The 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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Cougars in Heat–a Chilling Encounter!

Okay, before I get started here. Absolutely no jokes about attractive older women in pursuit of younger men or randy Washington State University students here. This post is about mountain lions following nature’s orders to make more mountain lions. And it’s about how a few autumns ago I nearly walked in on a mating couple.…

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Save the Whistler Canyon Trailhead!

The Whistler Canyon Trail (Hike no. 2 in my Day Hiking Eastern Washington book) is a gem. Located just south of Oroville, this Okanogan River Valley Trail is part of the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail. One of the best places in the state to see California bighorn sheep, this trail also offers stunning valley…

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Day Hiking Eastern Washington

Kettles-Selkirks – Columbia Plateau – Blue Mountains Authors: Craig Romano and Rich Landers| Publisher: Mountaineers Books | Price: $18.95 The most comprehensive day-hiking guide to eastern Washington! Newest guide in the pack-friendly, bestselling Day Hiking series by Mountaineers Books for Washington State1% of sales are donated to trail maintenanceOffers many close-to-home trails near population centers like Spokane, Tri-Cities,…

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Paddling the Hanford Reach

On May 19, 2013, I along with Jordan Youngs of the Tri-Cities Visitor and Convention Bureau, and a couple of happy paddlers from Seattle set out with two guides from Columbia Kayak Adventures for an amazing kayak trip down the Columbia River at the Hanford Reach National Monument. I have hiked the White Bluffs of the Hanford Reach…

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