With Tri-Cities area daytime temperatures still in the 50s and 60s, now’s a great time to explore the Hanford Reach National Monument—which is basically the old security buffer across the Columbia River north of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. (In fact, if you squint just so, you can make out the F Reactor in the top center of the above photo. One of the site’s three original plutonium-producing reactors, it operated from 1945 to 1965, and was cocooned in 2003.)
Yesterday morning, the missus and I tackled a six-mile section of the White Bluffs-South Slope Trail, which follows the long-abandoned Ringold Road down to the river. Sweeping vistas abound—including views of the old Hanford town site—while plenty of side trails should keep you busy for the better part of the day.
Best feature, though? You probably won’t see another soul.
