Cover Photo Courtesy Holly Weiler
It’s transition season for trails! Many popular trailheads in outlying areas are not maintained for winter access, so be sure to check weather reports before planning a late-fall outing. In Idaho, Park N’ Ski passes are required at many winter-maintained trailheads beginning Nov. 15 (e.g. Chipmunk Rapids and 4th of July Pass); in Washington, SnoPark permits are required starting Dec. 1 (e.g. Mount Spokane State Park and the Kettle Crest). Check requirements for your favorite trailhead. Be aware that the best winter access locations will likely require a special parking pass to help defray the costs associated with routine snow removal in parking lots.
Free Outdoor-themed Entertainment
- Washington Native Plant Society will be hosting a thought-provoking Zoom meeting on “Fire Ecology in the Shrub Steppe” on Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. Advance registration is required for this free event.
- To mark Veterans’ Day on Nov. 11, both National Parks and Washington State Parks are waiving entrance/parking fees. Washington State Parks will additionally celebrate Autumn Day on Nov. 29 as a fee-free day.
- The Lands Council will be hosting a Campfire Stories event at Wildland Cooperative in Greenbluff on Nov. 14 starting at 6:30 p.m. Come enjoy the cozy indoor setting while listening to excellent stories on the theme of “Lost and Found” as it relates to our region’s public lands.
- Wenatchee Outdoors and Chelan Douglas Land Trust are teaming up for a free Ugly Sweater Stroll at Jacobson Preserve on Nov. 20 at 4 p.m. Ugly or holiday sweaters are encouraged!
- Methow Trails will be hosting a free Methow Trails Film Festival on Dec. 5 at 5 p.m. Advance registration is required to ensure seating availability. All of the films will be locally made and related to the Methow Valley and the local trails community. A panel of judges will work with the audience to determine awards for best films!
- While the event is actually on New Year’s Day, advance registration is required, so be sure to watch for First Day Hike offerings with Washington State Parks! The full event list will be available in mid-December. Mount Spokane State Park in partnership with its friends group will host both a beginner-friendly snowshoe hike to the Snowshoe Warming Hut and a moderately-difficult hike to the summit and Vista House. A SnoPark permit will be required for these events. Riverside State Park will host a beginner-friendly event that may be a hike or a snowshoe outing, depending on snow conditions. Jan. 1 is a fee-free day for the Discover Pass, so no parking permit is necessary. For those who don’t already own a pair of snowshoes, don’t forget to plan ahead by using your Spokane library card to check out a pair to try this winter! Snowshoes are available via the Library of Things in both Spokane and Spokane County.
Fundraisers & Contests!
- Methow Valley Nordic is hosting a fundraiser Nordic ski swap on Nov. 9 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Winthrop Barn. A nominal entry fee raises funds for Nordic programming. Stick around town after the ski swap for the Winter Kick-off Party at the same venue that evening.
- American Trails sponsors an annual photography contest specific to National Recreation Trails (NRT) across the U.S., with a deadline of Dec. 15. Photos must be taken on a designated NRT (full list available via the American Trails website), and entrants can submit up to 10 photographs per trail in a wide variety of categories. A few examples of NRTs in our region include Spokane’s Centennial Trail, the Kettle Crest, Sullivan Lakeshore, Priest Lake’s Lakeshore Trail, and English Point at Hayden Lake, and there’s plenty of time to explore these or others before the contest deadline!
Conservation, Stewardship & Volunteer Opportunities
The season is beginning to wind down, but a few of our local nonprofits will continue to host events into the colder months! Inland Northwest Land Conservancy, Friends of Palisades Park, and Washington Trails Association will be teaming up in November to host a fall project day at the new Palisades North trail segment. WTA will also offer a handful of events on lower elevation trails within Spokane County Parks and at Indian Creek Community Forest before transitioning to snowshoe work parties in December. Please see each organization’s website for full registration information.
