Outdoor recreation and destination quality and experience are a key part of these discussions and planning efforts. One of the components of this strategic planning process is to conduct a Visitor Opportunity Study. Everyone is welcome to complete the survey, which includes questions about recreational opportunities and experiences while visiting Northeast Washington.

Survey date will assist the Tri-County Economic Development District and regional partners to “develop a better understanding of the experience of visitors traveling to Northeast Washington, as well as that of local residents and business owners,” according to the survey introduction. “The objective of the survey is to identify priorities for improving the experience of visiting the region – this includes opportunities for development and enhancement while still maintaining stewardship over the region’s diverse resources.”

Adventure travel and recreation abounds in the scenic landscape of northeast Washington (top three photos). // Photos courtesy Kalispell Tribe // Ferry County Rail Trail (bottom left) // Photo: Jesse Harding, courtesy of the Ferry County Rail Trail. // Kayaking on the Pend Oreille River. // Photo: Carol Corbin

Find stories and learn more about NE Washington adventure travel and recreation opportunities in the OTO archives.

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The name Wolf Trails conjures up a wild, enticing, and maybe even a tad forbidding place, but this trail system on the edge of town in Newport, Wash., is actually a sweet wooded area of gently rolling terrain adjacent to the Pend Oreille River.

With about 4-5 miles of interconnected loops, divided by State Route 20 into the “Upper” and “Lower” trail systems, hikers and mountain bikers can choose any length of outing they desire. Lower Wolf has a charming bench at an overlook of Ashenfelter Bay on the Pend Oreille River, where ducks, geese, and sometimes Tundra swans lounge in the calm water.

Spring is a favorite time of year, with the soft, damp trail; wildflowers blooming; and birds flitting about.  I saw a pileated woodpecker big as life on Upper Wolf in early April.

These trails were developed on land donated to the Colville National Forest decades ago by newspaper owner Fred Wolf for the express purpose of recreation. The Forest Service and the Pacific Northwest Trail Association have done a great job designing and maintaining this jewel of a trail system so close to town that within minutes of completing your hike, ride, or trail run you can be in Newport to enjoy a coffee at Union Street Perk or a burger and beer next door Kelly’s Bar & Grill, the second oldest continuously operating bar in Washington State.

Find directions and trail map at Newashingtontrails.com/wolf-trails/. Dogs are okay on leash. For trail conditions, call the Colville National Forest Newport Ranger District Office, 509.447.7300.

[Photos courtesy of Gayne Sears.]

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Developments include the Camas Center with its heated swimming pools with slides, 32-foot rock climbing wall, full-court gym, and fitness center that opened in 2008; a visitors’ center and rest area; and the Kalispel RV Resort in Cusick (opened in 2019) that has RV and tent sites for camping as well as furnished cottages for rent. For those who are interested in indoor gaming entertainment and dining, the relatively new Kalispel Casino is located next to the RV resort.

Now the tribe and Kalispel RV Resort are encouraging adventure tourism to the region to continue to build on an already growing tourism and outdoor recreation economy.

“Recreational tourism is an important piece of our rural economy,” explains Mike Lithgow with the Kalispel Tribe’s Natural Resource Department. Indian Creek Community Forest, he says, is a great place to learn about the tribe’s forest restoration and conservation education efforts and experience this beautiful corner of the state.

Some of the other recreational activities nearby the Kalispel RV Resort include the International Selkirk Loop, a 280-mile scenic back road byway that encircles the Selkirk Mountains, as well as dozens of hiking and mountain biking trails on Colville National Forest lands, including Bead Lake, Sullivan Lake, the Salmo Priest Wilderness, and many others.

With so many lakes and miles of Pend Oreille River access in the area, fishing and water sports are also a major draw. Anglers can cast lines for days in the Pend Oreille River and in dozens of nearby lakes, including Browns Lake, which is exclusively reserved for fly fishing.

The Pend Oreille River Water Trail, a 70-mile stretch of river between Oldtown, Idaho, and Boundary Dam offers excellent paddling on kayaks, canoes, or paddleboards, as well as bird and other wildlife viewing and historical and environmental points of interest to explore.            

If you are planning to camp at the Kalispel RV Resort and explore the area, call ahead (509.447.7144) to inquire about availability and amenities while some COVID restrictions may still be in place this spring and summer.

[All photos courtesy Kalispel Tribe of Indians.]

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The federal government owns nearly 30 percent of Washington’s land; in Idaho, that figure is more than doubled. Which is to say, we, the public, own some of the most beautiful real estate in the country, from sagebrush steppe to subalpine meadows. And while much of it is remote backcountry requiring serious sweat equity, vast swaths border backroads and two-lane highways.  

The three scenic drives below sample some of the region’s off-the-radar but on-the-road public lands. Fill up your gas tank and prepare to take a drive through your property. 

TELFORD/CRAB CREEK (Eastern Washington) 

Driving Distance: 96 miles 

Although the Bureau of Land Management can be more familiar to farmers than recreationists, the agency administers nearly half a million acres of land in Washington, much of it in the channeled scablands of the central and eastern part of the state. Scoured to the basalt bedrock by Ice Age floods and buried by the exhalations of ancient volcanoes, this is a harsh landscape—especially to those who visit in the high heat of summer. 

But up-close exploration reveals a surprisingly colorful scene, where delicate ground-hugging flowers dot a trackless landscape of sagebrush. It’s also, surprisingly, thriving with wildlife. Drive on the edges of daylight and you’re likely to see hawks and owls perched on fenceposts and coyotes crossing the road. 

From Davenport, drive south 13 miles to the charming farm town of Harrington—a good spot to top off on gas and snacks—and then head west on Coffee Pot Road. Out here, the grid-like lines of farm roads contrast with countless pothole lakes that range from sizeable bodies of water, popular with anglers, to fish-less dimples in the surrounding landscape.  

For hikers, the best of the bunch is Twin Lakes. To reach it, continue on Coffee Pot Road 14 miles, then turn right onto Highline Road. After 2 miles, turn right at an unnamed road, marked by a sign denoting public access to Twin Lakes. Continue 2 miles to the parking area. 

An 8-mile loop circumnavigates the lakes through aspen groves and wildflowers, although a short out-and-back hike in either direction will provide a good survey of the terrain. 

Back on Highline Road, continue north 4 miles, then turn left and follow Seven Springs Road for 2.7 miles to Swanson Schoolhouse Road. Turn right, and in a mile reach the Swanson Lakes Wildlife Area. From the wildlife area headquarters, a short ADA-accessible trail provides good wildlife viewing opportunities over Swanson Lake, a prime pit stop for migratory birds and waterfowl.

Back on Swanson Schoolhouse Road, continue west for 7 miles to Highway 21. Turn right and drive north 8 miles to Wilbur on US 2. From here it’s 29 miles back to Davenport, bordered for long stretches of the drive by more BLM land on either side. 

PURCELL MOUNTAINS (Northwest Montana) 

Driving Distance: 76 miles 

Overshadowed—quite literally—by the granite spires of the Selkirks to the west, the Purcells, which form the northernmost border between Idaho and Montana, are off the radar of many recreationists. Although most of the Purcells in the U.S. escaped glaciation, the Northwest Peak Scenic Area boasts chiseled cirques and expansive vistas. 

This is logging country—the “Timber Wars” of the 1980s began in this forest—but there’s still plenty of pristine wilderness to explore. And one side effect of that logging activity: The roads are in great shape. 

From Moyie Springs, east of Bonners Ferry, leave US 2 on Forest Road 435. Part-paved, part well-maintained gravel, FR 435 (Deer Creek Road) steadily works its way from thick forests of lodgepole pine to a subalpine landscape of snow-cowed spruce and fool’s huckleberry interspersed with small meadows. After 19 miles, crest Canuck Pass. Here, the 1200-mile Pacific Northwest Trail crosses the pavement.

To the north of the pass, Trail 35, Ruby Ridge, is open to motorcycles but receives little use. To the south, Trail 44, Keno Ridge, is non-motorized only. Numerous signs will remind you this is grizzly country and you should practice bear-aware recreation. 

Wander in either direction at your leisure, then return to the road. Descending east off the pass, FR 435 enters Montana and, now referred to as Spread Creek Road, becomes all gravel as it intersects the Pacific Northwest Trail again.

From this second trailhead, hikers can take a mile-long hike to Canuck Peak. Although the low, forested summit lacks its own grandeur, Canuck Peak offers nice views of the scalloped slopes of Davis and Northwest peaks to the east. Continuing on FR 435, return to pavement on the Yaak River Road, 15 miles from Canuck Pass. 

The 22-mile drive south along the paved Yaak River Road passes through wide meadows and ghost towns that are now simply a name on a map. 7 miles before reaching US 2, Yaak Falls spills over the angled layer cake of exposed billion-year-old bedrock. A roadside pullout provides easy access to the falls and makes an essential pit stop before the 20-minute drive back to Moyie Springs. 

OKANOGAN HIGHLANDS (Northeast Washington) 

Driving Distance: 70 miles 

Where the broad expanses of the Okanogan Highlands begin to creep up on the westernmost outliers of the Rocky Mountains in northeast Washington lies arguably the quietest pocket of the quietest corner of the state. Ever since gold prospectors poured into the area in the 1860s, the eastern Okanogan Highlands have invited exploration. Yet far fewer heed the call these days compared to during gold rushes. Crowds are scant, even by Northeast Washington standards. 

From Republic, drive west on Highway 20, noting the transition from ponderosa pine forest to arid foothills as you crest Wauconda Pass. At 20 miles, turn right onto Bonaparte Lake Road (FR 32). Bonaparte Lake, along with Beth, Big Beaver, Little Beaver and Lost lakes, forms Five Lakes Recreation Area.

Crowning the area is Mount Bonaparte, at 7,257 feet, the third-highest peak in eastern Washington. Although not a giant by Cascades standards, Bonaparte towers more than 3,000 feet above the surrounding orchards and wheat fields. It’s a pine, fir, and larch-adorned island in a sea of working farmlands.

At the summit, a hand-hewn lookout, built in 1914 and on the National Historic Register, sits next to the highest working lookout in eastern Washington. The Forest Service campground on the south end of Bonaparte Lake provides a great base for exploring the more than 20 miles of trails that crisscross Bonaparte’s massive flanks. 

From just north of Bonaparte Lake, bear left on FR 050 toward Lost Lake and the Strawberry Mountain Trail. This easy hike winds less than a mile each way through dense Douglas fir and western larch for an unbeatable view of Mount Bonaparte and its namesake lake. Clear days offer up the Cascades, with a foreground of far-reaching farmland.

Combine this hike with the Big Tree Botanical Loop, which can be accessed from Lost Lake Campground, to see a pair of western larch that were old growth when Columbus spied the Americas. 

Back on Bonaparte Lake Road, continue north for 6 miles (the road switches to FR halfway) to Beaver Lake and Chesaw Road. Turn right and continue 4 miles to Toroda Creek Road. Turn right again and drive through the ghost town of Bodie to close the loop on Highway 20. Aside from the decrepit state of the buildings of Bodie, things look much the same as they did in 1860.

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