Potholes Coulee lies north of the climbing site Frenchman Coulee. It harbors Dusty Lake and Ancient Lakes in the Quincy (Lakes) Wildlife Area. Meanwhile, the place offers hiking and backpacking options near the Columbia River.
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Potholes Coulee at a Glance
Access: Ancient & Dusty Lake Trailhead
Round Trip: 10.4 miles
Elevation Range: 840′-1300′
Gear: none
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Potholes Coulee
I love my coulees. But so far this year, we have been in Eastern Washington one time too many. I couldn’t find a new place on this rainy day, so we made another trip out east. We drove to a filled lot because of the late start.
Soon, we walked south on one of the many trails. Like before, we made a counterclockwise loop through the coulee rim. Walking toward the southwest end, I spotted a few runners here for the first time.
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Dusty Lake
We scrambled toward the notch through the steep west slopes from the southwest edge. Then we moved east toward Dusty Lake atop the plateau. During our visits, we’ve made the high point south of the lake our turnaround spot.
I’ve noticed from previous outings that Dusty Lake doesn’t see as much traffic. Perhaps it’s the proximity of the Ancient Lakes side, but I especially enjoy the south alcove for the solitude. Even with an ultra-wide lens, I couldn’t fit the entire basin in the frame.
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Onward to the Upper Coulee
Afterward, we continued east and dropped to Cliff Lake around the east shore. As we strolled above the lake to the gap north of the water, we spotted two people on a break. Then we went down the other side into the north coulee.
Instead of continuing toward the lakes, we went to the top of the plateau. Soon, we reached one of the several high points atop the rim. It’s the best spot to view all three big ponds directly above the southern Lake.
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Leaving the Quincy (Lakes) Wildlife Area
It was a busy day, indeed! Most people came to see and hang out by the water. We saw many groups coming and going, plus two tents by the lakes. So we were better off being high up to enjoy the views and solitude.
Afterward, we dropped to the coulee floor through an old road south of the main path. Then, I let the pups cool off in a small pond before continuing west to the trailhead. Before long, we turned north and soon reached the car.
See more trip photos here.