Hikes in Washington: Pine Creek Auto Tour Loop Hike

Basic Information

• Name: Pine Creek Auto Tour Loop Hike
• Where: Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge
• Distance: 5.9 miles
• Elevation Gain: 167 feet
• Time: 2 hours
• More Information: FWS Map

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 town 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.  Those with a National Park pass can enter for free.  After the entrance station continue to drive down the road and look for the Pine Lakes Loop Trail on the left.

Parking

Parking for this hike is at the trailhead for the Pine Lake Loop Trail.  The lot can fit about 10-15 cars and have never seen it completely full.  More parking can be found at the park headquarters a short distance down the road.  The parking lot also has a large and clean restroom facility and informative signboards about the refuge.

Narrative

The most popular attraction at the Turnbull Wildlife Refuge is the Pine Creek Auto Tour Route.  For those that want to drive through the refuge it is a nice 5.5 mile drive.  However, many people prefer to use the road as a hiking trail.  A good place to start the hike is at the trailhead for the Pine Lake Loop Trail.  At the trailhead there is a really good signboard that explains the history of the refuge:

From the parking lot it is an easy walk through the heart of the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge on this road.  From the parking lot walk east towards the park headquarters and then make the left onto the dirt road that the Pine Creek Auto Tour Route sign points to.  Here is a winter time picture of this sign:

The next landmark along this hike is the trailhead for the Bluebird Trail.  This trail is actually my favorite hike in the refuge that I highly recommend:

Passed the trailhead the dirt road travels north and deeper into the refuge:

The road next comes to another trailhead.  This one is for the 30 Acre Lake Trail.  This is a short trail that provides some nice views of the nearby wetlands. The Pine Lake Auto Tour loop hike is nearly six miles long and a mile can be shaved off this hike by taking the 30 Acre Lake Trail to bisect the loop:

From the 30 Acre Lake Trailhead, the gravel road passes by the end of the Bluebird Trail and then comes to the Kepple Lake Overlook:

A short walk from the gravel road leads to a view point looking out over the lake.  Here is how the lake looks like in the winter:

Here is another view of Kepple lake with a lodge for the otters that live in the refuge visible in the distance:

Further down the gravel road is the Kepple Peninsula Interpretive Trail.  This is a short half mile loop trail that offers good views of Kepple Lake:

Next the gravel road comes to the back end of the 30 Acre Lake Hiking Trail.  This is an alternative trailhead for people to park at if the parking lot on other side of the trail is full:

The next trail along the road is the shot walk on a boardwalk to see Blackhorse Lake:

It is a small lake that during the spring is filled with migrating geese:

After Blackhorse Lake the auto tour route ends at Smith Road.  From here take a left and walk back to the parking lot for the Pine Lake Loop Trail and take in the views of Pine Lake:

I recommend hiking the auto tour road during the spring and early summer when there will be a lot of yellow wildflowers to see:

These pinkish wildflowers can also be seen around the refuge:

Spring and early summer is also when there are many migrating geese and other birds to see in the refuge:

Turkeys however are a bird that can be seen all year around in the refuge:

In the many ponds and lakes in Turnbull I have also been lucky enough to spot otters as well:

Undoubtedly the biggest wildlife attraction at Turnbull and usually the hardest to spot is a moose.  The moose are very rarely seen during the day and the best time to see them is in the early morning hours:

Whenever I do spot them I do not approach them and make sure to give them plenty of space because they are large animals:

Besides increasing the odds of spotting a moose, another advantage of visiting the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge in the early morning hours is to take in the sunrises:

It also worth visiting the refuge in the winter time where everything looks slightly different with the snowfall and frozen lakes:

Conclusion

For those that want to get out of their car and get a little exercise, the Pine Creek Auto Tour Loop Hike is well worth checking out.  Just keep in mind if you walk the road during the middle of the day you will have to deal with the dust from passing cars.  Visiting early in the morning means very few if any cars on the dirt road and it will increase your odds of spotting wildlife, especially a moose.