Columbia Plateau Trail - Amber Lake, Columbia Plateau Trail - Martin Road Trailhead & Columbia Plateau Trail - South Falk Road Trailhead — Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025

I met a friend to help set up a shuttle for a nice long one-way hike on the Columbia Plateau State Park Trail that includes some of the prettiest sections of this long trail: 

• First we both met at the Martin Road Trailhead to drop off a shuttle vehicle, and this was our endpoint for the hike.
• Next I drove my friend to the Fish Lake Trailhead to drop him off, as he was planning to do the really long version! I think he did around 24 miles in total.
• After drop off, I had an online meeting. So I took a little break at the Cheney Library after the shuttle was complete, and joined my meeting from there. My friend reports that the section between Fish Lake and Sterling Road is very pretty, with a long stretch that crosses through Turnbull Wildlife Refuge. So I have no personal report about this one, but it definitely sounds as though it is worth checking out!
• After my meeting, we'd coordinated to meet at the Sterling Road access point. I didn't include it as a trailhead since there is not a formal/developed trailhead at this location, but there is a nice wide spot along the side of the road with easy access for 2-3 vehicles. 

I joined my friend for the rest of the hike, with total distance from Sterling Road to our waiting shuttle vehicle at the Martin Road Trailhead clocking in at just over 10 miles with a mere 174' of elevation gain. This entire section is unpaved, hardpack gravel. In some areas it does include old railroad ballast which is a bit hard on the feet (and looks as though it might be more difficult for wheels and hooves). 

There are no facilities at Sterling, but there are CXT outhouses available at both the Amber Lake TH (which had hand sanitizer, too!) and at the Martin Road TH. Additionally, we passed a small developed trailhead at South Falk Road. This one is a small gated parking lot with no bathroom facilities. Since it is gated, it might be worth calling the Riverside State Park office to inquire if planning a visit during the winter season. The gate was open today, but I suspect it might be locked at certain times of the year when trailhead maintenance is not possible.

This was a great section for fall colors, with lots of small aspen groves and hawthorn shrubs along the way. I am also hoping to return to the South Falk Road Trailhead later in order to explore some DNR property that is easily accessible from the trail just east of that trailhead. We saw a small herd of mule deer near the DNR property, lots of interesting birds along the way, plus a gopher snake and a Jerusalem cricket on the trail.