If you’re looking for a tucked away, easy hike spent in nature amongst thick underbrush, towering trees, a flowing creek and a big waterfall — then the Douglas Falls Nature Loop Trail is the place for you.
To Get There
The easiest way to get to the Nature Loop Trail is by starting in the northeastern town of Colville, WA. Head east on Highway 20 and Highway 395. Almost a mile out of Colville, you will start to climb a small sweeping hill and see signs for an airport. Just before the airport will be a road to your left called Aladdin Rd. Take that road and head North. Roughly two miles after driving on Aladdin will be a left turn onto Douglas Falls Road — take it. After three miles on this road, the destination will be on your left marked with a big sign leading the way into the parking and camping areas at Douglas Falls Grange Park. A Discover Pass is required for parking.
The Trail
The trail is approximately 1.5 miles long and starts up at the parking lot, right behind the big informational sign which includes a description of the trail, the park and the land. It is pretty neat to learn about how the land was acquired and the purpose of what it is being used for. The trail starts off right there and immediately a view of the falls is available. After admiring the falls from above and from a distance out, the trail shoots down to your right along the fence line. It is kind of steep at first but levels out near the bridge and water. Just a heads up, the sides of the trail include thick underbrush, so dress accordingly.
As you wind down the trail, it splits off into two or three little trails. None are more than maybe 20 or 30 feet long before merging back into one trail. All of the little spur trails merge back together right at the beginning of a suspension bridge that crosses the creek. After crossing the creek, you can go one of two ways. Either you can shoot to the right and follow the creek for a little while and loop around through the trees, or you can hook to the left and stay along the creek. If staying near the creek, within roughly 100 yards will put you right at the bottom of the waterfall. At the base of the falls is a little place to hang out, sit and play in the rocks, get in the water and just admire the falls from down below.
Once getting back on the main trail, a quick steep section must be scaled before reaching the big rocks at the top of the waterfall. When you are ready, the trail continues along the creek line, providing opportunities for playing in the water, skipping rocks and/or simply hanging low. As you meander on the trail, it will actually tie back into part of the road that goes to the second half of the campsites. From here, come to the road, hook a left, cross the bridge and follow the road back to the original parking area. Within minutes, you are only steps away from where you parked and you’ve just completed the Nature Trail Loop.
Trail Tips and Perks
One last thing to remember is that there are a couple of big trees across the trail that you need to cross by jumping or crawling over — but there’s nothing too hard. It is a pretty easy trail overall.
This nature loop trail also provides other perks for adventure seekers, people who love the outdoors, and people who may want to be by themselves or with kids. There is access to water, great scenery, birdwatching, the potential for wildlife, and a giant picnic area. There are camping spaces, barbecue pits, fire pits, and a giant field to just play, meditate and relax. There is even a baseball backstop! There are so many things to bring people together or to enjoy independently. Hopefully what you have gathered here is that there is a lot of opportunity for fun at Douglas Falls.
We are new to the NE Washington area as of a couple of years ago and haven’t had the opportunity to do much exploring. We just checked this out today thanks to your page- it was the perfect weather and we really enjoyed it! Thank you!