***ALERTS***
THE I.P.N.F. HAS CLOSED THE ENTIRETY OF 
FOREST ROADS #432 & 634
THIS CLOSURE INCLUDES ROADS TO
PYRAMID PEAK & LAKE
LONG MOUNTAIN LAKE
LONG CANYON’S SOUTH END
RUSSELL RIDGE
TROUT & BIG FISHER LAKE
FISHER PEAK
MYRTLE LAKE
PARKER PEAK SOUTH END
​****
MOUNT ST. HELENS​
STATE ROAD 504 TO THE
JOHNSON RIDGE OBSERVATORY,
SPIRIT LAKE MEMORIAL HWY
IS CLOSED DUE TO A LAND SLIDE
THAT TOOK OUT AN 85' BRIDGE.
****
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR INFORMATION ON AN INEXPENSIVE RESCUE APP FOR YOUR PHONE
*****

ALWAYS CALL THE RANGER DISTRICT
OR PARK OF THE AREA
​YOU WANT TO RECREATE IN,
​DAYS BEFORE YOU GO.
****​


PLEASE CALL THE RANGER DISTRICT YOU ARE PLANNING ON ADVENTURING IN,
BEFORE YOU GO.
THEIR PHONE NUMBERS ARE INCLUDED IN EACH WRITE UP &
IN RESOURCES , UNDER MANAGING AGENCIES.

ROAD CLOSURES DUE TO EXESSIVE MOISTURE
NATIONAL FOREST WEBSITES URL'S ARE LISTED BELOW.
​
ALERTS ALERTS ALERTS ALERTS ALERTS ALERTS ALERTS

​
WASHINGTON’S OLYMPIC HURRICANE RIDGE LODGE
BURNED TO THE GROUND SUNDAY
THE AREA IS CLOSED.

.
IDAHO PANHANDLE NATIONAL FOERST ALERTS
JOHNSON CREEK BRIDGE ON F.R. #278
THE BRIDGE WEST OF THE BOAT LAUNCH IS CLOSED FOR REPLACEMENT
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/ipnf/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD1063822

KOOTENAI NATIONAL FOREST ALERTS
https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/kootenai/alerts-notices
ForestRoad 228 on the west side of Lake Koocanusa is closed for 19.5 miles north of Kootenai River, north of Libby.

LOLO NATIONAL FOREST ALERTS
https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/lolo/alerts-notices

COLVILLE NATIONAL FOREST
https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/colville/alerts-notices

DESCHUTES NATIONAL FOREST ALERTS
https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/deschutes/alerts-notices

MOUNT HOOD NATIONAL FOREST ALEERTS
https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/mthood/alerts-notices

GIFFORD PINCHOT NATIONAL FOREST ALERTS
https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/giffordpinchot/alerts-notices

MOUNT BAKER-SNOQUALIMIE NATIONAL FOREST ALERTS
https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/mbs/alerts-notices

BLM SPOKANE DISTRICT OFFICE
https://www.blm.gov/office/spokane-district-office




A NEW FEATURE

WE ARE ADDING A NEW FEATURE TO OUR WEBSITE.
UNDER "MORE" YOU WILL FIND “RECIPES”.
THESE RECIPES ARE TRIED AND TRUE, AND SURE TO PLEASE.
IF YOU HAVE A FAVORITE RECIPE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE, 
CONTACT CHIC VIA THIS WEBSITE

Mission Statement

OUR PURPOSE IS TO SHOW PEOPLE WHERE TO HIKE, SCRAMBLE, SKI, PADDLE, AND MORE IN THE INLAND NORTHWEST.

BY SHARING OUR KNOWLEDGE WITH OTHER LIKE MINDED PEOPLE WE HOPE TO GET PEOPLE TO RECREATE OUTDOORS.

​WE ALSO ADVOCATE FOR PRESERVATION OF THESE SPECIAL PLACES.​​​
Before Heading Out

PLEASE CALL THE RANGER DISTRICT YOU ARE WISHING TO VISIT A FEW DAYS BEFORE YOUR OUTING.

BUT BE AWARE THE USFS IS HAVING STAFFING ISSUES, SO CALL THE SUPERVISOR'S OFFICE IF YOU CAN'T GET THRU TO THE RANGER DISTRICT, FIRST.

​SEARCH MANAGING AGENCIES FOR PHONE NUMBERS,
​OR FIND THEM IN EACH HIKES WRITE UPS.

PLEASE CALL THE RANGER DISTRICTS LISTED IN EACH HIKE, TO ENSURE THERE ARE NO ALERTS, CLOSURES, FIRES, ETC., DAYS BEFORE YOU DRIVE TO THE TRAILHEADS.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN ONCE SAID:

"IF YOU FAIL TO PLAN, YOU ARE PLANNING TO FAIL."

FOUR WAYS TO DETERMINE WHERE FIRES ARE,
​WIND DIRECTIONS, SMOKE, AND WEATHER

PREDICTING SMOKE FOR: hiking, biking, climbing, running, paddling, and more.

In planning for some of my club and private hike/scrambles, I came across these four websites
that may help us to determine if smoke will be an issue for an upcoming outing.
​
Below are four websites you can use to determine where the forest fires are occurring,
​the wind direction and specific information on the forest fires.

Please visit each site and use the information they offer to plan your trip, hopefully without any smoke or road closures.

https://www.airnow.gov/
A mountain biker friend of mine, sent me this website.
​Click on the url above and explore a new way to predict the conditions for an area you wish to recreate.
In conjunction with the three websites below,
​you can make your outing more enjoyable, and safer.

PARTICULATE MATTER is explained in..RESOURCES….MEDICAL INFO, at the very bottom of the MEDICAL INFO page. 
​

https://www.windy.com/?48.207,-116.546,5
By clicking on the above url, you can expand the map to examine the exact area you are considering going to.
Likewise, you can move around the region, to identify an area with less chance of smoke.
Once on the windy.com website, explore the features to learn more about its full potential.
A couple of other websites to compliment Windy.com, are….

https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/
This website will spell out specifically where the fires are located.
From this info, you can see what the winds are doing on windy.com.

This website may have information on road closures and more.
​
https://www.weather.gov/
Whenever you log onto the above link, read the words explaining what the day will be like.
Then scroll down to the “Hourly Weather Forecast” graph, usually down the right side.
Open the graph and examine each row to learn its value.
It’s my go to weather info site.

​Recently I discovered a visual way of telling if wildfire smoke will affect our adventure.
By examining this feature on weather.gov, you will be able to see first hand, exactly where the
fires are, and their smoke plume's direction and coverage.

By combining any or all of these websites information, you can increase your chances of a successful and smoke free outing.
Below is a section of NOAA’S website that shows satellite images of Earth.
​Scroll down to ADDITIONAL RESOURCES,
to these three images, and click on the right image.  (Scroll down)
Of the three satellite images below, click on the right image, AirMass RGB, when you are on NOAA.   (Scroll down) ​
As you can see in this image that shows the western section of the United States,
you can see  real time images, where fires are, and the direction their smoke plumes are blowing.

Armed with these images, and data from the above 4 websites, you can see where not to go.
Windy.com, can show you the current wind direction and speed.
Airnow.gov, will show you the particulate matter in the air you will be breathing.

PLEASE PLAN TO SUCCEED
WHEN EXAMINING THE IMAGE BELOW ON NOAA, YOU CAN TOUCH THE SCREEN TO ENLARGE