NOTE: THE ENTIRE KETTLE CREST AREA OF THE COLVILLE NATIONAL FOREST HAS BEEN CLOSED DUE TO WILDFIRE ACTIVITY! Although I highly recommend completing the full length of the Kettle Crest, this shorter out-and-back sampler takes visitors to the Crest’s highest summit in a more manageable 6-mile, round-trip distance. The route includes the historic Old Stage […]
Hike of the Month: Copper Butte (Kettle Range, NE Washington) Read More »
A well-known local hiker and trail maintenance project leader, Lynn Smith, ends his emails to other trail maintenance volunteers with these words: “Days spent on a trail are not deducted from one’s lifetime.” Another Spokane Mountaineers member and volunteer coordinator for Washington Trails Association, Holly Weiler, is famous among many U.S. Forest Service and state
Pitching in for Trails — Our Local Trails Need You Read More »
Let me be your concierge for a Northeast Washington hiking weekend this summer that includes hiking Thirteen Mile Trail, an overnight car-camping stay at Swan Lake and a visit to the frontier-like town of Republic, Wash. You will make lifelong memories. Swan Lake Campground From Republic, drive Route 21 south for approximately seven miles to
Northeast Washington Hiking/Camping Road Trip Read More »
A lackluster Northwest winter is rapidly turning to spring, which means the time to hike is now. With hundreds of trail miles waiting to be explored on our local public lands, there is no excuse to stay indoors. When checking out Spokane County’s Conservation Futures properties; state parks; or our surrounding state, BLM and National
Find New Hiking Trails and Camaraderie with Local Hiking Groups Read More »
Off the record, a handful of ski patrollers I spoke with admit that they’ve noticed an increase in that “funny smell you occasionally notice” on the ski lifts. But none of the patrollers I interviewed could say for certain that marijuana use has increased at their respective ski and snowboard parks this season after recreational
Marijuana in the Mountains: How Are Washington Ski Resorts Handling Legalization? Read More »
Satisfying a crazy-nut skier woman requires excitement and thousands of acres of wild terrain. Sherry LaVigne, skier and belle femme, has maintained her long-term relationship with the Chewelah Peak area in Northeast Washington over the decades. Die-hard skiers first traversed Chewelah Washington’s Flowery Trail to build a legacy of skiing fun in the 1930s. LaVigne’s
Why I Ski: Sherry LaVigne and 49 Degrees North Read More »
Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act with a visit to the Salmo Priest Wilderness in the Colville National Forest. A high-clearance vehicle is recommended to access this hike, where the bumpy Forest Service road takes care of most of the climbing. From the trailhead (at 6,220 feet) set off across the open ridge
Hike of the Month: Crowell Ridge (Salmo Priest Wilderness ) Read More »
If you hike or ride a bike or horse on the many miles of trails in the Inland Northwest, then you are the perfect candidate for a Washington Trails Association volunteer trail project. Trail building and maintenance is fun and rewarding, and most volunteers leave with a new appreciation for the effort that goes into
Washington Trails Association: From Hiking Journal to Trail Heroes Read More »
Begin this hike just off the pavement at the rustic Thirteen Mile campground at the southern edge of the Colville National Forest. There’s no chance for a warm-up on this one, as the trail wastes no time in ascending a rocky gorge along a tumbling creek. Watch for seasonal waterfalls on the surrounding cliffs, and
Hike of The Month: Thirteen Mile Trail #23 (Kettle River Range, Wash.) Read More »
The 2013 “Capitol Christmas Tree,” an 88-foot tall Engelmann spruce tree that was selected from the Colville National Forest in Pend Oreille County, will be making one public appearance in Newport, Washington on Friday, November 1 before making a long cross-country roadtrip to the nation’s capital. A community holiday festival to celebrate the event, including
Northeast Washington Christmas Tree Goes to the other Washington Read More »
