| Access Site #1 |
Driving Directions
From Quincy, take Hwy. 281 south five miles to county Road 5 NW, turn west (right)and drive three miles to Road T NW and turn south (left) on that gravel road. Proceed south 1/2 mile to the WDFW gate at the main entrance of the wildlife area. The east side of the Quincy Lakes Wildlife Area can be accessed via Hwy. 281 from Road 3 NW. There is a WDFW gravel access road at the west end of County Rd 3 NW. |
Parking/Restroom Information
The WDFW gravel road through the wildlife area is open to vehicles from March 1st through September 30. There are several marked parking areas, camping areas, boat ramps and outhouses that are accessable from the four mile long gravel access road. Another WDFW gravel access road, at the west end of Rd 3 NW, leads to two parking areas, outhouses and boat ramps on the east ends of Burke Lake and Babcock Reservoir.
See listing of Quincy Lakes Access Sites and Facility Information |
Other Information
The main access road through the Quincy Lakes Wildlife Area is closed to vehicles from October 1 until March 1. Foot traffic is allowed year round. |
| Access Site #2 |
Driving Directions
Frenchman Coulee Unit of Quincy Lakes Wildlife Area can be accessed by taking I-90 Exit 143 to Silica Road. About one mile north of Exit 143 on Silica Road, is the intersection of Frenchman Coulee Road. Go west (left) on Frenchman Coulee Road to access that portion of Quincy Wildlife Area. |
Parking/Restroom Information
There are three parking areas in the Frenchman Coulee Unit. The first parking area is about one mile from Silica Road. It sometimes has a portable outhouse placed there. This parking area serves many rock climbers. The second parking area is about one mile beyond the first one. It provides parking for people that are hiking the Babcock Bench above the Columbia River. The last parking area is at the west end of Frenchman Coulee Road on the bank of the Columbia River. There is a boat ramp, an outhouse and a camping area at that location.
See listing of Quincy Lakes Access Sites and Facility Information |
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The most striking feature of the 15,266-acre Quincy Lakes unit, west of the town of George, is the geology. It is a product of erosion of lava flows by glacial floodwaters. The many layers of basalt are exposed in towering 800-foot cliffs, isolated mesas, stair stepped benches, box canyons and potholes. Several of the potholes are filled with water that has seeped from the irrigation of the Quincy Basin farmlands upslope. These wetlands, ponds and lakes have added an important diversity to the habitat of this area. Most of this unit is well vegetated with perennial plants. Big sage/bluebunch wheatgrass is the most common plant community. There are a variety of other native shrub-steppe communities in areas where the soil is scarce, and one farm unit has been turned into a 70-acre shrub plot. A White Eatonella (Eatonella nivea) plant site near Frenchman Coulee has been designated a Natural Area by DNR. Striped whipsnakes have been observed on this unit. Several of the lakes are managed for trout fishing.
OTHER INFORMATION
