Elberton- Near Garfield, WA (Summer 2018/19)

46.980275, -117.220213

Length: approx. 4.6 - 6.5 miles

Be aware of: Gravel roads, vehicles, deer and moose, insects (at the parking area), loose horses and cattle in pastures.

Do you love ghost towns? Because I do!

Elberton used to be a thriving town, nestled in a hollow in the Palouse landscape. Eventually, the inhabitants left and slowly the buildings disappeared until only an old church and empty 50s style home were left. There are a few people still living here today, but now it is effectively a ghost town.

But hey, we can still ride here, right? ABSOLUTELY.

To get here, you will want to take Elberton road in from Garfield, as it is the easiest haul in and out of the area. Some of the other roads could be poor conditions depending on the time of year. Parking on the road margins in front of the old church allows a spacious area for parking that is still out of the way of passing cars, with enough room to turn around easily. Once you're ready to ride, head across the bridges on Oral Smith Rd., and up the steep grade to the crest of the hill, where you will find yourself with a few riding options.

1) Straight ahead is Robinson Rd., a mostly dirt road that gently slopes up, before becoming a bowl, bookmarked by two steep hills with a nice flat stretch in the middle that is great to condition a horse on. The road has relatively good footing in the summer but gets wet and slick in the wetter months.

2) If a loop is what you seek, continuing all the way down Robinson Rd. and then taking a right on Lange Rd. and finally another right on Oral Smith Rd. creates a long loop to ride that is fairly quiet and very fun!

(you can also take Oral Smith Rd. to the right, then Lange Rd. bearing left and finally, take a left on Robinson Rd. which will connect you back to Oral Smith Rd.)

There are several other roads that can be explored as well, but none that loop quite as nicely as Oral Smith- Lange- Robinson roads.

This is one of the most peaceful areas to ride in and it is beautiful in the summer. The roads are usually calm with the people you do run into being courteous drivers around horses.

Note: The footing on Robinson Rd. is the best from its branching from Oral Smith Rd. to the final hill prior to reaching Lange Rd. After the second hill, it gets too rocky to do more than walk.

Robinson Road Out and Back: approx. 4.6 miles roundtrip

Oral Smith-Robinson-Lange Loop: approx. 6.5 miles roundtrip