Synopsis The Pacific Crest Trail is probably the more famous trail that transects Washington, but there is also the Palouse to Cascade trail that starts from King County and continues all the way to Idaho mainly following the I-90 corridor. It is an old railroad line, which makes it a relatively easy trail (wide with gentle ascent/descent). It's a great trail for bicycles, horse back riders, and hikers.
Needing a quick and easy nature fix, we decided to try the trail starting at Easton and hiking back toward Snoqualmie pass. The first 1/4 mile out of Easton, wasn't very scenic - getting out of the rural town to Lake Easton. The trail never provide grand views of the surrounding foothills or the Yakima River, just peek-a-boo views through dense stands of ponderosa and douglas fir. But there was plenty of bird song and calls, even in July. Yellow-rumped, Townsends, Yellow and MacGillivary's Warblers sang from the treetops and riparian thickets. We spied the flashes of yellow Western Tanagers amongs the pine needles. From the bridge that crossed Cabin Creek, we spied a fledgling Cedar Waxwing being fed and Northern Rough-winged Swallows gliding above. Swallowtails and fritillaries flitted over a dense meadow of blooming globe gilia. The trail side was dotted with the occassionally blooming Columbia tiger lily, self-heal, Oregon sunshine, and paintbrush, a good mix of eastern meadow and western forest wildflowers.
Despite the lack of grand viewpoints or high bird density, we still had an enjoyable day hiking along the trail. It is a trail I'd look forward to trying different parts of in the future.
