100 Classic Hikes Washington
Five Things You Didn’t Know About Marmots
Happy Groundhog Day! Today marks the 135th Anniversary of this Holiday being celebrated in the United States. The tradition of Groundhog Day in America started with Pennsylvania Germans. The custom of the groundhog predicting weather goes back to ancient Europe where a badger was actually used for the prediction. There are very few badgers in…
Read More100 Classic Hikes Washington
The all-time best-selling hiking guidebook for Washington State This edition has all new hikes, all new maps, and full color throughout Updated by Washington’s most prolific and popular hiking author 100 Classic Hikes: Washington has been an iconic state trails guidebook for decades. Initially written by the godfathers of Washington guidebooks, Ira Spring and Harvey Manning, 100…
Read MoreEscape to the Sun: Five Great Northwest Rainshadow Hikes
Fair weather hikers rejoice! You don’t need to hang up your hiking boots during the rainy season thanks to our rain shadows. What’s a rainshadow? It’s an effect caused by mountains capturing rain clouds on their windward slopes; then wringing them out leaving the leeward slopes dry. It can be quite dramatic like on the…
Read MoreClassic Hike Threatened with Clear-cut and Trail Closure
Lake Serene and Bridal Veil Falls perched within the craggy forbidden spires of Mount Index is a hike beloved by thousands of recreationists—and it’s one of my and the late Harvey Manning and Ira Springs 100 Classic Hikes in Washington. What many hikers don’t realize however is that the beginning of this hike is on…
Read MoreIndependence Day Themed Hikes to set you Free!
Happy Independence Day! Hiking and spending time in the outdoors is a great way to celebrate our nation’s independence. Our parks, forests and preserves are one of the best attributes of our nation (along with life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness of course)! Here are eight great Independence Day themed Washington hikes for you…
Read MoreKlahowya Tillicum
Have you ever given much thought to where many of the place names for our mountains, rivers and other natural features were derived from? Contrary to what many hikers think–these place names are not of Native American origin (entirely), but of Chinook Jargon. Not an actual language, Chinook Jargon is a collection of several hundred words…
Read MoreThe Hanford Reach –One of Washington’s unsung Great Places
When we think about Washington’s great national parks and monuments, we usually quickly think: Mount Rainier, Olympic, and North Cascades National Parks as well as the Mount St Helens National Volcanic Monument. Very few of us however think of the Hanford Reach National Monument. Created by President Clinton in 2000 by using the Antiquities Act…
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