clikrf8
Senior Member
Due the price of fuel, we limited our spring trip to the northern central part of the state. The Okanogan area has state and federal forests and abundant lakes and rivers/creeks. There are many campgrounds and dispersed sites are available throughout the forests.
We began by driving Highway 20 into the North Cascades which is a stunning drive especially that long switchback where you can view the Kangaroo Ridge. The highway had just opened less than 2 weeks before so there was much snow on the mountains and along the highway especially at both passes. We usually stop at Rockport State Park, Diablo Powerhouse and the Diablo Overlook before camping at Klipchuck, a USFS Campground. This campground is a favorite because of the spacious sites and lots of room between them. It is set amongst large pines trees along Early Winters Creek.
The next morning we headed east through Winthrop and Twisp continuing eastbound on 20. The highway is very curvy and changes altitude as it winds it’s way to Omak/Okanogan. We drove north on a few backroads to Conconully Lake which is basically a fishing resort. We stopped at the site of Ruby, a ghost town which only had rocky foundations to remind us of its past.
Once past Conconully Lake, we drove north on USFS road 38 through burned out areas to camp at Salmon Meadows in the Okanogan NF. We were unaware that this was a staging area for ORVs so there was some noise and parties but they were mostly respectful so we slept well. We had heard that wild turkeys would frequent the several meadows but not with all the campers present. The road is paved but has innumerable potholes. We are always astounded that the big rigs don’t fall apart while driving here.
Day 3 saw us pack up and move out to a quieter spot. We drove to Conconully Lake then turned north on the graveled Sinlahekin Road through the Chain of Lakes area (Fish Lake, Blue Lake, Forde Lake) to find a sweet little lake off the road a ways. Conners Lake would be our home for the next 4 days. There were 4 sites along the lake and we had first choice. There was one prime site somewhat more secluded but we chose to have a more open view of the lake.
While there, we watched the red winged blackbirds and an eagle family nested in the small stand of pines across the small lake. The parents were busy feeding two eaglets and at one time fought off an osprey. I did some drawings of the marshes and trees while my husband watched the hills for bighorn sheep. A few folks with boats tried fishing but came up empty. The Sinlahekin Valley was carved by glaciers creating a beautiful area for wildlife in the Loomis State Forest. It was a very relaxing stress free four days.
I will continue in another post about the next 6 days.
We began by driving Highway 20 into the North Cascades which is a stunning drive especially that long switchback where you can view the Kangaroo Ridge. The highway had just opened less than 2 weeks before so there was much snow on the mountains and along the highway especially at both passes. We usually stop at Rockport State Park, Diablo Powerhouse and the Diablo Overlook before camping at Klipchuck, a USFS Campground. This campground is a favorite because of the spacious sites and lots of room between them. It is set amongst large pines trees along Early Winters Creek.
The next morning we headed east through Winthrop and Twisp continuing eastbound on 20. The highway is very curvy and changes altitude as it winds it’s way to Omak/Okanogan. We drove north on a few backroads to Conconully Lake which is basically a fishing resort. We stopped at the site of Ruby, a ghost town which only had rocky foundations to remind us of its past.
Once past Conconully Lake, we drove north on USFS road 38 through burned out areas to camp at Salmon Meadows in the Okanogan NF. We were unaware that this was a staging area for ORVs so there was some noise and parties but they were mostly respectful so we slept well. We had heard that wild turkeys would frequent the several meadows but not with all the campers present. The road is paved but has innumerable potholes. We are always astounded that the big rigs don’t fall apart while driving here.
Day 3 saw us pack up and move out to a quieter spot. We drove to Conconully Lake then turned north on the graveled Sinlahekin Road through the Chain of Lakes area (Fish Lake, Blue Lake, Forde Lake) to find a sweet little lake off the road a ways. Conners Lake would be our home for the next 4 days. There were 4 sites along the lake and we had first choice. There was one prime site somewhat more secluded but we chose to have a more open view of the lake.
While there, we watched the red winged blackbirds and an eagle family nested in the small stand of pines across the small lake. The parents were busy feeding two eaglets and at one time fought off an osprey. I did some drawings of the marshes and trees while my husband watched the hills for bighorn sheep. A few folks with boats tried fishing but came up empty. The Sinlahekin Valley was carved by glaciers creating a beautiful area for wildlife in the Loomis State Forest. It was a very relaxing stress free four days.
I will continue in another post about the next 6 days.
