Holly Weiler

The access road to the trailhead might be the most arduous thing about a trip to Hidden Lake in the Idaho Panhandle north of Bonners Ferry. Even with an SUV, it may be necessary to add a little extra mileage to the hike due to a rocky last few miles on the rough Forest Service road. Once on trail, however, it’s a relatively easy hike of just under a mile with only moderate elevation gain to Hidden Lake, one of the largest hike-in alpine lakes in the region.

By Holly Weiler Cover photo courtesy of Derrick Knowles Keep kids (K-12) engaged in learning and in the outdoors this summer by utilizing the FREE outdoor explorer packs available through the Spokane Conservation District. SCD has greatly expanded the offerings for explorer packs, which can be reserved for up to two weeks of use and include a variety of educational materials sure to make an outing both fun and informative.

By Holly Weiler Cover photo courtesy of Holly Weiler Mount Spokane State Park transitions to a winter wonderland each December as the alpine ski area opens for the season, grooming begins on the vast Nordic trail system and all of the summer hiking trails not touched by those two systems become snowshoe trails. There are also a couple of bonus trails for winter—trails that do not exist during the summer recreation season.