Hike of the Week: Old Stage
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| A hiker takes in a little history before taking to the trail |
Old Stage
Hike across the Kettle Mountains and back into history
by Craig Romano
photo by Craig Romano
produced by Michael Fagin
September 30, 2005
Quick Facts
Location: Kettle River Mountains, Colville National Forest
Land Agency: National Forest Service
Roundtrip: To Kettle Crest Trail 11.6 miles; To Copper Butte 14.0 miles; Loop hike via Midnight Ridge 10.2 miles
Cumulative Elevation gain: To Kettle Crest 2,100 feet; To Copper Butte 3,200 feet
Access: From Republic, drive north on SR 21 past Curlew State Park and turn right onto County Road 546 (Lambert Creek Road). Follow this road to just beyond the Colville National Forest Boundary to the trailhead.
Notes: It’s hunting season-wear orange.
One of my favorite hikes in eastern Washington, the Old Stage Road crosses the lofty and lonely Kettle Mountain Range. Originally constructed as one of Washington’s first state highways, the Old Stage Road is now one of the Evergreen State’s premier historic hiking routes.
In 1892 (only three years after Washington became a state) the state legislature authorized the construction of a wagon route from Marblemount in Skagit County to Marcus in Stevens County. It was an attempt to help commerce flow from the western reaches of the state to the upper Columbia basin. Gold had just been discovered in nearby Republic. With a boom underway, the Kettle Mountains region was rapidly attracting prospectors and settlers. But the Old Stage Route was short-lived. Due to its rugged nature, it simply could not accommodate the increased traffic. It was abandoned in 1898 when a new highway was constructed over Sherman Pass (the site of present day State Road 20).
Now the Old Stage Route serves as a great hiking route into one of Washington’s least known mountain ranges. From the western trailhead you can hoof up nearly 6 fairly gentle miles-climbing 2,100 feet to a gap high in the Kettle Mountains. En route you’ll pass through stands of old-growth ponderosa pine as well as fire-scorched stands of lodgepole pine.
From the 6,000-foot gap you have several hiking options. You can continue on the Old Stage Route down the other side of the Kettles for two more miles. But your best option is to turn right onto the Kettle Crest Trail and ascend the 7,140-foot summit of Copper Butte, the highest peak in the Kettle Range. From this old fire lookout site, you’ll be treated to a 360 degree view of one of the loneliest corners of Washington State. Most of the countryside still very much resembling what it looked like when the Old Stage Route was first cut through this remote region.
When you’re finished soaking up the sweeping views, retrace your steps back to the high gap and return to the trailhead via the Midnight Ridge Trail. It’s a shorter route full of alpine scenery and graced with groves of old-growth pines.
