A major land conservation effort has added 2,135 acres of sagebrush steppe and Columbia River shoreline to Washington’s Big Bend Wildlife Area in Douglas County. Western Rivers Conservancy (WRC) recently transferred Big Bend Ranch—a property featuring 1.5 miles of river frontage—to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) for permanent protection and public access. Located 14 miles northwest of Grand Coulee, the ranch’s basalt cliffs, rolling hills and wetland spring habitat support a variety of wildlife, including the Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, one of Washington’s most imperiled bird species. The property also fronts Rufus Woods Lake, a 51-mile reservoir between Grand Coulee and Chief Joseph dams that retains flowing current and supports kokanee and rainbow trout. 

“Conserving these places is critical for upland game birds and other wildlife, and it gives people more opportunity to experience what remains of the Columbia Plateau’s sagebrush-steppe,” said Jessica Inwood, Washington project manager for WRC. With the addition of Big Bend Ranch, the Big Bend Wildlife Area now totals about 24,000 acres of protected public land. The expansion opens new opportunities for hunting, hiking, mountain biking and wildlife viewing on one of the Upper Columbia’s most scenic and ecologically significant stretches. 

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A steep, sketchy gully on Spokane’s South Hill just became a gateway to adventure. The new Rocket Gulch Stairs now connect neighborhood streets to the High Drive Bluff trail system, turning what was once a loose, hazardous slope into a sturdy, city-approved access point. Built by Washington Trails Association crews over the summer, the 82-step staircase (complete with retaining walls and handrails) links the end of the public right-of-way just south of 43rd Street and Hatch Road directly into the Bluff. The project was spearheaded by Friends of the Bluff, a volunteer-led nonprofit that’s spent years improving access to the 500-acre natural area above Latah Creek. 

The $65,000 project drew support from city parks, the Spokane Parks Foundation, Bartlett Tree Experts and dozens of community donors but also required about $30,000 from the group’s reserves to finish. High Drive Bluff’s 20-plus miles of trails have long been a magnet for hikers, runners and mountain bikers, yet safe neighborhood access points were limited. The new stairs change that, offering a direct, walk-in route for locals who’d rather skip the car and head straight into the pines. Friends of the Bluff plans to continue improving trail connections as funding allows. Learn more or support their work at Friendsofthebluff.org. 

The post New Rocket Gulch Stairs Expand Bluff Trails Access  appeared first on Out There Venture.

Cover photo courtesy of Jean Arthur

Rattlesnakes, scorpions, dagger-sharp yucca and plenty of prickly cacti: What’s not to love about the American Southwest? In March, my daughter and I took a girls’ trip to Joshua Tree National Park in California’s Mojave and Sonoran deserts, where early spring brings warm days around 70 degrees and cool nights in the low 40s. I didn’t have high expectations, assuming there would be few visitors to such an arid and barren region, forsaken of life—a wasteland of the American West that curiously only became a national park in 1994.  

Expectations dashed, I encountered spectacular and lush “gardens,” oases and well-maintained trails and campgrounds. I followed a trail to a giant heart-shaped rock just north of White Tank Campground. At Heart Rock, a dozen families and couples patiently waited their turn for a snapshot and generously offered to take a photo for the visitors in front of them—something about nature brings out generosity, curiosity and kindness in humans despite, or perhaps because of, the sharpness of the flora.  

Heart Rock is less than a mile from White Tank Campground, where campers enjoy near silence despite the busy trail thanks to the Flintstones-looking rocks that tuck away campsites. Neighbors for the night include great horned owls hoot-hooting, tortoises and 15 camper vehicles. White Tank, named for white quartz monzonite, is a first-come, first-served site. Campsite reservations are hard to come by at Recreation.gov even though the park has nearly 500 sites. Only two campgrounds have running water, Black Rock and Cottonwood.  

Stargazing at 3,800 feet elevation and among billion-year-old rocks reminds me that the heavens look the same to me as they did to the earliest human inhabitants, minus the occasional satellite and airplane. The people of the Pinto Culture who arrived at the end of the Pleistocene era, some 11,700 years ago, saw this generous sky. They resided in what’s now called the Pinto Basin in the southern half of the park, near where the amazing Cholla Cactus Garden sustains thousands of teddy bear cholla.  

When I was there, shooting stars outlined Sirius, the brightest star in March’s night sky. Orion’s Belt makes an appearance that time of year, as does the Milky Way, which undoubtedly showered the Uto-Aztecan language tribes with light. They are the Serrano and Cahuilla peoples who arrived after the Pinto peoples and resided in small villages, surviving on acorns, pine nuts and mesquite beans as well as jackrabbits and other small game.  

Among the Joshua Tree surprises are the numerous oases tucked among the granite Pinto gneiss, monzogranite that extruded from deep within the earth, forming stained-glass-looking blocks and cracks in heaps around the land. Plants eke out a living by rooting between fissures to find the meagerest of soil. 

The native culture was one that thrived in the Oasis of Mara, where desert fan palms shaded them and their pottery and basketry elegantly held water and food. With my cooler of meals and 5-gallon jugs of water, it’s hard to fathom how humans survived. Ingenuity, curiosity and kindness, I imagine.  

But the plants. Just why is it that many desert plants have spines instead of leaves? Some obvious reasons, of course, include plants’ protection against predators, but I learned from park literature that cacti evolved to conserve water. During a ranger talk, I also learned that many desert plants have leaves with a hazy or dusty-looking appearance, white hairs protecting them from the sun. The spines collect dew when fog occludes the area, allowing droplets to drip to roots. The spines cloak plants with a humid air layer, reducing moisture evaporation. The spines break wind flow, also reducing evaporation.  

I conserve water too on a walk through the Hall of Horrors near the Ryan Campground. Aptly named, the rock formations hide lizards and scorpions and even kids. One family played hide-and-seek, allowing their grade-school-aged children to squeeze between boulders. The rock formations also attracted a youth group on a climbing trip, international visitors waddling through duff and me wondering at the wonderful trees named for the biblical figure, Joshua. Apparently Mormon settlers thought the Yucca brevifolia trees reached toward the sky like Joshua stretched in prayer. 

I look up synonyms for “desert” and find the words incongruent with my experience: barren, desolate, forsaken, abandoned, jilted. Instead, Joshua Tree, the Sonoran, the Mojave, bloom with imagination, fortitude and friendliness. Rattlesnakes, scorpions, dagger-sharp yucca and plenty of cacti: There’s lots to love about Joshua Tree National Park.  

Jean Arthur’s winter pursuits include xc ski touring with her Labrador retrievers, looking for Yellowstone’s wolves and dreaming of spiny desert landscapes. 

Joshua Tree National Park Passes and Services 

Joshua Tree National Park has no gas stations, restaurants, grocery stores or hotels and has very limited cell service. Resupplies are available in the gateway communities of Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms. Park passes are available at entrance gates and at visitor centers.  

The post Winter Escape: Joshua Tree National Park   appeared first on Out There Venture.

Cover photo courtesy of Nicole Aguado

Their first trip together was a life-changing experience.

Nicole and Lydia had never met before they climbed into Lydia’s old van with her daughter Naomi and headed east, deep into the Montana forest, chasing what would quickly become a truly epic and unforgettable adventure. There was no careful buildup or cautious first meeting. Just two women who admired each other’s hiking posts online, trusting a shared love for the outdoors enough to say yes and see what happened on the trail.

They met through the Spokane/North Idaho Hikers Facebook group, the community Nicole started as a place for herself and others to catalog hikes, collaborate with other outdoor lovers, and swap trail ideas. What began as a small local group quietly grew into a network of more than forty thousand members across the Northwest. Nicole and Lydia noticed each other there, drawn to each other’s adventure posts. Two seemingly very different women who admired one another’s solo adventures from afar until admiration turned into conversation.

When Lydia mentioned an upcoming trip and invited Nicole along, Nicole did not hesitate.

That trip brought many firsts.

It was not only Nicole’s first adventure with Lydia. It was her first night roughing it in a Forest Service cabin. The cabin Lydia chose was perched on the banks of Lake Como. The cabin was sparsely decorated and oversized, its big, cold rooms filled with bunk beds and empty space, lit only by oil lanterns that had to be ignited by hand. There was no electricity, no running water, no familiar comforts to lean on. Water had to be hauled from the lake and boiled. Meals were cooked on the hot coals of the wood fireplace. As their first evening together settled in, the cabin creaked from the wind whipping across the cool, early May water of Lake Como. With no modern distractions, conversation was plentiful. What could have felt awkward instead felt natural, two very different people finding common ground over a shared love for adventuring in the great outdoors.

The next morning delivered another first. Midway through a hike around the lake, the weather turned without warning. The light dimmed. Wind rushed hard through the trees. Thunder rolled in fast and close, followed by sheets of rain that soaked everything within minutes, including Nicole and Lydia. With no clear place to hide, they pressed into the forest together and waited it out, cold, uncomfortable, and alert. Fear has a way of stripping things down to what matters. In those minutes under the trees, small talk disappeared, and a deep trust was quickly born.

When the storm finally passed, they finished the hike changed, not by the hike itself, but by what they had endured side by side.

That night, back at the cabin, they warmed themselves by the wood fire. Smoke clung to their clothes. Boots steamed as they dried near the heat. Exhaustion softened everything. By then, the weekend had already done its quiet work. The firsts had piled up, and somewhere inside them, a lasting friendship had taken hold.

What began as a leap of faith with a stranger became the first of many adventures together.

It also became a living example of what Nicole had unknowingly built.

Nicole did not grow up outdoorsy. The mountains were something she admired from a distance, not something she felt called into. That changed later in life, after a friend introduced her to fishing, camping, and the quiet clarity that comes from spending time outside. Hiking followed, first as an outlet, then as a necessity. When life felt heavy, the trail made it lighter. When things fell apart, movement helped put them back together.

In 2018, in the aftermath of a breakup and searching for something that felt grounding, Nicole started a Facebook group. It was meant to be simple. A place for a few friends to share hikes around Spokane and North Idaho. A few friends joined at first. They posted photos. They traded trail names. They encouraged one another to get outside.

Then the group grew.

Slowly at first, then rapidly.

Today, Spokane/North Idaho Hikers includes more than forty thousand members. It has become the largest online hiking community in the region, a living, breathing network of people who ask questions, share knowledge, plan trips, and sometimes find the courage to try something they never thought they would. Nicole never planned to be a community leader. She became one because the need and the desire for connection in the outdoor community were undeniable.

The scale of the group became impossible to ignore during what many members still refer to simply as “the Jeff situation.” A local story involving a man named Jeff inviting ladies to join him for a hike unexpectedly went viral, and almost overnight, Spokane/North Idaho Hikers found itself at the center of the internet’s attention. Membership requests surged into the hundreds per day. People from well outside the region flooded in, many with no interest in hiking at all, but eager to follow the story as it spread across social media and local news.

For Nicole, it was a crash course in just how visible the group had become. Moderation turned into triage. She worked to protect the integrity of the community, filtering out noise while trying to keep the group focused on its original purpose. At the height of the attention, it was clear that Spokane/North Idaho Hikers was no longer just a casual online gathering. It had become a public-facing platform with real reach and real responsibility.

Through it all, Nicole stayed focused on why the group existed.

Connection.

People message her often to say the group helped them hike for the first time. Others say it pulled them out of isolation or gave them confidence to explore alone. Some meet friends. Some meet partners. A few, like Nicole and Lydia, meet people who change their lives entirely.

Nicole often hikes alone. She likes the quiet, the space to think, the way the forest strips life down to its essentials. She plans carefully, checks trail conditions, pays attention to the weather, and trusts her instincts. The wilderness does not scare her. It demands respect, and she gives it fully.

Photography has become part of her process, too. She shoots with her phone, capturing alpine lakes, mountain goats, and ridgelines wrapped in clouds. She does not chase perfection. She chases moments. Her photos are not about proving where she has been. They are about inviting others to imagine themselves there.

Her passion for adventure has taken her far beyond the Inland Northwest. Nicole recently embarked on a solo trip to New Zealand, a trip that confirmed something she already suspected: that she is capable of more than she once believed. She has jumped out of planes, backpacked into hot springs, and adventured across the world, and continues to say yes to experiences that stretch her comfort zone.

Through it all, Lydia remains one of her closest adventure partners. They travel easily together, balancing each other’s differences. They plan trips, improvise when plans fall apart, and laugh at the absurdity that sometimes comes with chasing epic experiences. Their friendship began with trust, was cemented by discomfort, and continues because it just works.

Nicole’s life is now shaped by the outdoors and the people she meets because of it. She dreams of future trips to Iceland, Patagonia, the Swiss Alps, and deeper into the places where cell service fades, and the noise disappears.

Looking back, it is easy to trace the line.

A Facebook group.
A message.
A van headed east.
A cabin.
A storm.
A life-long friendship.

Somewhere between carrying water from a lake and waiting out thunder under the trees, Nicole learned what she had been building all along. Not a hiking group. Not following. A doorway.

People join Spokane/North Idaho Hikers for all kinds of reasons. Some are looking for trail recommendations or current conditions. Others want to learn more about the outdoors, build confidence, or find people to hike with. Many simply want to feel less alone in their curiosity about the natural spaces around them. What they find, often unexpectedly, is a vibrant community, one built on shared experience, mutual respect, and the simple willingness to show up for one another, on the trail and beyond.

Nicole knows that feeling well. Over the past decade, she has evolved from a city girl to a true backwoods adventurer.

——

If you’re looking for some new adventure ideas or some new outdoor-loving friends, join the Spokane/North Idaho Hikers community on Facebook and see where it leads you!

The post How Spokane/North Idaho Hikers Became a Gateway to Adventure and Community appeared first on Out There Venture.

By Chris Maccini 

Cover photo courtesy of Diane Delanoy

It was 29 years ago that Galen Chamberlain first picked up a copy of Rich Landers’ classic guidebook, “100 Hikes in the Inland Northwest.” At age 60, he’d just retired from a career in construction and was enrolled in a backpack school course through the Spokane Mountaineers. At the time, Chamberlain was far from an avid hiker.  

“I did a lot of skiing and cross-country skiing, but I never walked any more than a hundred yards in my life if I could help it until their backpack school,” he says. “I remember when I got back to the trailhead after three days, I told one of the instructors, ‘I ain’t never gonna hike again.” 

But while his feet and shoulders may have ached after that first hike, there was something that drew him back to the trail. Soon, he was hooked, and he set himself a goal to hike 500 miles per year. Chamberlain has kept track of every mile of every hike for nearly three decades, a total of more than 14,500 miles. 

Over the years, Landers’ “100 Hikes” became a constant companion. Each time Chamberlain completed one of the hikes in the book, he checked it off, often making notes on the weather, trail conditions and his hiking companions. When he returned to a hike again, he added another mark. Some hikes, like nearby Mount Kit Carson in Mount Spokane State Park (Hike #21), he has done a whopping 96 times. But it wasn’t until many years of hiking that the idea occurred to Chamberlain to try to complete all 100 hikes.  “I just started knocking ’em off,” he says. “And then after I got 50 or 60, I thought, hey, why not shoot for a hundred?” 

The trails in “100 Hikes” are spread throughout Washington, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and British Columbia. In addition to being an active outdoorsman, Chamberlain was also a pilot. He owned a small airplane, which allowed him to fly in and camp at remote airstrips, giving him easier access to some of the more remote hiking areas such as the Cabinet Mountains in Montana and the Eagle Cap Wilderness in Oregon. One by one, he checked them off in his increasingly tattered copy of the guidebook. 

The 100th Hike Attempt to Mortar and Pestle Lakes 

In the summer of 2018, Chamberlain and a group of friends set out to complete the final hike in the book, number 100: Mortar-Pestle Lakes. The hike is located in British Columbia’s St. Mary’s Provincial Park, a remote wilderness area northwest of Cranbrook, BC. As Landers’ description in “100 Hikes” puts it, “This little niche of wilderness is so far off the beaten track, it doesn’t even have an official trail in its 22,650 acres.” Landers describes a steep, sparsely marked “trail” over granite boulders and alpine larch, noting that the area was previously home to a logging operation and “there’s a good chance you will have to seek out the trail to some degree.” He rates the hike “moderately difficult” in the book.   

When Chamberlain and his friends arrived in August of 2018, they knew there was wildfire activity in the area to contend with. The day before their scheduled hike, Chamberlain called BC Parks and asked about the trail’s status. They advised him to check the website in the morning to be sure the area was not restricted. Early the next day, everything looked clear. They packed up and started the drive to the trailhead under smoky skies. They’d driven less than 10 miles outside of Cranbrook when they were met with a blockade. Apparently, a new wildfire had started overnight, and no one had taken the time to update the website. There would be no hiking that day. The group turned around and headed home.  

But Chamberlain was determined to complete the hike one day. This was the final hike he needed to complete his 100-hikes goal, after all. He decided his next attempt would be earlier in the summer to avoid wildfire danger. In 2019, he once again gathered a group of fellow hiking enthusiasts and made the drive up to Cranbrook, BC. As all good outdoorsmen should, they checked the weather forecast beforehand and noted that there was a 20% chance of light rain on the day they planned to hike. Everything seemed to be lining up for a successful attempt. This time, they made the drive into the old logging roads which accessed the trailhead and spent the night at an old horse camp in the area. 

The next morning, it was indeed raining, and the road was in rough shape. But Chamberlain and his friends figured they must be close to the trailhead, according to the directions and rudimentary map in “100 Hikes.” They set out hiking to find the trailhead and complete the hike. After six hours of hiking in the pouring rain, unable to even find the beginning of the trail they were after, they decided to give up. Afterward, Chamberlain wrote across the top of the Mortar-Pestle Lakes page in his “100 Hikes” book, “FORGET IT.” He figured the final hike would elude him forever. 

One More Try 

A few years passed. Chamberlain continued to hike all over the Inland Northwest and beyond, often with friends he met through the Spokane Mountaineers, logging his 500 miles every year. Among his frequent hiking companions were Diane Delanoy and her husband, Ken, active members of the Spokane Mountaineers. Ken had been among the group of hikers turned away in 2018 due to wildfire. So they knew about Chamberlain’s goal of completing all 100 hikes, and they knew just how challenging the final hike had proved to be. When Chamberlain approached Diane and Ken about making one more attempt at the Mortar and Pestle lakes hike in 2025, Diane sprung into action. 

“I went onto Facebook and found a British Columbia hiking group and just kind of searched through their posts trying to find any mention of Mortar Lake,” Diane says. “I came up with one. This gal had been up there. So I contacted her, and she was able to send me the GPS tracking thing that got them to the trailhead.” 

With the local knowledge and GPS data loaded onto Diane’s phone, Chamberlain set out this past September with the Delanoys and another friend, Denise Beardslee, for one final attempt. Following the GPS up the old logging roads, the group was able to successfully locate the trailhead. To their surprise, it was well-marked with signage and a logbook. They camped at the trailhead that night, excited to start up the trail the next morning. When they did, they realized Landers’ trail rating of “moderately difficult” felt like an understatement.  

“Honestly, I thought it was the hardest hike I’ve ever done,” Diane says. “Even though it was less than five miles up and back, it is straight up the whole time. You just climb up, up, up, up, up till you get to a boulder field. And then you’ve got to get through that to the ridge, where we could see the two lakes.” 

The group had planned to camp in the wilderness area another night, but after the grueling hike, they drove out and spent the night at a campground. There, they celebrated Chamberlain’s accomplishment as he checked off the final hike in his weathered copy of “100 Hikes.” As he did, Chamberlain made one edit to Landers’ description: he crossed out the word “moderately” so that the trail rating read, “difficult.”

 

Looking Ahead and Inspiring Others 

Now that Chamberlain has completed all 100 hikes, he doesn’t have another major goal he’s looking to reach. “I’m still doing [the hikes],” he says. “I wouldn’t do them all [again], but there are a few I’d like to do again.” 

Some trails he would like to return to include the Tucannon River-Diamond Peak Loop in the Blue Mountains (#82), and Lookout Mountain east of Priest Lake (#37). Apart from that, he plans to keep hitting that 500-mile-per-year goal for as long as he can. 

And, of course, Chamberlain has a big milestone coming up next summer when he turns 90 years old. He doesn’t have a grand expedition planned, but says he might rent a local grange hall to celebrate with friends or maybe take a kayak trip through Priest Lake’s Thoroughfare.  

For Chamberlain’s friends and hiking companions like Diane Delanoy, Chamberlain is a constant inspiration to continue getting outdoors and having adventures no matter your age. “He really does motivate me,” Delanoy says. “If there’s a backpack or a hike and my husband will say, do you want to go? It’s like, nah, I don’t know. But if Chamberlain’s going, I want to go. Because if he can do it, I can do it. Plus, he always brings the fun.” 

As for Chamberlain’s advice to younger hikers? “Just keep going,” he says. “Do your yoga, do your daily exercises, walk every day. You never quit. You just can’t quit.” 

Chris Maccini is a writer and audio producer based in Spokane. This winter, you can find him on the ski slopes and cross-country trails of Mount Spokane. 

The post At 89, Spokane’s Galen Chamberlain Completes the “100 Hikes” Challenge appeared first on Out There Venture.

Along the Centennial Trail in Riverside State Park. Photo: Derrick Knowles

Bowl and Pitcher, Riverside State Park (Spokane)

If you want a classic that feels like an actual “hike” without leaving town, start here. The Bowl and Pitcher loop is a short but scenic 2.1-mile route with river views, basalt outcroppings and the iconic footbridge over the Spokane River. A Discover Pass is required for parking. Tip for shoulder-season winter: if the trail is icy in the shade near the river, traction can make the walk immensely more safe and enjoyable. Learn more about trails around Riverside State Park here.

Dishman Hills Natural Area (Spokane Valley)

When the high country is socked in, the Dishman Hills can deliver quick forest strolls ponderosa pine forest and viewpoints that feel surprisingly wild for being on the edge of the city. Routes to destinations like Enchanted Ravine are short (2-miles round trip) and popular. Note that this natural area prioritizes wildlife and native plant preservation, and dogs must remain on a leash. This is one of the best places to catch a winter sunset on a clear day from a high point—just bring a headlamp for the hike back to your car.

When planning a winter hike, avoid muddy trails or trails transitioning between freezing and thawing when hikers can damage trails. Try hiking when trails are frozen or dry or choose trails with trails that drain better. Plan your Dishman Hills adventure here.

Saltese Uplands in late winter. Photo: Derrick Knowles

Saltese Uplands (Liberty Lake area)

Saltese is a strong winter pick when you want open views and a more “wide-sky” feel. The conservation area has more than 7 miles of trail exploring canyons and ridge tops, with views that can stretch toward Liberty Lake and Mount Spokane on clear days. Because it’s more exposed, it can dry out faster than shaded forest trails—but it can also be breezy, so layer up. Learn more about this Spokane County Conservation Futures area and trails here.

Slavin Conservation Area (southwest of Spokane)

For a mellow, low-elevation ramble with wetlands and a pine forest that attract many types of birds and waterfowl, Slavin is a great option. The Slavin Conservation Area is an expansive, rolling landscape with many trail options to create loops of varied length. It’s a nice option when you need to get out of the house in the winter and move your body in a beautiful place without committing to steep climbs and challenging trails. Find more info and a map here.

Post Falls Community Forest and Q’emiln Park (Post Falls)

Right across the Spokane River from Post Falls, this trail network offers lots of choose-your-own loops with river access, basalt rock features and a real “get out of town” feel without a long drive. This park and community forest is also a popular rock-climbing destination but come winter, hikers will generally have the trails to themselves. Find directions here.

Tubbs Hill (downtown Coeur d’Alene)

For a winter hike that pairs perfectly with coffee downtown, Tubbs Hill is hard to beat. It’s a 165-acre natural area owned and maintained by the City of Coeur d’Alene, with multiple access points and a trail around the perimeter. Enjoy views of downtown and Lake Coeur d’Alene on a loop around the hill or create your own extended hike incorporating other trails and loops. You can find a map of the trail system here.

Check out more winter hike recommendations around the region here or read up on the recommended essentials for winter hiking.

The post The Best Winter Hikes Near Spokane and Coeur d’Alene appeared first on Out There Venture.

What to Wear Winter Hiking

Start with layers that are appropriate for the outside temperature and weather conditions but not bulky. A moisture-wicking base layer, an insulating midlayer, and a wind- and water-resistant shell allow you to manage sweat and sudden weather changes. Damp cotton is one of the most common causes of winter discomfort and cold stress. If it’s really cold out, consider packing an extra warm layer like a puffy jacket or fleece that will come in handy if you get delayed on the trail for some unexpected reason.

Staying Safe on Slick Winter Trails

Traction devices are another key recommendation. Even snow-free trails often hide shaded ice, especially along rivers and north-facing slopes. Many local search-and-rescue groups point to traction and trekking poles as simple tools that prevent slips from turning into injuries.

Winter Hiking Essentials to Have in Your Pack

Because daylight is limited at northern latitudes in the winter, a headlamp belongs in every winter pack, even on short hikes. Add extra calories and water (insulated bottles help prevent freezing), and warm accessories like a hat and gloves, which can make the difference between comfort and a rushed turnaround.

Finally, winter safety experts agree on the basics: carry a charged phone, a simple first-aid kit, a trail map (ideally a paper map that will still work if your phone dies) and tell someone where you’re going. In winter, the margin for error is thinner—but with the right essentials, it’s still a magical season to be outside.

The post Winter Hiking Essentials to Stay Safe and Comfortable on the Trail appeared first on Out There Venture.

Cover photo courtesy of Jon Jonckers

First published in 1987, “100 Hikes in the Inland Northwest” became an instant success. The popular guide is one of four guidebooks published by Rich Landers, an award-winning outdoors writer and avid outdoorsman best known for his long career at The Spokesman-Review. For more than 40 years, Landers inspired readers with stories from his adventures that celebrated the natural beauty, wildlife and outdoor traditions of the Pacific Northwest. His writings blend deep ecological knowledge with a lifelong passion for hiking, hunting, paddling and other outdoor pursuits. 

“Ira Spring and Harvey Manning launched the 100 Hikes series with an environmental edge,” says Landers. “That paved the way for me to enhance ‘100 Hikes in the Inland Northwest’ with the environmental watchdog themes I’d already introduced to the region’s Outdoors coverage in The Spokesman-Review. If I was going to invest years into this project, it was going to be much more than a trails guidebook.” 

Roughly 15 years later, Landers published the second edition, which included some new hikes, some spur trails, some backpacking loops and additional information. When asked about working on the second edition with his publisher, he recalls, “Mountaineers Books has been a leader introducing the public to outdoor recreation and the responsibility that goes with it to protect our natural resources. The editors I’ve worked with have been excellent.” 

A few years after the second edition gained notoriety, Landers joined Facebook. At the time, he still worked at the Spokesman, and he had written a few other books, so naturally he started writing posts about anyone who had completed all 100 hikes. Years later, he’s still posting about century hikers. Many of the hikes are difficult, many have been affected by wildfire and many have near-impossible roads to reach the trailhead. But it’s worth mentioning that two people completed all 100 hikes in 2025. 

Just as any parent refuses to admit to having a favorite child, Landers refuses to admit to having a favorite hike. But he will admit to liking certain hikes for certain reasons and seasons. However, when asked which hike he believes is the most difficult when you factor in elevation, remoteness, high-clearance vehicle requirements, and shortest season, he had a great answer. “Right now, that would be British Columbia’s Earl Grey Pass Traverse in the Purcell Wilderness, which is basically closed because of enormous damage by wildfire and wind. Too bad. It’s a fantastic route. Jump on it if it’s ever reopened.” 

But keep in mind that Landers is a well-documented prankster. He’s the kind of hiker who might tell you that you’re almost there, even if you have seven miles to go. Technically, the route is closed at this time, and it could just as easily be his favorite hike or somewhere far down the list, so do your own conditions research before attempting it.  

Finally, if you’re a fan of “100 Hikes in the Inland Northwest,” do yourself a favor and check out his other books at your favorite local bookstore.  

The post About “100 Hikes” Author Rich Landers  appeared first on Out There Venture.

By Holly Weiler

Cover photo courtesy of Holly Weiler

Mount Spokane State Park transitions to a winter wonderland each December as the alpine ski area opens for the season, grooming begins on the vast Nordic trail system and all of the summer hiking trails not touched by those two systems become snowshoe trails. There are also a couple of bonus trails for winter—trails that do not exist during the summer recreation season.  

Tucked into the back corner of the Lower Selkirk Sno-Park lot is Trail 260, a special, winter-only snowshoe trail. This trail begins in Mount Spokane State Park but crosses onto Inland Empire Paper Company (IEP) land that is only accessible in winter via a special-use agreement with Washington State Parks to allow winter recreation on IEP land. No dirt was moved in the creation of this wooded path, but that’s the beauty of a snowshoe trail—the path is best once the powder becomes deep. 

The trail can be somewhat tricky to navigate in the early season before the snow has piled up. Wait until the snow depth is at least 3 feet, enough to cover alder along the trail, before giving this route a try. The trail begins under a dense tree canopy near the Sno-Park lot, staying parallel to Linder Ridge briefly before intersecting an old logging road that drops down the hill. At the bottom, the trail exits into an old logging area beginning to grow in with a mix of young trees. Western larch will lack needles in winter, but there is also a mix of western white pine, hemlock and grand fir. The route makes a short figure eight on IEP property at the bottom of the descent and is among the quietest snowshoe trails, generally offering solitude not found elsewhere in the park. The only drawback? This is a trail that begins with a downhill trek, which means the return trip is a bit of a climb. Round-trip distance is approximately 3 miles with 600 feet of elevation gain. 

Getting There:  

From Spokane, take State Route 206 (Mount Spokane Highway) to the park entrance. Continue 3.4 miles beyond the park office to the Lower Selkirk Sno-Park lot. The trail begins at the northeast corner of the lot. 

Holly Weiler is the Eastern Washington Region Senior Coordinator for Washington Trails Association. Between Nordic skiing and snowshoe outings, she spends practically all of her free time at Mount Spokane each winter.  

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