When French-Canadian fur trappers first surveyed the mountain range straddling the Idaho-Montana border, they dubbed it the Cabinet Mountains, for the shelves of rock that loomed over the rivers below. In the intervening 200 years, the hiking technology used to cross the Cabinets may have changed, but little else has. The Cabinet Mountains are commonly […]
5 Day Hikes in the Cabinet Mountains Read More »
The hike from Trout Lake trailhead to Emerald Lake is, for the most part, a moderately-difficult, flower-lined trail featuring stately, old-growth Ponderosa pine and interesting rock outcroppings. The trail traverses a portion of Hoodoo Canyon, named for the rocky pinnacles that can be viewed both alongside and jutting out above the trail. In the early
Hiking to Emerald Lake (Colville National Forest) Read More »
Summer days waver between languid and whirlwind activities, work, and weekends. Is there ever enough time for all you want to do? Slow it down. Or maybe you need to energize your schedule this year. Make summer “epic” on your own terms by using some of these ideas to create your ideal summertime calendar.
100 Things to Do Outside This Summer Read More »
This June, the Silver Valley’s where it’s at. With an extreme dirt bike endurance race on the beautiful Silver Mountain, an epic downhill mountain bike race at the Silver Mountain Bike Park, and a great many outdoor adventure opportunities in between, it’s a fantastic family vacation destination. Float or fish on the Coeur d’Alene river,
Race and Explore in the Silver Valley this June Read More »
Come autumn, western larch is the star of the show for Inland Northwest hikes. And while larch gets most of the attention, the tree’s beauty is best enjoyed en masse as thousands simultaneously alight a hillside among their alpine kin. Below, five hikes in western Montana reveal alpine larches at their best. Northwest Peak At
5 Montana Larch Hikes Read More »
Montana’s front country hiking becomes backcountry quickly, which makes it easy to get away from crowds. Although a week or more is preferred for a grand-quest into a wilderness area, a weekend warrior can easily find their piece of trail magic in the dramatic and less traveled spaces outside Glacier National Park. With 27 million
Hiking Northwest Montana’s Backcountry Read More »
Every weekend in October, thousands of people dig out their dirndls and lederhosen and funny hats and head to Leavenworth, Wash. for Oktoberfest. On the first weekend of the festival, the Leavenworth Marathon and Half Marathon take place, putting a minor damper on Friday night’s revelry but guaranteeing an I-earned-this good time after the race
Leavenworth Half Marathon (September 30) Read More »
One extra-long Labor Day weekend, my brother Scott and I unexpectedly drove nearly 1,000 miles in three days, hiking, camping, and wandering at will across a vast swath of public lands in northcentral Idaho. Our goal was pretty simple. See as much of this wild, remote country as possible in 70 or so hours. Leaving
Where the Blacktop Ends Read More »
The Mission Mountains make a familiar sight to travelers between Missoula and Flathead Lake, their serrated, snow-draped peaks, crowned by 9,280-foot McDonald Peak and its dozen or so neighbors in the 9,000-foot club. Despite appearing impassible to travel, the Missions boast some of the most easily rewarding, high-country day hiking in the Northwest. They have short, shallow-grade trails accessing hundreds of high-elevation tarns with one of
Mission Mountain Lake Hikes Read More »
Learn the basic essentials for getting started with open water swimming in the Inland Northwest and regional race event opportunities.
Introduction to Open Water Swimming Read More »
