Columbia Breaks Fire Interpretive Center

There are three short trails at the Columbia Breaks Fire Interpretive Center. The longest is a half-mile trail with 15 interpretive stops and 3 fire lookouts for hikers to enjoy. The fire lookouts from from Chelan Butte, Flat-Top, and Badger Mountain have all been relocated to this location and restored for visitors to enjoy.

All three are a delight to explore, but the East Flattop Lookout's is particularly notable. Its unique appearance is modeled after a lookout once located southwest of Mount St. Helens on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

There are two other trails here for visitors to explore. One is the Firefighter Memorial Trail, which acknowledges the wildland firefighters who have lost their lives in fires on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest since 1920. The 1/8-mile trail was constructed by the Entiat Hotshots and includes bronze plaques of each firefighter lost.

In conjunction with this trail is the Trail of Fire and Forest, a 1/3 mile interpretive trail with information specific to wildfire. The signs here address fire ecology and behavior, fire history and management, as well as plant ecology and how people interact with fire. About 3/4 of the Trail of Fire and Forest is wheelchair accessible, with plans to make the full length wheelchair friendly.