Chief Joseph Wildlife Area - Green Gulch — Friday, May. 25, 2012

Eastern Washington > Palouse and Blue Mountains

The Chief Joseph Wildlife Area – Green Gulch Trail is quite worth the effort and time to get there. I took the optional northern secondary gulch game trail which is quite worth it if you have the time and energy. The hike is listed as moderate but I would have listed it as being difficult according to my capabilities. It also took me six hours to complete the entire hike and I was quite sore the next day. I came across several baby rattlesnakes along the trail which raised my heart rate a little. I did not see any turkeys in the area which was a little disappointing. There a lot of butterflies, song birds, quail, pheasants, snakes, deer and elk. There is no hunting allowed in this area and there are well marked red “Safety Zones” signs at the beginning of the trail and on the drive there. A couple of great experiences that I had was when a deer checked me out from right above me on a rock outcropping and when a heard of six elk paused to look at me. I am used to them running at the sight of me. If following the driving directions in the book Best Desert Hikes Washington written by Alan L. Bauer and Dan A. Nelson be aware of the fact that there has been route changing at the end of the directions due to road construction rerouting and signage changes. There is no hunting allowed in this area which is one less worry. No one wants to be mistaken for a deer. So there are no longer any more signs that state “Public Access for Hunting / Fishing”. The book also states that there is “a small human population in the immediate area” but there are houses lining the river until the last few miles to the parking area. There is some really good camping sites right on the river but unfortunately also right alongside the road. There are also some good camping sights on the river that are only accessible by boat.