Spectacular high-country hikes just a day trip from Tri-Cities

The snow is fast disappearing from the high country, opening up trails to upper elevation meadows filled with wildflowers, ridge lines and mountains tops, and offering awe-inspiring vistas in every direction.

If you are looking to cool off and escape the heat, within three to four hours of Tri-Cities you can find lots of hiking trails that are 6,000 feet above sea level where the air is 15 to 20 degrees cooler than down by the river here in town.

Here are just a few highly satisfying day hikes, each organized and sponsored by the Intermountain Alpine Club (IMAC) in June and early July.

Oregon Butte Trail

It takes three hours to get to the Teepee Trailhead, so leave early and you can get home by 5 p.m.

This as an easy-to-moderate scenic hike suitable for all ages, located in the Blue Mountains, about 26 miles south and east of Dayton. From S. 4th Street, head southeast and get on the Eckler Mountain Road. Follow it to the Kendall Skyline Road for 15 miles, and then left on National Forest Road 4608 and NF-090 to the trailhead. Park and begin hiking.

Oregon Butte is the highest summit in the Blues. There is a fire lookout at the top with a commanding 360-degree view of the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness.

It is a 6-mile round trip out-and-back hike with about 1,600 feet total elevation gain and loss. The highest point is 6,387 feet. There is an amazing spring half a mile shy of the top. The wildflowers at the top will be in full bloom through the end of July. Keep your eyes open for elk, cougar and maybe even bear.

Renowned hiking book author Craig Romano rates this hike as one of his top three favorites in eastern Washington.

Chilco Mountain Trail

It takes 3 hours, 20 minutes to get to Chilco Mountain Trailhead from Tri-Cities. Take Highway 395 north to Ritzville and head east on Interstate 90 past Spokane and into Idaho. Then turn north on US-95 to East Bunco Road at the Silverwood Theme Park. Head east and follow National Forest Road 332 to the trailhead and park.

The North Chilco Mountain Trail is a 4.5-mile out-and-back that offers a memorable, beautiful scenic view of the of the area north of Coeur d’Alene. The moderate difficulty trail is well maintained and climbs 1,476 feet to a rock-strewn mountain top with the remnants of an old fire lookout. The stunning 360-degree view and the carpet of wildflowers on the ridge top is so simply breathtaking it makes the time and work needed to get there truly worth it.

Bring water and a light jacket because it may be cool and windy at the top. You can stop for a quick bite to eat in downtown Coeur d’Alene before you hit the highway to head home.

Angel Pass; the Elkhorn Crest

It takes three hours to get to Anthony Lakes, but there is no better place to experience one of the most scenic areas in all of northeast Oregon. You take Highway 395 south to I-84 and then head east, going past la Grande 12 miles and exiting at North Powder. Drive west 16 miles to the well-marked trailhead just one quarter mile east of the Anthony Lakes Guard Station.

From the parking lot, the hiking trail to Angel Pass starts out gently and then begins to climb 1,400 feet, and in those two miles the views just get better and better and voila – you hit Angel Pass and you are on the magnificent granite spine of the Elkhorn Crest. You can head half a mile south across a rock and tree covered slope with spectacular views to the west to Dutch Flat Saddle.

This trail along the crest is remarkable and there is eye candy everywhere you look. You literally get to walk on fairly level ground from one high mountain pass to another. You will see the sign marking the boundary to the North Fork of the John Day Wilderness, always worth a picture. There are two trailhead options where you can head down a mile to Dutch Flat Lake, or another 1.9 miles south on the Elkhorn Crest Trail to Nip and Tuck Saddle.

Here in the next quarter of a mile, the trail passes through some of the most amazing granite rock formations you will ever see. If you are backpacking, it’s another 1.3 miles mile down and the trail reaches Lost Lake or 2.5 miles to Meadow Lake and on to Summit and Twin Lakes. These are all good overnight camping spots but if you are day hiking, you can call it half-time near the top and turn around and head back to the trailhead.

Keep your eyes open – there’s a really good chance you’ll see some mountain goats. Bring water for the day – there are no drinking water sources on the trail.

Interested in going on a hike? Head over to the websites for Intermountain Alpine Club (www.imacnw.org) and Fun Fit and Over Fifty (www.ffofc.org).

This story was originally published July 13, 2018 at 4:25 PM.