The sun shone brightly this weekend and temperatures rose into the high 50’s. I decided to take Rebecca to the Tucannon River and the area near where I camped towards the finish of the season last year. Looking at the map, I saw that Meadow Creek Trail was at the end of the road, so decided that would be the ideal place for us to go hiking. Turns out that it was not so ideal, as the trail was covered in snow and fallen trees still, but, we did manage to get in 3 miles of hiking, so it was a win.
Getting to Meadow Creek Trail is quite easy. Take the Tucannon River Rd, which is roughly 12 miles east of Dayton, WA on US Hwy 12. Follow the road for roughly 32 miles. Stay to the right at the ‘Y’ and continue on Forest Road 4713 until the road ends roughly 4.25 miles away. A good portion of the road is paved. The dirt/gravel sections are mostly ok, except for you do need to watch for fallen rocks that may need to be moved or maneuvered around as well as some pretty gnarly potholes. The route is manageable by most any vehicle, so long as you are careful and are not driving a sports car to the trail.

The portion of the trail that we hiked had some up and downs to it, but nothing really serious. Asides from the downed trees across the trail, it was a very nice path. As this trail is a multi-use, OHV trail, it was decently wide and smooth. Of course, it is hard to make this claim when the trail was covered in snow, but I did not see portions where there were large rocks or deep ruts in the trail. From what I was able to find about the trail, the first three miles follows near to the creek, which offers a great deal of ambiance and tree growth. After this point it apparently gains elevation quickly as it ascends to the Godman area.
It appears that a lot of the campgrounds in the area required a Discover Pass, but this particular trailhead requires a different pass. Here is a link to see what pass you may need if you want to park here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/umatilla/passes-permits/recreation .

Despite the lack of proper gear for a snowy hike, we thoroughly enjoyed the trail that we saw. I really think that this would be a great trail later in the year, once it has dried out. The scenery was green and lush and the trail looks like it is probably kept in pretty good shape. A hike up to the Godman area, then camping overnight (perhaps even renting the Guard Station for an evening with friends or family), and then returning the following day could provide a great experience. I hope that you are able to have a good time if you check out this area.
Helpful government links: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/umatilla/recarea/?recid=56785
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/umatilla/recarea/?recid=56743

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