The Trailhead

The Trailhead Inland NW Trail & Outdoor News By Holly Weiler

YELLOWSTONE TURNS 150

March 1, 2022, is the 150th anniversary of Yellowstone National Park! The park will be marking the occasion via a virtual event to explore the park's history with the Wind River Inter-tribal Gathering. Learn more and sign up at Greateryellowstone. org/blog/2022/gatherings.

SCOTCHMAN PEAKS OUTINGS

Say goodbye to winter with the Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness in early March with two trip options to Ross Creek Cedars. Sign up via the Friends website for a cross-country ski tour on March 5 or a snowshoe hike on March 12.

FREE PARK DAYS

Washington State Parks will be holding fee-free days on March 9 (commemoration of Billy Frank Junior's birthday), March 19 (the 108th birthday of Washington State Parks!), and April 22 (Earth Day). Keep in mind that SnoPark season extends through the end of March, and fee-free days do not extend to SnoPark lots. Saturday, April 16 is a fee-free day for the National Parks Service to mark the first day of National Park Week.

NEW NAME & CLOSURES AT PALOUSE FALLS

Designated the official state waterfall of Washington in 2014, Palouse Falls has grown in popularity and has experienced some visitor management issues in recent years. Earlier this spring, the Washington State Parks Commission approved both a land classification change and a new official name of Palouse Falls State Park Heritage Site. The Heritage designation recognizes the cultural, historic, and natural significance of the area, and was accompanied by a permanent closure of public access to the area known as Castle Rock, as well as the social trails leading down the cliffs and to the plunge pool. Overnight camping is also no longer permitted. Public access to the upper viewing area is still allowed during the park's hours of operation.

LOCAL TRAIL PROJECTS

Spring trail projects will begin to ramp up in March! Recreation enthusiasts are asked to remember that if your favorite activity is leaving an indentation of 1" or more in the trail surface, please wait to play until another day. Mud season is very hard on our favorite trails.

Look for a variety of volunteer opportunities in the spring, with Evergreen East focusing spring efforts of local mountain bikers on new trails within Mica Peak Conservation Area, Liberty Lake Conservation Area, and the Mackenzie Natural Area, along with annual maintenance at Beacon Hill. Washington Trails Association will be focusing efforts on new trails for Etter Ranch at Antoine Peak and the Dishman Hills Conservancy, along with annual maintenance work at Hauser Conservation Area, Antoine Peak, Iller Creek, Stevens Creek, Liberty Lake, and Fishtrap. WTA will also be celebrating International Women's Day with an allwomen project day on March 8.

Inland Northwest Land Conservancy will be offering both trail maintenance days as well tree thinning projects and invasive weed eradication at Waikiki Springs and Rimrock to Riverside. Find signup links on the Out There stewardship volunteer calendar Outthereoutdoors.com/volunteerscheduling.

PALOUSE TO CASCADES TRAIL CROSSING OF THE COLUMBIA RIVER TO OPEN

The Beverly Bridge is set to open this spring, creating a safe crossing for nonmotorized trail users on the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail near Vantage. The Beverly Bridge dedication will be held Friday, April 8, at 1 p.m. Access the bridge from the Huntzinger Trailhead, with a half mile walk to the ceremony.

NERD OUT ON LOCAL NATURE WITH BIOBLITZ

Join members of the iNaturalist community and have a little friendly science competition by participating in a bioblitz event at the end of April. (Challenge running from April 29 to May 2.) First, download the iNaturalist app if you don't have it already. Then look up the Northern Rocky Mountain Challenge under "projects." The weekend of the event, collect observations from one of the participating areas, which includes Boise, Bonner County, and Boundary County in Idaho; Lincoln County and Red Lodge in Montana; and Pend Oreille County in Washington. The area that has the most participants per capita will win the challenge, plus it's a fun way to explore the flora and fauna of our region. For folks in Spokane County, you can also participate in a bioblitz with Inland Northwest Land Conservancy at Rimrock to Riverside on April 30. //

BACKPACKING AT Z LAKE. // LEFT: FLORENCE LAKE. PHOTOS BY HOLLY WEILER

HIKE OF THE MONTH

Swanson Lakes Wildlife Area, Lincoln County, Wash.

March and April are a time of lingering snowfall in the high country and mud season at mid-elevation, but in the lowlands of the Columbia Plateau it can be the prime time for a spring visit. Flowers emerge early here, and the ephemeral pools that follow snowmelt attract a wide variety of waterfowl and migrating songbirds.

Swanson Lakes Wildlife Area covers 21,000 acres of grasslands and sagebrush just south of Highway 2. A spring hike to Z Lake can be an excellent introduction to this landscape at roughly 3 miles roundtrip. The hike is easy via an old farm road past the remains of a homestead, coming to a dead-end at the southeast shore of Z Lake. An easy extension is to follow the lakeshore for a short distance on either side.

For a more challenging version of this hike, set compass bearings due west of Z Lake and head cross country toward Florence Lake in the heart of the wildlife area. There are no formal trails or markers here, although the cross-country route does cross a few farm roads and livestock fences from a previous generation. Map and compass skills required, and binoculars for watching birds in the wetlands strongly encouraged. The hike to Z Lake can be considered easy to moderate. The hike to Florence Lake should be considered difficult due to route finding.

Getting there: On Highway 2 travel 7.2 miles east of Creston, or 13.4 miles west of Davenport. Turn south on Telford Road and travel 9 miles to a small WDFW parking area located on the west side of the road near a pass-through gate. Discover Pass required. (Holly Weiler)