Mount Spokane State Park - Nordic Trails — Monday, Feb. 16, 2026

Finally, back to winter! After a couple of weeks of so very little snow that the groomers couldn't go out on the trail system, we got a bit of snow for the holiday weekend! I was able to ski both Sunday and Monday, although this trip report is mostly for Monday. And also mostly because I got to see a couple of the park's resident moose & take their photo as I skied on by! With such a meager snowpack, the park's wildlife has been hanging out at higher elevation than usual. I see tracks practically every time I visit the mountain, but it has been awhile since I've managed to spot a moose from the trail. On this visit, I did a long loop ski and came back via Eagle Crest Trail, and spotted a momma moose and her nearly-grown baby hanging out near Junction 2. Plus it was snowing like mad the entire time I was out on the trail, which is wonderful to see after such a warm winter! 

And since the golden roll of toilet paper tracking is happening all month: Mount Spokane's Nordic trails have arguably the best bathroom access from a trail system. There are flush toilets at Selkirk Lodge (plus two CXT toilets just outside the lodge in case the lodge itself isn't open). While I skied, I also skied right past two additional CXT toilets at Nova Hut at Junction 3, plus the recently installed CXT at Junction 5 (the original toilet there was nearly destroyed in a 2015 windstorm that took the toilet door right off the hinges and created an al-fresco bathroom experience for a few years, but the park received funding to replace that bathroom with a much sturdier CXT a couple years ago). (Meanwhile, the moose continue to utilize the trail itself, so watch out for brown klister!)