Pipistrelle Cliffs Trail at Drumheller Channels
in Washington
This "trail" is not really a trail; it's a hike along a service road that takes you on a hike to Black Lake, which is located off the refuge. However, this is one of the best places to view the exemplary geology of the refuge, including columnar basalt, and the results of the Ice Age floods. The "trail" is about 3/4-miles in length one-way; you must backtrack to return to your vehicle.
Take note that Black Lake and its shoreline are in private ownership, so please respect the property owners rights are remain away from the lake.
- States
- Washington
- Trail type
- National Geologic Trail trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Spokane, WA · 102 mi · ~2.9 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 46.9008°, -119.2869°
About Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail
This trail is inside Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail, a national geologic trail managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/pipistrelle-cliffs-trail-at-drumheller-channels.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/iafl/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked Pipistrelle Cliffs Trail at Drumheller Channels and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Other trails within 50 miles
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.