This Japanese Botanical Garden may be small, but it beautifully lives up to its name. Tucked away…read morein a peaceful setting, the garden offers a cozy, quiet escape with meandering walking paths, gentle streams, serene ponds, and even a few graceful koi fish gliding through the water. A charming little fountain adds a soft, soothing soundscape to the experience. Though seating is limited, there are a few well-placed benches where you can pause and take in the calm surroundings. The zen garden areas feature carefully raked sand, textured stones, and layered designs that invite stillness and reflection. You'll also find stone pagoda-like statues, stacked stone towers, and miniature trees that complete the traditional Japanese aesthetic. It's a lovely, peaceful retreat--perfect for a slow stroll, quiet contemplation, or simply enjoying a moment of calm. While it's not large, its thoughtful design and serene atmosphere make it well worth the visit.

A hidden gem in the middle of downtown Mosses Lake. We enjoyed the grassy area, trees, and…read morefountains. It's a perfect place to relax, meditate, read, and have a picnic.

Excellent view of the columns We loved the ride and took…read morepictures of the formations. However we didn't get to see the tall ones or maybe the shadows did not allowed a great view

There is a pull-off from West McManamon Road where you can park your car as you visit Drumheller…read moreChannels National Natural Landmark. I had been debating about whether to stop here after hiking some of the trails past the main entrance of the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge and decided to stop because the pull-off had ample space for me to park and a sign denoting the pull-off corresponding to the National Natural Landmark was easy to spot from the road. From the parking area there is a short gravel path to a vista/viewing point that looks out over the channeled scablands. This viewing area has a few informational placards with information about the history of the area and about the importance of the natural habitat the area provides for wildlife. A number of small trails branched away from the vista/viewing point that I chose not to explore. I enjoyed stopping here and it tickled my tastebuds to do more exploring in the vein of past geology projects of mine. In my sedimentology and stratigraphy course as an undergraduate training in geology and geophysics one of my focus projects was on the channeled scablands. I chose the topic because the word scablands was not familiar to me. Funny enough, the channeled scablands ended up being in my home state (Washington State)! So stopping here carried a large sentimental meaning to me. Even if the channeled scablands have not been a focus of your professional activities I recommend stopping here. The location provides a good view of the scablands and a great cursory background of the importance of the area in understanding Earth's (natural) history.

Such a cute neighborhood oasis surrounded by private houses. You wouldn't even know it existed!…read more Green, open space for picnics under the shade of trees, or space to run and frolic and play. Small playground, unfortunately all exposed to the sun, making it hot and hard to keep little ones out long. One bench and one picnic table allow for mini gatherings, but bring a blanket and there is space enough for everyone! Friendly neighborhood as we were kindly and respectfully greeted by a teenage boy walking through, along the one path. Ample street parking! One paved path from the street to the playground, through the grassy expanse, with a fork towards the break in the fence, presumably for the homes/neighbors. Great, cozy spot for a road trip break!

I was very impressed with the parks here in Moses Lake! They are well maintained and beautiful! We…read morewent to this park to get a different angle of Moses Lake itself. The view of the lake here is beautiful in addition to a very cute little amphitheater here for summer concerts I imagine. The park also has a Farmers Market which is a good fit since this park is fairly spacious!

This park offers a lot of activities here. Tennis, Volley…read moreball, Basketball, Swimming, Skateboard, BBQ, Picnic, Water park, Outdoor Theater...

We stayed for two nights at Pothole Camp, and from the very first morning (Saturday), the entire…read moretrip was just horrible. First issue: Someone thought it was a genius idea to hang a wasp/hornet trap right in the middle of two campsites -- ours and our neighbors'. Saturday morning, we woke up to wasps swarming all over our tents. At first, we couldn't figure out why until we spotted the trap in a tree, literally buzzing with activity. My husband went to the ranger station to report it, but no one was there. About an hour later, a ranger finally showed up and moved the trap -- by that point, our kids hadn't even been able to leave their tents. Once that was dealt with, I started cleaning up all the trash left behind by the previous campers at our site. Later that evening, while we were having dinner, our older daughter was stung by a bee. Speaking of trash -- let's talk about the lakes. We visited multiple spots around the lakes, and honestly, it felt like flashbacks to dirty California beaches. Everywhere we went: trash, broken glass, diapers, beer cans, baby wipes. Floating in the water. Tangled in plants. Scattered across the shore. My daughter was in the water for maybe 45 seconds before she cut her foot open on a shard of glass, and we had to go back to camp to pull it out. None of us even got to swim. And this wasn't just one spot -- we tried three different lakes and five different locations, hoping for a safe place for the kids. Nothing. We are never coming back. People can say what they want about western Washington coasts and lakes (the weather, the crowds, whatever), but what we do right is keeping our beaches, parks, and wildlife refuges clean. We respect our nature and our wildlife. We don't like people coming into our homes and leaving trash everywhere, so we don't do that to other places. This place could be a gem. It could be beautiful and worth returning to every year. But that won't happen. This was our first -- and our last -- time visiting.

love camping herre use park as base camp and go fishing in the many many lakes within 25 miles…read more love the fishing in eastern washington

While this little park has the fewest amenities of our recent park tours, I really liked it because…read moreit is incredibly peaceful. On a weekday afternoon, we had it to ourselves and were surrounded mostly by the sounds of nature. It is also another immaculate space. I'm really impressed by the city's careful cultivation of its green spaces. The disc golf seems a bit better than at Blue Heron mainly because the playing space doesn't overlap with the people lounging space. But you have to play entirely unshaded, so mid-day summer games are out. There's only a dock, 2 picnic tables with no grills, a restroom, and a nine-hole disc course. No playgrounds for the kids. There is also only a modicum of shaded areas. No real room for large gatherings unless people bring their own tents and chairs. However, I really enjoyed it and left with a desire to return again to enjoy the relaxation.

The place itself is sketchy. Kinda expected to hear banjos playing. A guy was yelling at another…read moreguy up on the second floor, and there was nobody in the office. I went to my room, and was engaged in a conversation with the guy who was working on the room upstairs. Not quite sure what his deal was, but he explained that he was busy: a busy bee, although he said he hadn't gotten any honey yet. Perhaps a friend of Walter White? I was feeling pretty good when I saw that my room had no neighbors. Just a large room with a metal door in between my room and the next. Turns out the room with the metal door had some sort of industrial equipment in it, and it let out a loud hum for the first three hours of my stay. The room I stayed in looked nothing at all like the pictures that were provided on any of the travel sites. It smelled musty, and was not well kept up. I stayed in hotels with similar reviews in Moses Lake, and they've been fine. This one was not.

So I am now being threatened if I leave "honest" review they are going to sue me. So i will let…read morethe photos speak about how "clean" this place is NOT. The guy on the phone went from "its clean!!" to "its clean with MAYBE some stains" but the carpet is new? ONLY Acknowledging my issues when I said well I have Photos. Stating at the end of the call its being recorded, pretty sure WA is a 2 party consent state so BY not saying it upfront you are braking the law?

Sunny, warm, and not too windy was the weather when I visited the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge…read moreon Wednesday the 12th of August 2020. The turn off of West McManamon Road to the office building on South Morgan Lake Road is clearly marked with a large Columbia National Wildlife Refuge sign indicating the distance to the refuge's headquarters. The day I visited the visitor center was closed, though general use information and brochures were still available at a small informational pavilion outside the headquarters building. After picking up a brochure which contained a map of the refuge I headed off to the trailhead for the Marsh Loop Trail and Frog Lake Trail. There was only one other car in the parking lot at the trailhead when I arrived. Informational/interpretive signs are situated at the beginning of the trails to provide some background and context for the land one is traveling on. The trails took me past a small body of water. I took a left to continue on the Frog Lake Trail which took me closer to the body of water and through some tall grass. Eventually the mosquitos got so thick that I decided to turn back. Along the portion of the trail I hiked were abundant birds, insects, and wildlife. The trail was well maintained and trail markers indicated which direction to continue to stay on the trails. When I got back to the car, one of the people from the other car parked in the same parking lot had climbed to the top of some basalt cliffs. Eyeing the small trail to the cliffs and seeing no bodies of water that might yield a large mass of mosquitos I decided to try the trail. The trail was not too steep and I encountered no mosquitos nor ticks. Large holes along the side of the path were homes for some critter, maybe a ground squirrel! I lost the trail going to the top of the cliffs, but still made it to the top. Great sweeping views of some of the physical features of the refuge. A beautiful landscape in every way. I found the trail on my way down and made it back to the car safe and sound. A number of cars drove past the areas I visited while I was there, but only a couple stopped and parked their cars. Quiet destination spots that day. Depending on what trail you are thinking about hiking and the time of year you visit I recommend bringing insect repellent and/or sunscreen. I would also recommend watching out for rattlesnakes while one is hiking here. In my experience they tend to like resting in the shade of shrubbery and sunning themselves in rocky areas. While my rattlesnake encounters have been while I was conducting geology field work in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, it is good to keep an eye on the underbrush just in case.

This is a really cute park to stop and have lunch or just sit and chill out. There is quite a bit…read moreof parking and if you're one that is just passing by Moses Lake, there is a public bathroom to stop and get rid of some lemonade. There is a cool fountain as you enter the information center/rest area and then plenty of picnic tables lined up to sit down and eat. It would be nice if there were some umbrellas or something to shield from the strong sun, but the only time you'll probably get sun is in the summer anyway because let's be real....this is Washington. Eastern Washington is a bit different though, but I still wish there was some sort of coverage from the sun. There are no trees either. I also thought it was cool that they have an electric car powering station, so that could be cool if you need to stop and charge up your e-car. This information center is basically in the middle of downtown so it has great access to all the festivities and restaurants and goings-on of the downtown area. I'm just glad they had a bathroom because I really needed one.