By the time you reach the McNary Dam area, the land has opened into an brushy desert of sage and grass broken only by center-pivot irrigation systems. The Columbia River’s McNary Lock and Dam, 30 miles south of Pasco [1] in Umatilla, Oregon, creates 61-mile-long Lake Wallula [2], which reaches up past the Tri-Cities [1] to Ice Harbor Dam.
The McNary National Wildlife Refuge, next to McNary Dam, has a mile-long hiking trail popular with bird-watchers. Area species include hawks, golden and bald eagles, and prairie falcons.
Links:
[1] http://www.moon.com/destinations/washington/columbia-gorge-and-wine-country/tri-cities
[2] http://www.moon.com/destinations/washington/columbia-gorge-and-wine-country/tri-cities/sights/lake-wallula