Douglas Creek Canyon - South

You can see many of this hike’s features from the parking area. To the north, an obvious railroad grade crosses Douglas Creek and heads up the canyon. The creek itself is pleasant, and the canyon is scenic. A couple of waterfalls add to the picture.

From the parking area, walk down a rough jeep road to reach the creek. Here you can poke around, upstream and down, enjoying the waterfalls. If you don’t think too hard about what’s in the agricultural runoff from the Waterville Plateau, you can take a dip and splash around in the waterfalls. Wildflowers and birds are abundant in season.

The walk to and from your car to the falls, with additional exploring in the area, come to barely a mile of hiking. For more, follow the road/railroad grade across the creek and up the canyon. If you are willing to get your feet wet, here and at a few more places along the road, you can walk another 3 miles to the Douglas Creek Canyon - North trailhead. The road stays on the canyon floor, sometimes on the old railroad grade, and passes numerous camping areas next to the creek. RVs sometimes park here, having arrived from the north.

When you climb back to your car, you might find yourself wondering where the trains used to go. The railroad grade appears to end in a steep ravine cut into a hillside. Here is the final feature of this hike: a collapsed railroad tunnel!  The rail line went through a short tunnel here, then continued down Moses Coulee on the way to the mainline at the Columbia River. Your car is parked practically on top of the collapsed tunnel! If you look around a bit near the parking area, you can spot a depression in the ground above where the tunnel caved in.

WTA Pro Tip: Looking for more mileage, but similar canyon vibes? Check out the Douglas Creek Canyon - North hike.