SUMMER HIKES
NEW! HIGHLANDS AFTER WORK - JOIN US FOR A SUMMER OF EXPLORATION

Throughout our 35 year history KRCG has offered hikes to some of the best and least visited areas of the Okanogan Highlands, Kettle and Selkirk mountains of Washington. The “Last Chance” hike held in the late 1970’s and 80’s offered an opportunity to see Kettle River Range wild forests caught up in assembly line clearcutting that leveled centuries old forests and wasted watersheds.

This year we will offer “Highlands after Work” hikes on select Fridays from 5:30 to 7:30 PM. These will be shorter hikes of about 2 hours in length.

We’ll also be re-instituting our annual Big Lick Trail work day in June and will help organize work parties for continued construction of the Gibraltar Trail.

Hikes are a great way to meet people, get a bit of exercise and SEE the beauty of wild forests. Hikes are free and open to everyone – but require advance registration. For more information and to register for hikes CLICK HERE

Kettle River Range Hikes

• May 18 -- Ten Mile Trail – Highlands after Work. Starts and ends at the campground off SR 21 San Poil River / Ten Mile Campground and ascends a few hundred feet and then follows the beautiful Ten Mile Creek Canyon. Easy to moderate difficulty.
• June 8 -- Fir Mountain – Highlands after Work. Start at SR 20 across from Sweat Creek Campground. Hike is to the top of Fir Mountain. Strenuous difficulty.
• June 30 -- Clackamas Mountain Trail. Easy to moderate approximately 8 miles one/way.
• July 14 & 15 -- 10th Annual Kettle Range Rendezvous – Hikes include Hoodoo Canyon, Kettle Crest – Wapaloosie to Jungle Hill, Sherman Peak Loop and White Mountain. Camping, a potluck dinner, barbecue and live music will follow the hikes on Saturday.
• July 21-- Bodie Mountain Trail – 6 miles one-way. Moderate difficulty.

Selkirk Mountain Hikes

• June 9 – Abercrombie-Hooknose – moderate to strenuous difficulty
• June 23 - Grassy Top / Hall Mountain – all-day hike, strenuous difficulty.
• Trail Work Parties
  Trail work on a new or old trail, includes moving downed trees, clearing brush, and scraping off vegetation to improve trail tread.
• June 16 – Big Lick Trail work party. Help restore this historic trail in N. Fork St. Peter Creek watershed that connects to the Kettle Crest National Scenic Trail.
• Gibraltar Trail Construction – various dates are planned. Please contact us for more information and to sign up for a work party. It’s fun.

Hikes are free and open to everyone – but require advance registration. For more information and to register for hikes CLICK HERE

Kettle Range Conservation Group helps stop the South End ORV Project

The Colville National Forest Supervisor decided to withdraw the previous decision to implement the South End ORV Project. We're awaiting details on what this means, but for now we consider it very good news. To those who helped us spread the message about our concerns with this project, thank you very much! It's a relief to know that, at least for now, the Forest Service has decided not to open substantial areas of road and trail to motorized recreation without first having the resources available to provide quality ORV trails, stop illegal riding that harms resources and the quiet of the backcountry, and restore areas damaged by abuse. KRCG supports the opportunity for all recreation users, but no one has the right to abuse our public lands. Background: On January 3rd the Forest Service deployed their South End Project Decision embracing illegal ORV user-built trails in the Forest in the Calispell, Tacoma and Chewelah Creek watersheds east of Chewelah. The South End Project Decision worsens systemic problems regarding illegal trail construction and use of old logging roads closed to protect wildlife and water quality. By their actions, the Forest Service creates conditions that will likely cause serious impacts to people and the environment. Click here for the rest of the story.

Consider giving a gift membership to Kettle Range Conservation Group. Your gift will help protect the last wild places in the Colville National Forest and support Project Scholarship. Plus your gift is tax deductable. You can purchase a gift memebership by using our secure PayPal account. Please click this link: Join KRCG. Plus you can download and print a special KRCG gift card to present to your friend. Click here. Thank you!

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Nov. 5th Fundraising Auction a Great Success

Our annual fundraising auction raised over $6000 for KRCG's two most important programs: Project Scholarship and the Columbia Highlands Initiative. A special thanks to all the individuals, artists and businesses who donated items to the auction. And a huge thanks to all the members and supporters who contributed directly to our programs by purchasing the many auction items. If you missed the auction and would like to make a one time tax deductable donation using our secure PayPal account, please go to our Join KRCG page. Thank you!

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Kettle Range Conservation Group History
During our 35 years of conservation work we have met many challenges facing our national forests and rural communities throughout northeast and north central Washington. Our longest running campaign to protect national forest wilderness in the wild and un-roaded backcountry of the Kettle River Range, Okanogan Highlands and Selkirk Mountains continues today.