Two of us hiked Douglas Creek Canyon from the north TH this weekend to escape the drizzle to the west of the mountains. We set out planning to make it a one-night backpack, hiking up 5-6 miles, camping, and hiking back the next day. 

The canyon is just gorgeous - pillow basalt and columnar basalt lining the walls and wildflowers in bloom. The trail is easy to follow, transitioning from rail route to ATV route to trail and back again several times. Creek crossings were super easy (it's late June, after all), and most of the creekbeds after the first mile are entirely dry.

And that's what changed our camping plans. After hiking 5-6 miles up the canyon, we really didn't see anyplace to camp that had water access. So we turned around and hiked back, and about .6 miles from the TH we set up in a nice grassy area near the creek. Made for a very short second day!

Aside from the beautiful basalt, my favorite thing about this hike was the birds. Just a symphony of birdsong the whole time, with cliff swallows, wrens, goldfinches, and swifts burbling away. And we did not see another soul the entire time. 

Douglas creek is a great dog friendly hike if you’re looking for a hidden water hole to get you out of the sun and into several cold blue pools !

The Great Northern Railway built a branch line up Douglas Creek Canyon in 1909, mainly to carry grain from the wheat fields on the Waterville plateau.  A small network of rails served Waterville, Mansfield, Palisades, Alstown, Douglas, Supplee, Withrow, and Touhey, all connecting to the mainline via Douglas Creek Canyon.  Only Waterville and Mansfield are anything like towns anymore, though all still appear on maps.  The last trains ran on this line in 1985.

The tracks, ties, and bridges have been removed and the rail grade is now a remote and scenic hike.  I began my walk at the Douglas Creek North trailhead off Slack Canyon Road.  From here a short trail leads half a mile to the actual rail grade.  For the first mile or so on the old grade, you might not realize this was once a railroad--the line crosses the creek several times, and with the bridges gone it can seem like you are just winding around on a creek trail.  But soon the creek crossings become less frequent, and the familiar cuts and fills of a rail grade appear.  When I walked here in late October only two creek crossings had any water, and they were easily stepped over.

I walked generally northwest, though the canyon makes lots of U-turns as it slowly climbs to the Waterville Plateau.  My turnaround was the next road crossing, at Kelly Davis Road SW, about 6.5 miles in.  Here was a signpost but no sign.  The steep canyon walls near the beginning of the hike had dwindled to low rounded hills. 

Vegetation was largely sagebrush and the like, with some cottonwoods in the riparian area.  The walking was easy, with a wide smooth trail and little chance of getting lost.  My favorite feature of the hike was the seeming remoteness and solitude, despite Wenatchee being less than twenty air miles away.  I can't speak for every day and season, but on this October weekday it sure seemed like very few people hike this trail.

This was the second trip this spring to Douglas Creek Canyon. I took Road H off Highway 2 to the trailhead which is exactly 8 miles. Road is good, but the last 1/2 mile is steep and a little rough, but no problem for my Ford Focus sedan. A big sign greets you at the roomy trailhead parking lot. I found a good camping spot just past it for my 2-day hiking adventure.

The trail is an old rail line that has had tracks, ties and bridges removed. The spots where bridges are gone is bulldozed road that is rougher than the old rail bed, but still no problem to negotiate. The rail bed is easy walking (No big rock ballast surface). There are several creek crossings, but rocks placed in the water makes a dry traverse possible. A couple crossings far from the trailhead were challenging.

I wanted to take the trail all the way to its northern terminus and it took about 5 hours to do this. More than 3 hours into the hike, I came to a graveled road, Kelly Davis Road, according to the map, which had a challenging water crossing. The old rail bed continues across the road, but is less visible and used. It's still easy to follow and is marked by brown carsonite BLM signs. The deep coulee with its impressive walls are less dramatic here as the inclining rail bed slowly brings you up to the plateau. One creek crossing here was impossible without getting wet. I bushwhacked my way to a spot along the creek where I was able to cross, with some difficulty. I reached the rail bed's end at Alstown Road where there's a big grain elevator.

There were lots of blooming plants and the landscape's pretty green, making for many pauses for admiration. There was a bull snake sunning itself on the trail, and lots of birds that caused me to pull out my phone many times and use my Merlin app for ID'ing. The rock formations are impressive and interesting, also causing plenty of pauses for admiration.

Didn't see a single tick, any other hikers, nor another car besides mine at the trailhead. One person drove past on a motorcycle as I walked on the former rail bed. 

This is one cool canyon whether you are interested in geology or not. Very impressive rock and basalt formations. The canyon is located "in the middle of nowhere" amid flat wheat growing farmlands. To get here I drove Hwy 2 west over the Columbia River and through Waterville which is a quaint little town. The road to the trailhead goes through flat plains and then it descends steeply into the bottom of the canyon. The road is in good shape but it gets very narrow shortly before the trailhead. The parking lot is small. I only encountered a couple of people on this day. 

The canyon is beautiful. The walls of ancient rocks give insight into the history of how parts of Washington were formed. Trees, especially serviceberry and other foliage add colorful contrast to the rocks. The trail is flat and easy to walk on. There are several stream crossings. At this time of year none are difficult to cross. I only walked the north section of the canyon. There is a southern approach to this canyon via a different trailhead. I haven't taken this route and maybe I"ll explore it another time. I imagine that this hike is less appealing in the summer due to hot temperatures and exposure to rattlesnakes.