OMANO R RAIG C Hiking the Inland Northwest Day hikes and overnight trips in Spokane’s backyard city sits in the and woodland caribou are all found transition zone here. These mountains are also one of where the rolling the few places in Washington where golden Palouse hills, you’re likely to spot a grizzly or wolf. the desert steppe Ponderosa pines blend with Douglas and basalt canyons fir in this mile-high range. The northern of the Channeled slopes of the Selkiriks often harbor Scablands, and the thick forests, while southern slopes are lofty green Selkirk graced with sage. Groves of ancient Mountains all western red cedars, rivaling those found converge. And in the Cascades, can be found in some Spokane straddles a of the cool valleys. On the open slopes, roaring river—also desert flowers intermingle with blos- named Spokane— soms familiar to the Cascades and whose origin is from Rockies. Birch and aspen forests thrive nearby Coeur here too—guaranteeing outbursts of Hiker Heather Scott heads for the summit of d’Alene Lake, one of color, come autumn. Abercrombie Mountain, eastern Washington’s northern Idaho’s In the Palouse and Scablands, you second-highest peak. Deep forests, high peaks, great lakes. may not find dense forest, but in spring lonesome trails, and desert shrub-steppe are all Nowhere else in you’ll be treated to a show of flowering within easy reach of Spokane. Washington can you plants. These somewhat forbidding drive one hour in places explode with color in the each direction and springtime. Look for bitterroot, camas, By Craig Romano end up in such diverse ecosystems. buttercups, yellow bells, shooting stars, And nowhere else in the Evergreen larkspur, geraniums and balsamroot. Residents of Spokane often like to State do you have such a wide choice of And if the array of wildflowers and boast to their western Washington places to hike. And although the trails of desert blooms isn’t enough to satisfy counterparts about what makes their the Inland Northwest lag behind your senses, there’s an aviary assort- city such a livable place. They’ll cite Western Washington in quantity, they ment here that’ll keep you flocking to affordable housing, good schools, lag behind in the quantity of hikers, too. the region each spring and fall. You may extensive parks and bike trails, and a It’s not uncommon here to complete a be fortunate to witness trumpeter strong sense of community. And if hike without encountering another trail swans, bluebirds, grebes, falcons, they’re hikers, they’ll also point out that user. sandhill cranes, avocets, phalaropes, they live smack-dab in the middle of The Inland Northwest’s trails aren’t nighthawks, tanagers, orioles and quails. some of the most beautiful and diverse crawling with hikers, but the lands those And while some of the best places to landscapes in the Northwest; a region trails traverse teem with a wide array of hike in the Inland Northwest lie 50 to often referred to as the Inland North- flora and fauna. The Selkirk Mountains 100 miles outside of Spokane, there are west. is one of the few places in the Continen- a handful of wonderful locales to Sure, Seattle has Puget Sound, and tal United States where you can run explore by boot within minutes from close proximity to the Cascades and the into five members of the deer family: downtown. Places like Mount Spokane Olympics. But Washington’s second white-tail deer, mule deer, moose, elk, State Park, with its 14,000 acres and 50 June 2005 WASHINGTON TRAILS 1 Hiking the Inland Northwest miles of trails. The 500-acre Dishman OMANO R Hills Natural Resources Conservation RAIG Area, contains 10 miles of trails. And C right within the city limits, you’ll find Riverside State Park, a 9,000-acre greenbelt with over 25 miles of trails. You can spend a lifetime exploring the trails that surround Spokane. Over the years I’ve been fortunate to hike hundreds of miles in Washington’s eastern frontier and Idaho’s panhandle. Here are some of my favorites. The Palouse Who says the Palouse is all wheat and lentil fields? Okay, there’s WSU’s Rogers Field too. But there are also some great hikes here tucked among the rolling loess hills of southeastern Washington. Kamiak Butte Chatcolet Lake, along the Indian Cliff Trail in Idaho’s Heyburn State Park. This The second highest point in Whitman 7,800-acre parks offers miles of pleasant lake and riverside hiking. County, this 3,641-foot peak boasts far- reaching views that include three states. But the real thrill to this hike is its Eastern Washington spring floral show. It’s absolutely stunning. Expect to find calypso Wilderness? orchids, desert bluebells, desert shooting stars, starflower, yellow bells, Despite the fact that large tracts of undeveloped land remain east of the and larkspur. Hikers of all ages and Cascades, very little of it is protected within wilderness. Only 39,000 abilities can enjoy the 3.5 mile loop acres (3.5 %) of the Colville National Forest’s 1.1 million acres is over the Butte. classified as wilderness. The forest’s only wilderness, the Salmo-Priest, is too small to support its populations of grizzly and caribou. Large Channeled tracts of old-growth forest abut the wilderness in both Washington and Idaho, and would make suitable additions. The nearby 10,000-acre Scablands Grassy Top Roadless Area should also be considered for wilderness This region’s unique geography was inclusion. formed when a gigantic ice-age lake Some of the largest tracts of roadless areas and prime habitat in the burst. This caused massive flooding Colville National Forest include the lands that encompass the Kettle that scoured the Columbia Plateau— Mountains. Over 100,000 acres in the Kettles have been identified by leaving behind some pretty impressive conservation groups as wilderness candidates. The 32,000-acre canyons. Abercrombie-Hooknose Roadless Area should also be classified as wilderness. Palouse Falls and Canyon Suitable lands abutting the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness in the In my opinion, Palouse Falls is the Umatilla National Forest have also been suggested by wilderness absolute prettiest waterfall in the entire advocates for inclusion in the wilderness system. state. Stand mesmerized at the edge of Several conservation groups have taken an active role in trying to secure a broad basalt canyon watching the protection for these lands. Among the most active is the Northwest Palouse River thunder 198 feet into the Ecosystem Alliance, 1208 Bay Street #201, Bellingham, WA 98225 ,(360) dark chasm. You’ll share the view with 671-9950, www.ecosystem.org. resident marmots. Hike an easy half mile to a vertigo-inducing point right 2 WASHINGTON TRAILS June 2005 Hiking the Inland Northwest above the falls. For a real adventure, This is an easy 8-mile round trip wild and lonely. A good portion of the scramble down into the canyon—but ridge hike through a quiet corner of the Blues is protected within the Wenaha- be aware that this is rattlesnake heaven. Selkirks. Maintaining a mean elevation Tucannon Wilderness, home to one of of around 6,000 feet, the trail to Grassy the largest elk populations in America. Top delivers exceptional views of the Nice hikes can be made through the Idaho’s Salmo-Priest Peaks, nearby Hall forests that line the Tucannon River or “Great Lakes” Mountain, and the wild Upper Priest high ridges leading to Mount Misery River Valley. The trail traverses and Oregon Butte. Idaho’s panhandle is a land of rugged meadows carpeted with wildflowers. mountains and big, sprawling lakes. Abercrombie-Hooknose Coeur d’Alene, Pend Oreille and Priest Little Snowy Top and the form the core of Idaho’s “great lakes.” Roadless Area Scenic trails grace their shores, leading Salmo-Priest Loop Forming the high divide between the to quiet beaches and stunning overlooks. One of the finest loop hikes in all the Columbia and Pend Oreille Rivers in Northwest, this trip to Idaho’s isolated northeastern Washington, the Indian Cliff Little Snowy Top Mountain takes you Abercrombie-Hooknose Roadless Area The Indian Cliff Trail in Heyburn through some of the wildest country in is dominated by Abercrombie Moun- State Park offers one of the finest views eastern Washington. Most of this 20- tain—at 7,308 feet, it’s eastern of Idaho’s river-within-the-lake. When mile hike runs through the Salmo-Priest Washington’s second highest summit. A Lake Coeur d’Alene’s outlet was Wilderness, the only federal wilderness short and steep trail leads to the rocky dammed, it caused the water level to in the Colville National Forest. Home summit, where you’ll be greeted with rise, spilling over and incorporating to grizzlies and caribou, the Salmo- far-reaching views that span from Priest also contains some of the finest British Columbia to the Columbia Round, Benewah, and Chatcolet Lakes into it. All that remains to delineate stands of old-growth cedars this side of Plateau. these lakes is the levee of the St. Joe the Cascades. The views from Shedroof Craig Romano is author of Best Hikes River—creating the illusion of a river Divide—spanning from B.C.’s with Dogs Inland Northwest (Moun- within a lake. The hike from Hawley’s Kootenay Pass Peaks all the way to taineers Books). An avid hiker, runner, Landing Campground makes for a nice Mount Spokane—are breathtaking. and paddler, his works can also be read 5.4-mile loop. There are plenty of other in Northwest Runner, Canoe and Kayak options too, in this 7,800 acre park.