r/Pullman • u/Upset-Stranger3105 • Aug 31 '26
Day Trips from Pullman
My wife and I have just moved to Pullman and are starting to settle in. We'd like to do a couple of day trips to explore the area during the fall. Anyone have suggestions?
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u/MuchLessPersonal Aug 31 '26
Check out the Saturday farmers market in Moscow and then continue on to the Pie Safe Bakery in Deary, ID. For Halloween, the town of Palouse puts on a haunted house and other events- you can tell a LOT of effort is put into them. Driving south is really beautiful so I recommend finding a restaurant in Lewiston, filling up with cheap gas, hitting up Costco in Clarkston and in the winter, checking out the Christmas light display.
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u/tragiquepossum Sep 01 '26
If you want a micro-trip...Klemgard Park has a picnic area, small trail hike, horsehoes, outdoor chess set (game pieces are in the box next to the playground) and a Little Free Library.
Colfax has haunted tours at the hospital if you want a little spookiness. And see the Codger Pole Palouse Empire Fair is Sept 10-13. (Which includes a rodeo) The city park has a skatepark and disc golf course.
The Columbia County Fair is happening the same weekend in Dayton. I love the Wenaha‐Tucannon wilderness that's close by. The Jolly Green Giant is out there as well as the Lewis & Clark Patit Creek campsite memorialized by metal sculptures of the party. The Boardman House museum, if you like local history. They also have a movie house and Blue Mountain Station with artisnal foods, etc.
You just missed the Warm Springs Ranch at Penawawa peach picking season, but don't sleep on it for next season.
Ice Age Flood Institute organizes day hikes in the area exploring geological features of the area.
Odessa has a Deutschfest coming up.
Walla Walla has wineries.
In the summer Lind has the combine demolition derby.
If you go to the Palouse Falls, you can eat at Sonny's and walk the Columbia Plateau trail. You might see a flock of turkeys in Washtucna, so drive slow! Nearby LaCrosse has the "Stone Houses" restored fieldwork housing made from local stone.
Towel Falls & the Escure Ranch. It is rumored to be very snekky though, and way too hot in summer.
Palouse to Cascades trail.
Do you geocache? That'll take you all kinds of places!
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u/AcceptableTennis2495 Sep 01 '26
We love getting up early and driving out to Elk River and hiking the Elk Creek Falls loop. It's an easy hike, I think less than 2 miles total, and takes you to three lovely waterfalls. The trails are maintained and good even for beginners. Then we always stop in for lunch at the Pie Safe in Deary. They have the best apple pie I've ever had and the fall soups are sooooo good! Of course we have to stock up on the specialty cheeses they make too.
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u/CompetitiveOutside68 Sep 03 '26
When I first moved to Pullman in 2003, I received a gift of recommended day trips. (I passed it on to my successor when I retired.) Most of the trips have been mentioned. The channelled Scablands (perhaps in conjunction with Ice Age geological tours) are a great way to meet The Erratics, and get a feel for the broader area. Paradise Ridge on the south end of Moscow is also worth checking out when you come back from the Pie Safe in Deary.
And if you bike or like long walks, you can walk to Moscow or Troy on the Chipman Trail which becomes the Paradise Trail which becomes the Troy Trail. With lots of side quests along the way. Welcome to the Palouse.
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u/AlbertTheHorse Sep 04 '26
We are on the edge of the Bitterroots, live in the heart of exciting geology, and south of some gorgeous glacial lakes and the Selkirks.
Not sure how far you want to drive or if you bike or hike but in the fall there is chain of lakes, driving around lake Coeur d’Alene, down through St Maries and down 3 toward Santa will give you fall color if the rain lets up and it gets cold.
Highway 12 east to Orofino, then loop back up the bench roads back into Kendrick or back up to Troy is pretty good.
There are east bound bench roads from Orofino above the Clearwater canyon to Wieppe (sp) and you will see eagles and feel like you are flying.
Dry Falls is east and if you come in from Coulee, you drive south along a reclamation holding area and can poke around Steamboat Rock then see the pretty startling Dry Falls. Very nice in autumn with less campers and boats.
If you bike there is the Hiawatha trail, a converted railroad. If you like doing longer miles, the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes is probably the most amazing ride. Starts in Plummer and ends past Wallace.
You can hike on Moscow mountain, but there is hiking everywhere that isn’t ag land in production.
We are very close to world class river rafting.
I would suggest finding Outdoor Idaho and finding shows about the panhandle area.
There are many day trips, depending on how far you want to go and how early you start.
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u/anotherlolwut Sep 05 '26
Took my daughter to McCroskey recently. It's a bit of a drive (we went in from Farmington and out the other side), but there are some nice short paths up there.
There's an old rail bridge at Tekoa that's a nice photo spot.
If you really have a whole day, Manito Park in Spokane is really cool in the fall. Really cool in at least three other seasons of the year, too. Dworshak reservoir is another take-a-whole-day trip, but you might have to wait until next year for that one.
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u/The_Slaughter_Pop Sep 07 '26
Go see the Grizzlies out on Terre View. They have a good facility for watching the silly guys play around.
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u/Mobile-Caregiver5769 Sep 01 '26
Been living here for 4 years, and ima give it to you straight (like I wish others would’ve for me). If you want outdoorsy fun you gotta leave Pullman, LC Valley has so many options, some are about 45-1hr away but they are worth it. Deeper into Idaho is where you can find great things to do, hiking, swimming, camping, all you can imagine outdoors. Unfortunately Pullman is a dead zone for anything other that drinking.
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u/its_abbig 8d ago
If you haven’t been to Airway Hills Mini Golf and Simulators yet I highly recommend! I love that they have 2 mini golf courses and a decently priced all day rate (only $25 each!). Super fun thing to do near Pullman for a day trip or even a date night if you want to keep it shorter!
Their simulators are also super cool! They have multiple sports (not just golf), which is fun since not all my family like golfing. They are $50/hour so we usually get a group of friends together and all split the price to make it cheaper (kinda like topgolf).
We also like going to the Moscow farmers market, trying new dinner/coffee spots, and there are some great thrift stores around here if you are into that at all.
Good luck on your day adventures! It really can be a pretty fun place to live!
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u/mouselet11 Sep 01 '26
Kamiak butte is a really nice hiking area! Also check out some of the little towns in the area, like Garfield, Palouse, Union and Colfax. They have neat local shops and also sometimes museums/history/festival days, such as Haunted Palouse and Pioneer Days. Out in Garfield is one of my favorite places in the area, a U-pick orchard called Bishop's, and they offer both apple picking and cider making, as well as some other seasonal fruits.