Palouse Falls Trail is a 1.4 mile heavily trafficked loop trail located near Starbuck, Washington that features a waterfall and is rated as difficult. The trail is primarily used for hiking and is best used from February until October.
The Discover Pass is required for vehicular entrance to this park. An Annual Pass costs $30 and a Day Pass is $10. The hike is steep, rocky and technical. There are sections that involve rock scrambling and steep drop offs so it is not for the faint of heart. Make sure to have proper footwear.
March 5, 2021February 28, 2021We went to the top of the fall the view is stoning everywhere, but we did not do the entire loop on the edge crust. I was with two teens and it looked very unsafe. Way to hight too steep and windy. Other wise it was amazing.
February 25, 2021pretty, think i finally found the trail down to the bottom at sw corner but not totally sure
February 9, 2021This is a beautiful place and awesome hike! We went to the top of the waterfal but did not climb down to the base because my boyfriend is scared of heights. I loved this hike and would love to go back and do the whole thing! However, I would not recommend it for people who are scared of heights, not in good shape, or not wearing proper footwear/clothing. There is a sign just before the top of the waterfall that says to stop and not go any further, but the trail does continue. Just be prepared for the fact that it is not a walk in the park and you do need to be careful.
January 31, 2021January 24, 2021January 18, 2021Beautiful view. We went yesterday when it was warm and the sun was out. It is a rocky hike to get close to the waterfall, but worth it. If you stay around the view point/parking lot it’s dog and kid friendly. However, hiking may be dangerous. There are narrow, rocky paths where you have to be very careful where you step. Having said that, there were people with dog and even kids that made it to the top of the waterfall, so it’s doable, but I wouldn’t recommend it.
January 16, 2021December 23, 2020Beautiful! Very fun hike, quite an adventure climbing down to the base of the waterfall.
December 15, 2020Once you get down below the viewing area it’s beautiful. Rocky rough trails but payoff is huge
October 22, 2020Great views, it was fun to go explore down by the river but opted to not take the lower trail as it looked too sketchy with 2 dogs. Stick to the top trails to be safe and you still get the amazing views.
October 18, 2020October 6, 2020October 4, 2020The trail here is totally inaccurate - if you want to go to the bottom you need to go to the left where the gate is. It says “trail closed” but you can easily get over it - follow that trail towards the “upper falls” by the train tracks and begin down there, that’ll go the whole way around but make sure you have very good hiking shoes that you’re comfortable with. Well worth it and beyond beautiful, but be careful.
September 5, 2020THIS TRAIL IS NOT THE CORRECT WAY. You are supposed to double back, instead we followed the path that was marked on this map and ended up in Class 3-4 terrain and rock climbing. When reaching the top, it was closed off and it says "no trail access". this was very dangerous. absolutely beautiful though.
September 2, 2020August 31, 2020Beautiful waterfall and fun swim holes! Short hike but steep! Be prepared with hiking shoes. Washboard road to trailhead ugh. Must have Discovery Pass or pay $10 day pass. Lots to discover! I’ll be back to cliff dive!!
August 13, 2020Great overlook of the falls! You can walk along the top to see a different vantage point but I couldn’t even see where you’d even attempt to go down. No shade so it’s pretty hot
August 10, 2020The falls are awesome and the river/upper falls that this trail leads to is a beautiful area. However, you really can’t stress how dangerous this area is. I had read it but figured yeah whatever, probably just some Instagrammers obsessed with their selfies and not looking where they were going. But no, that’s not it, it truly is sketchy. Huge drop-offs everywhere. One ill-timed slip or brain fart and you could be done for. You need to be comfortable with that and extremely careful. Also bring lots of water, hat etc as there’s no shade and it gets very hot and dry. I was also surprised by how primitive the area is. Feels like you’re out on BLM land except for the crowds.
August 3, 2020July 30, 2020Super high ledge around the falls all sketch, extremely steep going down to bottom the falls. Probably wouldnt go again.
July 27, 2020did this hike clockwise. It would have taken an hour, with all of the photo stops along the way, but I passed the exit and had to double back so it took me a bit longer. Fortunately., I had the offline map downloaded and was able to determine where I was. It’s a bit more than a goat trail. You will get quadrupedal in a few technical spots for safety. I went off trail once and went up a fissure and heard a rattle snake, so decided that wasn’t a good line. The exit, in my case , was the fissure going up, which is easier for me. I’m not light, agile nor pretty, so if I can do it, most can. Do be careful. It’s an unforgiving fall if you do with significant consequences. The road in is an angry washboard. No trailers or RV’s when I was there and overnight camping closed. You can buy a discover pass onsite. Plenty of parking and extra facilities for crowds. I went before sunset, no crowd. Great colour. No potable water onsite.
