Latest from The Spokesman-Review

• Long-distance relationship: Sandpoint couple scores backpacking Triple Crown

  May 13, 2012 in Outdoors on Page C10 After enduring six months backpacking the Appalachian Trail, Phil Hough and Deb Hunsicker were pretty sure their relationship was good for the long haul. They confirmed they could go the …

• Backpackers gear down for long distance hikes

  May 13, 2012 in Outdoors on Page C9 Phil Hough and Deb Hunsicker have winnowed their long-distance hiking gear to a base weight (sans food and water) of 15-19 pounds, depending on how many luxuries they bring, such … 1

• Joshua Tree area offers hiking, eats, saloons, hot springs

  May 6, 2012 in Features, Travel on Page D8 It’s a dry heat – a boulder-studded, wind-raked Mojave heat in which rock stars lie low, artists think big, Marines train, weird plants jut toward the sun like beseeching biblical …

• With 7 national parks nearby, paradise always within reach

  April 8, 2012 in Features, Travel on Page D8 Within a day’s drive of Spokane, there are seven national parks – Rainier, Olympic and North Cascades in Washington, Glacier in Montana, Crater Lake in Oregon, and Grand Teton and …

• Expert details benefits of bear spray in trailer at Big Horn Show

    March 18, 2012 in Outdoors on Page C14 Hike in groups in bear country. Keep food and trash away from bears.

• Parks offer fee-free days

  November 6, 2011 in Outdoors on Page C11 National parks will be waiving entrance fees for three days to celebrate Veterans Day weekend, Friday through next Sunday. Fee-free days have been offered the past two years as a …

• Utah tops for arches

  October 9, 2011 in Outdoors on Page C14 Rumors that a great arch in China could put southern Utah’s natural wonders in the shade have fallen to a real-world truth: Utah rules! Thanks to some dedicated scientists, modern … 1

• Hiker picks challenging year to bag all 734 miles of Glacier Park trails

  August 14, 2011 in Outdoors on Page C12 This spring, Jake Bramante sat in the back corner of a coffee shop, a jumble of topographic maps fanned out on the table before him, waiting for the trails to …

• Out & About: Here’s a chance for life on the rocks

  July 10, 2011 in Sports, Outdoors on Page C10 OUTDO – A fun-oriented, weekend introduction to rock climbing is set for July 23-24 at Q’emiln Park in Post Falls. The annual UClimb sponsored by Mountain Gear enlists pro climbers …

• Lake Chelan Shoreline a classic early hike

  May 29, 2011 in Outdoors on Page C12 The Chelan Lakeshore Trail is a classic Northwest early- season backpacking trip, brightened by wildflowers before many ski areas are closed for the season. Many hikers revel in the unusual …

• Researcher explains threats to wolverine in its remote range

  April 10, 2011 in Outdoors on Page C10 Perhaps the only critter at top of the food chain that’s rarer and more set apart than a wolverine is the wolverine researcher. “Worldwide, maybe a dozen people are working … 11

• Field reports: Antoine Peak on House list for state funding

  April 10, 2011 in Outdoors on Page C9 PUBLIC LANDS – A prized Spokane Valley wild area north of I-90 and near Forker Road is back in the running for state funding to boost the last of three …

• Old road now trail on Mount Rainier

  February 13, 2011 in Outdoors on Page C11 National Park Service officials have given approval to convert Mount Rainier’s Carbon River Road into a 9-mile trail for hiking and biking. The road has been closed to vehicles since …

• Floaters, hikers, more need to think ahead for summer permits

  January 30, 2011 in Outdoors on Page C14 It’s the season to think ahead to summer adventures that require a special permit or reservations. Campers seeking a stay at popular national park or national forest cabins, lookouts and …

• Snow closes Glacier Park Road

  September 17, 2010 in Outdoors Snowstorms have forced today’s temporary closure of a portion of Going-to-the-Sun Road through Glacier National Park.

• Parks, forests waive entrance fees

  August 13, 2010 in News, Outdoors, City, Idaho No entrance fees will be charged on Saturday and Sunday at national parks as well as at national forest and Bureau of Land Management areas where entrance fees are charged.

• Glacier Park’s Logan Pass open

  June 25, 2010 in Outdoors Glacier National Park’s famous Going to the Sun Road was cleared for the first time this season on Thursday and vehicles were allowed to pass under walls of snow from …

• Zion, Bryce national parks boast stunning landscapes

  June 6, 2010 in Travel on Page D8 ZION NATIONAL PARK, Utah – The footfalls of hikers making their way through Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks are as different as the trails they take. Some are silent; …

• Volunteers dig in at Dishman Hills

  May 2, 2010 in Outdoors on Page C10 OUTSTANDING – About 280 volunteers turned out April 24 to build trails at Iller Creek Conservation Area and spruce up, or should we say “pine up,” the nearby Dishman Hills … 2

• How to survive opening day

  April 18, 2010 in Outdoors on Page C10 OUTFISH – We have the scoop on the best fishing waters in Idaho, as well as in Washington, where dozens of the Spokane region’s trout lakes will open to fishing …

• Special fishing report coming Thursday

  April 11, 2010 in Outdoors on Page C10 OUTLOOK – Fishing 2010, The Spokesman-Review’s annual update on fishing prospects, rules and opportunities throughout the Inland Northwest, will be inserted in the Thursday paper. The tabloid includes a map …

• Wolf plan meeting Tuesday in Spokane

  October 25, 2009 in Outdoors on Page C13 ENDANGERED SPECIES – Public comments will be heard in Spokane on Tuesday on a recently released draft management plan with guidelines for removing gray wolves from Washington’s state endangered species …

• ‘National Parks’ series a conservation windfall

  October 4, 2009 in Outdoors on Page C14 The buildup to last Sunday’s PBS premiere of “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” was the conservation community’s equivalent of the build-up to the Super Bowl. Filmmakers Ken Burns and …

• From our view, it’s easy to see why they’re ‘America’s Best Idea’

  September 27, 2009 in Features on Page D1 Long before the national parks were the rugged, outdoorsy stars of a PBS documentary series, they were a notable part of life for many here in the Northwest. This is, …

• Yellowstone, Glacier featured on new quarters

  September 9, 2009 in Nation/World Quarters dropped into fountains at Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas next year could feature the park itself. The U.S. Mint announced Wednesday that the first in its “America the … 2

• National park entrance fees waived this weekend

  August 12, 2009 in Outdoors Entrance fees at national parks across the country, including Mount Rainier and Olympic, will be waived this weekend, Aug. 15-16.

• Out & About

  August 9, 2009 in Outdoors on Page C10 Experts make case for getting out

• Out & About

  July 12, 2009 in Outdoors on Page C10 There’s no charge to drive into national parks on July 18-19 and Aug. 15-16 under a new entrance-fee-free weekend program to help families become reacquainted with some of the best …

• House OKs bill allowing guns in national parks

  May 21, 2009 in Nation/World on Page A1 WASHINGTON – Gun rights advocates have found a sweet spot in Democratic-dominated Washington, and they are using it to aggressively push legislation. Their latest victory came Wednesday when the House … 1

• Bill allowing guns in parks advances

  May 20, 2009 in Nation/World on Page A2 WASHINGTON – The Democratic-controlled Congress is moving to restore a Bush administration policy that allowed loaded guns in national parks. The Senate voted Tuesday to allow guns in national parks …