Things to do
Day trips from the Tri-Cities
Where locals actually go for a day: waterfalls and Ice Age canyons, Walla Walla and Pendleton, wine country, lakes and the Blue Mountains. Each guide covers how to get there, passes, the season and what to do.
Our coverage stops at the Benton and Franklin county lines, with one exception: this day-trip guide. Most of these places are outside our two counties, so we focus on the facts you need to plan the drive and link to each official source. About our coverage area.
Drive times are from the Cable Bridge between Kennewick and Pasco and assume normal traffic and dry roads. Check WSDOT pass reports in winter.
Waterfalls, canyons & geology
Ice Age flood country: Wallula Gap, Dry Falls, petrified forests and caves.
Palouse Falls State Park
Washington’s state waterfall: the Palouse River drops about 200 feet into a basalt canyon in northern Franklin County. Discover Pass required; stay behind fences.
Columbia Hills Historical State Park
Shrub-steppe hills above the Columbia Gorge with Horsethief Lake, climbing at Horsethief Butte, spring wildflowers and Native American petroglyphs.
Ginkgo Petrified Forest and Wanapum
A National Natural Landmark at Vantage where petrified logs still lie where they were buried, plus a riverfront campground and swim area at Wanapum just down the road.
Hat Rock State Park (Oregon)
A grassy Oregon state park on Lake Wallula named for its hat-shaped rock, a landmark Lewis and Clark noted in 1805.
Lake Lenore Caves
A short climb to shallow caves in the basalt cliffs above Lake Lenore, carved by the same Ice Age floods that shaped the Tri-Cities.
McNary National Wildlife Refuge
Wetlands and river bottoms near Burbank where thousands of ducks and geese winter. Free, close and great for birding.
Towns, museums & history
Walla Walla, Pendleton, Toppenish murals, Maryhill and small-town main streets.
Downtown Pendleton
An Old West ranch town over the Oregon line, home of the Pendleton Round-Up, an underground tour of its historic tunnels, and the original Pendleton woolen mill.
Downtown Walla Walla
A walkable downtown an hour away with more than 20 wine tasting rooms within a few blocks, restaurants, shops and historic buildings.
Fort Simcoe Historical State Park
An 1856 Army fort in a grove of oaks on the Yakama Reservation, with original officers’ quarters and a picnic lawn.
Fort Walla Walla Museum
A regional history museum on the grounds of a 19th-century fort, with five exhibit halls, a 33-mule wheat harvest display and a 17-building pioneer village.
Goldendale Observatory State Park
A hilltop observatory with one of the nation’s largest public telescopes and dark skies above Goldendale.
Historic Dayton
A small Blue Mountains town with the oldest train depot in Washington and the state’s oldest working courthouse, on the way to Bluewood and the Tucannon.
Wine country beyond the Tri-Cities
Walla Walla’s districts and the Rattlesnake Hills trail near Zillah.
Downtown Walla Walla
A walkable downtown an hour away with more than 20 wine tasting rooms within a few blocks, restaurants, shops and historic buildings.
Rattlesnake Hills Wine Trail
Eighteen wineries around Zillah in the Rattlesnake Hills AVA, most on estate vineyards with views of Mount Adams and Mount Rainier.
Walla Walla Wine Country
Walla Walla’s wineries cluster in districts, so you can plan a day around one area: Downtown, the Airport District, Southside, Westside or Eastside.
Lakes, rivers & beaches
Corps parks on Lake Wallula, Potholes, Soap Lake and the Touchet River.
Lyons Ferry State Park
Camping, swimming and boating where the Palouse meets the Snake River, near Palouse Falls.
Hat Rock State Park (Oregon)
A grassy Oregon state park on Lake Wallula named for its hat-shaped rock, a landmark Lewis and Clark noted in 1805.
Hood Park Campground
An Army Corps campground on Lake Wallula just across the Snake River from Pasco, with 67 shaded family sites with electric hookups, a swim area and a boat ramp.
Lewis and Clark Trail State Park
A shady 36-acre camping park on the Touchet River near Dayton, an oasis of pines and cottonwoods in wheat country.
Potholes State Park
A year-round camping and lake park on Potholes Reservoir, known for fishing, waterskiing and the dunes and marshes nearby.
Soap Lake
A small town on a mineral-rich lake whose water feels slippery, like soap.
Mountains, forests & snow
Ski Bluewood, White Pass and the Tucannon lakes in the Blue Mountains.
Ski Bluewood
The closest ski area to the Tri-Cities, in the Blue Mountains above Dayton.
Tucannon River and Wooten Wildlife Area Lakes
A string of eight stocked fishing lakes and simple campgrounds along the Tucannon River in the Blue Mountains, between Dayton and Pomeroy.
White Pass Ski Area
A ski area at the summit of US 12 near Mount Rainier with 47 runs and eight lifts. A long but doable day trip.
Map of day trips
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