The trail is located in central Washington in the northeast region of Ellensburg in Kittitas County. The trail is easy and mostly goes through a roadbed that gets rocky as it passes through the northern section of the pass. The Colockum Pass, through which the mountain road passes, stands at an elevation of 5,373 feet. It was an emigrant and freight route linking The Dalles, Oregon, Ruby Mines, and British Columbia in Canada.
The south side on a pass ascent is less scenic than the northerly descent, offering spectacular views of the Columbia River and North Cascades. You can get a map for this offroad trail in the southern half of the Wenatchee National Forest or some info on the trail in Kittitas County.
The entire trail can be hiked in 2 hours over a 30 mile stretch of dirt. To get to the trailhead, head towards Ellensburg. From North Kittitas and Northeast Ellensburg, head to Brick Mill Road, which is the eastern section of Colockum Road. Follow the path northeast over the pass where the trail will then begin from that point. If you’re taking the highway from the north in Wenatchee to reach this trail, start from Wenatchee Avenue on the Malaga-Alcoa Highway in the southeast section along the Columbia River. You will then come to Colockum Road on this road.
Rest stops are in some roadside areas and at the Colockum State Wildlife Area campground. From Colockum Road, where the trailhead begins, take the gravel road for 2.2 miles as it ascends from the Kittitas Valley and through volcanic sagebrush hills and roadsides lined with stands of cottonwood and pine. Go further for 14 miles and the trail approaches the Colockum State Wildlife Area and Midway Station.
Continue 2 more miles as the canyon road descends to Tarpiscan Creek in Columbia, where the road then forks to the right. Down the river, the path continues to Colockum Road, where you’ll pass a great view of downtown Washington. From this descent, the trail continues to Wenatchee on the Malaga-Alcoa Highway. From here you can take a left onto Kingsbury Road to see Kingsbury Canyon. The trail then leads to Moses Carr Road in 5 miles where it will turn right onto the Malaga-Alcoa highway.
