The Trailhead

The Trailhead Inland NW Trail & Outdoor News By Holly Weiler

TRAIL IMPROVEMENTS UNDERWAY:

Trail projects continue into winter at several Spokane County Parks. The work may not be fully polished until next spring, but these in-progress trails may be at least partially ready for winter visitors. • Evergreen East has been taking the lead on the new Green Diamond Trail as a lower-elevation loop route on Mica Peak. • Washington Trails Association has been working on improvements to the Hauser Conservation Area trails and will be placing snowshoe route markers on several Conservation Area trails to help with navigation once the trails are snow-covered. Some general trail maintenance will also be completed throughout the system over the winter months. Be sure to check the Out There Stewardship and Trail Maintenance calendar to learn about upcoming project dates and get involved with volunteer opportunities: Outthereoutdoors.com/volunteer-scheduling.

CONSERVATION FUTURES ACQUISITIONS:

Spokane County Parks' 2021 Prioritized Conservation Futures Acquisition List has been unanimously approved by the County Commissioners. The nominated Trolley Trail is expected to be acquired via an administrative acquisition. Other topranked Conservation Futures nominations include a 118-acre addition to Palisades Park, a 54-acre addition to Saltese Uplands, and a 188-acre addition to Antoine Peak. It will take some time for these acquisitions to be finalized, but updates will be posted at Spokanecounty.org/1592/ConservationFutures.

FREE PARK DAYS & GUIDED OUTINGS:

• Washington State Parks has two Discover Pass fee-free days coming up: January 1 and January 17. Note that Mount Spokane State Park is a SnoPark during the winter months, so fee-free days do not apply. Additionally, several State Parks will be offering free guided First Day Hikes to celebrate New Year's Day. Most of the offerings are hikes or snowshoe outings, but also include a Nordic ski tour at Mount Spokane State Park and a fat bike tour at Pearrygin State Park. Find the full list at Parks.state. wa.us/1230/Eastern-Region-First-DayHikes. • Idaho's Park N' Ski free day will be January 8, with no parking permits required. Priest Lake Nordic Club will be sponsoring a free ski and snowshoe event at Priest Lake State Park that day. • January 21 is the Methow Valley's Backyard Ski Day, with trail fees waived for the entire Methow trail system, including Nordic ski trails, snowshoe trails, fat bike trails, and free dog passes for the dogfriendly trails. Some local business will have free ski and snowshoe rentals on a first-come, first-served basis (make reservations ahead of time). • January 29 is Schweitzer's Winter Trails Day, with trail fees waived for both Nordic skiing and snowshoeing on 32K of trails.

SELF-GUIDED EAGLE TOURS & COUNT THIS YEAR:

The Bureau of Land Management is unable to host eagle viewing hikes near Coeur d'Alene this winter season due to ongoing Covid-19 concerns, but instead is encouraging members of the public to take selfguided hikes and participate in the annual eagle count via the free iNaturalist app under the North Idaho Eagle Watch 20212022 project (open through the end of January). Mineral Ridge is a popular trail to try for prime eagle viewing.

MORE OUTDOOR EVENTS RETURN:

Several events that were cancelled in 2021 are scheduled to return in 2022. Mark the calendar for these fun regional outdoor opportunities, although stay tuned for potential cancelations due to the Omicron variant. • Republic Winterfest (Jan. 15). Not your typical fun run: three-person teams participate in outhouse races down Main Street in this event. • Winterfest at Mount Spokane (Jan. 16), hosted by Spokane Nordic with ski events for both adults and kids. • Ferry County Rail Trail Ski Day (Jan. 22), a community ski event as snow conditions allow. • Loup Loup Randonee Race (Feb. 5), part of the Snowgoat SkiMo series. The competitive event will have one- and four- hour divisions. • Langlauf Nordic ski race at Mount Spokane State Park (February 6). • Souper Bowl for Women (Feb. 13) at Mount Spokane State Park. A fundraiser for the Women's and Children's Free Kitchen with both ski and snowshoe events. • Spokane Great Outdoors & Bike Expo (Feb. 19-20), including local bike and gear shops, travel destinations, and more at the Spokane Convention Center. //

SUNRISE FROM ETTER RANCH, ARROW LEAF TRAIL. // BELOW: TRAIL RUNNER ON THE FLYING L. TRAIL AT GLENROSE // PHOTO: HOLLY WEILER

Hike of the Month

TRENTWOOD TRAILHEAD AT ETTER RANCH ANTOINE PEAK CONSERVATION AREA, SPOKANE VALLEY

With a grand opening held in late November 2021, the Trentwood Trailhead at Etter Ranch provides a third access point to the Antoine Peak Conservation Area trail system. From the new parking lot, follow the wide connector trail through the former farm field to the connection with Arrow Leaf Trail, a windy singletrack trail built by Washington Trails Association and Evergreen East volunteers over the course of the past year. The trail climbs 2.4 miles to where it joins the main Antoine Peak trail system at the Emerald Necklace.

Continue on the Emerald Necklace to extend the hike, or retrace your steps to the junction of Lost Apple Trail to return to the start. With peek-a-boo views to the east and sweeping views to the southwest, this trail is fantastic for morning and evening hikes. Be sure to watch for the ever-present deer and turkey populations along the way. (Remember that all Spokane County Park Trails should be considered closed during freeze/thaw events that lead to muddy conditions. If you are leaving depressions greater than 1 inch, it's too muddy to be on the trails.)

This hike can be considered easy to moderate, and is 4.9 miles round trip with 880 feet of elevation gain. The Trentwood Trailhead is just east of the junction of Wellesley and Flora Roads at 17711 E. Wellesley in Spokane Valley. (Holly Weiler)