Last updated: September 25, 2023
Place
Pacific Lake Recreation Site
Quick Facts
Location:
From Odessa, Washington: Take WA-21 north for 2 miles. Turn left onto graveled Lakeview Ranch Loop Road and travel 5 miles to the historic ranch site on your left and the recreation site access road on your right.
MANAGED BY:
Amenities
3 listed
Boat Ramp, Parking - Auto, Scenic View/Photo Spot
Pacific Lake Recreation Site is located 1/3-mile east of the historic Lakeview Ranch barn and corrals. The recreation site provides three quiet picnic and/or camping sites (each with picnic table and fire ring) in a shrub-steppe ecosystem, and with views to columnar basalt formations rising up along the opposite lake edge. Due to a declining aquifer, Pacific Lake was completely dry from 2004 – 2016, and is again currently dry, as of 2022.
Recreational activities in this area include picnicking, camping, horseback riding, hunting, hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, wildlife watching, wildflower viewing, photography, and natural history appreciation. Nearby is a seven-mile motorized recreation route restricted to on-trail riding only. Several hiking trails are also available.
The 12.5-mile Odessa to Pacific Lake Trail links the town of Odessa, Washington and Pacific Lake Recreation Site. It crosses shrub-steppe uplands, and Lake Creek Canyon.
The Odessa Craters Loop Trail trailhead/parking lot is alongside WA-21 just 6.6 miles north of Odessa, WA. Hikers of the 1.5-mile loop trail experience views to multiple geologic feature craters.
The Cache Crater Accessible Trail trailhead/parking lot is alongside WA-21 just 7.1 miles north of Odessa, WA. The 1/6-mile graveled wheelchair accessible trail leads to an overlook of this geologic feature.
Know Before You Go:
- Beware of likely daily big temperature swings, as well as rattlesnakes, especially from May through October in this arid, hot-in-summer landscape.
- Sources of ground water are not always present along the 12.5-mile Odessa to Pacific Lake Trail, and when available might not be suited for human consumption, even filtered, due to agricultural run-off. Staging water jugs in advance, brought in via the motorized route segment of the trail, is an option when planning to hike, ride, or bike the entire trail.
- Well water for horses or other uses is no longer available at this site as the well ran dry. Please bring all your needed water with you to the site. In case of immediate/urgent need for water: the Odessa City Clerk’s Office offers large-volume metered water fills for sale, during normal working hours. The City Clerk’s Office is located at 21 E 1st Avenue Odessa, WA, 99159 and can be reached at (509) 982-2401.
- When recreating on public lands, please practice Leave-No-Trace Principles.
Point of Interest:
Plentiful columnar basalt formations and other scenic views can be found within Lake Creek Canyon. Some hikers and horseback riders access and explore the canyon via trail connecting the canyon north of Bob’s Lake to Lakeview Ranch Loop Road.
External Map Lakeview Recreation Area (blm.gov)