Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) & TREAD Partner on Ancient Lakes Project (2023) - Project Update
The Quincy Lakes Unit is extremely popular for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, geocaching, and rock climbing. This low-elevation recreation area is the first to open up from winter snowmelt, making it a popular spring destination. Visitors come from all over the state and country. Each year, permits are issued for bicycle races, running events, orienteering, outdoor leadership schools, and other group gatherings. Miles of trails have been created by users making illegal paths through the fragile shrubsteppe landscape.
The Quincy Lakes Wildlife Area Unit is one of 13 units within the 192,568-acre Columbia Basin Wildlife Area. The unit is 17,332 acres and is a combination of WDFW-managed DNR, USBLM, and WDFW lands. It is one of the most visited units in the wildlife area and is used by many recreational groups.
TREAD was hired in 2023 by WDFW to do this work in addition to coming up with plans for trail improvements, reroutes, decommissioning, allowed or desired uses by trail, and a prioritized work plan. From this Assessment, WDFW can evaluate the recommendations from a cultural resource lens and come up with a final plan to be implemented and communicated. The Final Report can be read here.
In 2023, WDFW Region 2 began a proposed acquisition project. With up to 1,532 acres to be added to the Quincy Lakes Unit of the Columbia Basin Wildlife Area. This site protects wildlife habitat connectivity at a known pinch point on the Babcock Bench. Sagebrush sparrow and other sagebrush obligates, requiring high quality, undisturbed habitat, occur within this project area, as well as golden eagle. Babcock Bench has many values including geology associated with the Ice Age Floods and important habitat connectivity along the Columbia River. Recreational opportunities include connectivity for trail running, mountain biking, hunting and hiking from Ancient Lakes Trailhead to the Frenchman Coulee climbing area. See links below for maps and more information about the land acquisition.
In 2025, Washington Trails Association (WTA) was been able to provide an ambassador site at Ancient Lakes in partnership with WDFW, see more information from the WTA website, here.
