Mill Butte - Little Pend Oreille

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WTA is helping LPO to develop a trail for refuge visitors in the 40,200 acre Little Pend Oreille Wildlife Refuge 13 miles SE of Colville. The loop trail starts at the Refuge headquarters and heads upward gaining 600 ft to the regional views from Mill Butte. Approximately one-third of the route is on old road and rail beds through open ponderosa and lodge pole pine grasslands. Of interest along the way are large errata dropped by receding glaciers.

Driving Directions:

From Colville: From Main Street (Highway 395) in Colville, follow Third Avenue (Highway 20) for 6 miles (you will be traveling east toward Tiger, WA). There is a brown and white sign at the intersection of Main and Third labeled "Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge 13 miles." Just after passing White Mud Lake, make a right turn onto Artman-Gibson Road. The sign states the Refuge is 7 miles away. Travel 1.7 miles until reaching a 4-way intersection. Turn left onto Kitt-Narcisse Road and follow it for 2.2 miles where the road forks. Take the right fork onto Bear Creek Road and follow it for 3.3 miles. The Refuge Headquarters is a brown log building.From Spokane: Follow Highway 395 north. You can either drive all the way to Colville, or exit the highway in Arden (about 6 miles south of Colville). From Arden, make a right turn off the highway at Hall Road (just past a lumber mill on the left). At the stop sign, turn left onto the Old Arden Highway and travel a short distance. At the third right, turn onto Artman-Gibson Road and follow it for approximately 4 miles until reaching a 4-way intersection. Turn right onto Kitt-Narcisse Road and follow it for 2.2 miles where the road forks. Turn right onto Bear Creek Road and follow it for 3.3 miles. The Refuge Headquarters is a brown log building.

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Mill Butte - Little Pend Oreille — Jun 20, 2011 — RogersFamily

Day hike

Features: Wildflowers blooming

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My dog and I hiked this trail. The trail was in very good condition. The start of this...

My dog and I hiked this trail. The trail was in very good condition. The start of this trail is located across the road from the Little Pend Oreille Headquarter's building. There is a brown sign marking the entrance to the trail. The initial part of the trail is fairly steep for about 1/4 mile. After that, there is a gradual climb to the top. Near the top there is a huge boulder and a downed tree, a perfect break spot. If you are in moderately good shape or better this trail will challenging in parts but not overly difficult. It is perfect for taking kids or a dog. There are tons of wildlife to see and some nice views at the top. The terrain is varied and you will feel the difference in the sections as you go. By the way, the wildflowers are blooming so it is a rather pretty hike right now.

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