Bike or hike Wahluke Slope on Hanford Reach

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Bike or hike Wahluke Slope on Hanford Reach

By DAVE SCHAFER
Herald staff writer

Everyone's talking about the Hanford Reach, but far fewer people have taken a close look at it, or realize how easy it is to get to.

While government agencies and officials debate over who will best protect the scenic property, now is the prime time to see the landscape that has everyone talking - and arguing - from Seattle to Washington, D.C.

It's called the Wahluke Slope, or by some, the North Slope. It's a big chunk of Hanford land open to the public, and it's set along the most pristine stretch of the Columbia River left in the United States.

It's just north of Pasco, but the pothole-ridden dirt road leading up to the gate probably keeps adventure seekers at bay.

Maybe it's the distance, although most Mid-Columbians are used to driving a few miles for a secluded walk in the wilds.

Whatever the reason, this may be one of the Tri-Cities' best-kept secrets, though it's one of its most talked-about assets.

To get there from Interstate 182 in Pasco, go north on Road 68.

Where the road forks, take the bend to the right - that's Taylor Flats Road.

Follow Taylor Flats for about 13 miles until it comes to a T, which is the intersection with Ringold Road.

Turn left onto Ringold Road, follow it down a windy grade about 2.5 miles and keep alert as you approach an orchard on the left.

You need to head toward the Ringold fish hatchery, which means a sharp left as you near the bottom of a hill. Unfortunately, that turn is somewhat obscured by the orchard.

Once you make the turn and are facing the river, you'll come to another T in the road. Take a right onto Ringold River Road and you're nearly there.

Driving north now, settle in for a bumpy ride. The pavement ends, potholes appear and gravel flies.

Follow this road for about 15 miles along the river until you reach a gate across the road, which is just below some wooden towers that once held transmission lines for the old Hanford Townsite.

(Point of interest: That rubble across the river is the old Hanford Townsite.)

This also is where you leave your car or truck behind.

Gordon LaVoy, regional land program manager for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, said the area is open to daytime recreation only, and no motorized vehicles are allowed.

However, mountain bikes are OK and are a fantastic way to tour more of the slope than you'd likely cover on foot.

Horses also are allowed, but the gate across the road north of Ringold may be locked.

If it is, fish and wildlife officials said riders might find an opening by following the barbed-wire fence.

If you tour on foot, walk into the heart of the Wahluke Slope along the closed road, which skirts a lush field, then climbs a steep hill.

A trail intersects with the road at the top of this hill.

Hikers and bikers will enjoy taking the path upstream, as it offers the most scenic view of the White Bluffs and the river below before ending a couple of miles later near marshy wetlands.

Mountain bikers will find the Wahluke Slope holds some of the best single-track in the area, with only a few sandy spots.

A word of warning, however: The habitat is home to deer, coyotes, eagles, rabbits and a host of other critters, including snakes. Without proper boots you're wise to stay on the path.

Also, don't start fires. Wildfires aren't uncommon on the Wahluke Slope, said LaVoy, and carelessness is often to blame.

Pack plenty of water, and dress for the weather. If it's hot in the Tri-Cities, it'll be hot on the sandy bluffs of the Columbia River. Of course, you can splash on some river water to cool off.

Be careful, however, as currents in the Reach are much stronger than in the Tri-Cities.

Otherwise, LaVoy said, "People can fish out there, based on the regulations, and they can look around and photograph it.

"There also are a lot of cultural sites out here, but you are not allowed to remove any items from them."

Under state law, archeological looters face stiff penalties. Knowingly disturbing an archaeological site is a misdemeanor. Disturbing a burial ground - whether knowingly or not - is a felony.

The felony charges carry maximum sentences of five years in prison and $10,000 fines.

The main roadway through the North Slope leads to the upper plateau and to some small lakes.

LaVoy suggests people stay on the roads if they take that route and keep out of any areas posted as closed.

Several miles north of the White Bluffs is the boundary between the state land and property controlled by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The state land is open, the federal property is not.

Just heed any signs, LaVoy suggests. There's plenty of state land to explore - about 59,000 acres - that run from Ringold to the Saddle Mountains.

"If you take a look at the central basin area, the Hanford area is a unique shrub-steppe habitat in a sea of agricultural land that used to be shrub-steppe," Lavoy said. "From a vegetative point of view, there are some conditions out there that I wouldn't say are rare, but certainly they are diminished in size from what they used to be.

"It is a rather unique and desolate kind of area."

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