WTA’s Lost Trails Found Crew spent a week working on this truly lost trail in the Colville National Forest. After over 10 years without maintenance the Forest Service has decided to bring this trail back, and we were sent out to start tackling it!
Our crew of 5 was able to clear the first 2.4 miles of the trail of over 275 blowdowns. We made it through the burn scar of the 2022 Slate Creek Fire, so hopefully there are less trees across the trail where we left off (I’m sure there are still plenty, though). We also did some minor brushing to help make the trail more visible in areas where it was difficult to follow. The trail definitely still needs a lot of work in terms of tread and brushing, but at least whoever goes out there next won't be climbing over nearly as many blowdowns!
Road Conditions:
The road to the trailhead is single track gravel, but it was in good shape. The trailhead is 6.1 miles up Slate Creek Rd/NF-3155 and is very easy to miss. It’s just a tiny gap in the trees with a “trail not maintained” sign. Parking is along the road and very limited, maybe 7 cars can fit. There’s a handful of dispersed camping spots along the road. We camped at a large one with creek access about 5 miles from the start of the road.
Trail Conditions and Camping:
The first 0.4 miles of the trail take you down to a creek with a fun log bridge. The log is pretty narrow, and when it’s wet it is VERY slick. The crew had to do some very glamorous butt scooting to get across more than once. After the creek the trail goes up and is often quite steep. We saw no good sources of water after the creek, but the map shows two more streams around the 3 mile range. There is also supposedly backcountry camping 3 miles in, but we never made it to the site and don’t know if it’s clear of blowdowns.
Flora & Fauna:
Definitely not the most picturesque trail as you’re either down in the forest or hiking through a burn scar. There were tons of huckleberry, thimbleberry, and strawberries growing out there. We also saw quite a few morels!
Someone else mushroom hunting in the area told us that they had seen a mountain lion crossing one of the FS roads off of Slate Creek Road. The crew itself only saw a lot of different animal scat and thousands of mosquitoes.
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