It's a beautiful space to walk and watch all the birds in the aviary!…read more I live in Los Angeles and I came for a graduation at Whitman College. Walla Walla has been a nice experience.

This is the oldest city park in Walla Walla, but don't mistake that for being boring. There is so…read moremuch to do here. There are trails, ponds, and a lot of old-growth trees to relax under. I focused on the aviary. The largest enclosure has white peacocks, doves, ducks, and geese (I'm sure I missed some other birds) all together so you can see how they interact with each other. There are also smaller enclosures with other types of birds too. Some of them are enclosed with a bunch of doves, although I'm not sure if that was intentional or if they are free loaders. I could watch the birds for hours. In the building adjacent to the largest bird enclosure are smaller pens with birds that I'm assuming are being rehabilitated, although I also saw a cat with a collar in with the quails. I hope that the cat doesn't cause chaos...

This hike happened by happenstance…read more A friend and I were supposed to go up to Horseshoe Prairie (http://www.yelp.com/biz/horseshoe-prairie-nordic-ski-area-pendleton) for snowshoeing, but unfortunately, I let my friend drive and he was a little too confident about his car's snowy-road-handling ability. After spinning tires a time or two, we canned our fun-in-the-snow plans, turned around, and slid down the hill to civilization. While picking up chocolates at Petite Noirs (http://www.yelp.com/biz/petits-noirs-milton-freewater), the owner mentioned a nearby hike. To not make the day a total loss, we were all ears, and went for it. Just off of main street in Milton Freewater, you take the turn off for Harris Park (as you're driving south out of town, it'll be the left BEFORE you take the hill up and out of town). You then drive about 10 miles up a canyon carved by the South Fork of the Walla Walla River. This canyon is part of the Blue Mountains, and it's amazing to see how quickly the landscape changes from the drabby flatness of Milton-Freewater to the alpine-y beauty of the Blues & Walla Walla river. Once you're in the area of the park, keep going until you approach the trailhead for the South Fork Walla Walla River trail. Here there are quite a few parking spots, a couple of restrooms and river bubbles within earshot. You are clearly outside of civilization and within an honest to goodness country landscape. The deep valley is beautiful and the trail looks inviting. For the most part the trail parallels the river. Sometimes it sidetracks and goes up the side of the valley wall, but the river is always within view. The trail is well-kept and nice (other than a few boggy/muddy spots). We went for about 2.5 miles on the trail before calling it a day. We enjoyed sightings of elk at one spot (we later saw herds of deer, turkey, and even a scooting coyote during our dusk drive out). I'm so glad I made it here. I can definitely see myself coming back to dip myself within the magic waters (à la Field of Dreams) and fly fishing the stream (à la A River Runs Through It). I've also heard that you can ride your mountain bike here too---I'd also be down for that! South Fork of the Walla Walla Trail. I will see you again---very, very soon.

This was a great hike with my dog. Very turn their was a beautiful view of the Walla walla River…read more Trail was in decent condition. Plenty of parking at the trailhead.

It's a bit off the beaten path and the road at times is gravelly and narrow but worth it to see the…read moreofficial state waterfall in Washington. There is parking and you need a Discover Pass.

We took a two hour detour to visit Palousa Falls today and if I could do it over again, I would opt…read morenot to make the drive. The roads are terrible, especially the gravel road leading up to the park. We did not have the Discover Pass so it was a $10 day use fee. There were clean restrooms and a few shaded picnic spots but no cell service. It was too hot to do any real hiking, as the only shade is near the parking lot by the tables, but we did walk to a few different viewpoints. I actually found the rock formations above the falls to be as lovely or perhaps lovloer than the falls. It was a bit underwhelming to me for the amount of effort needed to visit but, but one girl's "meh" is another girl's "wow" so I hope the photos and information are helpful to anyone trying to decide whether to make the voyage.

This beautiful state park is not too terribly far from Palouse Falls State Park heading east. While…read morenot nearly as dramatic as Palouse Falls this park is worth stopping at. It's situated on a bend of the Snake River which is very scenic. Tall railroad bridges also add an enhanced effect here as you drop down into this area out of the hills. Walking paths are great here as you can walk along a soil "jetty" to get in some good exercise. The grassy part of the park near the parking area is great to stroll through and there is a river beach to utilize on very hot days. Definitely worth stopping at if you are driving through and have the time to enjoy the scenery!

Beautiful area but it was closed to the public. It looks to have water for fishing,boating and…read moreother water activities. Picnic and other forms of frolic can be had.

These trails aren't just for winter sports. I've made it here during the summer to take my…read moremountain bike for a ride. I parked at the Sno-Park Parking lot where one would go during the winter months. Here you have a couple of dirt roads to choose from for off-road options. I decided to do some climbing and went for NFD Rd 64--to get to this road from the parking lot, ride your bike further up the valley a few hundred yards (their's a trail), and then take right. This road is fairly nice. There are lots of rock on it, but no potholes. It is a fairly uphill jaunt from the get-go. As I was approaching the top of the valley, I eyed a side road. The sign on it said (6400 500), so I don't know which is the name of the road, but I decided to take it, because it looked tiny and way less traveled (in fact it was closed to motorized vehicles). Nice. Yeah, this trail ended up being the high-point of the day. It wasn't single track, but it was close. I must admit I had the willies when I saw a half-eaten deer leg within the first minute of climbing (the rest of the ride I kept thinking of the cougar, bear, or zombie which was eyeing me from the bushes as I rode by). I love to climb. I love burning my quads like Hades. It felt good to be riding. Unfortunately, this side road only lasted a little bit before I made it up to the top of the ridge/mountain. Here this trail ties back up with one of the major dirt roads again. There are some decent views here. I then took the little road downhill. Man, I'm must be a total old fogie, because wow---I think I rode the breaks the entire way down! The road was steep, and I hit some high speeds within seconds. There were also rocks to watch out for as well. In other words, I rode it like an old person (which I am I suppose). But it was fun. It's the kind of fun, where you just have to yell with abandon (I think I did a few times--with a smile). These trails are definitely good for snow activities, and I'd say they are decent for bike riding. I don't know if I'd come here to do some straight-up hiking though. I'd save the Cascades for that. NOTE: Be careful on this road in the winter. This is the infamous scene of where my truck and my crew rolled down a mountain just over a year ago!

Interesting historical site with National Park Service. Good to read about the history but a bit…read moresomber.

This historic site serves as a reminder to a part of American history that is pretty much…read moreoverlooked: the clashes between settlers and the Native Americans who already were inhabiting the land. Physician Marcus Whitman and Narcissa Whitman established the Whitman Mission in Cayuse (Native American) territory. The Cayuse initially welcomed the Whitmans, but as the increasing numbers of settlers passing by on Oregon Trail worried the Cayuse, tensions grew. It all came to a head when a measles outbreak in November 1847 killed half the local Cayuse. The settlers were also affected, but fared better. The Cayuse took it to mean that the Whitmans were responsible for the deaths of the Cayuse, as to them, the doctor was the cause of death. The Whitmans and 11 other people were killed, and others taken hostage, sparking the Cayuse War. It ended when five Cayuse men were turned in for being the perpetrators (without clear evidence) and hanged. The visitor's center is built on the site of the mission. The center has a gift shop, a movie, and a small museum to explain the events that occurred here. Outside, there is a trail that brings you to a memorial obelisk, and meanders past the foundations of the mission buildings.

This is a cute park. Swings, slides and picnic tables. Parking is easy and the park was clean. My…read moreson had a great time on this perfect sun shining Sunday!

Great stop for the kids as we are traveling through Walla Walla visiting wineries. Water park and…read moreregular park. Lots of shaded picnic tables.

This really is a great place to hike. I like to take one of the trails all the way around the lake…read moreand depending on which trail I take, the hike can be from 3.5 to 5 miles. There are three parking areas. My favorite parking spot is the middle lot, not way out at the gate and not up close to the lake, or rather reservoir. This gives me several options for hiking. If I go around the lake clockwise from this parking lot, I'll be leaving the hill to climb at the end of the hike. If I go counterclockwise around the reservoir, I'll be doing the hilly part first and then the slow climb out at the end of the hike. The hubby prefers to hilly part first; I prefer the hilly part last. I find the long steady climb out becomes monotonous. We try to mix it up. Rarely do we shortcut the hike and walk across the top of the dam on the south end, as the back side is way more fun. Depending on what the weather has been up to, some of the trails can be quite muddy, and of course, in the spring and summer months, there are ticks. I usually encounter only one or two other walkers/hikers/dogs on a trip around the reservoir. Only once have I had to yield to horses. This really is a great place for some fresh air and exercise.

This morning the weather was perfect, in the mid 30s, so my wife and I decided to walk around the…read morelake. Great fun. We shared the lake with a few dogs, a few walkers and a few scouts.

Kinda loud with boats. You can't see the river from any camp site. Just coming from Ponderosa…read moreState Park, this was a wah wah wah. Two nights here. One night would've been enough unless you're big into fast boating. On the bright side, no annoying rap or music blaring from any campsite. Nice neighbors. Same with Ponderosa State Park. Just that Ponderosa exceeded expectations. 5 stars. Especially with the miles of beautiful ponderosa pine tree nice trails and bike trails. But mosquitos there now in July. Update: I hear stinkin rap. Stop that nasty stuff. Anyway, this is not a place I would return, sad as it sounds. It's just not that great.

Boaters paradise, and that is a great way to explore the canyon! Several boat tour options leave…read morefrom the state park, so if you are looking for a fun way to explore the park and more, would recommend checking them out. Nice facilities and great access to the Snake River.