Frog Lake and Crab Creek Trail
Just south of Potholes Reservoir is the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, an area of lava flow cliffs, lakes, ponds, grasslands, and canyons. It is part of the channeled scablands, scoured by the release of an ice age lake, an eroded and complex terrain. We drove into the middle of the Refuge to hike the Frog Lake – Mesa Loop – Crab Creek trails on a spring day.
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The trail is a moderate one, following a track around ponds with a short loop on top of a mesa which provided views in each direction.
The wetlands surrounded by grasslands and the dry desert hills of Central Washington provides a rich habitat for wildlife. Up to 75 000 sandhill cranes visit the Refuge in March and April. We spotted many birds on the ponds, in the riparian zone, and in the grasslands.
We hiked this 8.5 km trail in the morning, then hiked the Goose Lake Plateau in the afternoon (from the same parking spot). To find the trailhead, turn south from the O’Sullivan Dam (east end) toward the Soda Lake Campground. Pass that turn and continue south for a total of 4.5 km (2.8 miles). There is much to see in the Refuge and hiking is the best way to do it.