There was snow covering the parking lot and falling when we arrived. We saw no one else the whole time we were in the park. We hiked the loop trail and the trail had a fresh layer of snow covering the ice below. Definitely slick in places and everyone slipped. Three out of four of us fell down (no injuries, just laughs). I could have used my microspikes here but had left them in Seattle. Good hike wish there was a better view, but every hike is different and sometimes the ones with "bad" weather are the most memorable.

This is a correction to the description listed. It should say "continue hiking to the WEST end of the butte,..." "Continue hiking to the east end of the butte, passing through very wide open meadows on the south-facing slope, then plunge down quickly into the deep forest of the northern slope again to return to the trailhead."

We hiked Kamiak Butte because we had to haul the Bullwinkles to WSU Vet Hospital in Pullman and stay overnight for a course of treatment for the Bigger Bullwinkle. Rocky stayed home- she has hung up her bomber cap and taken her last ride to a trailhead on July 4. We decided to camp in the nice, simple campground at Kamiak Butte County Park- 7 car sites, 2 walk-in, instead of staying in Pullman, about 10 miles away. The County Park is a former State Park that Whitman County took over when closure was threatened. We had an afternoon to kill waiting for the doctor to call,so we decided to hike the 3.5 mile Pine Ridge Trail on Kamiak Butte. The Butte is apparently a geologic vestige of a solidified old lakebed that survived lava flows, floods, and farming. The butte runs east/west, with north/south faces that differ dramatically due to the exposure. We hiked up twice to Pine Ridge Trail, first at about 12:30 p.m. from the campground area following the forested north face, with mock orange in bloom, ocean spray following, and all sorts of other forest area herbs and shrubs. At the top, we took the summit spur (signed) toward the towers and enjoyed wide-ranging views of the verdant Palouse- almost eerily too much "verde" or green here- tractors have sculpted every undulation into fields of crops. We walked down the loop toward the day use area. At the top, and along this route, there are fewer trees, and all sorts of pretty wildflowers- lupine, vetch, rose, yarrow and paintbrush, and others I'm still looking up. The weather was beautiful- mid-70's with a nice light breeze and lots of sun. Views are great, and the dirt trails- dry at this time- are nice to travel on. The ridge and south face are very "eastern Washington"- more dry side feeling, with a lovely spicy pine scent. We went back up in the evening, traveling to the summit via the trailhead from the day use area and circling back down via the campground leg. The climb from the day use area seems less steep and the path is wider than the portion climbing from the campground. In a clearing with a grand, moss-covered snag, we found a great horned owl fledgling begging loudly in a raspy, wheezy call. A gentleman who came down the trail stopped to watch the crying babe in the woods and told of a nearby spot with even more owls, giant owls unafraid of people. He warned us about the moose cow on Kamiak- the 2 year old bull wasn't so bad, and was timid, but his mother was permanently grumpy. Natives of moose country, we nodded knowingly. The trail runner had taught on the east coast and knew the moose country we came from. The owl fledgling took shelter on a limb against a trunk and continued occasional crying. Unsure whether we were discouraging the parental attention it needed, and now losing light, we descended via the steeper trail to the campground. The campground, nestled deep in the tree island in amongst the farmland all around, is a peaceful spot to be at night, where the wind brushing the treetops in a very Heidi-like way doesn't bother you as you sleep in your tent. In the morning, Natasha wandered the "Sunset Trail"- great campground trails that lead to pretty viewpoints of the adjacent wheatfields, where one lone deer was enjoying breakfast. All in all, a great hike to be recommended on an eastside foray- take a few days and explore other hikes along the way, or in the area!

Picked a nice spring afternoon and decided to try this trail out. It was a good hike and the view was amazing. There were quite a few people on the trail because it was Moms Weekend at WSU. The trail was well keep, you could tell they had recently removed all the winter blow down. There was a little mud, but thats to be expected with the weather in the last couple weeks. If you have a nice day in the Palouse, this is worth the hike.