Hikes in Washington: The Hog Canyon Trail to Hog Lake Falls

Basic Information

• Name: Hog Canyon Trail
• Where: Fishtrap, Washington
• Distance: 6.2 miles
• Max Elevation: 2,232 feet
• Elevation Gain: 476 feet
• Time: 2-4 hours
• Difficulty: Medium

Google Earth Map of the Trail

Directions

This hike begins at the Fishtrap Lake Trailhead.  To get to the trailhead, drive south from Spokane on I-90 for about 30 miles to Exit 254 labeled Fishtrap.  After exiting make a left across the highway bridge and stay on Sprague Highway Road for about 4 miles until reaching Fishtrap Road.  Turn on to Fishtrap Road and the trailhead will be visible about a 1.5 miles down the road.  It is very easy to see and can’t be missed.

Parking

At the trailhead there is a large gravel lot that can hold many cars.  The lot is even big enough to accommodate anyone bringing a horse trailer to park there since horses are allowed on the trail.

Narrative

I heard about a large and impressive waterfall to the west of Spokane which I found surprising considering the lack of rivers in this part of Washington’s Channeled Scablands.  The waterfall is called Hog Lake Falls and I was told the best time to see them is during the Spring run off season.  With Spring now in full effect in the Inland Northwest, I decided on a recent weekend to go and check it out.  To get to the Hog Canyon Trail, from the parking lot I walked over to the paved road and followed it a short distance passed the Folsom Farm sign:

After the Folsom Farm sign the dirt road on the left side of paved road became visible:

I walked on the dirt road and looked for a gate that lead to Hog Canyon Trail:

After opening the gate, I spotted a Hog Canyon Trail sign that states it is 1.7 miles to Hog Lake:

The trail began by crossing over a large grassland area:

On this part of the hike I came to my first of many more fence crossings.  There are many areas along this hike where fences have to be opened to continue down the trail:

Soon I found myself entering into Hog Canyon which is a thick forested area that runs between Fishtrap Lake and Hog Lake:

It is a bit surprising to see such a thickly forested area this far west of Spokane, but the water from the lakes makes this island of forested land possible:

The walls of the canyon are not very high, but the ground is low enough to funnel the water out of Hog Lake down a creek towards Fishtrap Lake:

Since it was the Spring run off season the canyon was a little extra muddy.  For anyone hiking the trail during this season I recommend wearing waterproof hiking boots.  Anyone wearing trail runners will likely have to deal with muddy and wet shoes:

After finishing the 1.7 mile portion of the Hog Canyon Trail I came to a dirt road.  At the top of the dirt road there was a locked gate:

Following the dirt road up towards the locked gate is the direction I was supposed to go to continue my hike towards Hog Lake Falls.  However, I first decided to walk down the road to the Hog Lake boat launch area:

When the lake is open for the season there is a big parking lot with an outhouse facility here for visitors to use:

From the parking lot I walked on the dam on the south end of Hog Lake:

The views of Hog Lake from the dam were very nice:

At the end of the dam there is a spillway where water from Hog Lake flows into the creek that leads to Fishtrap Lake:

After spending a few minutes taking pictures of the lake, I then proceeded to hike back up the dirt road and passed the locked gate:

I followed the dirt road for a short distance until I reached yet another gate that had a small bridge in front of it:

Passing through this gate now put me on the Hog Lake Falls Trail.  I followed the trail across a large plateau of grassland:

There was some social trails going in various directions, but fortunately there was a trail sign posted that ensured I was going in the right direction:

Soon enough I had a spectacular view of Hog Lake in front of me:

As I walked north across the high plateau above the lake, I could hear and eventually see Hog Lake Falls ahead of me:

After my first view of the falls from the cliff I made my way back on to the main trail towards the falls:

The trail was obvious and well marked:

The trail eventually lead to a side trail that led to an overlook from the cliff of the falls:

It really was a great view of a surprisingly beautiful waterfall:

Here is a panorama picture of the view:

From the viewpoint there is an option to scramble down the cliff to the base of the falls.  I decided to do this and easily made my way down:

At the bottom of the cliff I looked up at pile of lava rocks eroded over the centuries from the side of the cliff:

I came to a creek that fed into Hog Lake.  I walked right through it since I had my waterproof hiking boots on:

Here is a view from the creek looking back towards Hog Lake:

On the other side of the creek there is a barbed wire fence with a “No Trespassing” sign:

It may seem hard to believe, but this beautiful waterfall is actually on private property and the owners have confronted trespassers before.  The views from the fence line are nice, but I can understand why people would be drawn to get a closer look at the waterfall.  However, This is private property and people should be respectful and not cross the fence.

After spending a few minutes taking in the spectacle of Hog Lake Falls I turned around crossed over the creek again and began to hike back up to the top of the cliff.  Here is the view behind me of the falls:

Here is another view of Hog Lake Falls from further up the cliff:

After reaching the top of the cliff I was back on the main trail:

I followed it through the forest to yet another gate:

This gate led to yet another gate further down the road which was the trailhead for the Hog Lake Falls Loop Trail:

Hikers who want a shorter less 1.3 mile roundtrip hike to the falls can use this trailhead.  From the trailhead I proceeded to follow a dirt road to the west:

This dirt road took me out of the forest and back into the grasslands of the Palouse.  Along the way I passed through yet another gate and a cattle guard:

Looking towards the south I could see a small lake and the historic Folsom Farm which was my next destination:

The dirt road led to a trailhead that accesses the Folsom Farm property:

I passed through the gate and walked south towards the farm:

I soon found myself at Folsom Farm:

This historic farm is maintained by the state in remembrance of the pioneers who once homesteaded in the area.  After checking out the farm I then followed a dirt road that continued south towards the start point of my hike.  I soon found myself back on the paved road where I walked back to my truck:

Conclusion

The entire Fishtrap and Hog Lakes region of Washington’s Channeled Scablands is quickly becoming one of my favorite locations in Eastern Washington.  The various terrain and views of Hog Lake and its namesake waterfall were really spectacular.  I highly recommend visiting during the Spring runoff season when the water level is at its highest.  Due to its over 6 mile length of this hike, I do not recommend it for young children.  The shorter 1.3 mile Hog Lake Falls Loop Trail however is easily doable for children.  However, you decide to check out this region just make sure to do it because it is really spectacular.