July 2020

A woman smiling while driving a truck camper.

Ocean to Idaho: Following the Chinook Salmon

Get Out There, Lifestyle, Trail & Conservation News / By Derrick Knowles

This summer, journalist, filmmaker, and outdoor enthusiast Kris Millgate of Idaho Falls is setting off on an epic road trip chasing salmon across the Pacific Northwest. Her adventure is intended to inspire the public to appreciate the improbable migration of native Chinook salmon from the wilds of Central Idaho to the Pacific Ocean and back again. Millgate will follow and film the migration through […]

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10 Lakes Near Spokane for Family Day Trips

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

On hot, sunny summer days, a waterfront park is one of the best places to be. Kids can swim, play on the beach, and dig in the rocky sand. A family can also paddle together, go fishing, or hike or bike on nearby trails before cooling and picnicking in the relaxing shade of towering pines.

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A old black and white vintage photo of two women canoeing.

Once More to The Lake

Flashback, Get Out There, Lifestyle, Outdoor Family / By Bradley Bleck

I’ll start by invoking Tom’s words at the opening of Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie.” Tom tells the audience that they’ll be watching a memory play, and that “Being a memory play, it is dimly lighted, it is sentimental, it is not realistic.” Such may be the case here. The picture accompanying this story is my grandmother, then Amanda Algaier, not

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a close-up shot of solar outdoor lighting.

7 Ways to Go Solar in Your Backyard

Get Out There, Outdoor Living / By Lisa Laughlin

When you’re not out safely exploring the trails, if you’re like me, you’ve found yourself with a lot more time at home this year, which means a lot more time in your backyard. These solar projects won’t fill the hole of getting patio beers with your friends, but they will spice up the ambience in your yard to make

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Wild Water Swimming

Get Out There, Lifestyle / By Out There Outdoors

By Susan Hales First, the pools are closed, and then the races are cancelled: no Lake Meridian mile race, no Omi mile on Lake Coeur d’Alene, no Flathead Lake Swim Series, no 1.76-mile Long Bridge Swim in Sandpoint, no 2.4-mile Coeur d’Alene Crossing, and (maybe) no 1.5-mile Lake Chelan Swim or 1-mile San Diego SharkFest. There will be

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Finding Camas Flowers

Columns, Get Out There, Nature / By Adam Gebauer

Each spring the wet meadows of the Pend Oreille River Valley explode with the purple-blue blooms of one the regions’ most culturally important plants, common camas. Common camas, Camissa quamash, is one of six types of camas in the lily family that range from California to British Columbia and has been an essential food source for Salish and other

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5 Tips to Hike Responsibly

Get Out There, Hiking, Lifestyle, Travel / By Summer Hess

Have a plan B—and C, D, and E. Follow the Facebook page for the national forest or other public land you want to visit, such as the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (OWNF), and take advantage of resources like the Pacific Northwest Forests app to find hiking trails, trail conditions, maps, permit information, and campgrounds. The “Near

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pedestrians walking the car-free streets of downtown Leavenworth.

Be a Good Guest in Leavenworth

Get Out There, Travel / By Summer Hess

Especially in the era of COVID-19, stewardship applies to town as much as it does to trails. Leavenworth has made physical distancing easier by closing the main street on weekends to allow for pedestrian traffic only. Parking is still available at all city lots and on side streets. Hand sanitizer stations are located throughout the

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7 Hikes in Washington’s Central Cascade Mountains

Destinations, Get Out There, Hiking, Travel / By Summer Hess

Give the more popular and overcrowded trails in the central Cascades a break by exploring these other options.

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