Rebecca and I decided to go hike the Green Gulch Trail in the Chief Joseph Wildlife Area in WA state. We arrived at the parking area around 11:30 in the morning and set out to hike the trail. There is an old school house in the parking lot, as well as a vault toilet. The school house has some interesting graffiti, as well as the expected juvenile stuff, but nothing else super exciting.
To get to the parking area, you must follow the Snake River Road south out of Asotin, WA. Follow the road until it crosses over the Grande Ronde River. At this point, it is the same road, but has changed name to Joseph Creek Rd. After roughly 28 miles of total travel, you will see a parking area with an old white building and a vault toilet. The entrance to the trail is about a hundred yards or so further down the road. There is a big, yellow sign indicating the rules for vehicular use, which seems to be allowed during hunting season and only for vehicles ATV size and smaller. E-bikes do appear to be allowed only during the same period as motorized vehicles.

We began our hike by crossing over the human sized gate and immediately started to climb upwards. This would be the theme of the day, but the trail was very easy to follow as it appears to be a disused jeep track. There was a tree that had fallen across the trail at one point, but we able to manipulate it a little and make space to get by. There was water flowing down the ravine that we were traveling up, and this water crossed the trail twice and flowed down it for about 15 feet at one point. This may be a seasonal flow as there was still some snow melting up above us. Speaking of melting, there was some snow/ice on the trail still. I enjoyed watching the water flow for a few minutes as it pulsed and bubbled underneath the ice before we headed up the ravine again.

This hike was filled with great views. We were quite a ways up for southeastern WA, with our finishing elevation close to 2600 ft. after 2.5 miles. It was a total gain of roughly 1700 ft. We did not see any wildlife of note, but there were elk signs as well as what we assumed to be coyote prints. We saw deer closer to Asotin, and I read that there are mountain goats in this area. Various raptors were spotted flying in the air, but they were much too far away to tell what they were for sure. I am fairly certain, from both what I read about the area and experiencing it, that rattlesnakes would love this place. In the spring, I assume there would be quite a bit of flowers and greenery from the trees and shrubs. The grasses were already to starting to green up nicely. I do not think that there would be an abundance of shade on this trail in the summer, so be sure to pack plenty of water and whatever sun protection you enjoy.
The trail continues onwards for about 2.5 more miles from where the above photo was taken before ending in yet another parking area. It is here that vehicular use comes to an end, but there are a couple of trails that head off from there. I read that one group used this point as a means of getting to Mt. Wilson, which did not seem to be horribly far off. We would have had to leave a bit earlier if we had wanted to make that attempt.

Overall, I think this is a great hike, especially in the shoulder seasons, when the temps are a bit lower and the snakes are asleep in their holes. The views were great, the trail was in pretty good shape, and the day was perfect for a hike. With it being quite accessible, I would highly recommend it for anyone living nearby who wants to get out and do a bit of hiking. There also seems to be an abundance of camping opportunities along the Snake and Grand Ronde rivers, so getting an early start can be quite reasonable without having to drive a lot beforehand.

Official information website: https://wdfw.wa.gov/places-to-go/wildlife-areas/chief-joseph-wildlife-area

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