Over 50 and still on the go? Here are a few recreational ideas to keep you going the whole year

Getting a little stir crazy staying indoors this winter? Here are some hikes, rides and other options for seeing the outdoors.

The Fun, Fit and Over Fifty Club in Richland offers a variety of outdoor recreation activities for fun and exercise every month.

For information on any event, check their events calendar at www.ffofc.org./calendar, and be sure to contact the trip coordinator to verify the trip has not been canceled due to inclement weather.

Hike Badger Mountain (Tuesdays, 9:30 to 11 a.m.): Meet in Dallas Road Trailhead parking lot. This is an optional double, so hikers will meet at the top, then can choose to go down the Sagebrush Trail and return to the cars via Langdon Trail (6.2 miles round trip) or return on Skyline Trail (4.4 miles).

Hike Candy Mountain (alternating Thursdays, with next being Feb. 15, 9:30 to 11 a.m.): Three miles with some steepness, but not as challenging as Badger. Meet at the new trailhead parking lot on the gravel road off Dallas Road that parallels Interstate 182 (E. 669 Private Road NE).

Bike Rides (Mondays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to noon or 2 p.m. depending on distance): Bike helmets are required on all FFOFC trips. Contact trip leader one hour prior to ride.

Hike east slope of Rattlesnake Mountain (Feb. 7, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.): The Rattlesnake Slope Wildlife Area north of Benton City has vast areas of native bunchgrass, and more than 1,000 acres of it have been reseeded with sage brush.

Round trip is about 10 miles, with an elevation gain of about 2,000 feet. This is a moderate hike up a canyon followed by a steep ascent and descent from a ridge.

Meet at the trailhead.

Take Highway 240 from Richland and drive about 5 miles to the junction with Highway 225. Parking lot and trailhead are 4 miles from the 225/240 junction. Discover Pass required.

Hike Crow Butte (Feb. 14, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.): Crow Butte (Benton County) Park is located on an island along the north shore of the Columbia River a few miles west of Paterson.

Starting at the campground, the hike goes to the top of the butte, then loops westerly and back down, with a potential side trip down to the shoreline for lunch if the weather is agreeable.

This moderately difficult hike is 3 miles. Driving distance is 110 miles round trip for a carpool contribution of $9.

River Walks (alternating Thursdays, 9 to 10:30 a.m., next is Feb. 8): Easy hikes along the river for 3-plus miles, allow for 90 minutes. Meet at Leslie Groves Park. Hikes alternate going north to Snyder Avenue (3.3 miles) or south through Howard Amon Park (3.4).

Hike Goose Lakes (Feb. 28, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.): Located in the Seep Lakes Wildlife Recreation Area (Potholes), this is a moderate, six-mile hike through the channeled scablands created by glacial floodwaters, basalt outcroppings forming cliffs, mesas, box canyons and potholes.

One major canyon is filled with water that has seeped from the Potholes Reservoir.

Two low rock dams were built in the 1950s to create Upper and Lower Goose lakes. The trail can be rocky and not always well defined.

A Discover Pass is required for drivers. Total driving distance is 130 miles for a carpool contribution of $10.

READY, STEPPE, GO!

Local shrub-steppe expert and wildlife photographer Ernest Crediford will feature the awesome beauty of the wildflowers found locally in the Columbia Basin, including rare and endangered plants.

His presentation is 7 p.m. Feb. 7 at the Columbia Basin Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society meeting, at Columbia Basin College, Room SWL-11, in Pasco.

Information: www.cbwnps.org

This story was originally published February 3, 2018 at 5:19 PM with the headline "Over 50 and still on the go? Here are a few recreational ideas to keep you going the whole year."