THINGS TO DO
St. John Library
The St. John Branch of the Whitman County Library has been the busiest community branch for over 10 years. Services offered include over 140 programs for all ages, four public computers, 24/7 WIFI and a varied collection of DVD’s, books on CD and print books for all ages and interests. Periodicals are available to browse in the adult reading area between the library, the city hall and the heritage museum.
The library website, www.whitco.lib.wa.us, offers 9000 titles of free ebooks and downloadable audio books for all ages. The website is also the portal to 3800 historic photos in our rural heritage collection and other quality internet resources.
Library Hours: Monday and Friday-10am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm, Wednesday 3 to 7 pm. For more information call 509-648-3319 or like our Facebook page. For a virtual tour of the building look on https://plus.google.com/102571858984366823056.
St. John Golf Course
Come enjoy our 9-hole golf course set among the rolling hills of the Palouse, which features league golf and many tournaments. Green fees for a day of unlimited golfing are $18.00. Please call for more information. The St. John-Endicott High school Golf Team takes over the course from 3:30-6:00 in the spring for weekday practice.
Limited golf carts for rent call 509-648-3259
Yearly Membership
Single: $395.00
Couple: $595.00
Family: $695.00
Youth: (child of member) $100.00
Youth: (general) $125.00
St. John Gun Club
The St. John Gun Club is perfect for anyone interested in shooting clays and having a good time. The gun club hosts competitions with various prizes.
Rock Lake
Only ten miles Northwest of St. John, fishing, water sports, and recreation are abundant in a wild-west setting.
Rock Lake is 7.5 miles long, very deep and has dangerous underwater pinnacles along some edges of the cliffs on the east side of the lower half of the lake. These can break lower units of those who aren’t careful. For safety measures, stay comfortably away from the east shore south of Johnson’s beach about 30-50 yards. The underwater pinnacles are interesting (and just deep enough) to explore by canoe or kayak. There aren’t many landing places on the lake and they are all private, so if you do land your boat or canoe, please respect the rights of the property owner and only explore near the shore.
Bonnie Lake
Bonnie Lake, or Hole-in-the-Ground, less than two miles above Rock Lake, can only be accessed by canoe, kayak, or small fishing boat. The creek you take to the lake is less than a mile long, but is narrow and has a lot of bends.
Bonnie Lake is less than five miles long and has a large granite island in the center surrounded by basalt cliffs. At the northern end of the lake is a “beach”/boat landing. There is a very rough private road leading out of the lake if you become stranded at the North end. One may also canoe or kayak down the creek from the lake to Rock Lake, but be very careful as there are waterfalls that you should be prepared for.
John Wayne Trail
While the John Wayne trail, aka the Iron Horse State Park, is over 100 miles long from North Bend (Cedar Falls) to the Columbia River gorge near Vantage, it travels beside Rock Lake and through Revere, Lamont, and the Escure Ranch. It is open to non-motorized traffic, hiking, equestrians, bicyclists, and horse-drawn wagons in summer, and to dog sleds, cross-country skiers, and snowshoers in winter. It is a very peaceful and private ride or hike. The portion of the trail by Rock Lake passes through two long tunnels, over a massive metal trestle, and over a tall concrete trestle not far from Rock Lake with wrecked and overturned boxcars laying beside it.
Trail users report the surface is ballast (sand) and gravel, which can be challenging for bicycles, and that could be a good thing if you like a challenge.
RATTLESNAKES: Surprisingly, I have not seen any rattlesnakes the last couple years we have been exploring the scablands, but ALWAYS watch out for Rattlesnakes. Be ready for the distinct warning so you can move away accordingly.
Escure Ranch
If you want a taste of the desolate and picturesque “wild west” of Eastern Washington, you must see the scenic Escure Ranch. For many years, the Escure Ranch was a sheep and cattle farm covering over 20 square miles. BLM purchased the land in 1999 and opened it to the public for hiking, biking, horseback riding, and catch-and-release fly fishing. Eight miles of Rock Creek flow through the property and it is a designated catch-and-release fly fishing stream. The trail (dirt road) gate is sometimes open during the summer to vehicle access. The metal buildings of the homestead still stand visible across the creek from the parking lot. There is an outhouse and hitching posts at the parking lot. There are a couple of small lakes on the property as well, but are almost impossible to access even by canoe or kayak. About three miles in from the parking lot is Towell Falls, which is roughly 15′ tall. If you are paddling, you will want to be aware of this waterfall. This is still a relatively secret place, so be prepared for survival, as you may not see anyone during the weekdays and it’s a very long walk to anywhere. Cell phones may get service on the top of the pinnacles surrounding the property.