Mount Spokane State Park

You arrive at Bald Knob Campground, tucked into the upper elevations of Mount Spokane State Park, where the forest shifts from dense Ponderosa pine into the cooler, quieter company of subalpine fir. The air here carries a different weight than the trailheads far below — thinner, resinous, unhurried.

The campground is small by design. Eight reservable standard sites sit within the trees, open from July 1 through September 15 each year. A restroom with running water is on-site, though there are no showers, so pack accordingly. That simplicity is part of what makes this spot feel genuinely remote even though the park's 100 miles of trails and a 5,883-foot summit are never far from reach.

From here, you're well-positioned for the upper reaches of Trail 140 — the only route on the mountain that connects base to summit in one continuous line. The full trail runs 6.1 miles one way, and the section nearest this camp gains 967 feet over 2.2 miles, passing through some of the best huckleberry patches on the mountain. If you're here in August, that's worth noting before you set out in the morning.

In winter, this area transitions entirely — Bald Knob sits along a snowshoe summit corridor that runs between the campground and the peak, just outside the alpine ski area boundary, offering a quieter alternative to the groomed Nordic network lower on the mountain.

When you're ready, the trail north continues upward through rocky slopes and western larch toward the summit and Vista House — take your time getting there.

You arrive at Selkirk Lodge, a sturdy trailhead anchor sitting at the edge of Mount Spokane State Park's Nordic trail network. Step inside and you'll find restrooms, running water, tables, and a wood stove radiating steady heat — exactly what you need after a long glide through the trees. The lodge keeps its doors open daily from seven in the morning until ten at night, December first through March thirty-first, so there's plenty of time to warm up without rushing.

Outside, nearly thirty-seven miles of professionally groomed Nordic ski trails fan out through the Selkirk Mountains. The terrain shifts as you move through it — gentle flats give way to rolling climbs, and the forest transitions from dense stands of Ponderosa pine to more open subalpine zones higher up. Trails are groomed for both classic and skate skiing, so whatever your stride, the system accommodates it.

If you didn't bring your own gear, the Nordic Hut trailer sits right here in the parking lot next to the lodge. They rent snowshoes and cross-country skis through the end of March, which means a spontaneous winter outing is entirely possible.

When you're ready to push deeper into the trail system, two warming shelters wait further out — Nova Hut and Tripp's Knob — each with seating and a wood stove of their own, so you can extend your route without worrying about losing the warmth.

Take a moment to check the trail map posted near the entrance, pick your distance, and head out at whatever pace feels right today.

You arrive at Nova Hut, a small warming shelter tucked inside the Nordic trail system on Mount Spokane. Step through the door and let your eyes adjust — the interior is simple and purposeful: wooden seating lines the walls, and a wood stove anchors the space with steady, dry heat. After miles of gliding through snow-covered Selkirk Mountain forest, this is exactly what your hands and face need.

Nova Hut sits within nearly 37 miles of professionally groomed Nordic ski trails that wind through widely varying terrain here on the mountain. Those trails are maintained for both classic and skate skiing, so whether you've been carving a skate stride or tracking a traditional diagonal, you've earned this pause. The hut shares that role with Tripp's Knob Warming Shelter elsewhere on the network — two quiet anchors spread across a trail system that runs daily from December through the end of March.

Outside, the forest you've been moving through is part of a 12,444-acre park sitting in the Selkirk Mountains. The terrain shifts considerably as elevation changes — lower slopes hold Ponderosa pine, while higher ground gives way to subalpine fir and open meadows. In winter, that variety translates to trail sections that feel sheltered and cathedral-like one moment, then open and wind-exposed the next.

When you're ready to move on, consider which direction suits your legs. The groomed network branches in several directions from here, and the Selkirk Lodge — with restrooms, water, and its own wood stove — is another option if you need more than a brief stop today.

You arrive at Smith Gap, a warming stop tucked into the forested terrain of Mount Spokane State Park in the Selkirk Mountains. The trees press in close here, and after a stretch of trail the shelter feels like a genuine pause — a place to catch your breath and let the cold ease out of your fingers.

Smith Gap sits along the park's snowmobile corridor, part of a sixteen-mile network of groomed trails open for snowmobiling and non-motorized use alike. In winter, that means snowshoers, fat-tire bikers, and snowmobilers all pass through this same clearing, each moving at their own rhythm through the same quiet forest. The gap serves as one of two warm-up stops on this network — the other being the historic Civilian Conservation Corps cabin elsewhere on the mountain — so if your toes are numb, you are exactly where you need to be.

Mount Spokane State Park covers 12,444 acres in the Selkirk Mountains, laced with 100 miles of trails that shift character depending on the season. In summer, those same paths wind through Ponderosa pines and subalpine meadows scattered with bear grass, wildflowers, and huckleberries. Right now, though, the landscape belongs to winter, and Smith Gap belongs to anyone willing to make the approach.

When you are ready to move on, the trail continues deeper into the network — and the summit of 5,883-foot Mount Spokane waits for those who want to keep climbing.

You're standing at the start of Upper Trail 140, the segment of Mount Spokane's longest trail that climbs from Saddle Junction all the way to the 5,883-foot summit. This is the only summer multi-use trail that reaches the very top of the park's namesake peak, and you're about to cover 2.2 miles of it while gaining 967 feet in elevation.

The forest around you right now is a mix of familiar conifers, but pay attention as you climb — the tree composition shifts. Lower down you move through denser canopy, and within the first half mile past Saddle Junction the trail begins crossing rocky slopes where subalpine fir starts appearing alongside the other trees. Watch the understory, too. Western larch lines much of this route, and in August those same slopes fill with huckleberry patches that are among the best on the mountain. Come fall, the larch needles turn gold and the understory follows, so the timing of your visit genuinely changes what you'll see.

About a mile from Saddle Junction, the trail crosses into the alpine ski area boundary, weaving beneath Chair 6 several times as it works up through switchbacks. In winter, access stops at that boundary — this upper reach sits inside the ski concession. In summer, though, the trail continues uninterrupted to the Summit Trailhead, where Vista House, a 1934 stone structure that once served as the park's fire lookout, waits just above you.

Take the pace that feels right — the summit and everything on it will be ready when you get there.