Palouse Thrills

EVER SINCE Lewis and Clark paddled down the Snake River back in 1805, word has been getting out about Southeast Washington’s splashy outdoor scene.

Dive right in with a hair-blowing jet-boat ride through Hells Canyon National Recreation Area (www.fs.fed.us/hellscanyon), the deepest gorge in North America.

On dry land, the pastoral roads of the Palouse and paved riverside paths of Clarkston are a cyclist’s dream. The 14-mile North Fork of Asotin Creek Trail (www.fs.fed.us/r6/uma) is popular among the fat-tire set, while Pullman’s annual Tour de Lentil (www.lentilfest.com) draws hundreds of road riders annually.

South of the Snake River, the Blue Mountains top out at 6,000 feet, inviting hikers and equestrians to roam their miles of wilderness trails. And through the deep canyons of this forested range flow some of the finest fly-fishing creeks in the state. When snowfall blankets the Blues, wax up the skis: Fields Spring State Park (www.parks.wa.gov) boasts five miles of tracked ski runs and a cozy backcountry warming hut near 4,500-foot Puffer Butte.

Yet another feather in the region’s cap: Othello’s annual Sandhill Crane Festival (www.othellosandhillcranefestival.org). Held each March, the event celebrates the arrival of large flocks of migrating sandhill cranes, which come to take roost in the sprawling wetlands of the nearby Columbia National Wildlife Refuge (www.fws.gov/columbia). —CRAIG ROMANO

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