For generations, Tribal Nations have cared for forests, grasslands, and rivers in ways that sustained both people and ecosystems. Today, as wildfires intensify and ecosystems strain under the weight of a changing climate, that wisdom is proving indispensable. Across the country, Tribes are stepping up as full partners in the stewardship of public lands, often filling gaps left by federal agencies stretched too thin. 

One tool for this collaboration is the Tribal Forest Protection Act (TFPA), which allows Tribes to initiate projects on neighboring federal lands. The Kalispel Tribe’s TFPA projects are examples of blending traditional knowledge with modern science to restore forest health, reduce dangerous fuel loads and ensure the land remains resilient for generations to come. In short, it’s about conservation that’s proactive, not reactive. 

But these efforts come at a time when the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), the agency responsible for managing much of the nation’s public forest land, is facing major headwinds. With reductions in force and budget cuts in natural resource management, the agency has fewer staff and fewer dollars to address the rising threats of wildfire, invasive species, and drought-driven stress on forests. 

That’s where co-stewardship comes in. By partnering with Tribes, the USFS and other agencies don’t just gain extra capacity; they gain centuries of place-based knowledge about fire, water and ecosystems. For Tribes, these partnerships represent more than just contracts or projects. They are a continuation of cultural responsibilities: to keep forests thriving, to maintain balance and to pass on healthy lands to the next generation. 

Yes, the budget challenges are real. But this is not a story of scarcity; it’s one of opportunity. Tribal Nations are ready and able to lead in sustainable forestry, from fuels-reduction projects that protect communities from catastrophic fire to habitat restoration that safeguards fish and wildlife. Our Sx^wuytn Kaniksu Connections Trail Project (a TFPA project) proves what’s possible when federal and Tribal partners work side by side. 

If we are serious about confronting the challenges facing America’s forests, we need to lean into these partnerships. That means honoring Tribal leadership, expanding co-stewardship agreements and ensuring that cutting budgets at the federal level does not create a landscape that is unable to support its people. 

Because in the end, what’s at stake isn’t just budgets or agencies; it’s the health of forests, the safety of communities and the legacy we leave for future generations. On that front, Tribes are showing us the way forward. 

The post Tribes Step Forward in Stewardship of America’s Forests  appeared first on Out There Venture.

Cover photo courtesy of Washington DNR

By Bri Loveall 

Think of a big fire. Pull it up in your mind. I can picture the Carlton Complex fire of 2014 in the Methow Valley, when the sun was a constant circle of fiery red, barely visible through the smoky sky, and the AQI (Air Quality Index) hovered in the 500s for weeks. My throat felt raw after only minutes outdoors. I kept Visine in my day bag to alleviate the constant grit I seemed to have in my eyes. The Carlton Complex fire burned a little over a quarter of a million acres in the course of its six-week burn, with almost 3,000 personnel working the fire. And, as you know, there have been many wildfires in the Inland Northwest since then. 

As devastating as it is, wildfire isn’t an inherently bad thing. In fact, fires are an essential part of a healthy forest ecosystem, recycling nutrients back into the soil and clearing out dead or diseased vegetation so that other healthy plants may grow. But the effects of climate change, increased human-caused fires, and other complex dynamics mean that many present-day wildfires are larger, more destructive and difficult to manage.   

Aside from some vague, Hollywood-esque images of firefighters running through a burning forest, I had no real knowledge about how wildland fires were fought. Nor did I understand the complex level of communication and collaboration that happened between multi-jurisdiction agencies, which are dependent upon a healthy working budget and adequate staffing. While budget cuts and seasonal employee layoffs are a routine fixture in any organizational setting, the recent financial decisions of the Trump administration have generated a lot of cause for concern for the coming fire season.  

Monkey Wrenching with Wildland Firefighting and Public Safety 

Initial hiring freezes ordered by the Trump administration in early 2025 sent shock waves of concern through many of the federal and state agencies we rely on to combat wildfires. While wildland firefighters were eventually deemed exempt due to their critical public safety duties, the federal workforce layoffs that followed led some federally funded public land agency employees to take to the internet with tweets, posts and videos lamenting layoffs of critical wildland firefighting support staff, a move they say will hinder wildfire preparedness and response. 

When I spoke with Ryan Rodruck, Public Information Officer with the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR), he assured me that local teams of wildland firefighters would have no trouble managing the fires in their jurisdiction (smaller fires that begin on DNR land) this year.  

Since the DNR is a state agency and adheres to a state budget, it is not affected by federal cuts. In the last three years, 90% of fires in the northeast Washington region have been contained to fewer than 10 acres. This is thanks in large part to the DNR’s aggressive fuel management efforts, forest health management, prescribed burns and other wildfire prevention programs. The concern, Rodruck told me, is in the larger, multi-jurisdiction fires that exceed 10 acres. 

These larger fires are assigned to an incident management team (IMT), a group of people from various agencies: DNR, the Bureau of Land Management, USFS, local fire districts, and even the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The people who serve within these organizations typically have day jobs that are unrelated to their roles in fighting wildfires, but they are crucial to the functioning of complex interagency wildfire response teams. With the projected layoffs and budget cuts that multiple public land agencies are experiencing, it’s unclear if the employees with dual roles will be there when they’re needed.  

On the Job as a Wildland Firefighter 

Andrew Stenbeck is a veteran DNR wildland firefighter. During the off season he works with the DNR managing state lands, which includes timber harvest, planting trees, fuel reductions, and firefighting training. During the fire season, Stenbeck is a part of a Type 3 team, one that specializes in responding quickly to local fires and taking over the fire management from local resources.  

As Stenbeck described his 35 years as a wildland firefighter to me, I was surprised by the level of communication happening between multiple public land agencies. At the incident command post, or base camp, a slew of operations management teams (all staffed by members from different agencies) gather morning and night to create an Incident Action Plan, a detailed list that discusses safety, logistics, finances, and media plans. An incredible amount of planning happens before a firefighter ever steps foot onto the fire line, with multiple agencies working together to create a cohesive plan to safely contain a wildfire.  

At an incident command post (ICP) camp, firefighting personnel spend 14 days at a time (but sometimes up to 21 without reprieve), sleeping on cots, in tents, or on the ground as they work nonstop to fight fire. ICPs are usually located a safe yet practical distance from the wildland fire, though Stenbeck says he has been stationed as many as 45 minutes away. “It isn’t ideal,” Stenbeck tells me.  

Rodruck agrees, explaining that driving is the second most dangerous thing firefighters will do during fire season as they move back and forth from base camp to the fire line. Increases in wildlife movement, narrow (and often) gravel roads, as well as general fatigue on behalf of the drivers puts personnel at increased risk for accidents.  

When I ask Stenbeck what he likes about this job, he smiles and says he likes to be outdoors. I try to imagine what the fire line looks like before Stenbeck confirms that yes, it is hot, but the weather is still happening as a fire is raging. During the last fire of the season in 2024, Stenbeck awoke to find frost covering his tent. He then donned his gear—a heavy ensemble that includes Nomex pants and jacket, fire-resistant boots like Nick’s or Whites, as well as a hard hat, water, hand tool, first-aid kit, and fire shelter—and got back to work fighting fire.  

Fire bugs, the nearly 40 species of insects that are drawn to heat and smoke, pose another added risk to firefighters on the line. In the last season alone, Stenbeck watched three firefighters airlifted to medical facilities after entering anaphylactic shock from stings. In one summer, he counted 37 stings himself. Bears, displaced, fatigued, and sometimes injured, remain outside the perimeter of the fire as they search for food, often in the form of a firefighter’s lunch sack. As firefighters traverse on foot toward the fire line, mosquitoes are a near constant whine, and among the litany of precautions a person takes every day, they’ll also be checking for ticks each night.  

Uncertainty as Wildfire Season Approaches 

With recent layoffs across multiple federal agencies, there might be fewer boots on the ground facing those hazards as the summer progresses. For instance the return of Incident Management Team staff meteorologists—team members supplied by the NOAA who are essential to fighting fire—may also be in jeopardy. The meteorologists work closely alongside the DNR and other agencies to give accurate predictions of when fire season might start and how the weather will influence a fire incident.  

“We don’t know what the status of these employees are going to be during this round of layoffs,” Rodruck says. It’s these “small, downstream-type effects,” that will ultimately determine how well agencies are able to fight fires this summer. What will those downstream effects mean for our public lands? According to Rodruck, it’s too early to tell.  

Stenbeck, along with others on his team, will be preparing for the 2025 fire season with the mentality that it isn’t a sprint, but a marathon. “It isn’t a matter of if it starts, but when,” Stenbeck says.  

Will those who are needed make it to the fire line this season? Let’s hope so for the sake of our communities, wildlife and the forests and trails we love. 

Until completing this interview, Bri Loveall had never considered what wildland firefighting looked like. She wishes all firefighting personnel a safe fire season.  

The post Smoke Signals from the Fireline  appeared first on Out There Venture.

Trail users planning visits to Riverside State Park this summer should be aware of a major forest health project that began in April and will continue through June. The project covers a 340-acre area between Seven Mile Road and Carlson Road and aims to reduce wildfire risk and improve overall forest resilience by thinning dense undergrowth and removing weak or dead trees. Heavy equipment may be active throughout the project zone while the project is underway, and several popular trails and trailheads will be closed for public safety. Affected areas include the Deep Creek and McLellan trailheads, the Centennial Trail segment between McLellan and Carlson, the full Osprey Loop, and portions of singletrack trails 25, 230, 400, 402 and 403. 

Be sure to check the latest updates and trail closure maps on the Riverside State Park website before heading out. While temporary closures may impact summer recreation plans, the long-term goal is a healthier, safer forest that protects local residents from wildfire and enhances wildlife habitat. (OTO) 

The post Forest Health Work to Temporarily Impact Riverside Trails  appeared first on Out There Venture.

According to the Outdoor Alliance, the new administration has implemented thousands of staffing cuts across land management agencies that are expected to hurt outdoor recreation access. In mid-February, at the direction of the new administration, the Forest Service, BLM, and National Park Service (NPS) laid off over 5,000 people, including several park rangers. These reductions will make it harder for agencies to care for public lands and ensure safe, enjoyable outdoor experiences.  

Over the last 10 years, staffing at land management agencies has steadily declined even as visitation has increased. Since 2010, the NPS has seen a 20% reduction in full-time staff, despite a 16% increase in visitation during the same period. The Forest Service has been facing ongoing budget shortfalls as well, which include a recent hiring freeze for seasonal workers, further straining its ability to maintain trails, campgrounds, and recreation sites. 

These additional cuts will have significant consequences for outdoor recreation that could include long lines or closures of popular trails, parks, forests, and other recreation infrastructure. Contracts for trash removal, toilets, and campgrounds have also been stalled and could prevent Americans from getting out and enjoying their public lands safely this summer. Outdoor recreation advocacy groups also worry that these cuts could hamper emergency response efforts and wildfire prevention, as seasonal employees play an essential role in wildfire preparedness by clearing hazardous fuels and assisting with initial wildfire attack efforts. Reducing their ranks could increase the risk of uncontrolled wildfires on public lands and in nearby communities this summer.  

Louis Geltman, vice president for policy and government relations at Outdoor Alliance says, “We are deeply sorry to hear about the staffing cuts rolling in across federal land management agencies. Land managers do incredibly important work, often for long hours at modest pay. They are at the front line for stewarding the resources we all care so much about, and the loss of these workers will have real, tangible impacts on our public lands and waters, outdoor recreation, and community safety as we start to move into fire season.”   

Without adequate staffing and resources, our experiences outside, the health of public lands, and the outdoor recreation economy will suffer. Outdoor Alliance has established a quick-action form to help the public send personalized letters to their lawmakers. You can ask your members of Congress to take urgent action to protect the workforce that keeps America’s public lands safe, accessible, and well cared for. Visit www.outdooralliance.org for more info and to submit your letter. 

Outdoor Alliance is the only organization in the U.S. that unites the voices of outdoor enthusiasts to conserve public lands. A nonprofit coalition comprised of 10 national advocacy organizations, Outdoor Alliance’s members include American Whitewater, American Canoe Association, Access Fund, International Mountain Bicycling Association, Winter Wildlands Alliance, the Mountaineers, the American Alpine Club, the Mazamas, the Colorado Mountain Club, and the Surfrider Foundation.

The post Public Lands Workforce Cuts to Impact Outdoor Recreation   appeared first on Out There Venture.

By Crystal Atamian

Trails near Camp Caro look very different lately since Spokane County Parks has been thinning the forest (smaller trees less than 8 inches in diameter). The goal is to clear out the underbrush and prune lower limbs to create a more open environment consistent with the historical fire tolerant ecology. The benefits are reduced fire risk; healthier trees that do not have to compete for limited water; and improved visibility for trail users, which can prevent unwanted encounters with wildlife and other people. 

Ruth Gifford, executive director of the Dishman Hills Conservancy emphasized the importance of safety awareness during this process. “Do not go into areas where there are orange fences,” she says. Heavy equipment can throw wood and debris long distances, and workers wearing hearing protection may not see or hear people nearby. She also urges visitors to leave orange flagging in place, as it marks boundaries. Removing it could cause equipment to encroach on unintended areas. 

The fuels reduction work will continue to be visually impactful for a while, says Gifford, adding that the end goal is well worth it. “The result is that the forest will be more open than in the past. It’s shocking now, but the appearance will continue to improve season to season, year to year.” This new openness will aim to keep wildfires on the ground, improve access for firefighters, and reduce the intensity of the fire, protecting the critical ecology. 

Dishman Hills is managed jointly by Spokane County, the Department of Natural Resources, and the Dishman Hills Conservancy. With fires in and around the area becoming more frequent — including the Cimmaron Fire in September 2024 — Spokane County has created a Wildfire Mitigation Coalition comprised of fire districts and land managers all over the county to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires in an all-lands collaborative approach.  

Gifford encouraged visitors to explore Dishman Hills’ other 22 miles of trails and four additional trailheads for the time being. From the Camp Caro entrance at East 8th Avenue and South Edgerton Road, visitors can still safely access the Ponds Loop, Eagle Peak, and Nimbus Knob trails. Other trail closures will continue for several months, with work near the Glenrose trailhead expected to begin in late winter and spring. 

The post Dishman Hills Fuels Reduction in the Works  appeared first on Out There Venture.

Cover photo courtesy of Claire Thompson

I spent most of the summer of 2022 clearing trails in burned forests. The Entiat River drainage in north central Washington, where I was working for the Forest Service, had been torched by a series of fires over the past two decades: 2006’s Tin Pan, 2014’s Duncan, 2015’s Wolverine, 2018’s Cougar. The previous summer, trail crews had cleared hundreds of logs from the Entiat’s main routes. This year, hundreds more singed snags had fallen to replace them.  

I trudged through the tawny dust day after day, crosscut saw over my shoulder, watching the waterfalls that feed the Entiat River dwindle to trickles as the summer wore on. Hiking through the most shadeless stretches of trail, I tried to pass the time by looking in vain for seedlings, anything green to break the brown. The temperature in Wenatchee topped 100 again and again. At night, I continued to cut logs in my dreams.  

The first week of September, I took a break from work to join a waterborne writing workshop. For six days, a group of us would float the Green River—which threads the border between Utah and Colorado—talking and writing about climate change. After several scorching months spent confronting the aftermath of wildfire and drought on a daily basis, the trip’s themes couldn’t have felt more apt. 

So what surprised me the most, driving east into the desert at the beginning of September, was the green. Here in the Northwest, late summer is the least lush, most flammable time of year. On my way to Utah, I’d crossed the corner of Oregon in a murk of gravy-colored smoke. I expected the bluffs and breaks of Dinosaur National Monument, my destination, to feel at least as parched as home. Instead, the landscape was a vivid rainbow: the creamy sunset-colored curves of the cliffs, dark-green bursts of piñon and juniper dotting the rocks, white froth of rapids on the jade river, all of it beneath a dome of bright blue sky.  

At night, on the sandy beaches of the Green River, we had campfires, which shocked me. Then I remembered that in the Southwest, fire season traditionally peaks in late spring. The monsoon rains come in June and July, greening the willows, and by September it’s perfect camping weather. I looked around and above me, trying to imagine flames climbing these cliffs, overtopping the lip of the canyon, running away across the plateau. I can’t look at a landscape without seeing fire.  

Far from the burns of the high Cascades, the desert’s vibrant colors quenched my thirst. That week on the Green River was sweet relief in more ways than one. I felt free, on the river, to fully occupy a different part of myself—the writer part, the version of me that belonged in a world where paying attention and telling about it, as Mary Oliver instructed, not only mattered, but was perhaps the most important thing I could do. 

After the river, I drove home via Missoula, where I had a closet full of belongings to clear out of my grad-school apartment before my subletter took over the lease. In the middle of shoving lamps and end tables and boxes of old notebooks into the back of my Subaru, I got a call from my boyfriend, back in Washington, at his home just west of Stevens Pass. A fire had started early that morning near Skykomish, ten miles away. An east wind was pushing the blaze down valley, fast. Flakes of ash and chunks of embers fell around him as we spoke. He was clearing debris, setting up sprinklers, and loading important possessions into a trailer, poised to evacuate. Was there anything of mine he should make sure to grab? 

All at once, the sparkling days on the Green River with my new writer friends receded into a dreamy past. Like everyone who lives in a fire-prone landscape, I carry a constant awareness that my place could be next. I never imagined it would be a west-side fire that would first hit home.  

The Bolt Creek Fire, as the blaze threatening my home was christened, was an eerie echo of the 2020 Labor Day fires in Washington and Oregon. Same week of the year, same wicked wind driving the fire swiftly down the west slope of the Cascades, toward crowded suburbs and interstates. Same heavy pall lingering too long over Seattle, reminding city dwellers that the border between wild and worldly has always been a flimsy fiction. As climate-caused drought sucks moisture from temperature forests, west-side conflagrations like the Bolt Creek Fire threaten to become more common. 

That week on the Green River, in the rainbow desert, our conversations kept swirling back to the same questions. We talked about how to embrace a world that’s changing. We spoke of the search for a new way to write about landscape, one that is realistic without being pessimistic, that makes room for grief and hope at the same time, that is grounded in love.  

“Funny thing about grief,” Ada Limón wrote, “its hold / is so bright and determined like a flame, / like something almost worth living for.” Hearing her read those words on the radio months later, from the safety of a snowy winter, I remembered that surreal week in September when I left a river and went home to a fire.  

I remembered the quiet moments from that summer too: a silent, sunny morning sliding down a river that narrowly escaped being drowned by a dam. A sun-baked afternoon searching for seedlings in a burn and finding wolf tracks in the dust instead. I saw them now as the moments when paying attention might turn into a devotion worth living for.

Claire Thompson is a seasonal trail worker for the U.S. Forest Service and an adjunct English teacher at Wenatchee Valley College. She is pursuing an MFA in Nature Writing from Western Colorado University.  

The post Fire-Season Palette  appeared first on Out There Venture.

• Spokane County Library District just created an excellent opportunity to pair a visit to a popular trail system with a relaxing summer afternoon spent reading in a hammock. The new Parkside Books at Liberty Lake Regional Park is located within the Liberty Lake business office near the entrance to the park and is open daily from 9a.m.-6p.m. Book check-out is on the honor system, so no library card is necessary. Check out a book to add to your backpack and head for the lakeshore, cedar grove, or all the way to Mica Peak! Then find a cozy spot to read during the heat of the day. Return the book when you’re done with your adventure, or drop it off at any Spokane County Library branch.
• Join the Inland Northwest Land Conservancy for a fun and informative bug walk at Saltese Flats on July 14. Enjoy the sights and sounds of the newly restored wetlands while learning about the insects that are drawn to this unique habitat where the attention is generally focused on the birds! (Inlandnwland.org)
• Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness has a busy July lineup of fun events for a variety of interests. Offerings range from fun hikes with kids, foraging, and nature drawing. Or plan your own trip to the namesake peak on a weekend and consider signing up for the Ambassador Program to assist in offering mountain goat safety education to other visitors (Scotchmanpeaks.org).
• Okanogan Highlands Alliance is hosting its annual fundraising long-distance running event, Get Lost!, at Lost Lake on July 9th. The event options include 3, 7, and 14  mile distances. If volunteering is more your style, the group will also be doing some preparatory trailwork on nearby Strawberry Mountain Trail the day before the race. (Okanoganhighlands.org)
• Pend Oreille Rowing and Paddling Association, in conjunction with the US Army Corps of Engineers, is hosting the PORPA sprint races on August 12. The day celebrates non-motorized watercraft and will be held at the Priest River Recreation Area. There will be races for all ages and abilities, with a free kids’ division! (Porpa.org)

CONSERVATION & STEWARDSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

• July typically marks the beginning of wildfire season. Consider taking a closer look

at wildfire preparedness in your own backyard with a Firewise Risk Assessment, free for Spokane County residents through the Spokane Conservation District (Spokanecd.org/departments/forestry-department/firewise/). Those located outside Spokane County should check with their area’s Department of Natural Resources or other agencies for similar opportunities.

• July and August are prime time for summer backpacking. Raise the bar for your summer backpacking trips by joining a backpack-style stewardship project! Idaho Trails Association has trips to the Seven Devils and along the Coeur d’Alene River in July and to Hughes Fork by Priest Lake in August (Idahotrailsassociation.org). Washington Trails Association crews will be working in the heart of the Salmo Priest Wilderness as well as in the Pasayten Wilderness (Wta.org). Pacific Northwest Trail Association will be working along the Kettle Crest in addition to the Salmo Priest and the Pasayten (Pnt.org). Wallowa Mountains Hells Canyon Trails Association will be hosting projects in the Wallowas and the Elkhorn Mountains (Wmhcta.org). //

The post Inland NW Trail & Outdoor News appeared first on Out There Venture.

A short drive east of Republic, rise the Kettle Range mountains (aka the Kettle Crest), a sub-range of the Rocky Mountains that typically gets plenty of quality snow during the winter months. The Kettles also boast two of the highest all-season passes in Washington—Sherman and Boulder—which means easy right-off-the-highway access to some of the finest snowshoeing and backcountry skiing in the Northwest.

Despite those winter rec credentials, there are thousands of uncrowded acres of National Forest land to explore where you’ll have plenty of elbow room. Just be sure to show up with your Washington State Sno-Park Pass or face the likelihood of a hefty ticket when you get back to your vehicle.

Avalanche Safety in the Kettle Range Backcountry

If you’re planning a winter trip to the Kettle Range backcountry, be sure to do so safely, as the Kettle Range includes many slopes that pose risk of avalanche to skiers and snowshoers. If you don’t have experience with assessing avalanche risk; rescuing buried victims; and do not have and know how to use an avalanche beacon, probe, and shovel, then stick to snowshoeing or skiing the plentiful lower-angled terrain off of Sherman and Boulder passes away from avalanche dangers. While there is no regular avalanche forecast site that covers the Kettle Crest, Avalanche Canada’s forecasting for the Kootenay-Boundary region to the north is a useful resource. You can also call for information from the Colville National Forest office in Republic (509-775-7400), although you should still know how to test the snowpack’s stability yourself and pay attention to changing conditions throughout the day if you will be skiing or snowshoeing in avalanche-prone areas.

Fire and Ice: How Wildfires Created Some Stellar Ski and Snowshoe Terrain in the Kettle Range

Over the past few decades, wildfires have played a significant role in clearing out underlying brush and burning trees in the Kettle Range, which has naturally thinned parts of the forest around Boulder and Sherman passes, creating some excellent backcountry skiing and snowshoeing terrain in the process.

In 1988, the White Mountain Fire, which was ignited by lightning, burned more than 20,000 acres in the Sherman Pass area. Then in 2015, Okanogan Complex fires burned thousands more acres around Boulder Pass to the north. Both fires created space for forest renewal and the growth of stronger trees while also shaping some incredible skiing and snowshoeing landscapes. These more open spaces offer plenty of skiing and snowshoeing choices once there’s a solid snow base.

Boulder Pass in particular is the perfect area for backcountry skiing, says Nils Larsen, founder of Altai Skis in the nearby town of Curlew. Larsen spends many days traversing the trails there. “It’s great for Altai Hok skis,” he says. A unique design with a climbing skin embedded into the bottom of the skis, Hoks offer quick up and down touring with no transition from climbing to descending required. “They are perfect for this type of terrain as a lot of the runs are short,” adds Larsen. Altai Skis has gained a solid reputation over the years, and they offer rentals and demos as well as skis for purchase.

Early in February, the company plans to host an Altai Demo Day at Boulder Pass (conditions and pandemic allowing). The event will include Altai Ski demos, tours, and clinics at Boulder Pass at no cost. You will need a Washington State Sno-Park Pass to park, but Larsen and his team will have those available at the event as well. Check their website or call 509-779-0030 for details.

Finding Northeast Washington’s Sherman and Boulder Passes

Both passes are around two and a half to three hours north of Spokane, depending on road conditions. Sherman Pass is situated along the Sherman Pass Scenic Byway on Highway 20 between the communities of Kettle Falls and Republic. Boulder Pass, also known as the Deer Creek Summit Sno-Park, is just south of the Canadian border along Ferry County Highway #602 between the small towns of Orient to the east and Curlew to the west.

Republic, Washington Lodging, Dining, Nightlife & More

The best way to explore the Kettle Range in the winter is to make it a multi-day trip from a home-base in the friendly, authentic mountain town of Republic, an easy drive west from Boulder and Sherman passes. There are several comfortable hotels, house and cabin rentals, and even an Airbnb yurt in Republic, and the Fisherman’s Cove Resort on Curlew Lake is open year-round and has 16 modern cabins as well as RV sites.

One of the cool things about staying in Republic is getting the chance to explore the town’s unique eateries and hangout spots after a cold day in the mountains. Republic Brewing is the preferred gathering spot in town for food, drink, live music and other fun, and the Ferry County Co-Op and Kettle Crust Bakery is a great place to start the day with quality coffee and baked goods. Explore the town’s other lodging, dining, and imbibing options at the Republic Regional Visitors & Convention Bureau or at Ferrycounty.com.

Republic, Washington Is a Summer Adventure Hub Too

While Republic is a fantastic place to play during the winter, there is plenty of recreation during the summer as well. Visit in the summer for hiking and mountain biking trails, ATV riding on miles of back roads and trails, birding, fishing, backpacking, river tubing or kayaking, road biking, and more. Find more Republic-area outdoor recreation suggestions and resources at our other recent Out There article about this special place here.

(Sponsored Content)

The post Republic and the Kettle Range—A Backcountry Skiing & Snowshoeing Shangri-La appeared first on Out There Venture.

Make Reservations Early

Many Forest Service, state park, and national park campgrounds get booked up, especially on weekends, months or weeks in advance. If you really want to spend time at a specific place or campground this summer, do your research and make a reservation as soon as possible.

Go Mid-week and Avoid Holidays

Last summer and fall we were still able to find tent sites and even some small RV sites that were plenty big for our camper van only a week in advance, but they were all mid-week. If you want the flexibility to choose your destination based on the weather, smoke, and other personal reasons, skip the weekends.

There are also many primitive Forest Service and other campgrounds around the Inland Northwest that have few to no services other than pit toilets and maybe water that are first-come-first-served. To snag one of these sites for the weekend, take off a day or two early to beat the weekend rush.

Research Your Destination Well

You might be stuck where you’re at without other camping or lodging options once you get where you’re going thanks to increased travel, so do your research before committing. If you’re looking for peace and quiet, you might not want to visit a mountain town the same weekend as a major motorcycle rally. Check local chamber of commerce websites for any planned events you may want to be a part of and others you may want to miss. Doing your research may also turn up other surprises. Last year we found out that a landslide would be blocking visitors from a nearby city for months, making one of our favorite riverside campgrounds less crowded and more appealing than usual.

Stray Off the Beaten Path

If you’re looking to avoid packed campgrounds and mountain towns this summer, explore someplace further off the beaten path that still has some of the amenities you’re looking for. The longer the backroad or rough road drive from a major population center, the better your odds of leaving crowds behind. That strategy may not work, however, if your destination happens to be a Blue-Ribbon trout stream or as a “world class” outdoor destination for one or more outdoor sports.

Know Before You Go

Check things like weather reports, active wildfires, wildfire smoke conditions, possible road construction and/or road closures, river flows, fishing regulations, and COVID restrictions for wherever your road trip may lead you. Adjust your plans or come prepared for the conditions.

Be Flexible

Trying to get into Yellowstone last summer on a last-minute whim heading back from Utah, we experienced startling traffic and packed streets in Jackson, Wyoming, before finding out at the park gate that all campsites in the park were taken.

Plan B: we drove our van around for an hour or so looking for a place outside the park to camp on national forest land and discovered hordes of campers, vans, and car-campers packed into every pullout and dispersed camping area. Most everyone was hiding in their vehicles from the swarms of mosquitos too. Time for plan C. Escape. After a stop at a Jackson grocery store for provisions, we headed up and over Teton Pass and arrived at the pleasantly uncrowded Grand Targhee Resort camping area around midnight.

Being flexible is often better than being miserable. If your trip isn’t turning out like you hoped, come up with a plan B, or C, and D if necessary.

Be Aware of COVID-Related Restrictions or Lack-there-of

COVID restrictions, policies, and cultural norms will likely continue to vary across state lines in the Northwest this summer. Follow each state or community’s rules and be prepared for different mask requirements that may range from people being required to wear masks at an outdoor event in one state and no mask requirement for a packed pub in a neighboring state. Be safe, follow the rules, and know your own personal comfort level with the COVID policies where you’re headed.

Know the Trail Conditions and What Activities Are Allowed

Before taking your mountain bikes on a four-hour drive, make sure the trails you plan to ride are both open to bikes (Wilderness Areas and some other public lands trails don’t allow bikes) and that they’ve been maintained recently. Lugging your bike over endless downed trees can get old really quick. Accurate trail information can be difficult to find online for many areas, especially if you’re venturing into more remote places. Checking with local trail clubs, if they exist, and asking questions on those groups’ social media pages can turn up valuable beta.

Otherwise, calling days or weeks in advance to reach someone at the public lands agency that manages the trails you’re interested can be very helpful. Be sure to speak with someone who works in recreation or trails and has recent information on trail conditions. Even after doing your homework, you may find some surprises once you get out there.

Case in point, two summers back, in preparation for a 75-mile hike across an infrequently-visited section of the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness, I got ahold of a knowledgeable person from the local Forest Service ranger district who told me he was pretty sure the long list of trail numbers I had just rattled off had mostly been cleared in the past five years or so. Two days into the hike, after completely losing the trail for an hour or more and then climbing over hundreds of downed trees through the most intense thunderstorms I’ve ever walked in, we determined there were some miscommunications. Likely my bad. Oops.

To add insult to injury, our backup, backup plan of hitching a ride to our car from someone on what had been a popular sightseeing and berry picking road a decade back didn’t pan out. After walking another 20 miles on that road without seeing a soul, we found out why: the road had been gated and closed for several years due to a massive washout. At least it was only a few more miles of walking on the Selway River back to our car!

Know Your Limits and Those of Your Travel Mates

Choosing a destination for a weekend adventure getaway or longer trip should always take into consideration the abilities and tolerance to any unique environmental conditions you’re likely to encounter. For instance, camping out in the shade-and-water-scarce eastern Oregon desert might not be the best destination for a group that includes children or other heat-sensitive individuals.

Picking reasonable outdoor recreation activities that will be enjoyed by your adventure pod is also critical for a successful trip. Your idea of a mostly-flat, easy hike might seem insane to the rest of your crew after a few miles.

Book Activities in Advance

If you’re planning to participate in an activity, whether it’s a zip line tour, gondola ride, Route of the Hiawatha pass, riding at a bike park, river rafting trip, mine tour, or other guided, supported, or bookable activity, look online or call in advance to see if you can reserve your adventure.

Originally published as “Adventure & Travel Planning Guide – Summer 2021” in the March-April 2021 issue.

[Feature photo: View of Peewee Falls while kayaking the Pend Oreille River, photo by Carol Corbin.]

The post 10 Travel Planning Tips for Summer 2021 appeared first on Out There Venture.

Here are resources to help you be prepared and safe out there.

Traffic Alerts & Road Closure Information

• Idaho Travel Alerts
• Montana Travel Alerts: Conditions, Closures, & Incidents
• Oregon: Latest road and weather condition updates
• Washington State Travel Alerts: Statewide and Eastern Washington

Be Prepared

• Escape Routes and Safety Zones: Tips for Hiking During Wildfire Season – Washington Trails Association
• Wildfire Tips for Hikers
• Backcountry Basics: How to React to Wildfires – Pacific Crest Trail Association
• 5 Steps To An Emergency Response Plan for Camping
• Campground Evacuation & Shelter Safety Tips – from MobileRving.com
• Wildfire preparation guidance from Ready.gov (Dept. of Homeland Security).
• Wildfire Evacuation Tips
• Wildfire Action Plan Checklist & Emergency Supply Kit – guidance for residents and homeowners that can applied to recreational camping
• Air quality health and safety: resources from AirNow.gov

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