Ancient Lakes
Central Washington
As of late June 2026, Ancient Lakes offers dry, dusty trails with comfortable temperatures for hiking. Lakes are reported to be very full, with some merged together as of early June. While generally free of snakes and bugs, recent reports mention loud frog calls at Quincy Lake (June 26) and swarming bugs on a return trip in late May.
Obstacles include a small water crossing and a boulder section near Judith Pool (June 5). Road status and parking are generally good, though the lower Ancient Lakes trailhead may add mileage. A fire ban is in effect. Wildflowers were abundant in May and early June. Hikers are advised to bring ample water, as it's not filterable.
generated from 39 reports
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Spent two overnights. Established camp sites with fire rings near most of the Coulees. Fire burn ban in place so no fires.Trails are dry and dusty.First night at Quincy lake resulted in zero sleep due...
Trail was amazing. It was my first backpacking trip ever. It was the perfect trail for a beginner, easy trail, beautiful, and not to windy at night
We took this trail from the Dusty Lakes trailhead. So a five mile hike not a 12 mile hike. I’ve probably hiked this trail a dozen times and I have never seen the lakes this full. Some melded together ...
did an overnight trip here. i hiked in from the first parking lot (must park here if you want to overnight), when down by h lake and then towards ancient lakes from the trail south across quincy lake....
Went out for a one night backpacking trip, started from the Judith pool trailhead. The trail is in great shape, some muddy spots, follow alternate food pass. The Boulder section after the steep descen...
Long before modern science recognized the ancient floods, Indigenous oral traditions described massive, cataclysmic floods sweeping through the Pacific Northwest.The Salish and Kootenai people, whose ...
Such a short, flat hike to the campsite it felt like cheating. Heard Coyotes at dusk and that was incredible. Bugs were fine until the trip back in the morning when I was swarmed by a million of them...
The trail was in great condition. We got to the lower trailhead around noon on Saturday and there was plenty of parking available. The porta-potties in the parking lot were clean and had toilet paper,...
An easy one-day hike for lovers of Martian-like rock landscapes! It takes about half an hour to reach the lake, and then there are several trails around the lake if you want to extend the route. The p...
Lovely, easy starter backpack
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