Check out this short and pretty hike if you are in the area. The trail seems to be a popular walking destination among locals. River views and interesting rock formations make the hike worthy, and the waterfall is an absolute gem.

To reach the trailhead, follow Central Ave till you see a common trailhead sign and parking lot to your right. Coordinates suggested by WTA and Google Maps point to “Similkameen Trailhead”, which is a dirty and sketchy warehouse yard. There seem to be no access to the trail portion between this “trailhead” and the bridge; the gates are permanently closed. Use “Taber’s Trailhead” near the bridge as described above. I’ve changed coordinates in the trail description, not sure how it gets approved.

In and out in 1 h 15 min. Hiked a bit past the falls viewpoint, turning around at “no unauthorized access” signs. Visit in the morning to beat shades, and watch out for poo - it’s all over the trail. 

Our Okanogan adventure continued by driving through a gorgeous valley previously unknown to us. The Sinlahekin Valley parallels highway 97 about 10 miles to it’s west going north up to the Canadian border. We visited a 14,000 acre DNR wildlife preserve. This preserve is maintained to provide winter grounds to support deer and ground bird populations for the eastern Cascades and other nearby areas. It was beautiful and invited walking about but in the middle of the day we saw no game so we moved along noting to revisit another time. Just before reaching Oroville, WA we caught the Similkameen trail at the Taber trailhead. This trail is a rail-to-trail conversion which is still ongoing. The impressive Girder Bridge itself was only converted for pedestrian usage in 2010. It spans the Similkameen River at a height of 86’, although it seems greater. This trail is a section of the much larger “Pacific Northwest Trail” which ultimately will span from Glacier National Park to the Olympics. This wide and flat trail offers great views of a treacherous-at-times river and the hilly, shrub-steppe climate of the northern Okanogan. Kruger Mountain looms over the scene defining the boundary between the US and Canada. We wandered along for about 3 and one half miles, being sure to close all gates behind us. The 1919 Enloe Dam offered an impressive site is a narrow portion of the gorge. We stopped at the abandoned railway tunnel where it cuts off a bend in the river known as “Shankers Bend”. The huge timbers supporting the entrances of the tunnel speak of another era. This entire rail system was created to haul ore to market. Dredgers can still be seen in the shallows of the river looking for the elusive flecks of gold.

Well, I saw a rattlesnake. I'm ok with this, and to be fair there were warning signs. But, I'm used to hiking in western WA so the dusty desert terrain is new to me. This hike was more of a walk along an old railroad bed so it was flat, wide and fairly boring. It's just over two miles to the dam lookout and the Similkameen River canyon is pretty.

Sunny day, early afternoon (@1:45), temperature around 50F. Saw some bear scat in a few places, but no bears in site. Creeping buttercups beginning to bloom, as well as some of the bushes and trees. Benches along the way at just the right spots for a brief rest and photo ops. Bring water as there is no water source. Changing sunlight made for some nice pictures in and out of the trail.