EASTERN WASHINGTON

Summary

---

Saltese Uplands is a local’s favorite. It’s close and great for fall, winter or spring hiking. The area is mostly grassland and offers very little in the way of shade. Its gently rolling hills offer easy walking trails and provide a “made to order” experience. Length purely depends on where you wander and how much time you have.

Trail Stats

---

Trail Details

---

The Conservation area offers a plethora of multi use trails and is popular with hikers, families, trail runners and bikes. Occasionally there are horses and nearly always dogs running around. Often unleashed despite rules to the contrary. Most seem well behaved and we’ve never had a problem. Depending on the season you should be tick aware.

There are two parking lots off Henry Road, the first offers a port o potty toilet. This lot sits at the base of the hill holding a water tank. The second lot is a short distance down the road and offers direct access to Saltese Flats as well.

The route displayed begins at the main parking lot and takes you immediately uphill. The path is surprisingly steep and the trail frequently splits. It doesn’t really matter which path you take up, they all head in the same general direction for the most part. I tend to stick to the left and skirt the outer rim of the park. I am after all a creature of habit.

Along the way are frequent rock outcroppings and piles that offer resting points or as my young nephew calls them, “view spots”. With him it takes decidedly longer to reach the summit as we must stop at each rock and observe how the view has altered. It’s adorable.

Atop the hill is a great spot for a sandwich that, according to my niece, is well earned and decidedly necessary. From here there’s views of the Flats below, Liberty Lake (the town), into Spokane Valley and the surrounding hills. I generally prefer natural scenery but it’s a pretty good overlook of the area. And it’s fun to pick out landmarks we know or to see how many water towers you can spot. My niece won the observational count hands down.

The water tank is exactly as you’d expect. A big, round, slightly off yellow tank plopped smack dab atop the hill. There is an access road that goes down the other side of the hill.

Once you loop down the back side of the hill it becomes significantly quieter. The I-90 corridor disappears and views are more natural. If the wind is blowing you will feel it, there’s minimal to block its path unless you round a corner.

The trail slowly winds its way downhill. Soon, Liberty Lake (the lake, not the town) becomes visible nestled in the valley. In the sunlight it glistens and in winter (if it’s appropriately frozen over) you can often glimpse ice skaters. Hawks frequently soar overhead and there are plentiful birds happily chattering away as you pass. Natural beauty so close to town.

Once the lake disappears from view, the trail skirts along the southern part of the conservation area. Here there’s generally fewer walkers, though it seems popular with bikers. It is here that we let Lucille (the cat!) out to stroll. Much easier to avoid loose dogs and loads of people while encouraging her to enjoy the outdoors with us. She seems skeptical of the outside worlds magnificence but does seem taken with the occasional sniff of something mysteriously new.

Eventually the trail descends back down toward Henry road and you’ll follow its path toward the parking lots. Your view returns to the Flats and local farms dotting the valley.

Along this section is one tiny wooded space that nearly provides a tunnel of vegetation (in the summer at least) to walk through. Shade is most welcome in the heat of August. For no particular reason I love this small section and yet find it mildly creepy.

Overall, is this trail system the most exciting? Hardly. But is it pretty in its own barren way, yes. Easy and convenient from home makes it a frequent stop for me.

A Moment For Saltese Flats Wetland Area

---

While we rarely visit the Flats, it’s a great option for a relatively flat, wide, gravel path through the marshes of local wetlands. Bird watching is supposedly superb here. I can tell a duck from a goose but my knowledge of the intricacies and varieties of birds is limited at best. And I’m ok with that for now. I’ve heard bird watching sneaks up on people.

We occasionally took our old dog, Maggie, here for a walk. Specifically when she was failing and could no longer tolerate hills or lengthy strolls but still loved being outside. In fact, this is where we took Maggie for her final walk. Sad day.

She was a fabulous hiking and backpacking companion for most of her long years with us. She logged an impressive quantity of miles mainly exploring the Washington Cascades. Maggie was always sad to be left behind. She loved all the sniffs and the wind in her fur.

---