Hikes in Washington: The Bluebird Trail

Basic Information

• Name: Bluebird Trail
• Where: Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge
• Distance: 4.6 miles
• Elevation Gain: 161 feet
• Difficulty: Easy
• Time: 1-2 hours
• More Information: Day Hike Spokane

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 Bluebird Trail is a very short distance up the auto tour route.

Parking

The trailhead for the Bluebird Trail is well marked with a large sign:

At the sign pull into the large dirt lot that has parking for about 10 vehicles.

Narrative

The Bluebird Trail is the longest trail that can be accessed from the auto tour route that goes around the central region of the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge.  It offers views of forests, grasslands, small ponds, and a large lake.  From the parking lot, the trailhead for the Bluebird Trail is very easy to find:

The sign warns of a rough trail, but the trail is actually in great shape the entire length of the hike:

After passing through a short forested section, the trail next passes through a large grassy, meadow area:

After the meadow the trail comes to an intersection with a dirt road.  There is a sign at the intersection that lets hikers know to make a left and follow the road:

The dirt road makes for a wide hiking trail that passes through a dense forest:

Along this section of the hike there is a viewpoint of a small pond that makes for a good place to take a break at:

From the pond the trail continues to follow the dirt road in a northerly direction through the forest:

The dirt road then comes to an intersection with the auto tour route that is marked with a green gate.  From here hikers can turn around and make this a 3 mile hike:

However, I recommend continuing the hike by walking a short distance along the auto tour route road to Kepple Lake:

Once at Kepple Lake follow the directions given by sign to take a short dirt road off of the auto tour route to the Kepple Lake Overlook:

From the dirt road I easily spotted the side trail to the overlook on the left:

I followed this trail a short distance to the overlook:

At the overlook there is a bench where hikers can take a break and enjoy the view of Kepple Lake:

There is also a sign at the overlook that describes the different types of ducks that call Kepple Lake home:

From the overlook there is another viewpoint that can be accessed with even better views of Kepple Lake.  From the overlook hike up a trail that ascends up a small bluff:

On top of the bluff there is a fenced in area that has sweeping views of Kepple Lake:

Here is a panorama of the view from the bluff of the frozen Lake Kepple below me:

From Kepple Lake the final portion of this hike is to go back down the auto tour route in the opposite direction back to the trailhead for the Bluebird Trail:

By taking the auto tour route back to the trailhead instead of the Bluebird Trail, this gives even more views of the central region of the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge:

Here is view looking towards the 30-Acre Lake area which is another short hike that can be taken inside the wildlife refuge:

After the dirt road reenters the trees this is when it begins to approach the trailhead to end the hike:

Conclusion

The Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge is a beautiful part of the Spokane region that the Bluebird Trail provides a nice way to check out.  Extending the Bluebird Trail to take in views of Kepple Lake makes this a hike a very manageable 4.6 miles.  The trail is of high quality since it is mostly on dirt roads, which means it is ideal for trail running for those who enjoy that activity.  The easy grade of the trail also means it is great for family’s with young children to hike as well.