Columbia Plateau — Cheney to Fish Lake return

Columbia Plateau — Cheney to Fish Lake return — detailed guide

Source review: 2026-10-12. A dated source review does not guarantee current-day conditions.

Ride the 3.75-mile asphalt section between the Columbia Plateau State Park Trail’s Cheney and Fish Lake trailheads, then return the same way for about 7.5 miles. A shorter return is fine. This guide stays on the improved northern pavement; it leaves out the gravel continuation and the undeveloped southern corridor.

Washington State Parks explicitly identifies this first 3.75-mile section as asphalt. Its visitor brochure describes it as suitable for bicycling and inline skating, with an accessible trail surface. The owner’s descriptions support a manageable paved railroad outing, while providing no measured maximum grade or climbing total for this return ride. Current trail profile, visitor brochure

Start and course

Start at the Columbia Plateau Trail’s Cheney Trailhead, off Cheney–Spangle Road. Follow the signed state-trailhead entrance and use its designated public parking. The owner lists parking, a restroom, picnic facilities and an information kiosk. Walk your bicycle from the lot to the asphalt trail. This is the state trailhead; the park’s Washtucna office address and Spokane’s Government Way/Milton Street Fish Lake Trail start are different places.

Follow the asphalt main trail northeast toward Fish Lake. Stay on the paved former railroad route, passing the owner’s historic railroad mile markers. Those numbers measure distance from Portland; they are not miles ridden from your start. The brochure identifies Cheney at milepost 361.25 and Fish Lake at milepost 365, consistent with the published 3.75-mile extent.

At the state park’s Fish Lake Trailhead, turn around and retrace the same asphalt route to Cheney. Turn before the closed northern gap or any barrier beyond the state trailhead. Do not attempt to continue to Spokane’s separate Fish Lake Trail. The owner map distinguishes that city route and marks the intervening link closed. Northern trail map

Finish at the Cheney trailhead and walk back through the lot. Do not continue southwest beyond Cheney onto the crushed-gravel portion to extend this advertised distance. This ride also leaves out Amber Lake, Martin Road, refuge side trails, the southern tunnels and trestles, active rail areas, highway connections and improvised road detours.

The approximate 7.5-mile return doubles the owner’s 3.75-mile paved section. The walked lot approach is additional. The map is an orientation source, not a surveyed navigation track or inspection of every crossing. Follow the signed main path, slow at any access or road interface, and return if a barrier interrupts the route.

Suitability and visit planning

The visitor brochure describes the paved section as accessible. A June 2026 guided-ride notice describes regional terrain as mostly flat with paved and gravel surfaces, but its timed event route is not this exact itinerary. Neither source supplies a present measured maximum slope or total ascent. Walk any uncomfortable approach, joint or short incline. No full-course accessibility certification is supplied by this guide.

Expect a shared trail. Yield to walkers and mobility-device users, announce passing and ride slowly near trailheads. Stay on the designated state corridor. Nearby refuge land and accessible walking loops have separate restrictions; a paved or accessible footpath is not automatically a bicycle route.

Hours are 6:30 a.m. to dusk year-round, and the state park is day-use only. Choose daylight and allow time to return. Vehicle parking requires a Discover Pass: $10 for a day or $45 annually under the current park listing. The older brochure’s $30 annual price is obsolete. Check posted payment instructions and current pass eligibility before your visit.

Bring your own water. The June 20, 2026 State Parks ride notice reports a pit toilet and no water available. Its introductory text mentions Fish Lake while its actual starting-point text names Cheney, so it does not establish drinking-water service at both ends. The older brochure’s fountain symbol or milepost reference is not a current operating guarantee. Restroom availability, parking capacity and local gate instructions still need checking on arrival. Dated owner ride notice

Conditions and review

Reviewed October 12, 2026 UTC, while it was October 11 locally. The current park profile identifies the asphalt section and retains a separate washout closure between Lower Monumental Dam and Kahlotus in the southern corridor. That southern notice does not itself close this northern ride, and it does not provide an unconditional all-clear here.

The northern map is printed June 1, 2025, despite its 2026 download path. It shows pavement between the two selected trailheads, gravel beyond Cheney and a closed link north of Fish Lake. Check fresh signs, weather, debris, repairs and access before riding; postpone or shorten the outing if conditions are unsuitable.

Editorial draft complete with these qualifications. Fresh launch checks and integration into Joy Riders USA remain pending. No surveyed parking pin or navigation GPX is supplied.