This is the northern end of The Chief Joseph Wildlife Area in Asotin County where the Grande Ronde and Snake Rivers meet. Rather than starting at nearby Green Gulch, I drove up Rogersburg Rd after crossing the bridge over the Grand Ronde. The road is signed and leads to the small community. 

I parked a bit east of the red tower structure with cables across the Grand Ronde where a section of state property comes down to the road at the base of a cliffy ridge that drops from Lime Hill some 2000' above. 

Lower down there is no trail but the terrain is wide open (though may be a bit brushy in summer) and I gained the ridge at a low spot past the cliffy areas. Game trails and old, grassy roads make the going up easy and I mainly hiked up on the crest of the ridge beside an old fence line until just below the summit. 

Lots of elk and deer wintering in this area. 

Lime Hill can also be approached via The Green Gulch Trail but is a longer hike unless two vehicles can be arranged for a through hike. The link below shows the starting point and route up Lime Hill though is a more extended hike than I did. 

This is a good option for the winter months as snow is minimal at these low elevations. Microspikes and poles would come in handy in steeper sections when snow/ice is present. 

Decided to check out the area in summer now that it's cooled down a bit on this side of the state. It was still in the 80's but not too uncomfortable to hike with the nice breeze. 

Got to witness a bull elk confront another smaller male that thought he could mosey right into his herd of 13 cows and calves. 

The parking area is being renovated after spring flooding damaged it. 

I returned to check on spring conditions and there is a profusion of green in Green Gulch. I hiked to the upper gulch and made ascents of Point 4148 and Mt Wilson for some big views of the area. 

Flowers are in full swing with paintbrush, balsamroot, shooting star, phlox and blue bell looking especially good. Lupine is soon to come and there will be lots of it after the wet and cool spring. 

I can see how this place got its name! 

I went back to Green Gulch to check on conditions and snow is still holding on at the bottom of the canyon. It won't be around much longer as the temperature was in the 60's when I got back to the car.

Rather than hike in the slush I opted to break off up the ridge toward Point 2814 about 1 mile up the canyon. This was a good choice to keep the boots dry and get some views of the area. 

I'll return in a couple of weeks to visit some of the higher ridges and hopefully see some flowers before the rattlers and poison ivy show up. 

This area is located in the extreme southeast corner of Wa near where the Grande Ronde and Snake Rivers join. An old road heads up the canyon which is now called The Green Gulch Trail. It goes for miles and starts to swing back toward the north and the confluence of the two rivers. This is a good option during the winter months as it starts at a lowly 1000' where snow is rare. 

I attempted to reach the highpoint in the area, but the ridge became icy and steep above about 3000.' I wore my microspikes but they didn't inspire much confidence so I decided to come back in early March when the ice has melted. 

I descended back to the trail and hiked up to a gentle 2814' point with grand views over the area before returning to the empty trailhead. 

The drive to this hike is very scenic along the Snake River south of Asotin. 

6.7 miles and 1800' of gain. 

The WTA hiking guide states that the area is closed in winter but I contacted the Wa Department of Fish and Wildlife and was assured that it's open year-round for hiking. 

The Chief Joseph Wildlife Area – Green Gulch Trail is quite worth the effort and time to get there. I took the optional northern secondary gulch game trail which is quite worth it if you have the time and energy. The hike is listed as moderate but I would have listed it as being difficult according to my capabilities. It also took me six hours to complete the entire hike and I was quite sore the next day. I came across several baby rattlesnakes along the trail which raised my heart rate a little. I did not see any turkeys in the area which was a little disappointing. There a lot of butterflies, song birds, quail, pheasants, snakes, deer and elk. There is no hunting allowed in this area and there are well marked red “Safety Zones” signs at the beginning of the trail and on the drive there. A couple of great experiences that I had was when a deer checked me out from right above me on a rock outcropping and when a heard of six elk paused to look at me. I am used to them running at the sight of me. If following the driving directions in the book Best Desert Hikes Washington written by Alan L. Bauer and Dan A. Nelson be aware of the fact that there has been route changing at the end of the directions due to road construction rerouting and signage changes. There is no hunting allowed in this area which is one less worry. No one wants to be mistaken for a deer. So there are no longer any more signs that state “Public Access for Hunting / Fishing”. The book also states that there is “a small human population in the immediate area” but there are houses lining the river until the last few miles to the parking area. There is some really good camping sites right on the river but unfortunately also right alongside the road. There are also some good camping sights on the river that are only accessible by boat.