Excellent ride ! Views gorgeous! Excellent horses! I've…read moretrained and competed in horse shows Dressage and 3 Day Eventing. My Mustang Jasper was Perfect, and sensitive to my aids, I loved it. No neck reining , half halts perfectly. Can't wait to go up and ride again. Our Wrangler/ owner was the BEST. Horses well cared for and loved. TOP NOTCH! LOVED IT, LOVED IT LOVED IT. Plus the saddles fit!

We had such a nice time it was icing on the cake for our trip. The horses are well taken care of…read moreand the owners are great, easy going guides which made it even more enjoyable :) Def recommend taking time out of rushing around or laying around bc it's effortless and icing on the cake for sure.

Unfortunately, tubing was closed on the day we went, Thursday. They did have the hill open for…read moreskiing, but I didn't get a chance to try it because I don't ski.

$39/ticket. 6 ride pass. There is only one line for tubing and it gets long. Go early to ensure you…read moreget a ticket, even if you plan on tubing later in the day. They will sell out quick. Second option is tubing and sledding at the golf course location, smaller, intimate, fun and just a tad shorter ride, and unlimited slides.

This July 2012 hike was buried deep in my subconscious…read more On this hike I wished for a quick death to put me out of my misery. I would have been fine being ended by fire or becoming bear food. . But I'd do it again in a heartbeat. . The corgi in a backpack picture of Gunner (& myself) hails from this adventure on the dream-like bluffs above beautiful Lake Chelan. There are hikes and there are hikes which are requirements. The Chelan Lakeshore Trail is the latter. Crystal clear gem waters Icy oasis blue Omnipresent lake The taunting Chelan If there is a Billboard Top 100 for Hikes in the world, the Lakeshore will easily make the Top 10. No one will question the beauty of Lake Chelan. The deep green valley cuts into the Earth yielding the gin-clear glassy waters of the Chelan. Many don't hike the lake. Hordes party in our inland Washington Club Med in the town of Chelan. Thousands take a boat up the 55-mile sliver of a lake yearly. These are all noble and righteous ways to entertain The Lake, but to hike The Lakeshore---that is a memory maker. Just don't do it in the heat of summer (with short-legged doggies more suited for rainy climes). The hike. Yes, the hike. This 17.5 mile hike. The Lakeshore trail requires taking a boat ride. Plop your backpack on the dock, hop on the boat, and enjoy the views. The boat ride in and of itself is stunning. For those backpacking the 17.5, you will get dropped off at Prince Creek. It was eerie to see the boat pull away, and move up-lake like the boat from Apocalypse Now. Foreboding. It was a sunny (hot) August day, but you are on Lake Chelan, you're at the beginning of a legendary hike. Adventure pumps you. Our feet move us on a happy quickstep. The trail points skyward away. Yes for most of the hike, you aren't actually along the shore. With this deep cut gorge, you don't have many flat sandy beaches to walk along. You basically walk along the side of cliff walls and atop bluffs. The lake is close, but painfully and cruelly far away. This made me curse her. But the hike IS beautiful. Those first few miles had me snapping memories and photos. I didn't want to forget Mother Nature's beauty. I'd say after 2-3 miles is when Gunner (corgi #1), expressed issues. He'd simply stubbornly stop and lay down on the (burning) trail. This was not good. We had a 12-mile day. For another mile or so, I was able to coax and scream him to continue, but by Mile 4, his Lakeshore hike was done. What to do. We stopped along the trail under one of the few shady trees. We were all sweating, fatigued, baking. I didn't know what to do. We thought of MacGyver-ing a makeshift gurney, but it woul've only lasted 17 steps. Secretly, I thought of hiking the 4 miles BACK to Prince Creek, setting up tent along the water and waiting for the next boat & calling THAT my Lakeshore hike. We were dead. We had no options. I had to be "the man". Make a decision, damn it! I did. I laid down my ~35-lb pack, I pulled out my Thermarest and gave it to my sister. This freed up space in my pack. Space for a corgi. My 35-lb pack became 70lbs. I had a corgi in a backpack. It was amazing to see how my neurotic Gunner simply let me take his overheated body and place it in my pack with absolute zero fuss. We looked funny & happy (look at the picture). We now had a way to continue. It was funny to have a doggie in my backpack. He'd watch my fellow hikers behind me, and then look over my head forward (dropping slobber on my exposed neck & shoulder). This was fine for 1-2 miles, but then the fatigue began, and my feet began to explode. My joints weren't used to this weight. My feet started blistering. Water was limited. So, I couldn't stay completely hydrated. I needed more water due to the heat, but even more due to the extra load. This is how we went. I'd hike for a mile with a doggie on my back like Luke Skywalker with Yoda on his back in "The Empire Strikes Back". Then I'd have Gunner struggle to walk for a half mile. We alternated our Hells. All the while, Gomez (corgi #2) my other corgi persevered....well for another 8miles. Then he simply stopped. No screams moved him. I now had two nearly dead corgis, and my wimpy self was wishing for a quick death. We still had a couple of miles--nothing you'd say. But for us it was eternity. If it wasn't for my sister & her upbeat-ness, I would not have made it. Then we smelled campfire smoke. We were approaching the Moore Point campsite! Still had a mile to go, but it was downhill, the end was in sight, & the day was almost over. When we made it to Moore, we set up camp & jumped into the ICY water. I decided to end our hike (we'd recuperate and catch the boat in the morning). Some angels of the hike (who helped carry a corgi for a mile earlier), gave us a small bottle of Glenlivet--a wee dram did us good. I'll never forget that evening, that hike, that heat. And, I'd do it again. No question.

Monte Cristo is an old mining town that used to mine ore. This history hike is about 10 miles round…read moretrip if you venture up into the housing area. If not, the hike is around 8 miles round trip. A NW Forest Pass or America the Beautiful Pass is required. From the Verlot Service Center (Passes and outdoor bathrooms are available here if needed) travel east on the Mt. Loop Highway 19.4 miles to the trail-head at Barlow Pass. The trail-head starts at Barlow Pass. There are several trails that start here so expect a crowded parking lot. We arrived at 8:00am and the parking was nearly full. A privy is available for use before hitting the trails. I would classify this hike as easy; however, due to the length, one will feel it in their joints at the end of the day. The trail is fairly wide and gravelly. Once at Monte Cristo one will find a very primitive toilet. Be sure to carry your own toilet paper since this toilet doesn't offer anything more than a basic hole in the ground. Keep in mind, this hike is more informational than scenic. Please respect the remaining property and relics that you come across. As always, if you pack it in, pack it out.

Alpine Lakes Wilderness is a huge area including the Enchantment and Big Heart Lake-Necklace Valley…read moreloop. These two are the one I backpacked in this wilderness, and super beautiful. However, there are literally tons of other hiking available here. For detail My blog for the Enchantment https://himebackpacker.blogspot.com/2024/10/the-enchantments-washington.html My blog for the Big Heart Lake-Necklace Valley loop https://himebackpacker.blogspot.com/2024/11/big-heart-lake-necklace-vally-loop.html

Alpine Lakes is a large wilderness area west of Leavenworth full of multiday long trails. While I…read moredidn't take any multiday hikes or reach any of the alpine lakes, I was able to explore the area with afternoon or post work hikes. Before arriving in Leavenworth, I was originally intending to fish some of the lakes in the wilderness. However, this would have require more planning and effort that I was able to exert during my time in the area. I bet the lakes are pristine. Maybe I will be able to fish in them on a future date. The quality trails in the area generally lead hikers through the valleys, creeping up the mountains. There are great views of the snow-capped peaks from most parts of the trail and when there isn't one in view, there are usually rapids rushing down a nearby creek or river. In this part of the country, there are no small creeks. If there is a blue line on google maps, you can count on loud whitewater, rather than small trickle in June. Part of the wilderness shows signs of fire damage that occurred 4 years ago, although there is significant regrowth of small pine trees and bushes retaking the mountainside. This is a dramatic contrast from the burned landscapes that we saw in Arizona, California, or Nevada, where a fire from previous years would show little signs of regrowth, almost as if the fire was the earth's first step on its march toward becoming a desert.

Silver Bay Inn Resort is a remote destination in the North Cascade Mountains. Located at the end…read moreof Lake Chelan and the mouth of Stehekin River, Silver Bay Inn has a beautiful view. Four rentals that each offer their own amazing views of Stehekin. Canoeing, bike riding, hiking, and kayaking are a few of the activities to do in Stehekin. Located close to the Landing and the Stehekin Bakery. Stehekin is a wonderful place to step back in time, relax and get away from it all.