‘Tis the season to take to the trails
ANYWAY YOU LOOK at it, mosquitoes suck. During fall, however, hikers can lighten their loads and their frustrations by leaving the insect repellent at home. Skeeters are history. Most of the wildflowers are history, too, and the huckleberry crops are on their last legs. But there’s no shortage of color in the region as the shrubs come ablaze with reds and yellows. The larch needles are transforming to a feathery gold, and the birch and aspen leaves soon will be shimmering so bright they’ll stave off the darkness that sneaks up on us in the waning days of summer. Shifting gears from summer to autumn hiking is as natural as adjusting your taste-buds from Corona to dark beer. Stuff an extra insulating layer in your pack and start truckin’. Virtually any trail that was good during spring or summer will be good or better during fall — until it snows. The most notable change might be the lack of people. If it’s a crowd you crave, go to a tailgate party. If you want solitude, try a trail. Here’s a start with a baker’s half dozen choices within a whim and a half-day’s drive from Spokane.
Little Spokane River/ Painted Rocks
Hiking time: Several hours
Difficulty: Even people who get lost in the mall parking lot have no trouble here.
The gentle trail downstream from the Indian Painted Rocks off Rutter Parkway allows a hiker to get away from it all just minutes from the Indian Trail neighborhood. The Little Spokane River is your constant companion for an out-and-back walk of up to four miles. A $5 state park parking pass can be purchased at the trailhead. No pets allowed.
Info: Riverside State Park, (509) 465-5064 or www.riversidestatepark.org/ little_spokane.htm.
Lake Coeur d’Alene/ Tubbs Hill
Hiking time: Several hours
Difficulty: Mostly easy enough for flip-flops, but we recommend walking shoes.
Hike around this little knob of wilderness starting from the trailhead at the city boat launch on the southeast side of the Coeur d’Alene Resort. About two-thirds of the three-mile loop overlooks Lake Coeur d’Alene and offers access to a few beaches that are quiet and inviting this time of year, now that the speed boaters are off the water and tuning up their snowmobiles.
Info: Coeur d’Alene Visitor Center, (208) 664-3194 or www.coeurdalene.org.
Mount Spokane/ Day Mountain
Hiking time: Several hours
Difficulty: Generally easy walking, but if you get lost in the mall parking lot, you might want to bring survival gear up here.
Grab a map at the day-parking pay station a quarter mile inside the Mount Spokane State Park boundary, and pick the hike that suits your mood. Let your vehicle do most of the climbing for one favorite that starts up the summit road (open until the snow flies) at Bald Knob picnic area and the adjacent campground (probably closing this weekend).
Head west on Trail 130 paralleling the road to the CCC cabin. Continue west on the fire road and turn left on another fire road at the outhouse, heading steeply up and then turning right to continue on Trail 130. The hike is nice for a while before becoming downright stunning as it works up to view the Spokane Valley from the rock outcroppings on Day Mountain. Round trip is less than five miles.
Info: Mount Spokane State Park, (509) 238-4258 or www.mtspokane.org.
Priest Lake/Navigation Trail
Hiking time: A full day or overnight
Difficulty: Bring the entire family, including the whiners.
Beaver Creek Campground on the northwest end of Priest Lake is the closest thing in the Inland Northwest to a no-fault hiking and camping base, complete with a sandy beach. There’s something to do in every direction, by foot or boat. Either camp at Beaver Creek and launch your hikes with a daypack, or don a backpack and trek nearly three miles to the first campground at Upper Priest Lake, a gem accessible only by trail or water — and it’s even prettier in fall than it is during summer.
Info: Priest Lake Ranger Station, (208) 443-2512 or www.fs.fed.us/ipnf.
Thompson Pass/ Revett Lake
Hiking time: Several hours or overnight
Difficulty: If grandma can walk four miles, she can do this hike even though it has the atmosphere of a wilderness experience.
The hike starts from Thompson Pass on the Idaho-Montana border east of the Coeur d’Alene River and the berg of Murray. Revett is so pretty and sinfully easy to reach, you might want to try the Blossom Lake trail, which also starts at Thompson Pass.
Info: Wallace Ranger Office, (208) 752-1221 or www.fs.fed.us/ipnf/rec/activities/trails/list.html.
Canadian Selkirks/Mount Carlyle Hut
Hiking time: 4 days
Difficulty: Best suited for hikers with a mountain goat in their lineage.
Part with some cash for the comfort of a guided European-style hiking vacation to a cozy private cabin in God’s country north of the international border.
Perched on a rocky shelf at an elevation of 7,200 feet in the Selkirk Mountains just west of Kaslo, British Columbia, the Mount Carlyle Lodge is a simple but stunning base for hiking through the blazing autumn landscape of alpine larch, while fending off the frosty fall nights with a hot meal and an even hotter shower and sauna.
Customized trips for groups up to eight can be arranged through Kaslo-based Discovery Canada. It’ll set you back $760 a person, but the scenery, service and protection from fickle fall elements can be worth the sacrifice.
Info: Discovery Canada, (888) 300-4453 or www.discoverycanada.ca.
Glacier National Park/Highline Trail
Hiking time: All day or overnight
Difficulty: Your vehicle does all the climbing; the trail is a waltz.
Starting from an elevation of 6,650 feet on Logan Pass at the top of Glacier’s Going to the Sun Highway (open til the snow flies), this trail ranks as one of the most scenic anywhere. With jagged peaks in the distance, the trail hugs the Garden Wall and numerous small waterfalls that might be glistening with ice in late fall. Round-trip distance to Granite Park campsites is 15 miles. Look for goats, bighorns and grizzlies. Also check out reduced fall rates for accommodations.
Info: Glacier National Park visitor center, (406) 888-7800 or www.nps.gov/glac.