Badger Mountain Centennial Preserve — Attraction in Richland

Mountains and hiking trails are somewhat scarce in the Tri-Cities area, but Badger has enough options to tide you over on those days when you don't want to drive hours out of town. There isn't much flora to look at, but the view of the Tri-Cities as you make your way up is pretty nice. There are several trails, the shortest of which is the steepest. You can deviate to the left near the beginning of the trail and take am alternate route that's somewhat more gradual, or there are a couple of other options if you start at the other trailhead off of Dallas Rd.

If you're up for a fairly long walk that doesn't start gaining elevation for quite some time, take the trail from Dallas Rd. then take a right at the fork. That will take you all the way around the southern side of the mountain and eventually meet up with the second trail I mentioned above. This is a particularly nice walk in the evening around sunset, when Badger Canyon really looks its best.

Currently, they're working on a pretty swanky new parking lot too, so there's that.

If you're looking for a nice mountain hike and don't want to break your whole body forcing yourself up the trail out at McBee Road in Benton City, Badger Mountain is the...

I grew up in the Tri-Cities over 30 years ago and so was pleasantly surprised to see the growth, the healthy economy and the preservation of open space.

Badger Mountain is maintained by the county and a couple of Non-profits. My brother and I hiked sage trail to skyline trail and then back down the canyon trail which really means we went up 1700 ft in about 2.5 miles around the east side to the top and then dropped down on the north side in a mile descent. Saw a lot of wildlife and the many flora that I remember from my youth. Mainly tumbleweed, sage, rabbit brush and cheat grass. Thank goodness no foxtail in my socks. The hike took about two hours.

There are a lot of options for a short hike or longer 8 mile hikes. I understand that the county has purchased candy mountain and will continue the trail system...

What a great set of Tri City Trails. I bring my kids and dogs here to walk and enjoy the views above the TCs. I also come here with trail running friends to train for distance endurance runs all around the Pacific Northwest. From novice hikers and walkers, to mountain bikers and trail runners this is a gem to have in our backyard. I've even seen a pregnant woman hiking to induce contraction, I love the Tri Cities and Bager as well as our rivers are what make it amazing. Please take the time to hike up in nice weather a enjoy some of the most amazing views in our area, heck, you may even be able to see your house from the top. Keep an eye out for some large rocks telling you interesting facts about the...