Hikes in Washington: The Pine Lake Loop Trail in Winter

Basic Information

• Name: The Pine Lake Loop Trail
• Where: Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge
• Distance: 1.1 miles
• Elevation Gain: 34 feet
• Maximum Elevation: 2,269 feet
• Time: 30 minutes
• Difficulty: Easy
• More Information: Day Hike! Spokane, Coeur d’Alene, and Sandpoint

GOOGLE EARTH MAP OF THE TRAIL

DIRECTIONS

This hike is located at the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge.  To reach the 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.

PARKING

After the entrance station continue to drive down the road until you see the Pine Lake Loop Trail sign and park in the paved parking lot on the left side of the road.  The parking lot has room for about 10-15 vehicles.  If the lot is full there is more parking available at the visitor center just a short distance down the road.

NARRATIVE

I have previously hiked the Pine Lake Loop Trail with my kids and this time decided to see what this trail is like during the winter.  The trail is located in the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge which is a beautiful forest and wetland preserve located just outside of the small town of Cheney, Washington.  When I started the hike the temperature was about 15 degrees Fahrenheit with a light snow fall on the ground. It was definitely chilly out, but I was well prepared for the conditions.  The hike begins by descending from the parking lot down to the Pine Lakes:

From here the trail heads south towards the Pine Lake:

There is actually a series of Pine Lakes with the one the trail goes around called the Middle Pine Lake:

As I walked down the trail I noticed this hoof track for a moose:

Later on during my hike I would end up spotting a couple of moose.  I made sure to keep my distance from them and was able to get this zoomed in image of them with my smartphone camera:

On the far end of the trail there is a small earthen dam that the trail traverses:

The dam has a small outlet that drains water into a small creek that flows into the next Pine Lake:

When walking around the trail I heard cracking ice and noticed this otter repeatedly dropping below the surface and then coming up and breaking the ice:

The trail next came to the appropriately named Ice Pond:

As I was nearing the completion of my walk around the lake I could the Wildlife Refuge headquarters in the distance:

A little more than a mile after starting my hike, I found myself back at the parking lot.  Near the parking lot I spotted this young moose hanging out and snacking on some grass:

I ended up seeing yet another moose walking across the road when I was exiting the refuge. I was pretty amazed by how many moose I saw in one day.  The refuge is home too many moose, but it is so huge it is rare to see them in the area open to the public.  So I always enjoy every chance I get to see these awesome animals:

Conclusion

If you have hiked the Pine Lake Loop Trail before in the summer, I recommend taking this short hike in the winter as well.  I was pleasantly surprised how much wildlife I saw around the lake despite the ice and cold.  The snow additionally gives the entire refuge a different aesthetic compared to the summer months.