March 2010 Update: Select content from the Mountaineers Books'
six "Day Hiking" guidebooks, Snowshoe Routes Washington and Desert Hikes
Washington is now incorporated into the WTA Hiking Guide. Sales of the books
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Stroll across rolling emerald fields, climb coastal bluffs towering above crashing surf, and wander along a driftwood-strewn beach, gazing across busy coastal waters to a backdrop of snowcapped Olympic Mountains. And there's more! Prairie flowers, bald eagles, shorebirds, and historic relics. One of the finest coastal hikes in the Northwest, Ebey's Landing is one of Washington's most naturally diverse as well as historically significant places.
Central Cascades -- Stevens Pass - East(Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Skykomish Ranger District)
Lake Elizabeth (#1071)
A quiet little lake at the headwaters of Money Creek, Lake Elizabeth makes for an easy family outing. Come in late spring for showy blossoms brightening the forest floor, summer for languid lounging, or fall for berry picking amid pockets of vivid color. And with its short distance, the hike around Elizabeth is ideal for budding explorers.
Theses caves are long tunnels in the thick lava beds; they run roughly parallel to the surface of the land. Interpretive signs line both the trail through the forest and the tubes' mouths.
The Kautz Creek drainage has been ravaged by floods, decimated by fires, and rearranged by mud slides. This area offers a great lesson in the dynamic nature of a Cascades volcano. The biggest threat facing this trail is the fact that the Kautz Creek valley has been flushed by floods repeatedly over the years, with the most recent scouring being the winter 2006 flood that not only rearranged the trail but took out a section of the road. Repairs were expected but weren't begun at the time of this writing, so before heading out for this hike, be sure to contact the ranger to ensure the route has been rebuilt and reopened.
Eastern Washington -- Yakima(Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, LT Murray Wildlife Area)
One of Washington state's best wildlife hikes, Umtanum Canyon is best visited in the spring -- after the migrant birds arrive and before the heat of June sets in.
Follow a babbling brook through forests of pine and fields of dazzling wildflowers to a long-gone lookout site where the viewing still reigns supreme. Gaze out at beautiful landscapes near and far-from verdant lawns spread out directly below, to the glistening ice of Glacier Peak, to the sun-baked wheat fields of the Waterville Plateau. Heavenly? Yes. But only before the motors arrive or during the week, when chances are slim that one will come sputtering by.
Eastern Washington -- Spokane Area(Bureau of Land Management, Spokane)
The BLM only recently added this land parcel to the original Fishtrap Lake public land tract on the north side of the lake. To protect adjacent private land interests, fences have been placed along the south and west sides of this parcel to prevent you from wandering off the public lands. As you wander through the desert, you'll stumble across a small pond, which hosts an array of ducks and other water-fowl.
North Cascades -- Mountain Loop Highway(Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest, Darrington Ranger District)
Old Sauk (#728)
The Old Sauk River Trail hugs the riverbank of this ecologically important and strikingly beautiful waterway for 3 virtually flat miles. And with an elevation below 1000 feet, the trail rarely sees snow, making it one of the few winter hiking choices along the Mountain Loop Highway. But any time of year is ideal for this delightful and easy trail.
Eastern Washington -- Wenatchee(Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife)
Whispering stands of cottonwoods shine against the brilliantly polarized eastern Washington blue sky, while cool blue pools reflect their graceful beauty.
South Cascades(Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area)
Tamanous (#27), PCT (#2000)
Table Mountain's dramatic south face and pyramid profile beckon the adventurous hiker ready for a strenuous climb that is good training for summer summit attempts to come. The top features one of the best panoramas of the Columbia River Gorge, as well as views of Mt. St. Helens, Rainier, Hood and Adams. Carry a guidebook with good route information as there are a couple of options to the summit and signage may be lacking.
Eastern Washington -- Potholes Region(Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife)
This is desert hiking at its best--a lovely trail (a fisher trail turned into a great hiking trail) that bobs up and down over little dunes for miles. As you walk through the sand dune environment, enjoy expansive views to the south overlooking the heart of the Potholes area--miles and miles of water surrounded by miles and miles of sand dunes.
Eastern Washington -- Spokane Area(Bureau of Land Management,Spokane)
Coal-black basalt bluffs and towering colonnades stand over the Packer Creek property. An intermittent lake nestled in the base of a coulee at the east side of the tract dries out in late summer, but throughout the winter and spring it provides a good home to waterfowl.
Eastern Washington -- Spokane Area(Bureau of Land Management, Spokane office)
This is a prime example of a desert hiking area that offers many hours of slow wandering and contemplation of the unique environment, even though the mileage isn't as great as some other areas. You'll find exciting geological formations and history as you explore the huge canyon/coulee that holds the Twin Lakes.
Eastern Washington -- Yakima(Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife)
The L. T. Murray State Wildlife Recreation Area offers some of the best desert hiking in the state, and this far-eastern edge of the preserve boasts the best of the best.
Eastern Washington -- Tri-Cities(Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife)
This area is a natural coulee. The sandy soil allows water to drain through soil and collect in the bottom of the coulee forming the Wahluke Branch-10 (WB-10) Wasteway. The wasteway water flows westward into the White Bluffs area. The gradual slope of this coulee has allowed the water to spread out and form several small ponds and cattail marshes. Russian olive and willow trees have been spreading rapidly, taking over some of the wetlands.
Eastern Washington -- Tri-Cities(Washington State Parks and Recreation)
The broad, deep chasm of Washtucna Coulee cuts through the sagebrush flats of the Snake River plateau country, providing a wonderful expose of the power of the Great Missoula Floods that carved Washington's coulees after the last great Ice Age.
Eastern Washington -- Wenatchee(Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife)
Waterfowl flocking to the desert? You bet--when the desert is the coulee country of eastern Washington, with its plethora of lakes nestled in the rocky basins at the bottoms of the coulees.
Eastern Washington -- Inland NW(Washington State Parks and Recreation)
Steamboat Rock is a massive "island" of a rock mountain floating on the shore of Banks Lake. The durable rock was left behind through all of the Great Missoula Floods and was later nearly surrounded by the waters diverted by the Grand Coulee Dam. The top of the rock is a broad, flat plateau offering stunning views across the scablands of coulee country.
Eastern Washington -- Tri-Cities(Washington State Parks and Recreation)
The 134-mile-long Columbia Plateau Trail (also called the Pasco/Fish Lake Trail) followed the old, historic route of the Spokane--Portland--Seattle Railroad from Pasco to Spokane. The trail today is a fabulous way to experience the human and natural history of this unique landscape.
Eastern Washington -- Tri-Cities(Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife)
From this small wildlife area, you'll enjoy views of Sentinel Gap. Along the route, you may also see bald eagles hunting over the sloughs south of the trailhead near the boat launch and red-tailed and Cooper's hawks hunting over the desert prairies.
Eastern Washington -- Spokane Area(Bureau of Land Management, Spokane)
This area north of Odessa is dotted with geological oddities: craters left in the aftermath of the Great Missoula Floods. The craters range in appearance from a simple deep hole in the ground to a vast depression a quarter mile around--looking almost look like a meteor might have glanced across the steppe landscape.
Eastern Washington -- Wenatchee(Washington State Parks and Recreation)
Bald eagles, icons of the mossy forests and deep rivers of the Pacific Coast, flock to this desert canyon each winter, and their presence is reason to visit in winter.
Eastern Washington -- Spokane Area(U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)
The Tucannon River--one of the richest trout streams in Washington--flows out of the Wenaha--Tucannon Wilderness Area in heart of the Blue Mountains and rolls out the wildlife-rich Tucannon canyon before emptying into the broad waters of the Snake River near Lyons Ferry. The mouth of the Tucannon is a wonderfully rich wildlife delta, and the highlands above the river provide stunning views of both river canyons, as well as wildlife viewing along the high sagelands.
Eastern Washington -- Tri-Cities(U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service--McNary National Wildlife Refuge)
The McNary National Wildlife Refuge is primarily a waterfowl preserve. The refuge encompasses many flooded fields, sloughs, and inlets along the Columbia River. It also sprawls across farmlands that provide winter forage for migratory birds.
Eastern Washington -- Tri-Cities(Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife)
This region south of the Columbia River sits at the northwesternmost part of the Hanford Reach. Priest Rapids Dam blocks the flow of the river just to the northwest, around a gentle bend in the river.
Eastern Washington -- Palouse(Whitman County Parks)
Kamiak Butte stands like an island in the rolling wheat fields of the Palouse country--not merely a physical island of rock jutting up above the fertile soils of the Palouse hills but also an "ecosystem island."
Eastern Washington -- Yakima(Washington State Parks and Recreation)
A sign-in permit is required due to the fact that the trail passes through the highly active U.S. Army's Yakima Training Center. You must not leave the trail. The John Wayne Trail (which rolls through the heart of the linear Iron Horse Trail State Park) follows the historic route of the Milwaukee Railroad from North Bend to the Columbia River (the trail will eventually be a true cross-state trail, but the stretch from the Columbia River to Idaho is still to be developed). This far eastern section of the completed trail explores some incredibly wild, pristine land--the designation of the surrounding lands as an Army training base actually helped preserve the area's wild beauty.
Eastern Washington -- Yakima(Washington State Parks and Recreation)
The desert here appears to be carpeted with flowers come spring! The most common colorful ground cover includes numerous species of phlox, adding the colors of white, pink, and creamy yellow to the hills. Both Hooker's and Carey's balsamroot add brilliant golds and greens, and microsensis adds a shiny yellow to the tapestry.
March 2010 Update: Select content from the 
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