This hike happened by happenstance…read more A friend and I were supposed to go up to Horseshoe Prairie (http://www.yelp.com/biz/horseshoe-prairie-nordic-ski-area-pendleton) for snowshoeing, but unfortunately, I let my friend drive and he was a little too confident about his car's snowy-road-handling ability. After spinning tires a time or two, we canned our fun-in-the-snow plans, turned around, and slid down the hill to civilization. While picking up chocolates at Petite Noirs (http://www.yelp.com/biz/petits-noirs-milton-freewater), the owner mentioned a nearby hike. To not make the day a total loss, we were all ears, and went for it. Just off of main street in Milton Freewater, you take the turn off for Harris Park (as you're driving south out of town, it'll be the left BEFORE you take the hill up and out of town). You then drive about 10 miles up a canyon carved by the South Fork of the Walla Walla River. This canyon is part of the Blue Mountains, and it's amazing to see how quickly the landscape changes from the drabby flatness of Milton-Freewater to the alpine-y beauty of the Blues & Walla Walla river. Once you're in the area of the park, keep going until you approach the trailhead for the South Fork Walla Walla River trail. Here there are quite a few parking spots, a couple of restrooms and river bubbles within earshot. You are clearly outside of civilization and within an honest to goodness country landscape. The deep valley is beautiful and the trail looks inviting. For the most part the trail parallels the river. Sometimes it sidetracks and goes up the side of the valley wall, but the river is always within view. The trail is well-kept and nice (other than a few boggy/muddy spots). We went for about 2.5 miles on the trail before calling it a day. We enjoyed sightings of elk at one spot (we later saw herds of deer, turkey, and even a scooting coyote during our dusk drive out). I'm so glad I made it here. I can definitely see myself coming back to dip myself within the magic waters (à la Field of Dreams) and fly fishing the stream (à la A River Runs Through It). I've also heard that you can ride your mountain bike here too---I'd also be down for that! South Fork of the Walla Walla Trail. I will see you again---very, very soon.

This was a great hike with my dog. Very turn their was a beautiful view of the Walla walla River…read more Trail was in decent condition. Plenty of parking at the trailhead.

Manuel was wonderful! He came up with amazing suggestions and we loved all three of the wineries we…read morevisited. It was so nice not to have to worry about scheduling and he kept up on time too. The car was very clean and also nice and cool. Who knew the weather could be so hot in early May?! We learned so much about Walla Walla. We cannot wait to go back! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Black Tie Wine Tours. We will definitely be scheduling them again next time we visit Walla Walla, WA.

This was AMAZING. I booked a customized tour with a group of friends and they were able to create…read morean itinerary. Our driver, Ken, was extra accommodating and gracious enough to stop at a Starbucks and downtown Walla Walla at our request. He took the time to call the wineries to move our reservation because we were somewhat late due to our extra request. He had various lunch options in mind since the wineries did not serve significant amount of food and went to pick up our order. The Mercedes sprinter limo was spacious, clean, and water was provided which was a nice touch. It was clear that Ken's goal was to ensure that our group enjoyed itself, and we certainly did. What a memorable trip. I'm not sure I ever felt this spoiled before. I would highly recommend!!

It was a bit hot to sit outside but the back patio didn't have much ambiance anyway. We had a nice…read moretable with comfortable chairs inside and spread out out our charcuterie that we brought. The wine at Brook & Bull was phenomenal - I ended up buying 4 bottles! Very unique and highly recommend.

They are no longer. :(…read more They're transitioning to "pop up" and online only. The woman who answered was very friendly and kind! But do not drive all the way here - there's no tasting room! (Aug 10, 2025)

We couldn't have had a better tour experience than we did with John and Winery Tours Walla Walla!…read more We sent in a questionnaire ahead of time, which outlined our wine preferences, places we'd been, and interests. John was friendly and knowledgeable! Since we hit it off so well with him, it was natural he'd join us in the tastings, which we thoroughly enjoyed. The places he chose were unique and perfect for our palette. Our five hours flew by! The optional lunch was excellent and it was clear John is well known and respected in the local community. If you're unfamiliar with the Walla Walla wine scene (or even if you know it well), you couldn't find a better tour operator than Winery Tours Walla Walla!

Winery Tours WW is the only company you should call when visiting Walla Walla. They are very…read moreknowledgeable of the business, region, restaurants and more. They are always on time and help you plan a great day of tasting without the stress of all the planning. Extremely friendly and professional!!! We have used them for the past 8 years and have no plans of using anyone else. Don't look any further. If you are planning at trip to taste wine call Winery Yours Walla Walla!!!

Loved getting a ride from the airport to my hotel with Chris! He is very loved in the region and I…read morecan tell why. He arrived at the airport perfectly on time and loaded up all my bags for me into the car. True luxury service, plus his car is amazing and clean. During the ride, he was friendly and able to provide some great recs for me and my friend. He will be my go to transportation option next time I come into town for sure! I hope to have him show me around wine country some day as well.

This tour was incredible! Chris was super friendly, knowledgeable, and engaging. He was interested…read morein tailoring the tour to our preferences but we never would have been able to recreate the experience ourselves with the wineries he chose. We learned so much and every part of it was spot on. We had the BEST day so thank you Chris for a truly wonderful tour.

This is a cute park. Swings, slides and picnic tables. Parking is easy and the park was clean. My…read moreson had a great time on this perfect sun shining Sunday!

Great stop for the kids as we are traveling through Walla Walla visiting wineries. Water park and…read moreregular park. Lots of shaded picnic tables.

I've been on a Nordic kick as of late. To feed a fix, I ventured two hours south to the Oregon…read morehills (known as "The Blues"). My drive down was a little angst-ridden because we've been experiencing downright tropical weather for this winter thus far. The entire drive to the base of The Blues did not embolden me with hope. In fact for the first 10 miles up the mountain--nary a patch of snow was spied. But then. Before I knew it. Batches of the white stuff sprung from the woodwork. I like it when nature is a tease. The stress of no snow then switched to the stress of snow driving (it wasn't that bad, but snow driving has that effect on me now.). I drove through the Nordic-ish wonderland for another 10-15 miles. I knew not what I was looking for, but for most of the drive I had cell phone coverage and gps (so I was able to Yelp Check-In). Then I was there: Andies Prairie Sno-Park. Yes, I DID NOT see a sign for Horseshoe Prairie, but my research said this was the joint. I entered the parking lot at the ENTRANCE (important for later!) and parked near the entrance near the restroom. I saw a small sign mentioning Horseshoe Prairie near the restroom, but no info on where to go. Other than a snow-mobile group, I was the only other car in the parking lot (yes, it's a Sno-Park, so you need a Sno-Park permit). I knew Horseshoe Prairie Nordic Ski Area was adjacent to Andies Prairie, but I knew not where. So I walked back out to the main road. I saw a break in the cut snowbank on the other side of the road. This is where someone climbed over the snow and started snowshoeing. "Is this it?!" I thought to myself. I went ahead and connected to my skis (not trivial, I spent a good 15 min trying to get hooked up & cursing to the snow Gods). I then just followed the snowshoe trail. It didn't look good. I trudged along clumsily. I then started a text conversation with a friend to ask, in effect, "Is this it?!" At some point turned around (the snowshoe path lead into a dense forrest area). My friend texted that there were Blue markers to look for. I went back near the road and then skied DOWN the road for a bit. Nothing. I then skied UP the road (and when i say "skied", I really mean walking with skis. I wasn't very elegant-looking to the drivers laughing at me when they zoomed by. But then the sun shone down. I found it: Horseshoe Prairie Nordic Ski Area!! Yup, I found the "trailhead" for the ski area! There's a big brown & white sign here (not easily seen from the road. I should say that this entrance to the ski area is visible from the EXIT of the Sno-Park lot (so if I didn't find it, the sign would have laughed at my stupidity as I left). I was super-excited. So, I jumped on a trail and was off. Man, there's nothing like moving with Nordic skis. It's a great work out, and you can get moving. Now the trails aren't groomed, but enough people use this area that you can probably find a decent track to slip into. Daylight was fading, so I made a quick workout of the trail. I stuck to a main path. I wasn't sure where I was going. I hoped I was on a loop. 45-60min later, my loop returned to the trailhead. It was a nice trip. The trail was nice for my novice skills. I did notice a lot of offshoot tracks. So you can make what you want of this area. It's wild, and it's nice. I can't wait to explore more (now that I know where to go!).

I have loved my couple of adventures to horseshoe prairie nordic area. I am a snowshoer and was…read morelooking for a physically challenging area to go conquer. Most of the time the trails conquer me. It is only an hour drive south and east of Walla Walla. Take chains or four wheel drive, as the trip to Tollgate frequently has compact snow even in mid spring. Like the other reviewer I completely missed the sign my first trip out. Park near the north restroom of the Andies Prairie Sno Park. Walk down the parking lot exit and across the highway. More often then not, you will have to climb up the snowbank. I advice you wait until you are over it before putting on skis or your shoes. Once over the bank you'll see why you missed the horseshoe prairie sign. The trail is ungroomed which I feel makes the experience more challenging than the groomed course at Spout Springs just up the road. I have only ever seen one posted trail map on the course, located at post B (stay to the left from the trail head to find it). If you look for the blue diamonds posted on trees you know you are on a designated trail. For beginners I would highly recommend you stick to these trails and not go off course. This area is very large and it is too easy to get in trouble by doing off course exploring. There are varying difficulties of circuits. For beginers I suggest from post A, the trail head, head right at the first fork. This puts you on a short loop which takes you to post F. Here head left back to post B and again left towards the trailhead. This circuit has very little elevation change. For a longer and more strenuous adventure I recommend taking the first fork right from the trail head going to post F. From F head right and up hill to post E. From post E continue to follow blue trail markers to D, C, B, and finally back to the trail head. There is some amazing vistas, gradual elevation changes and deep powder. Not too many people travel this full circuit between E, D, C, and B. Be prepared for a good work out in amazing deep powder. To note, my last trip out was March 19, 2011. It had snowed the night before and I could see some snow cover into lower elevations from my home in Walla Walla. My drive up 204 I was sceptical that there would be enough snow. By time I reached Tollgate I was convinced I made an excellent decision. The area was still blanketed in at least four feet of snow with fresh powder coming down. I estimated that from 4700 ft to summit was still very viable for all winter sport activities. Unless there is a rapid warming trend, I feel there is at least two to three weeks minimum of good snow left.

These trails aren't just for winter sports. I've made it here during the summer to take my…read moremountain bike for a ride. I parked at the Sno-Park Parking lot where one would go during the winter months. Here you have a couple of dirt roads to choose from for off-road options. I decided to do some climbing and went for NFD Rd 64--to get to this road from the parking lot, ride your bike further up the valley a few hundred yards (their's a trail), and then take right. This road is fairly nice. There are lots of rock on it, but no potholes. It is a fairly uphill jaunt from the get-go. As I was approaching the top of the valley, I eyed a side road. The sign on it said (6400 500), so I don't know which is the name of the road, but I decided to take it, because it looked tiny and way less traveled (in fact it was closed to motorized vehicles). Nice. Yeah, this trail ended up being the high-point of the day. It wasn't single track, but it was close. I must admit I had the willies when I saw a half-eaten deer leg within the first minute of climbing (the rest of the ride I kept thinking of the cougar, bear, or zombie which was eyeing me from the bushes as I rode by). I love to climb. I love burning my quads like Hades. It felt good to be riding. Unfortunately, this side road only lasted a little bit before I made it up to the top of the ridge/mountain. Here this trail ties back up with one of the major dirt roads again. There are some decent views here. I then took the little road downhill. Man, I'm must be a total old fogie, because wow---I think I rode the breaks the entire way down! The road was steep, and I hit some high speeds within seconds. There were also rocks to watch out for as well. In other words, I rode it like an old person (which I am I suppose). But it was fun. It's the kind of fun, where you just have to yell with abandon (I think I did a few times--with a smile). These trails are definitely good for snow activities, and I'd say they are decent for bike riding. I don't know if I'd come here to do some straight-up hiking though. I'd save the Cascades for that. NOTE: Be careful on this road in the winter. This is the infamous scene of where my truck and my crew rolled down a mountain just over a year ago!