If you haven’t already heard, there’s been a new buzz in the air in the mountain biking scene that has to do with backcountry adventuring on your bike called bikepacking. The concept isn’t new. Cyclists have been touring and camping off of road bikes for almost a century. The only difference here is that bikepacking […]
Backpacking with Your Bike Read More »
Although Lake Pend Oreille (“Pond Oray”) is Idaho’s largest and deepest lake, with 200 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 1,200 feet, it doesn’t seem to get the attention it deserves. Lake Coeur d’Alene and Priest Lake are both more accessible, while Lake Pend Oreille is surrounded mostly by national forest land, with
Family Fun at Lake Pend Oreille – Farragut State Park Read More »
Priest Lake is known as being a great recreational area for outdoor enthusiasts of all sorts. From kayakers to fisherman, mountain bikers to hikers, from the Jet Skis on the lower lake to the canoes on the upper lake, there is a little of something for everyone. Yet some of the best adventures to be
Priest Lake Trails for the Runner at Heart Read More »
Back before the Internet, it was more difficult to break out into new outdoor sports than it is today, especially technical ones like climbing that usually require someone to show you the ropes. The local outdoors community coalesced around clubs like the Spokane Mountaineers and Spokane Canoe and Kayak Club, where people who were into
See You at Spokatopia Read More »
I consider myself a pretty strong rider. But, despite their best efforts, the trio of Canadian cyclists who have volunteered to show me the highlights of road biking in the West Kootenay region of southern B.C. area are casually kicking my ass. The small alpine community of Rossland is one of the highest-elevation towns in
The West Kootenays on Two Wheels Read More »
It’s difficult to imagine hiking without my hairy beast, a lab-boxer dog named Rosco (P. Coltrane). Rosco’s enthusiasm for trail running, hiking, swimming, and a preference for powder skiing makes him my perfect trail partner. I find his hairs in everything: embedded in my fleece, in peanut butter sandwiches and all over my car. I
Lost in the Kettle River Range Read More »
The Inland Northwest is home to many fun and unique festivals. Here we’ve highlighted a few interesting festivals celebrating everything from huckleberries and community heritage to original music, beer and wine and the outdoors. While this is certainly not an exhaustive list, it’s a great sampling of the diversity of our Inland Northwest communities and
A Summer Festival for Just About Everyone Read More »
A while back I found myself at an event that featured a lot of really exciting films about fly fishing across the planet. Before the movie, I was talking to a fellow fly fisherman when he asked, “Have you seen the films this year? I saw them in Portland. They are really fun – not
River Rambles: There’s More to “Fun” Than Catching Fish Read More »
North Idaho’s Priest Lake is known for its pristine waters and high-mountain peaks. It’s a place that’s frequented by many summer vacationers looking to escape the city grind. During the cooler late spring/early summer months, however, the low and mid-elevation mountain biking trails surrounding the lake are where it’s at. Whether you’re looking for a
Riding the Woodrat: Ride or Race above Priest Lake Read More »
Last July’s Watermelon Hill fire, sparked by target shooters using exploding targets, charred over 13,000 acres on the Fishtrap Recreation Area and surrounding land. As destructive and terrifying as it was last summer, the wildfire also provides hikers an opportunity to watch the area’s recovery this spring. Most of the largest ponderosa pines survived, aspens
Hike of the Month: Fishtrap Lake, Bureau of Land Management (Cheney, Wash.) Read More »
