I took a little extra time for my lunch break today & met a friend to run Mica Peak. This is another great fall color route that's very close to peak right now! This one has mainly smaller native shrubs for the first several miles (both reds & yellows), then has some fantastic larch groves added in higher on the hill. We ran up California Creek to the top connection, then returned via a mix of California Creek, Saltese Ridge, and Moonshine trails. The colors should last another week or two!

Hiked to Mica Peak thanks to a break in the heat and smoke. Started at the Belmont trailhead and followed California Creek all the way til it ended and turned right up to Mica Peak on some unnamed trail. This route ends up being about 14 miles round trip. Trail was in great, but dusty condition. Views were great at the top with an open view to the west and north. We thought the entire peak was going to be completely off limits but only the FAA area was fenced off. Found a nice sandwich spot just north of the radar soccer ball. Also got the pleasure of almost running in to a moose on the trail on the way down! Fortunate he wanted nothing to do with us. Great hike so close to home with well marked trails.

Great day up Mica Peak from Liberty Lake. Started on the liberty lake loop, turned east, then looped back around the meet up with the trails to the summit. Final mile of the trail was covered in snow with a few patches of dirt. (Highlighted on route below) Slow going in the snow, some post holes, but great view at the summit! 

Hike up California creek trail and back down the road to catch an amazing sunset. Snow is soft and only icey at parking lot and first bit of trail. Road was very muddy last half mile. Used foot traction and poles and snowshoes probably needed if going higher in elevation. 

GETTING TO THE TRAILHEAD: If you are leaving from south Spokane, it makes sense to take the Palouse Highway to the junction with State Route 27 and drive north to the village of Mica. SCENERY: Pleasant second-growth forests and some wild flowers. I noticed a lot of small new larch trees. They should be pretty in the fall. FINDING THE RIGHT TRAIL: I used the Spokane County maps. Having a topo map would have helped. You hike 1.98 miles from the parking lot before getting to the boundary of the conservation area. After leaving the parking lot go straight along the creek. Do not turn right over the creek on the road that looks more heavily used. That takes you into a logged over area. The trail to take is mostly an old logging road, but a couple of newly constructed hiking paths offer a pleasant alternative to hiking on the old road. These are shown on the county map. At the point where the road starts to go downhill you will find a hiking trail to the right. Take it. It is shown on the map. At the end of this trail is a sign announcing the boundary of the conservation area. Here you can go three ways. NORTHBOUND: I walked along what I supposed was the trail under the electric wires. I came to a sharp drop off and opted to go no further. I saw nothing resembling a trail. SOUTHBOUND #1 takes you 2.7 miles to a junction with an old road headed south for .83 miles to a viewpoint. It is easy, and the view is nice. While there I saw the beginning of the new trail shown on the map as under construction. I took it, thinking by now it might be finished. It nearly is finished, but I had some cross country hiking for an unfinished gap. It takes you to a flat spot under the electric wires. From here you can follow an old road downhill and eventually find a newly built trail headed north. This is the trail discussed as follows. SOUTHBOUND #2 from the conservation area boundary is a newly constructed trail, which is shown on the map. It takes you down into a valley. You will often catch sight of the electric wires. Once you are at the end of the newly constructed trail go uphill on an old road and walk for a ways under the electric wires. You will eventually find the northerly end of the new trail that is still under construction [see notes under SOUTHBOUND #1].