I've been wanting to plan a return to Thirteen Mile for a very long time, and I finally found a free day that also happened to have fantastic weather. I met a friend at the TH, and we hiked farther on this trail than I have in the past: all the way to the summit of Thirteen Mile Mountain. There are two other starting locations for this hike, and both are shorter routes to the summit than this version. I love a nice long walk in the woods, and I consider it a bonus that starting at Thirteen Mile TH means paved road all the way to the starting location. I also took advantage of the free FS campground after the hike, spending the night at the TH before getting in a couple more hikes on the way home. From the Thirteen Mile TH, it's roughly a 17 mile RT hike with over 4,500' elevation gain to get to Thirteen Mile Mountain. There was a little patchy snow near the summit, but otherwise the trail is snow-free and in fairly good condition. On the way out we limbed a few big trees that had fallen across the trail, and cut out the smaller ones, so it's in even better condition now than when we hiked in. Highlights of this hike include gorgeous old growth Ponderosa pines and western larch, classic "Ponderosa parkland" open forests, and lots of wildflowers. Those last are just getting started, so this hike will continue to get better over the next couple of months.

Enjoyed a three day trip along Thirteen Mile, including a trip up to the top of Thirteen Mile Mountain for incomparable views of rolling hills, meadows, and nearby peaks. Saw deer and a moose, and only encountered a single tick - no rattlesnakes. There were a few springs along the way, and the trail was easy to follow (though clearly lightly traveled). Arrived Sunday of Memorial Day weekend and only encountered one group on the trail. The trail meanders through forests and grassy meadows at a constant but very gentle incline, offering more and more expansive views of the surrounding country. If you go, definitely make time for the short hike up to Thirteen Mile Mountain. This part of the state has an entirely different plant community from the Cascades - lush, old-growth ponderosa pine forests (with Douglas-fir and larch), ninebark growing densely along the trail, as well as serviceberry, strawberry, arnica, and a huge variety of other shrubs and wildflowers. There are no craggy, alpine peaks like in the Cascades, but the rolling hills, parklands, and solitude all make this a very special area.

Trail hike/run from the Bear Pot trailhead to the top of Thirteenmile Mountain. Road was in good condition and I had no issues reaching the trailhead. Bear Pot trail had a few down trees just before reaching the old cabin, otherwise it was in good condition. Once reaching the Thirteenmile Trail (#23) I had no issues making it all the way up to Thirteenmile Mountain. Great trail to check out early in the season, but I can imagine it getting a little hot here later in the summer. Thirteenmile Creek was flowing well, and I got wet feet trying to get across it, but no big deal! The balsamroot was in full bloom and there were great views across this remote corner of the Colville NF.

The section of the trail before the road crossing is very well maintained, but after that it is difficult to follow in some spots. The way is marked with cairns, however, that some lovely person/people built; that helped. All blowdowns cleared on the section before the road crossing and only a couple thereafter remain, nothing too crazy to get around with ease. That said, we may have been overenthusiastic about getting our backpack on! We started late on Friday afternoon since we had to travel quite far to arrive at Thirteenmile, so we set up camp only about 3 miles in that day. Wildflowers are starting to make an appearance, but just a few. I think in a couple of weeks this hike will be glorious if you enjoy the flowers as much as I do. It rained a bit overnight and was VERY cold. Most of the wood is still damp, just fyi on the campfire; it takes a little more effort than usual to get a good one going. We hiked about another 6 miles on the second day, taking it easy since this was our first backpack of the season. We found a campsite off trail on the top of a ridge but on the leeward side so we were protected from the cold wind. The ground is still very soggy in many places, but the view was amazing! It SNOWED that night, about 3 inches where we were! We got up and got moving quite early (around 5:30-6). We took a break for breakfast at the road crossing and got back to our car at about 10:15. The trail was easy to spot in the snow, thankfully, but were I to do this hike again, I think I would go a bit later in the season.

This trail seemed to be in the middle of no where! It was fantastic! The dirt road was a little rough at times but nothing my Subaru couldn't handle. Once at the Bear Pot Trailhead it's a little difficult to find the trail. There is a sign I finally spotted marking the start. Once on the trail I was a little disheartened by the condition. There was alot of down trees that had been that had been cleared from the trail itself but made the scenery seem like a clear cut rather than a trail. Once past the cabin it all changed. This was one of my favorite trails! It was very green and wildflowers were everywhere! I will be going again for sure! There was a small stream that could be used as a water source but I would not recomend it...very sludgey and there was TONS of scat on the trail...be on the lookout for wildlife