formed in 2006 to provide a forum for coordinating and maximizing the effectiveness of groups and individuals with common principles who are working on natural open space and open space-related missions.

Partnerships include:

• Columbia Basin Chapter, Washington Native Plant Society (CBNPS)
• Friends of Badger Mountain
• Friends of Mid-Columbia River Wildlife Refuges
• Fun, Fit & Over 50 Club
• Inter-Mountain Alpine Club
• Lake Lewis Chapter, Ice Age Floods Institute
• Lower Columbia Basin Audubon Society
• Tapteal Greenway Association

These organizations also participate in the Ridges to Rivers Open Space Network (see section below).

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is a nonprofit organization working with communities to preserve unused rail corridors by transforming them into trails. This organization sponsors TrailLink.com which is a free trail search service. Some of the rails-to-trails projects that have been completed in this region include:

• Lower Yakima Valley Pathway (Grandview/Sunnyside) provides opportunities for walking, biking, cross country skiing, inline skating, and is ADA accessible.
• Cowiche Canyon Trail (Yakima) provides opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, running, cross-country skiing and wildlife observing. (more info...)
• Lake Wallula Scenic River Hiking Trail (Hat Rock State Park to McNary Beach Park - Umatilla) provides opportunities for hiking. (more info... PDF)

Ridges to Rivers Open Space Network

The Ridges to Rivers Open Space Network (RROSN) of the Mid Columbia Region is a partnership of organizations and governmental agencies representing a broad spectrum of entities who advocate coordination of regional open space planning.

Tapteal Greenway Association

The Tapteal Greenway Association has the mission of protecting native habitats and species through conservation and enhancing recreational opportunities throughout a 30-mile corridor along and including the Yakima River extending from Kiona Bend at Benton City to the mouth of the river at Bateman Island in Richland. Many park trails and several boat launches have been constructed in this area by this association.

Two of the major major preserves this organization is responsible for creating and maintaining are the Amon Basin and the Chamna Natural Preserve. Various maps of the Tapteal Greenway are available for download.

In 2007, the Tapteal Greenway Association, with support from local government and non-profit organizations, requested assistance from the National Park Service (NPS) to facilitate public open space planning through their RTCA Assistance Program. The request was approved and the planning process is underway for the Ridges to Rivers Open Space Network.

Washington Native Plant Society - Columbia Basin Chapter

The Washington Native Plant Society - Columbia Basin Chapter serves the Tri-Cities and Walla Walla area and is active in conducting plant surveys, salvaging, seed collecting, restoration ecology and public outreach.

This organization offers a free downloadable guide titled The Natural Way to Grow: Gardening with Native Plants of Eastern Washington (PDF), maintains a photo gallery of Columbia Basin Wildflowers, and coordinates wildflower viewing field trips in the spring and other activities. Activities take place in both the Tri-Cities and Walla Walla.

Yakima Bluffs Environmental Learning Park

An initiative is being proposed to the the City of Richland to establish an environmental learning park above the Yakima River near the Queensgate shopping complex. The Yakima Bluffs provide the best exposure of the ancient Yakima River deposits within the Columbia Basin that resulted from multiple ice age floods.

For more information, view the one page flyer (PDF file) and the proposal (PDF file). The flyer contains contact information for this initiative.

Yakima Greenway Foundation

The Yakima Greenway Foundation conserves, enhances and maintains the Yakima Greenway as a continuing living resource for future generations. The foundation boasts ten miles of paved pathway, three parks, two fishing lakes, and four river access landings (see maps).

Fee Free Days at State Parks

Washington State offers fee free days at state parks when a Discover Pass is not required. Check Discover Pass for the dates. A pass is still required for access to recreation lands managed by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Department of Fish and Wildlife

Fishing & Hunting Clubs

There are several fishing and hunting clubs in this region that include:

Yakima Nation Confederated Tribes and Bands

Wildlife, Range, & Vegetation Resources Management Program

The Yakima Nation's Wildlife, Range, & Vegetation Resources Management Program manages wildlife and habitats throughout the ecologically diverse, 1.2 million acre Reservation. As a Sovereign Nation under this Treaty, the Yakama Nation remains focused on their responsibility as stewards and protectors of the land and its valuable resources. Each year, the Yakima Nation opens a portion of the reservation for hunting of birds and small game. See The Public Hunting & Fishing Program for more information.

Hike TriCities.com

HikeTriCities.com describes over 20 local hikes in the Tri-Cities complete with pictures, videos, GPS tracings, maps and directions to the trailheads. Every hike also has descriptions with mileage, difficulty, elevation change and other features. In addition, recent blog posts are provided along with photographs of wildflowers and butterflies taken during several hikes.

Inter-Mountain Alpine Club - Tri-Cities

The Inter-Mountain Alpine Club has been in existence in the Tri-Cities since 1948 to encourage the enjoyment of the outdoors and to promote hiking, mountain climbing, and other activities (see Calendar). In addition, view their downloadable brochure of local hikes (PDF) in the Tri-Cities area.

The Cascadians - Yakima

The Cascadians is an outdoor recreation and conservation club located in Yakima. Activities include hiking, backpacking, climbing, skiing, bicycling, kayaking, and rafting (see Outings Calendar).

Yakima Outdoors

Yakima Outdoors is a non-profit entity dedicated to sharing knowledge of the Central Washington mountain/desert region. You can view outings, trail reports, photographs, and join their forum.

Rock Climbing

For rock climbing locations, view Kevin Pogue's guide to Rock Climbing areas near Walla Walla. Kevin's guide covers climbing areas in Southeast Washington and Northeast Oregon.

Geology Field Trips - Lake Lewis Chapter - Ice Age Floods Institute

For those who enjoy geology and want to go on field trips that involve some hiking, visit the Lake Lewis Chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute (IAFI). This organization occasionally offers lectures and field trips in the Tri-Cities region that are open to the public. View their Event Calendar.

Backcountry Horsemen of Washingtion

There are several Backcountry Horsemen of Washingtion chapters in this region that offer horseback trail riding opportunities:

• Purple Sage Riders (PSR) - Tri-Cities
• Rattlesnake Ridge Riders (RRR) - Benton City

The Purple Sage Riders and Rattlesnake Ridge Riders often ride at the following locations in the Tri-Cities area: Ayers Road (Finley), Madam Dorian Park (Wallula), W.E. Johnson Park (Richland), Badger Mountain (Richand), Juniper Dunes (outside Pasco), Horn Rapids Park (Richland), Red Mountain (Richland), and Wahluke Slope/Hanford Reach (Richland).

Tri-Cities Horse Calendar

View the Tri-Cities Horse Calendar for a list of horseback riding clubs, resources and events in the Tri-Cities area.

Safety Tips for Sharing Trails with Horses

The Lake Washington Saddle Club offers Safety Tips for Sharing Trails with Horses (PDF).

Columbia Plateau Trail State Park

A 15 mile section of trail in Franklin County is now part of the 130-mile Columbia Plateau Trail State Park that runs from the Tri-Cities to Cheney along the old SP&S railroad tracks. This trail is for hikers, bikers, and horseback riders. The nearest entry point from Tri-Cities is at Ice Harbor Dam. Also, more information about this trail is available from Wikipedia.

To get to the trailhead from Pasco, take Highway 12 east toward Walla Walla, then drive about 8.2 miles north on the Pasco-Kahlotus Highway. Turn right on Ice Harbor Dam Road and travel 2.5 miles to the dam. Continue north to the boat launch, taking the upper road nearest the railroad tracks.

Hanford Reach National Monument

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has current information about recreational opportunities and visiting guidelines for the Hanford Reach National Monument. These opportunities include boating, kayaking, conoeing, fishing, hiking, nature observation, and photography.

Terry Richard, from The Oregonian, posted a story about Hanford: It's not a reach to see beauty in this place. He describes several ways to access the different Hanford Reach units and some of the activities that can be done in each unit.

There are several short hiking trip reports about "Hanford Reach - White Bluffs" that have been posted at Washington Trails Association that are worth viewing.

Juniper Dunes Wilderness Area

For an early season day-time hiking or horseback riding opportunity, visit the Juniper Dunes Wilderness area which is 15 miles north of Pasco (see map). The Juniper Dunes Wilderness is a protected wilderness area comprising of 7,140 acres that was established in 1984 and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).The Juniper Forest area, adjacent to the Juniper Dunes Wilderness area, is popular for off-road vehicles with over 30,000 off-road enthusiasts visiting per year.

Terry Richard, from The Oregonian, posted a story about Juniper Dunes: a rare BLM wilderness. He describes his experience there and how to access the Juniper Dunes from another route from the north that is only 100 yards from the first sand dune. Access permission from the landowner is required and access is allowed only during March, April and May.

Flora and fauna information associated with the Juniper Dunes Wilderness area is available from Wikipedia.

Lake Sacajawea & Lake Wallula Recreational Areas

The US Army Corp of Engineers Walla Walla District maintains several recreational areas including Lake Sacajawea, the Snake River backup created by Ice Harbor Dam, 9 miles east of Pasco, and Lake Wallula, the 64 mile long Columbia River backup created by McNary Dam near Umatilla.

For a list of recreational sites in these two areas, examine the Lake Wallula Overview and Lake Sacajawea Overview.

Mid-Columbia River Natural Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Complex

The Mid-Columbia River Natural Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Complex includes several refuges in this region. The administrative offices are located at the McNary NWR, Burbank, Washington. Some of the activities available include hunting, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, boating, photography and wildlife observation.

The refuges located in this region are:

Sacagawea Heritage Trail - Tri-Cities

The Sacagawea Heritage Trail (Tri-Cities) is a recreational and educational trail along twenty-three miles of beautiful Columbia River shoreline in the Tri-Cities that has been created for bicycle and pedestrian use (see map).

The Tri-Cities Visitor & Convention Bureau manages the activities of the Tri-Cities Rivershore Enhancement Council (TREC) which allows the independent jurisdictions to develop the Sacagawea Heritage Trail cooperatively and consistently. You can sponsor a piece of equipment, fixture, art, or landscape improvement by helping the Friends of Our Trail team.

State Parks

There are several state parks in this region that offer a variety recreational opportunities:

Umatilla National Forest

The Umatilla National Forest is located in the Blue Mountains of Southeast Washington and Northest Oregon and the two forest districts closest to the Tri-Cities are the Pomeroy District and the Walla Walla District. Many recreational opportunities are available that include bicycling, camping & cabins, fishing, hiking, horse riding & camping, hunting, nature viewing, OHV riding & camping, outdoor learning, picnicking, scenic driving, water activities and winter sports.

The Pomeroy District offers fifteen campgrounds with Tucannon Campground being the most popular while the Walla Walla District offers six campgrounds with Jubilee Lake Campground being the most popular.

Updated motorized vehicle use maps are available that show routes open to motorized travel and display designations by vehicle class, seasons of use, and general travel rules and regulations.

Public Lands Information Center

The Public Lands Information Center allows you to search all public lands for campgrounds, parks & monuments, historical-cultural sites, lakes & reservoirs, wilderness areas, wildlife refuges & fish hatcheries, national & historic trails, and scenic drives. In addition, you can search by activity type like horseback riding or hiking. Try Search Washington's Public Lands and Search Oregon's Public Lands.

The following information is available from the Public Lands Information Center for this region:

Recreation.gov

Recreation.gov, part of the Recreation One-Stop E-Gov initiative, offers and provides a single point of access to information about Federal recreational activities and reservations. Information about recreation opportunities on Federal lands is displayed based on the interests of the customer, not centered on the agency providing the recreation opportunity.

You can reserve a camping or RV spot at any park maintained by the US Army Corps of Engineers or the National Forest Service online and/or obtain a list of campgrounds or other recreational areas of interest using their Recreation Search form.

Atomic Ducks Dive Club - Tri-Cities

Diving the beautiful waters of eastern Washington since 1960, the Atomic Ducks Dive Club consists of scuba divers from Richland, Kennewick, Pasco, Walla Walla, as well as Oregon and Idaho.

Yakima Dive Club

The Yakima Dive Club is another scuba diving club in this region that is based out of Yakima.

Bluewood & Spout Springs

Downhill and/or cross country skiing activities are available at Bluewood, located near Dayton, WA, and Spout Springs, located near Tollgate, OR.

Desert Ski Club

The Desert Ski Club is the Ski & Snowboard Club of the Tri Cities. This club has evolved into a year around Sports and Social Activities Club for singles & couples 21+ years of age.

Tri-Cities Annual Ski Swap & Snowboard Sale

The annual Tri-Cities Ski Swap & Snowboard Sale is held in late November at the Holiday Inn at the TRAC in Pasco. This is a three day event where you can buy outdoor/winter clothing and gear and even sell your used gear on consignment. Admission and parking is free.

Umatilla National Forest

The Umatilla National Forest has several winter sport activities available including sledding and cross country skiing.

Most sno-parks are geared for snowmobilers and very few exist for general snow play / sledding. Here are a few sno-parks that also support snow play / sledding in Southeast Washington and Northeast Oregon. Sno-park permits are required in both states.

Note: both the Bluewood Ski Resort and Spout Springs Ski Resort do not offer general snow play areas.

• Rose Springs - 16 miles south of Pomeroy
• Fields Spring State Park - 4.5 miles south of Anatone via Highway 129
• Andies Prairie - 8 miles east of Tollgate on ORE 204 - view brochure (PDF)

• Benton County / Prosser
• Columbia County / Dayton
• Franklin County / Pasco
• Grant County / Ephrata
• Umatilla County / Pendleton
• Walla Walla County / Walla Walla

Biking & Hiking Books

A new book, Day Hiking: Eastern Washington - Kettles-Selkirks Columbia Plateau Blue Mountains, is now available to pre-order. The targeted publish date is May 15, 2013. This book features 125 day hikes throughout the eastern Washington region. Who better to cover such a large geographic area than long-time eastern Washington expert Rich Landers, partnered with Day Hiking guru Craig Romano?

Other books that describe outdoor recreation including bike rides and hiking trips in this region have been published. View some of the examples below:

Inside Out Oregon: A Best Places Guide to the Outdoors (1998) by Terry Richard
Inside Out Washington: A Best Places Guide to the Outdoors (2001) by Ron C Judd

55 Hikes in Central Washington (1997) explores hiking in the following areas: Yakima, Pot Holes, Wenatchee, Grand Coulee, Columbia River, Snake River, and Umtanum.

100 Hikes in Inland Northwest (2003) covers hikes that are all within a three-hour drive of Spokane, Washington.

Best Desert Hikes: Washington (2004) explores 100 hikes, from short half-day trips (1-5 miles) to overnighters from Spokane, the TriCities, Yakima-Ellensburg, and Wenatchee-Chelan.

Great Bike Rides in Eastern Washington & Oregon (2003) presents 25 road tours that range from two-hour easy jaunts to challenging all-day rides.

Note: there are two other books listed in the Geology - Ice Age Floods section by Bruce Bjornstad that shows the best places to hike, bike, drive and fly to see some of the unique geologic features in this region.

Fishes of the Columbia Basin

Dennis Dauble published Fishes of the Columbia Basin which is an easy-to-use guide that includes handy references to fish species, locations of Columbia River tributaries and dams, websites related to fish and fishing, plus 147 illustrations and 16 pages of color plates. To learn more about this book, visit Keokee Books.

Wildflower Guides

The books shown below can be purchased at the monthly meetings of the Washington Native Plant Society - Columbia Basin Chapter (Tri-Cities). For more information about these and other recommended books, visit their bookstore.

Maps & Atlases

Benchmark Maps publishes several maps for this region that are shown below. They are great for locating campgrounds, parks and monuments, wildlife areas, boating and fishing locations, game management units and public lands.