Dutch Henry Falls Trail

Description of trail: This trail is found on The Nature Conservancy’s Moses Coulee Preserve. It takes you on an open path through thick shrub-steppe, and leads to a riparian area below Dutch Henry Falls. It’s a very easy half-mile hike on an out-and-back trail and provides stunning views of the Moses Coulee in every direction. In addition to the year-round beauty provided by the sagebrush and the basalt rocks of the intense coulee walls, one is likely to see wildflowers in bloom beginning in April.

Directions: From Wenatchee, drive east on US Highway 2 past Waterville and Douglas. Drive 17 miles east of Douglas to Moses Coulee. Follow US Highway to Jameson Lake Rd, where you will drive about 4 miles. The trailhead is marked by a sign off the road on the left, where there is a pullout to park. Coordinates: (47.65295813140994, -119.66930866241455)

Skill Level: 1

Fitness Level: 1

Distance: 0.5 miles

Uses Allowed: Hiking, Birdwatching, Bat-watching, Wildflower identification

Uses Not Allowed: Motorized vehicles, camping

Fees/permits: None

Additional information: The spectacular landforms of Moses Coulee reflect some of the most dramatic geological history on Earth – steep-walled coulees carved by Ice Age floods, pothole lakes, haystack boulders, waterfalls and scablands. Spring-fed creeks thread through the area, providing crucial breeding and foraging habitat in an otherwise dry environment. Between the shrubs and grasses grow a profusion of wildflowers. This area is home to a rich and fragile mosaic of rare living things. Here, you will find a rich diverse example of Washington’s shrub-steppe also known as sage brush country.

Protected by The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the Moses Coulee Preserve and the Beezley Hills Preserve, make up about 30,000 acres of the declining shrub-steppe habitat. Find out more information about TNC’s work in this area here.