Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail to Rock Lake from Hole in the Ground Road is a 6.9 mile lightly trafficked out and back trail located near Saint John, Washington that features a lake and is good for all skill levels. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, and nature trips. Dogs are also able to use this trail.
Permit required for this trail.
January 16, 2021Nice hike, very easy. Wide enough to give people space - social dostance, easily. The "permit" is just going to the state park website and registering, not a physical permit. Couldn't verify if you also need discover pass though from the registration process.
December 5, 2020Beautiful views! Easy hike.
November 23, 2020amazing trail for just a normal relaxing stroll. So many shockingly beautiful views the camera just can't do it justice. highly recommend this trail for all hiking levels. the bridge definitely have us some adrenaline rush, but my puppy was all for it.
November 19, 2020November 8, 2020Great trail for beginners looking for a small challenge. Dark tunnel played tricks on our minds and we could’ve sworn we saw/heard a man in the tunnel.
October 24, 2020October 10, 2020Complete flat trail , a different experience, required torch lights and sweaters to avoid cold in tunnel
August 30, 2020Good hike, mostly flat and not a lot of shade. Would be a good bike trail. Really cool cave and view of the lake. Didn’t attempt the wooden bridge.
August 25, 2020The trail was an interesting trip through the a retired rail line. There were two tunnels, three trestles, and beautiful views of rocky cliffs, Rock Lake, and lots of trees flowers and bushes. There is limited shade and the rocky path gets warm, so plan accordingly. This trail also requires a permit to use.
June 17, 2020Not sure if it’s technically public since the gate says “access by permit only”. But it’s a popular spot so we went anyway. Nice easy walk, prettier than I expected since it’s near Sprague. The second bridge is definitely more than questionable tho
June 6, 2020Did this with 14 people (7 adults, kids ranged from 2-12 years old) on bikes. Youngest was in a trailer behind my bike, which was a bit difficult at times to pull, but doable. Beautiful trail! When we got to the bridge it was a bit sketchy but we ended up slowly making our way across it and discovered the tunnel on the other side (2nd tunnel). I'd recommend it! Hadn't heard of the Palouse to Cascades Trail until a few days ago and would love to eventually do the whole thing!
June 1, 2020Fun 7 mile hike. The view of the lake at the end is incredible, especially after the long tunnel. Would suggest bringing headlamps for the tunnel, it gets pretty dark! Make sure you stay on the trail. Also you technically need a permit for this trail, although it is easy to miss. Some reviews on the overall 47 mile trail say this 7 mile section has strange restrictions.
May 30, 2020I was regretting it at first because it felt like we were getting nowhere but glad we did it. The walk is just a straight gravel road, more for biking. The walk was long and the sun was out with little to no shade...got to a wooden bridge where there is a derailed train cart just hangin of the edge. Super cool! Then when it felt like forever we finally made it to the tunnel. Very dark but you can still see the light at the end of the tunnel. We didn’t go any further. Finished it off by going to the creek next to the parking area. Very refreshing. I would come back but with bikes! 05/09/20
May 26, 2020Great little portion of the John Wayne Trail. Definitely be careful with the second bridge you reach. It’s an old railroad trestle bridge - pretty sturdy - but you can see a lot of wooden boards coming apart. It’s a pretty sizable drop below the bridge. Also spotted a big rattlesnake in the middle of the trail, so watch out for those guys!
May 25, 2020pretty spot. we walked to the mouth of the tunnel and did not go further. you need a very strong flashlight, our cell phone lights weren't even close to enough! Will have to come back and try again with a bolder partner. The rocks to the sides looked much like the Fish Lake part of the trail near Cheney.
May 24, 20207 mile easy hike. Take a lunch and water to eat at the turnaround spot of this out and back. Heard 1 rattlesnake and almost stepped on another that would not move from the trail! I was about 2 paces away from stepping on it before it made a sound. Great views of the water. Old train car. 2 tunnels to go through and 2 old bridges to go over. Would go again and take others just for the view and bridges. (My trial recording got confused going through the tunnels. This was a flat 7.2 mile walk).
May 24, 2020Amazing trail. The views are breath taking and the trail is so easy. At the end of the trail there is a bridge and another tunnel. The bridge is in poor shape and many people did not dare to cross it. All in all a great hike, the kids loved it too.
May 20, 2020Nice out and back. Two tunnels and bridges . Old railroad cars , lots of awesome views, the lake was beautiful! Do need to take binoculars, flashlight and lunch! Saw a hawk, wolf and some speedy squirrels. Mushroom and wild flowers. Was awesome and I will go again!
May 17, 20204.5 stars - Nice gravel trail. I loved the tunnels and then beautiful lake at the end. We saw a few snakes - 1 was a rattle snake that we scared off the trail. Great flat walk. Tunnels are short enough you don’t need a flash light. We did 4 miles out then 4 back. Looks like the trail keeps going. Easy, beautiful drive from Spokane My daughter lost her AirPods around mile 1 on this hike - if you find them, please comment! They are in a black case. Thank you!!
May 11, 2020Pretty walk out and back. Some part are shaded. The tunnel and bridges were cool. There are also a couple derailed box cars.
May 8, 2020This was such a wonderful and beautiful walk. A little over 7 miles out and back on a very flat trail. Gorgeous views, fun tunnels, and cool bridges.
May 2, 2020Nice trail. Love that you can go as far as you want. Neat bridges and tunnels. Did see a rattlesnake!
May 1, 2020Pretty nice walk with some decent senery. The tunnels and trestle where fun. Theres no water on the trail so make sure you bring some for your buddy and do a tick check when you're done we picked up a couple hitch hikers. Not much more to see after the last tunnel.
April 27, 2020Very lovely walk. Flat trail, so good for the young and old. We brought our dogs and they loved it. The bridge was a bit sketchy so we had to carry one of the dogs across. Easy to find and trail head starts in the parking lot. Follows the river the entire time and leads you to a lake but there’s no water access (bummer) Worth the drive !
April 25, 2020Great trail! Went with out kids ages 9 and 12. The tunnels were fun and the old train bridges added some thrills! Flat trail. Beautiful scenery.
April 24, 2020Really good trail. Really unique views and beautiful rock cliff and lake views. The trail is well marked and wide. So cool to see the tunnels and bridges 100% worth the hike!
April 21, 2020cool place easy to walk beautiful views the bridges don’t look that great but it can hold a truck
