You probably won't encounter scorpions unless you look under rocks. The desert is full of other life as well. A variety of hawks and falcons nest in the cliffs and are regularly seen soaring and hunting. Pheasants, chukars, magpies and red-winged blackbirds are heard as much as seen. Coyotes howl at night.
Turtles sun themselves on rocks along lakeshores.
Mule deer are common and in some areas the fortunate hiker will see elk or bighorn sheep. The desert is rich with wildlife, including the pine snake's venomous cousin, the rattlesnake. The breaks of the Columbia between Wenatchee and Vantage are prime locales for desert trekking. The most popular are hikes to Ancient and Dusty lakes in two small coulees within a larger coulee, rimmed by columnar basalt, decorated by waterfalls and carpeted by bunch grass, sage and, in season, pretty wildflowers. To reach the trailhead, follow Interstate 90 east from Vantage, taking the exit for state Route 281.