Partnership With Kalispel Tribe Creates New Trails North of Spokane

by Chloe Ferrone

Nestled in the foothills about an hour north of Spokane, the Indian Creek Community Forest is a peaceful refuge and center for education. The roughly 350-acre parcel of land was acquired in 2016 and is managed by the Kalispel Tribe.

Tribal members and visitors alike can enjoy the view from the Arboretum Trail in Indian Creek Community Forest. Photo by trip reporter TrailKat.

Its mission is to “bring community forest partners together to guide and lead visitors to a better understanding and appreciation of the local forest ecosystem, and to inspire future natural resource careers, and good land stewardship ethics by developing trails, facilities, and educational and interpretive materials."

After acquiring the land, the tribe created a trail plan and management plan to guide the development process, outlining a vision that would enable both tribal members and visitors alike to learn from the landscape and celebrate the rich diversity in this area. 

A Hidden Gem North of Newport and Spokane 

Visitors can come to the forest year-round. Indian Creek is especially pretty in the spring, when the trees and other plants are in bloom. Come summer, the Forest’s proximity to Bead Lake makes it a good addition to summertime adventures north of Spokane. And in the winter, the trails are open to snowshoers and Nordic skiers. 

The area has come a long way since the property was first acquired; the land was originally a dude ranch. As part of its transformation to a community forest, the Kalispel tribe converted a former house on the property to offices and a learning center. When they formalized plans for a trail system, the Kalispel tribe reached out to WTA to build the trails outlined in their plan. 

Nearby Bead Lake (pictured above) is a lovely destination year-round, and a nice add-on to a visit to the Indian Creek Community Forest. Photo by trip reporter LucilleHikes.

The land now features a private fishing pond for tribal members and a protected native tree and shrub nursery that are used in off-site planting projects, such as nearby Browns Lake following a timber harvest. The broader community can attend organized events hosted by the Tribe, and explore the arboretum and white pine experimental forest. The trail system WTA has helped build connects throughout the Forest and across Indian Creek into the Colville National Forest. 

WTA Begins work at Indian Creek

The first project WTA tackled in 2017 was the Arboretum Loop Trail, a half-mile trail that meanders through a forest full of native trees and shrubs. 

“While not officially ADA-compliant, we constructed it to be as barrier-free as possible, in order for wheelchairs and strollers to be able to use the trail,” Holly Weiler, WTA’s eastern Washington regional coordinator said. The path, with interpretive signage that identifies different species, was completed in 2017 with signage installed in 2021. 

Another, as-yet-unnamed trail WTA crews have worked on brings people up close and personal with different management techniques that improve forest resiliency. The trail is used as a walking tour of what those techniques are — such as mastication, a technique that involves grinding, shredding, or chopping trees and vegetation into small pieces — and how these practices impact forest health, helping land owners decide which management practices might be best on their own properties. 

Over 25 work parties built nearly 3,000 feet of new trail in different areas of the forest. Most of the work was accomplished during day work parties, or on weekends with camping options for volunteers.

But some of the work happened on one of our first Intro BCRTs, a type of backcountry trip WTA offers to help volunteers new to backpacking feel more comfortable spending the night outside. Holly said one of her favorite aspects of working in the Indian Creek Community Forest has been working with the Tribe.

“They take really good care of us,” Weiler said, “and they’ve been really supportive with offering to let us use their onsite office spaces during some of the introductory trips.” 

Ray Entz, the Director of Wildlife and Terrestrial Resources for the Kalispel Tribe, is excited about all the work happening. 

"We so appreciate the crews coming out and helping keep the trail at top condition,” he shared. “We can take a lot of things for granted in our lives, but good colleagues and great volunteers are two we cannot ignore!”

The Community Forest is ideal for introductory-level trail building thanks to the geology here. 

“Glacial till deposits make the soil super workable,” Weiler explained. “It makes this area a trail builder’s dream location — the ground is easy to move and shape, and drainage is never an issue.” 

A WTA crew stops on a break installing signage at Indian Creek Community Forest. Photo by Holly Weiler.

Plans for the Future

In 2025, WTA will be leading another BCRT in Indian Creek, with plans to prioritize building a connector trail between the Community Forest and the Colville National Forest, providing more year round recreation opportunities for hiking, snow shoeing, and Nordic skiing. 

Holly says that she’s looking forward to tying trail building into the educational components of the Forest’s programming in the future, and there’s potential to incorporate high school groups or other community members into the ongoing trail projects. Entz hopes to continue building off the work already done here, and investing in the volunteer community.

“We will continue to build off of WTA’s efforts and work on further trail sign marking,” Entz said. 

Whether you visit for the educational programs, the trails, or the volunteer work, Indian Creek Community Forest offers so much to those who walk its paths, and WTA is proud to be a part of this special place.