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Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail

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Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail

Cedar Falls to Beverly, Washington

visited 28–30 June 2026

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Here in Washington state, we are blessed to have several long-running rails-to-trails projects. The premiere one is the 404-km / 251-mile Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, running from just outside Seattle to the Idaho border along the former Milwaukee Line railroad.

I had a few days this week to sample the trail and chose to explore several segments of the trail between Cedar Falls and the Columbia River.

Cedar Falls Trailhead

My journey began at the western end of the trail, near North Bend.

Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, south of North Bend, Washington

A wide gravel trail curving through a lush green forest, with a weathered wooden sign reading “CEDAR FALLS” standing at the left edge amid dense ferns and undergrowth. Tall deciduous trees and mossy branches arch overhead under an overcast sky.

Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, south of North Bend, Washington

A tall spike of bright pink foxglove flowers with speckled, spotted throats and dewdrops on the tubular blooms, set against a lush blurred backdrop of green foliage.

Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, south of North Bend, Washington

A gravel rail-trail curves along a forested mountainside toward a rusted steel railroad trestle spanning a ravine, with a tall rusty gantry frame and chain-link fencing lining the path under an overcast sky. Dense evergreen forest and a rocky outcrop rise on either side, with distant power line towers visible to the right.

Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, east of North Bend, Washington

Forested mountain ridges covered in dense evergreen trees under a heavy gray overcast sky, with low clouds and mist clinging to the higher peaks in the distance.

Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, east of North Bend, Washington

The gnarled, exposed roots of a tree cling to and spread across a weathered gray rock face, with bright green leafy plants and moss growing at the lower left and along the edges of the cliff.

Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, east of North Bend, Washington

Near Lake Easton

An hour’s drive east from that point, the trail crosses through Lake Easton State Park. From here, you get some great views of the already-mighty Yakima River and the still-active BNSF Stampede Pass railway.

A crumbling brick and concrete building ruin with a collapsed roof and exposed brickwork stands in an overgrown field of tall grass and wildflowers under a heavy overcast sky. A skeleton figure appears propped against one of the building’s openings, with green trees, a power pole, and mist-shrouded mountains in the background.

Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, near Easton, Washington

A railroad track runs along the gravel shore of a pale turquoise lake, framed on the left by a leafy green tree, with forested slopes and a mountain ridge under an overcast gray sky in the background.

Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, near Easton, Washington

A gravel rail-trail leads through dense evergreen forest toward the dark arched entrance of an old concrete railroad tunnel, with rocky cliffs and green undergrowth flanking the path.

Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, near Easton, Washington

A double railroad track curves along the edge of a green reservoir, hugging a steep, densely forested hillside of evergreen conifers under a heavy overcast sky. Grassy shallows and small vegetated islands are visible in the water at right, with hazy mountains and power lines in the distance.

Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, near Easton, Washington

A reddish-brown dirt trail winds through a dense evergreen forest, flanked by tall conifers on the left and bright green leafy shrubs on the right under an overcast sky.

Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, near Easton, Washington

A shallow, fast-flowing river winds through a densely forested valley of evergreen conifers and bright green deciduous trees under an overcast sky, with steel transmission towers and power lines crossing the hillside in the background.

Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, near Easton, Washington

Near Ellensburg

I took another short segment where the trail again crosses the Yakima River near I-90 just west of Ellensburg.

A wide gravel trail on a former railroad grade leads toward an old rusted steel truss bridge, with a river and green trees along the left side and power lines crossing the blue sky overhead.

Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, southeast of Thorp, Washington

A greenish-blue river flowing past a rocky, grass-covered bank in the foreground, with a wooded island and dense stands of leafy trees and shrubs lining the far shore under a pale blue, hazy sky.

Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, southeast of Thorp, Washington

Renslow Trestle

Having driven I-90 many times under this trestle, I had always assumed that the bridge was somehow modified to accomodate the freeway that now lies beneath it.

Not so.

A tall steel railroad trestle labeled “Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail” spans a highway cutting through dry, sagebrush-covered hills under a heavy overcast sky. A dark semi-truck hauling a gray hopper trailer travels the near lane while a yellow box truck and several cars move along the curving road beneath the bridge.

Boylston Road, east of Kittitas, Washington

Turns out the trestle has always had these large gaps. If you get yourself up to the south end of the bridge, you get this fun view of the freeway below. And there’s a fun historical photo taken circa 1964 that shows the trestle with scrub land underneath it; the freeway now conveniently fits through these gaps.

A wide view of a divided highway curving through arid, sagebrush-covered hills and rolling grassland, with several cars and semi trucks traveling the lanes and a two-lane road with guardrail branching off to the left. A vast blue sky filled with scattered clouds stretches over the landscape, with distant hills and cultivated fields on the horizon.

Renslow Trestle, Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, east of Kittitas, Washington

Farther east along the trail, you’re reminded of just how desolate it must have seemed for those who operated and used this route.

A wide gravel trail runs straight through a rock cut in high desert country, flanked by dark basalt walls topped with sagebrush and dry grasses. Beyond the cut, open sagebrush-covered hills stretch toward the horizon under a partly cloudy sky.

Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, east of Kittitas, Washington

Columbia River Crossing

The state recently retrofitted the Beverly Bridge (so named for the small town on the east side) allowing the trail to cross the Columbia River.

A straight gravel trail runs into the distance through dry, golden grassland under a wide blue sky with scattered clouds, flanked by a paved road on the right and a river with a bridge on the left. Steep brown treeless hills rise along the right side of the valley.

Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, north of Beverly Junction, Washington

A long black steel truss railroad bridge on concrete piers spans a wide river under a hazy blue sky, with dry grassland in the foreground and low mesas, a small town, power lines, and a water tower on the far bank.

Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, north of Beverly Junction, Washington

A pair of deer graze near a lone tree on a hillside covered with sage brush and dry golden grass, overlooking a wide, calm body of water dotted with green trees and shrubs along the shoreline. A small pond sits in the lower right corner beside more trees.

Beverly Railroad Bridge, Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, north of Beverly Junction, Washington

A wide arid river valley under a blue sky streaked with white clouds, with the Columbia River winding past a low sagebrush-covered peninsula dotted with small trees, backed by bare brown hills.

Beverly Railroad Bridge, Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, north of Beverly Junction, Washington

A gravel trail winds through dry, golden grassland toward a large barren hillside of brown and tan earth streaked with erosion, under a wide sky filled with wispy and mottled clouds. A fence and utility poles line the trail on the right, with a road visible crossing the plain in the distance.

Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, north of Beverly Junction, Washington

East of this point, the trail is much more difficult and rustic. The state requires pre-registration and more detailed preparation for those who intend to hike or bike the trail, so my exploration turned back toward some more parts of the western sections.

Near Cle Elum

A straight gravel trail stretches into the distance through an open pine forest, flanked by dry grass and shrubs, under a bright blue sky dotted with wispy and puffy white clouds in the evening light.

Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, west of Cle Elum, Washington

Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, west of Cle Elum, Washington

A wide, rippling river winds through a forested landscape lined with dense evergreen trees and low green brush, with a gravel bar and scattered driftwood along the banks. The sky above is broad and blue with scattered white and gray clouds in evening light.

Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, west of Cle Elum, Washington

My trusty steed for this adventure …

A red Trek full-suspension mountain bike leaning against a chain-link fence on a gravel-surfaced steel truss bridge, with a wide, fast-flowing river and tree-lined banks visible below under a partly cloudy blue evening sky.

Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, west of Cle Elum, Washington

Keechelus Lake / Snoqualmie Pass

My last segment was a segment along Keechelus Lake on the opposite side from I-90.

A broad view across Keechelus Lake toward a forested mountain ridge partly veiled by low clouds, with a highway visible along the far shore and a tall evergreen tree and grassy, wildflower-dotted bank in the foreground under a heavily overcast sky.

Keechelus Lake, Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, south of Snoqualmie Pass, Washington

A gravel trail runs alongside a steep rocky cliff reinforced with concrete buttresses on the right, while a line of leaning wooden utility poles follows the edge of a lake on the left, under a bright blue sky with scattered clouds and forested hills in the distance.

Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, south of Snoqualmie Pass, Washington

A gravel trail cuts between a tall rocky cliff face on the left and a dense stand of evergreen conifers on the right, under a bright blue sky with wispy white clouds. Power lines cross the upper right corner and scattered rock rubble lines the trail’s edges.

Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, south of Snoqualmie Pass, Washington

Keechelus Lake, Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, south of Snoqualmie Pass, Washington

A mountain reservoir with low water levels revealing exposed sandy shoreline dotted with weathered tree stumps, backed by forested ridges partly shrouded in low clouds under a bright, cloud-filled sky. Green brush fills the foreground and a small island sits in the calm gray-blue water.

Keechelus Lake, Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, south of Snoqualmie Pass, Washington

A gravel double-track trail with a grassy strip down the middle runs straight ahead through a dense evergreen forest, flanked by ferns and leafy green shrubs, under a bright blue sky with scattered white clouds. Power lines cross above the trail on the left.

Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, south of Snoqualmie Pass, Washington

A calm mountain reservoir under an overcast sky, ringed by forested slopes of evergreen trees, with a low water line exposing rocky shoreline and a highway bridge on stilts crossing the far side. Tall fir trees and green brush with pink foxglove frame the foreground on a grassy bank.

Keechelus Lake, Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, south of Snoqualmie Pass, Washington

Postscript

On my way out from this last trail segment, I caught this view of a mountain peak shrouded in clouds.

A rugged, forested rocky peak wreathed in thick fog and low cloud, with dark evergreens clinging to its slopes and the summit and base fading into a pale gray mist.

Snoqualmie Pass, Washington

For more information:

State Parks web site

Spokane River Centennial State Park Trail