• Fourth of July: A steep but beautiful 5-mile trail climbs 5,000 feet to the top of Icicle Ridge. Turn left at the top and go 1/2 mile to the site of an old fire lookout.  
• Chatter Creek: A 5.5-mile trail that gains 3,800 feet into a beautiful alpine basin and ridgetop. 
• Blackjack Ridge: A steep 3.5-mile climb of 4,000 feet through shady forest and then an open alpine ridge with some of the best views of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. 
• Icicle Creek: A mostly flat, easy trail through beautiful lush old growth. 
• Round Mountain and Nason Ridge: The Round Mountain trail climbs steeply for 1 mile to join Nason Ridge Trail. Turn left for a more gradual 3 miles to Alpine Lookout with great views of Lake Wenatchee, White River and Little Wenatchee valleys, and Glacier peak. 
• Rock Mountain: A steep 4-mile and 4,000-foot climb to the site of an old fire lookout. The trail passes near beautiful Rock Lake in an alpine basin. 
• Lanham Lake: An easy day hike of about 3 miles round-trip. It enters a nice stand of old growth forest to reach the lake and views of Jim Hill Mountain. 

Originally published as “Find Your Next Favorite Hike” as a sidebar to the “Loving Leavenworth” feature story in the July-August 2020 issue.

Resources for more trail information:

• Washington Trails Association website
• Day Hiking Central Cascades – guidebook by Craig Romano and Alan Bauer (photography), published by Mountaineers Books.

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Fresh victory for the PCT hot off the press:

Seattle Wash., October 18, 2012 – Today, The Trust for Public Land announced that 808 acres of private lands along the Pacific Crest Trail in Kittitas County, Washington have been protected and added to the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie and Wenatchee national forests.

The two properties, owned by Plum Creek Timber Company, include 1.5 miles of trail and provide striking views of the Cascade Range. Protecting the land consolidates “checkerboard lands,” a checkerboard pattern of Forest Service ownership and land that was originally granted to the Northern Pacific Railroad.  Consolidating these lands will enhance recreational access and protect scenic views and habitat for a variety of threatened and endangered species.

The Trust for Public Land worked with Plum Creek to secure the lands and funding for its protection.

“The Pacific Crest Trail is a very popular hiking destination and a place many go to view wildlife and enjoy the outdoors,” said Mike Deller, The Trust for Public Land’s Washington State Director.  “We have been working for over a decade to help consolidate these checkerboard lands to protect the trail and provide better access for the public and will continue to do so.”

The $1.126 million to purchase the two properties came from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), the federal government’s main source of money for protecting land.  The source of the money is royalties paid by energy companies for offshore oil and gas drilling.

U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and U.S. Representative Dave Reichert support LWCF and the effort to protect land along the Pacific Crest Trail.

The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail spans 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada through California, Oregon, and Washington.  Acquiring these lands has been a priority for both the Pacific Crest Trail Association and the U.S. Forest Service.

This part of the trail is just north of the Norse Peak Wilderness Area.

“This means a lot to those of us who want to provide the natural experience in the Pacific Northwest,” said Mike Dawson, trail operations director for the Pacific Crest Trail Association. He said volunteer groups such as Backcountry Horsemen and North 350 Blades do hard manual labor to keep the trail open to the public. “This makes their work so much more valuable,” he said.

The I-90 Wildlife Bridges Coalition and Forterra also supported the protection of these two properties.

The Trust for Public Land is a national land conservation organization which preserves land for people to enjoy as parks, greenways and wilderness areas. Founded in 1972, TPL has protected more than 3 million acres in 47 states. www.tpl.org

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Contact: Karen Macdonald, The Trust for Public Land, (206) 587-2447, karen.macdonald@tpl.org

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This just in from Inland Northwest Land Trust:

Join us for a vigorous hike overlooking Lake Pond Oreille!

Come hike with us on one of INLT’s easements in Kootenai County. On Sunday, May 16, 9 AM – 12 PM we will venture to the highest points of this property to take advantage of the extraordinary views of Lake Pond Oreille and the surrounding landscape.
Nicky and her husband, Mick Pleass, purchased this property in 1988. It had originally been owned by the forest service, passed on to a railroad company, purchased by various lumber companies, owned by several private individuals, and finally fell into the hands of Mick and Nicky. In 1997, they donated 160 acres to the USFS for construction of a trail directly above Sandpoint, ID. It was named the “Mickinnick” Trail after Mick and Nicky and also the native Kinnikinnick plant that can be found growing along the trail and throughout northern Idaho.
In December 2006, Nicky Pleass granted her remaining land into a conservation easement with INLT. Her ambition is to preserve the natural beauty of her land and provide habitat for the vast amount of wildlife that make this land their home.
Please contact Brooke Nicholson (509) 328-2939 or at outreach@inlandnwlandtrust.org if you would like to join us on the hike.

If you know anyone else who would like to attend, pass it on!

Brooke Nicholson
Volunteer Coordinator & Outreach Assistant
an AmeriCorps funded position
Inland Northwest Land Trust
35 W Main Ave Ste 210
Spokane WA 99201
509-328-2939
509-328-4733 fax
www.inlandnwlandtrust.org

…protecting the region’s natural lands, waters, and working farms and forests for the benefit of wildlife, our community, and future generations.

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Taking a hike in the wilderness is supposed to be an adventure. It’s the unknown. It’s risky. You have to come prepared and know what you’re doing. Lately, though, rookie outdoor adventurers have been taking riskier trips with their personal locator beacons, using the beacon as a safety blanket on trips they’re not well-equipped to take. And as a “just in case” measure, the beacons are awesome. Police helicopters can find and rescue endangered hikers who have called for help. Unfortunately, the “Yuppie 911” button, as rescuers have begun calling them, is more often used in non-emergency cases. Here’s the story fromt the Spokesman-Review on what the increasing affordability (the one pictured costs $149) of personal locator beacons has caused.

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Still looking for something to do over Labor Day weekend? Sign up for a work party with the Washington Trails Association. This weekend’s work party is at Slate Creek in Colville National Forest’s Salmo-Priest Wilderness. Sign up here.

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The following letter to the editor was submitted in response to “Blowing off Hiking Ethics and Safety: How To and Not To” by James P. Johnson in OTM’s July issue.

Jim Youngman

The post Letter to the Editor: No Trespassing. Really. appeared first on Out There Venture.

Looking for a challenge this weekend? Join Conservation Northwest for the Hall Mountain Day Hike on Saturday, a 14-miler near the Salmo-Priest Wilderness. The hike is free with a $10-per-family suggested donation. Carpooling from Spokane is available.

This is part of a weekly series of hikes in the Colville National Forest. For more information, check out the Conservation Northwest website or call 360.671.9950.

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The City of Spokane Parks & Recreation department is offering a Leave No Trace workshop for outdoor enthusiasts. The program teaches how to reduce environmental impact while hiking, camping and enjoying other outdoor recreation activities.

Date: Thursday, August 20th, 2009
Time: 6vpm
Location: REI classroom
Cost: $19 per person
Registration deadline: August 11th
Only 14 spots available

Learn more at spokaneparks.org or call (509) 625-6200.

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