Special Lead Assignment- Direct-Address Lead

Trails of the Palouse

Pullman during the summer can be very boring at times. Most students have returned home, the streets are quiet and it seems the variety of social activities are lacking. But there is one activity you shouldn’t forget about, hiking the beautiful trails of the Palouse.
While hiking may not be your first idea of fun, it offers people the chance to get outdoors, be active and enjoy what nature has to offer at little to no cost. Even if you have never hiked before, it is an activity that anyone can enjoy.
According to Washington State University graduate student and old adventure leader at WSU’s Outdoor Recreation Center Misha Manuchehri, about 90% of the trails around the Palouse are for beginners. Current adventure leader and employee of the ORC Jonathan Stahl explained that the ORC takes hiking trips frequently and almost all of them are for beginners.
Both experienced adventure leaders said the common trails of the Palouse include Kamiak Butte, Steptoe Butte and Moscow Mountain. While there are only a few main trails in the area, each has its own advantages. Manuchehri and Stahl said Kamiak Butte is great for beginners, is close, easily accessible, and has a short three and a half mile loop with beautiful views from the top. Steptoe Butte, they explained, is on the way to Spokane, about 45 min outside of Pullman, is a state park with available forest rangers, and has a paved road that leads all the way to the top with a gorgeous view. Lastly, Manuchehri and Stahl described Moscow Mountain. Moscow Mountain has amazing mountain biking trails that are also used for hiking, has lots of animals, and cabins at the top. “More of a mountain,” Misha explained. “Feels like you’re in the wilderness.”
Stahl favors Moscow Mountain, and he enjoys hiking around here best in the spring and early summer. “When the hills are bright green and fresh, and the waters running,” he said.
Stahl encourages everyone, especially beginners, to get outdoors and explore the natural beauties the Palouse has to offer.
“Views here are completely different than in Western Washington,” Manuchehri said. “There are amazing rolling hills that go for miles. Seeing that is unlike anything you would see in the Cascade Mountain range.”
Stahl explained that if he had never been involved with the college outdoor program at his school, he wouldn’t be doing the job he is today. “Getting a chance to step away from the everyday, work, home,” he raved. “Getting some time to renew your spirit and reconnect with yourself and the people around you.”
The ORC takes many trips throughout the summer and school year, and plans to travel as far as Hawaii for a spring break backpacking trip in 2011. “We’ve gone all over,” Stahl said. “If there’s the demand and we have the staffing, then we’ll do it.”
What’s nice about hiking in the Palouse especially in the summer is that it’s usually pretty dry. Manuchehri and Stahl offer some last bits of advice before you set out to hike: always prepare for the weather, plan out the day ahead of time, avoid hiking in the dark, and always go with a buddy or tell someone which trail you’re going on.
For more information on hiking trips this summer or hiking in the Palouse, contact the ORC at orc.wsu.edu.