Entry No. 29 — the Spokane file — filed under: outdoor-weird

Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge Mima Mounds

About four miles south of Cheney, the prairie here is studded with hundreds of low, oval domes of earth called Mima mounds, regularly spaced like something planted by giants. Geologists have argued for over a century about how they formed, blaming everything from pocket gophers to ancient earthquakes, and still have no consensus. The refuge sits inside the Channeled Scablands, scoured down to bare basalt by Ice Age megafloods, so the mounds rise from a landscape of pothole wetlands and rugged volcanic rock. A 5.5-mile one-way scenic auto tour route and miles of trails let you get out and walk among them.

The move: Drive the auto tour loop at dawn or dusk, then wander out onto the prairie to stand among the unexplained mounds while moose and waterfowl move through the wetlands.

📍 Before you go Small day-use fee; auto tour route is best for the mounds. Roughly 30 minutes from Spokane.

• 📍 Cheney
• 💸 Free
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Outdoors

Where: 26010 S Smith Rd, Cheney, WA 99004

Hours: Added 2026-06-24 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4

last checked: 2026-06-24