Hikes in Washington: The 30-Acre Lake Trail

Basic Information

• Name: 30-Acre Lake Trail
• Where: Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge
• Distance 1.7 miles
• Elevation Gain: 134 feet
• Time: 1 hour
• Difficulty: Easy
• More Information: US Fish & Wildlife Service

Google Earth Map of the Trail

Directions

To get to the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge from Spokane, take I-90 West about 15 miles and then exit onto Highway 904 to the small city of Cheney.  Drive through downtown Cheney and on the south side of town take a left on to the Cheney-Plaza Road.  Follow this road for about 5 miles to the entrance of the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge located on S. Smith Road.  Drive down this road to the self admission station where vehicles stop to pay for entrance into the refuge.  Those with a National Park pass can enter for free.  After the entrance station continue to drive down the road and look for the signs for the auto tour route.  The trailhead for the 30-Acre Lake Trail is about 1.5 miles up the auto tour route road.

Parking

The trailhead for the 30-Acre Lake Trail is marked with a big sign that is impossible to miss:

At the trailhead there is a small dirt lot that can fit about 8 vehicles.  The trail begins at a small iron gate:

Narrative

The 30-Acre Lake Trail is a short trail that bisects the auto tour route that travels through the heart of the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge.  Due to its short distance I took my two young kids here to do a winter hike since they would be exposed to the cold for a shorter time.  When we started the hike the temperature was a chilly 29 degrees.  Like the other trails in the wildlife refuge, the path was large and well maintained:

After walking about a hundred yards down the trail we passed by the trail’s namesake, the 30-Acre Lake:

There wasn’t much to see of the 30-Acre Lake because it was covered in reeds and cattails.  However, there are many other small lakes to see on this hike where the icy waters were visible through the reeds:

Here is a panorama view of the icy waters that can be seen around the trail:

At nearly half mile up the trail the forest becomes visible:

The trail enters the forest a little over the half mile mark:

Here is a view looking from the forest back towards the lake area the trail bisects:

After a short walk through the forest I reached the turnaround point located at a small iron gate:

The hike is listed in many guidebooks as a 2-mile out and back hike, but my GPS marked the turnaround point at .85 miles.  This means the actual out and back distance for this hike is 1.7 miles.  The turnaround point is located along the auto tour route around the refuge which means hikers can use this trailhead to start the hike from as well:

From the turnaround point my kids and I had an easy walk back to the trailhead and enjoyed the improving weather that saw the temperature rise to 38 degrees which feels tropical during the wintertime in Eastern Washington:

Conclusion

The Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge is easily accessed forest land in the Spokane area.  It has a variety of trails that are well maintained by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.  The 30-Acre Lake Trail is one of the easier ones that makes it a great hike for those with young children.  Despite the cold my kids had a great time on this short hike.