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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Inland Northwest hikers, bikers should be in their glory in October

Fall colors, crisp air and blue skies make October a premier month to hit the region’s trails on foot or by mountain bike.

The Inland Northwest has more trail options than anyone can cover in a season if not a decade. We’re blessed with urban gems at the Finch Arboretum and Riverside State Park to longer adventures in the the Idaho Selkirks and other spectacular mountains in every direction.

Whether you have a few hours or a few days, there’s a colorful destination ready for your arrival.

Gated old logging roads can be excellent places for an autumn walk or bike ride, especially with dogs that can get their exercise unleashed without issue.

Huckleberry, aspen, cottonwood, mountain ash and other shrubs and trees are shedding leaves of red and yellow to carpet the ground with color. Larch are putting on their annual autumn show of golden brilliance in the region’s high country, from the North Cascades across the high Selkirks and Purcell Mountains of British Columbia and through the Bitterroots to the east.

A late-October breeze in a stand of larch turns on a shower of amber needles.

The normal preparations for hitting the trail apply to autumn outings — checking the weather report, leaving an itinerary with a responsible person and carrying the 10 essentials of map, food, clothing and gear to get you through an unexpected overnight experience.

But autumn also adds a few notable twists to keep in mind, such as:

  • Days are shorter, so get an early start.
  • Hunting seasons are in full swing, so wear bright clothing and avoid blacks, browns and whites that resemble game.
  • Cooler temperatures require closer attention to wearing and bringing layers of non-cotton clothing.

This year, it’s even more important that usual to check ahead on national forest websites to be sure roads or trails to your destination aren’t blocked by a wildfire closure. With fires and fire-mop up still active in some areas from the most active fire season in decades, portions of the Okanogan-Wenatchee, Colville, Umatilla and Idaho Panhandle national forests continue to be closed.

Following are five options within day-trip range of Spokane that drift toward the top of my to-do list for autumn hiking or mountain biking:

1. Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge (south of Cheney) – An easy stroll along the refuge’s Pine Lakes rewards hikers with colorful fall scenery worth the trip in itself. But bring binoculars to appreciate the even more vivid wild art of migrating waterfowl. The hike leads past waters frequented by trumpeter swans that produced cygnets this year that will be fledgling this fall. Bring your Northwest Forest Pass, federal senior or disabled pass or Duck Stamp to avoid the $3 vehicle entrance fee.

2. Pulaski Trail (a mile out of Wallace toward Moon Pass) — Interpretive signs along a 4-mile round-trip trail tell story of heroism and survival en route to the mine where Ed Pulaski saved his crew from a 1910 fires blow-up. Info: Historic Wallace Chamber of Commerce, (208) 753-7151.

3. Fault Lake (Trailhead access north of Sandpoint,12 miles up Pack River Road) — This 12-mile round trip trail is especially appropriate for mountain biking to treeline in the Idaho Selkirks and then hiking to Fault and McCormick lakes and bagging Hunt Peak before saddling up again for a blissful 6-mile descent.

4. Moose Mountain Loop (north of Lake Pend Oreille up Trestle Creek and Lightning Creek roads) — Hike 2 or 3 enjoyable miles to any of several backcountry lakes or, better yet, do the classic 9-mile loop trip to Blacktail, Moose Mountain, Moose Lake and back to the trailhead. Leaving Spokane at 6:30 a.m., you can hike this entire 9-mile loop and a side trip to Lake Estelle and be home by 6 p.m. – tired, hungry and fulfilled.

5. Abercrombie Mountain (northeast of Colville) – The 6.5-mile round-trip trail up to the summit of Eastern Washington’s second-highest peak leads to sweeping views of fall colors, especially the larch that are in the prime of their “goldness” in the Pend Oreille River Valley by the third week of October.