Explorer Backpacks Free for Checkout

Spokane Conservation District is now offering Explorer Backpacks for checkout to local families with K-12 students. Each pack can be checked out for up to two weeks and includes educational materials on one of five different themes (trees, rocks and soil, water, pollinators, and snow).

This program can be paired with Spokane-area libraries’ Check Out Washington Pass, which includes a Discover Pass for free entry into Washington State Parks (and other state-managed lands). The library kits additionally include binoculars and field guides and the check-out period is seven days. Plan a family adventure!

NE Washington Forest Road Closures

The Sullivan/Newport Ranger District of the Colville National Forest will have some temporary closures for road improvement work this fall, impacting access to several popular hiking and backpacking destinations on the forest.

Both Highline Road and Sullivan Creek Road will be closed for several weeks, preventing vehicle access to trailheads for Sullivan Mountain and Crowell Ridge, Gypsy Meadows, Thunder Creek, Shedroof Cut-off, Salmo Mountain, and the Salmo Loop.

Hiker access to Crowell Ridge will need to start at the Red Bluff or Halliday Trail trailheads, and hiker access to the Shedroof Divide will only be available at Pass Creek Pass.

Parking Lot Work at Slavin

Improvement work for trailhead parking at Slavin Conservation Area southwest of Spokane began in September, with completion expected in early November.

Spokane County Parks will do their best to ensure the trails are still accessible during the majority of the work, but there may be times when access is temporarily closed to allow crews to complete crucial steps of the process. Be sure to check Spokane County Park’s website before a visit to Slavin this fall.

Saltese Uplands Expansion

By early October, Saltese Uplands Conservation Area near Liberty Lake, Wash., will grow by 10 percent! Spokane County Parks is expected to close soon on a 54.6-acre addition to the popular hiking, mountain biking, and trail running destination.

Fall Trail Projects Need Volunteers

Trail work and public lands stewardship projects continue to seek volunteer help across the region. Fall brings cooler temperatures and plenty of work to be done to keep trails in good shape after high summer use and prepare them for the upcoming ski, fat biking, and snowshoe season.

• Join the Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness for a trail maintenance project at Napoleon Gulch in early September, or for their end-of-hiking-season trek up to the summit of Scotchman Peak in early October. Advance registration required.
• Pend Oreille Pedalers will host Thursday evening trail work events throughout the fall. Check their website for meeting locations.
• WTA has continuing projects at Mount Spokane State Park and within several Spokane County conservation areas, and will be hosting a National Public Lands Day project at Fishtrap Recreation Area.
• Pacific Northwest Trail Association’s season continues through the beginning of October, with several drop-in or backpack volunteer opportunities in northeast Washington.

Holly Weiler is a long-time contributor to Out There Venture and writes The Trailhead column for each issue.

Find more trail recommendations in the Hike of the Month column.

The post Inland NW Trail & Outdoor News: Fall 2022 appeared first on Out There Venture.

Trail Improvements Underway

Trail projects continue into winter at several Spokane County Parks. The work may not be fully polished until next spring, but these in-progress trails may be at least partially ready for winter visitors.

New Trail at Mica Peak

Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance – Eastern Washington Chapter has been taking the lead on the new Green Diamond Trail as a lower-elevation loop route on Mica Peak.

Snowshoe Route Markers at Hauser Conservation Area

Washington Trails Association has been working on improvements to the Hauser Conservation Area trails and will be placing snowshoe route markers on several Conservation Area trails to help with navigation once the trails are snow-covered.

Some general trail maintenance will also be completed throughout the system over the winter months.

Volunteer

Be sure to check the Out There Stewardship and Trail Maintenance calendar to learn about upcoming project dates and get involved with volunteer opportunities: Outthereoutdoors.com/volunteer-scheduling.

Conservation Futures Acquisitions

Spokane County Parks’ 2021 Prioritized Conservation Futures Acquisition List has been unanimously approved by the County Commissioners. The nominated Trolley Trail is expected to be acquired via an administrative acquisition.

Other top-ranked Conservation Futures nominations include a 118-acre addition to Palisades Park, a 54-acre addition to Saltese Uplands, and a 188-acre addition to Antoine Peak.

It will take some time for these acquisitions to be finalized, but updates will be posted at Spokane County’s Conservation Futures website.

Self-Guided Eagle Tours & Count This Year

The Bureau of Land Management is unable to host eagle viewing hikes near Coeur d’Alene this winter season due to ongoing Covid-19 concerns.

Instead, BLM encourages the public to take self-guided hikes and participate in the annual eagle count via the free iNaturalist app under the North Idaho Eagle Watch 2021-2022 project (open through the end of January). Mineral Ridge is a popular trail to try for prime eagle viewing.

Regional Outdoor Events Return

Several events that were cancelled in 2021 are scheduled to return in 2022. Mark the calendar for these fun regional outdoor opportunities, although stay tuned for potential cancelations due to the Omicron variant.

January 2022

• Republic Winterfest (Jan. 15). Not your typical fun run: three-person teams participate in outhouse races down Main Street in this event.
• Winterfest at Mount Spokane (Jan. 16), hosted by Spokane Nordic Ski Association with ski events for both adults and kids.
• Ferry County Rail Trail Ski Day (Jan. 22), a community ski event as snow conditions allow.
• Schweitzer’s Winter Trails Day (January 29), trail fees waived for both Nordic skiing and snowshoeing on 32K of trails at Schweitzer in Sandpoint, Idaho.

February 2022

• Loup Loup Randonee Race (Feb. 5), part of the Snowgoat SkiMo series. The competitive event will have one and four hour divisions.
• Langlauf Nordic ski race at Mount Spokane State Park (February 6).
• Souper Bowl for Women (Feb. 13) at Mount Spokane State Park. A fundraiser for the Women’s and Children’s Free Kitchen with both ski and snowshoe events.
• Spokane Great Outdoors & Bike Expo (Feb. 19-20), including local bike and gear shops, travel destinations, and more at the Spokane Convention Center.

Free Park Days

Washington State Parks: Discover Pass fee-free days this winter are January 1 and January 17, and the more upcoming free days are in March. Note that Mount Spokane State Park is a SnoPark during the winter months, so fee-free days do not apply.

Idaho’s Park N’ Ski: January 8 free day–no parking permits required. Priest Lake Nordic Club will be sponsoring a free ski and snowshoe event at Priest Lake State Park that day.

Methow Valley’s Backyard Ski Day: On January 21, fees are waived for the entire Methow trail system, including Nordic ski trails, snowshoe trails, fat bike trails, and free dog passes for the dog-friendly trails. Some local business will have free ski and snowshoe rentals on a first-come, first-served basis (make reservations ahead of time).

Schweitzer’s Winter Trails Day: On January 29, trail fees waived for both Nordic skiing and snowshoeing on 32K of trails.

Published in the January-February 2022 print issue.

The post Trailhead News: Improvements & Upcoming Events – Winter 2022 appeared first on Out There Venture.

On December 1, if you snowshoe or Nordic ski at any non-motorized Snow-Park in Washington, you will need a permit. Season-long Sno-Park permits go on sale in November (available online or in local outfitter stores).

Washington’s Sno-Park permit fees increased this year: One-Day Sno-Park Permit costs $25; Seasonal Permit is $50; and the Special-Groomed Trail Permit has risen to $70. The groomed trail permit is an add-on to the season-long permit (also referred to as a grooming sticker) and is required at Mount Spokane’s Selkirk Lodge Nordic ski area parking lot, among other areas. 

The Sno-Park fee helps cover the cost of snow removal in parking lots accessed by winter recreational users.

Idaho Park N’ Ski Permits

Idaho operates a Park N’ Ski permit system for its 17 plowed winter parking lots for cross-country skiers and snowshoers, with fees going into effect on November 15. The permits are $7.50 for a three-day pass or $25 for the annual pass. Idaho has a reciprocity agreement with Oregon’s Sno-Park system too.   

New Trailhead & Trail at Antoine Peak

Spokane County’s newest conservation area trailhead and trail addition, Trentwood Trailhead to Etter Ranch (the soon-to-be southernmost access point to the Antoine Peak trail system), is now open.

You can also access the new Etter Ranch trail from one of the existing Antoine Peak Conservation Area trailheads. The new trail connects to the southeast side of the Emerald Necklace Trail. 

Waikiki Springs Trail Improvements

The Inland Northwest Land Conservancy has been making recreational trail improvements to its Waikiki Springs property, located in northwest Spokane County, both to improve the on-trail experience and also to reduce environmental and wildlife impacts.

The first new loop trail is now ready for hikers to enjoy just across the bridge over the Little Spokane River. Follow the newly installed trail signage. 

Check Out Snowshoes from the Library

Want to try snowshoeing before purchasing equipment? The Spokane Public Library keeps a selection of various snowshoe sizes in their “Library of Things,” available for check-out with your library card. (Editor’s Note: Some other public libraries, including at community colleges, also offer a Library of Things collection for check-out.)

Fee-free Days Coming Up

If you don’t have a Washington State Discover Pass, check the calendar of fee-free days at Washington State Parks, and plan accordingly for your next visit. This is a great way for out-of-state visitors to enjoy a complimentary visit to one of Washington States many states, including the two largest ones, Riverside and Mount Spokane State Parks, both located in Spokane County.

If you already have a Discover Pass, invite your friends or family who don’t yet have a Discover Pass to join you for a hike or bike ride. Find the 2022 calendar of Discover Pass Free Days at parks.state.wa.us. January 1 and 17, 2022, are the first out of 12 free days.

U.S. National Park Service also offers free entrance days, starting with Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Holly Weiler is a long-time contributor to Out There Venture.  

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