The Cheney trailhead for the Columbia Plateau State Park Trail is located about .9 miles south of Cheney on the Cheney-Spangle Rd. There is plenty of parking at the trailhead, with options available for cars and horse trailers. The trailhead has two vault toilets and a couple of covered picnic tables. Horses and bicycles are allowed on the trail, but there is a 15 mph speed limit on the trail. Heading east from this trailhead will lead to Fishlake, which is about 4 miles away. Heading west will get you to Pasco, WA if you walk the entire 130 mile length of this trail. Amber Lake, at about 12 miles away, is much closer.

This portion of the trail is easier to walk than the more southerly portion that I have traversed. The large rock has been covered with a much finer layer of rock that makes for better footing and a softer, almost spongy surface. It had been rainy before this trip, so perhaps that adds a little to the sponginess of the trail. I think that runners would find this an easy trail to run. I walked to the bathroom about 4.5 miles west of the trailhead. The bathroom was open and had been cleaned and stocked the week before Christmas, so I believe this facility is probably open year round. Mile markers show distance to Portland, OR.
Despite the fact that the trail was dead straight, there was quite a lot of variety to the views offered. The scablands of the Columbia Plateau offer many pools of water, which bring a large variety of wildlife to the area. Unfortunately, it was only about 28 degrees out when I traversed this section, so I did not see much of the wildlife. The only birds that I saw were a group of geese flying by. I believe that I heard a wood pecker, but was unable to find it. As for tracks, I did see deer and elk tracks on the trail. In addition to the pools of water, there is a lot of marshland also.

There was a lot more shade on this portion of the trail than the southern portion offers. Camping is not allowed on the trail and campgrounds are not readily available from what I have been able to see from brief searches. I believe the best way to enjoy this trail would be to treat sections as out and back hikes or use two cars to do point to point hikes.
Overall, I did enjoy the solitude that the trail offered. There was a singular bench to stop at about 2 miles from the trailhead with another at the bathroom. There was a total of 60 feet in elevation change according to my app, so the trail is very easy. I saw two other hikers and I do not recall ever seeing the parking lot full when I have driven by.

For official information about this trail: https://parks.wa.gov/find-parks/state-parks/columbia-plateau-state-park-trail

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