May 2017

National Geographic Montana Trail Illustrated Maps

Gear Reviews, Gear Room, Lifestyle / By Holly Weiler

Planning an epic summer road trip to Big Sky Country will be a snap with National Geographic’s Trails Illustrated topographic maps for Montana. With waterproof and tear-resistant maps covering areas like Yellowstone National Park; Glacier and Waterton Lakes National Parks; the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex; Missoula and the Mission Mountains; Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness; and Bozeman, Big […]

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Photo of Spokane Bike to Work Week kickoff party.

Bike Everywhere in May with Friends

Biking, Columns, Everyday Cyclist, Get Out There / By Erika Prins Simonds

May has long been nationally recognized as “Bike Month” thanks to the League of American Bicyclists. This includes Bike to Work Week, Bike to School Day, and a whole host of bike-centric activities. Cyclists who hang up their spokes for the winter months, the bike-curious and seasoned, all-weather riders get a chance to bump helmets

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Deep Creek Loop in Riverside State Park

Columns, Get Out There, Hike of the Month, Hiking / By Holly Weiler

For many people in the Inland Northwest, finishing Bloomsday is a rite of passage. As a former road runner with several Bloomsday finishes, I understand the allure of the race and the festival atmosphere on that first Sunday in May. As a person who much prefers trails and never much liked crowds, I often aim

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Photo of Vessel's Expo Blend by Jon Jonckers

Expo Blend Coffee from Vessel

Buzz Bin, Food & Drink, Lifestyle / By Jon Jonckers

The Expo Blend from Vessel is named after the Expo ’74 Worlds Fair, and the coffee is just as good as the event was at surpassing people’s expectations. From the home auto-dripper, to a French press, or even a siphon bar, the Expo Blend is consistent and delicious. In proclaiming itself the first environmentally themed

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Photo of Roast House's Bloomsday Blend by Jon Jonckers.

Buzz Bin: Bloomsday Blend Coffee from Roast House

Buzz Bin, Food & Drink, Lifestyle / By Jon Jonckers

Anyone familiar with the Bloomsday route should also be familiar with the NEW Bloomsday Blend coffee from Roast House. The Bloomsday route is known for its smooth flow, attracts a broad range of people, and is richly connected with the community – just like the Bloomsday Blend coffee. “For many of us, the Lilac Bloomsday

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Young boy sitting in a big inflatable blue and yellow tube and floating the Spokane River during summer.

Easy Thrills: Tubing the Spokane River

Columns, Get Out There, Outdoor Family / By Amy McCaffree

Parents like to feel in control, but you can’t control a river. Which is why I was a little nervous to take my young son, 6 years old at the time, tubing on the Spokane River last July. The trip with outfitter FLOW Adventures, two hours long with class I and II rapids, was as

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Fishtrap Lake Loop Trail Closer to Completion

Biking, Get Out There, Hiking, News / By Holly Weiler

After two seasons of work, including help from volunteer crews from Washington Trails Association, Backcountry Horseman of Washington, the Washington Conservation Corps, and Northwest Youth Corps, approximately 4 miles of the new Fishtrap Lake Loop west of Cheney, Wash., in the channeled scablands, is now built and open to the public. The entire segment connecting

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Managing Frustration while Learning to Fly Fish

Get Out There / By Brad Naccarato

I remember it like it was yesterday. I was standing in the knee-deep slack water of one of my favorite runs on the Spokane River. I was certain I had the right fly. I was certain that I was in the right spot. All I needed to do now was execute. I started my windup,

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Photo of paddler on the Spokane River by Aaron Theisen.

What the River Says

Columns, Editorial / By Derrick Knowles

The night after celebrating my son’s second birthday along the swift, milky-emerald current of the Spokane River, a bout of insomnia had me phone surfing about rivers, and in particular, the one that runs through our city. The late-night search was inspired by wondering why spending time along a free-flowing stretch of river always leaves

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