Last weekend was wonderful! I took a road trip to eastern Washington and explored a new place, Juniper Dunes Wilderness Area. I camped out there, and then visited Palouse Falls State Park. However, I will split my trip report, and discuss only Juniper Dunes in this blog post.
Juniper Dunes is about 10 miles north of Pasco, WA (one of the tri-cities), but it’s a world apart. Part of the reason for that is the fact that it is really hard to get there. You need a vehicle with 4-wheel drive to get there (Jeep, Land Rover, and (maybe) a Subaru). It’s not too bad after you get off the highway; it’s just a dirt road. However, after a few miles, the road has “waves”, in which your vehicle bounces up and down. I don’t mean a washboard surface; I mean that the road surface has rises and dips that are two or three feet high. After 3.5 miles, there’s a small sign that says “Wilderness Area gate”. When you go that way, you are driving on a narrow and very sandy track. If you don’t have a serious off-road vehicle, you will be lucky if you don’t get stuck. I wasn’t surprised that I was the only one parked in front of the gate.
Ironically, once you go through the gate, there is almost no sand. Almost all the dunes are either partially or fully covered with vegetation. It’s really beautiful, and surprisingly quiet. The reason I said surprisingly, is because the wilderness area is right next to an off-road park. Very occasionally (5% of the time), you’ll hear an ORV. The rest of the time, all you hear are birds, and there are a lot of them (I think they like to eat the juniper berries).
I should explain that the reason for the wilderness area’s existence is the Juniper trees. This is the most northerly point for them in the US.
I loved it there for many reasons. First, it was comfortably warm (mid 70’s). Second, I didn’t see another person the whole time I was in the wilderness. Thirdly, I got to literally sleep under the stars, because I didn’t bother putting up my tent’s rain fly (I really enjoyed seeing sunrise while in my sleeping bag!).
I almost forgot to mention that there are no trails. You just wander wherever you feel like, and you can camp anywhere. The only slight downside is that fires are not allowed in the wilderness.
Would I go there again? Heck, yeah (although not in the summer)! Would I recommend it to someone else? Yes, but only if they have a capable vehicle.
Now, it’s time for pictures. Enjoy!
Chuck Martin Photos 