Exploring the American Wilderness and Other Adventures

Fishtrap Recreation Area, Sprague, Washington

Fishtrap Recreation Area is 9,000 acres of BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land approximately 30 miles west of Spokane, Washington, near Sprague, Washington. It is home to two lakes (Hog Canyon Lake and Fishtrap Lake), the historic Folsom Farm Recreation Site, multiple habitats (forest, shrub-steppe, grasslands, wetlands), and channeled scablands. There are endless miles of easy paths for hiking, backpacking, horseback riding, mountain biking (e-bikes are prohibited), and locations for dispersed camping. Many of the trailheads have established bathrooms.

This is a key recreation area for local hikers and backpackers in spring, winter, and fall when other regional trails of higher elevations are snowed in and/or otherwise inaccessible. There is minimal elevation change through the recreation area; even when it gets snow, it is still accessible. 

This is one of my favorite places to put in some miles and soak up the sun on shoulder seasons. The nearly 100% exposure and many snakes and ticks during the summer make the trail system ideal only for a population of trail users I’ve never met. Appendix A of 100 Hikes in the Inland Northwest simply instructs you to “avoid summer heat.” (315)

TrailKat and I landed here on day three of a three-day adventure. We had spent the last two days battling it out on other trails with 20+ mph winds, and Fishtrap Recreation Area was on the way home and was forecasted to have 8-14 mph winds – what a treat! Like most trail systems in the region, she has done numerous days of trail work here and is intimately familiar with the geography and history. It was an ideal way to end a three-day adventure with her for me to follow her around a beautiful place and soak in the sun and her love of the land through her stories. 

A waterfall on the far northeast end of Hog Canyon Lake is technically private property but is visible from the trail. It is very pretty in the spring and active with wildlife. The first time I took Barbarian Scientist here, he stumbled across two snakes fighting over a frog, with the frog’s head in one snake’s mouth and the frog’s hind end in the other snake’s mouth. It was quite a scene for someone who has not had a lot of exposure to wilderness spaces up to that point.

When you are anxious to get outdoors but remain limited to accessible trail systems due to snow at certain elevations, I do not think you would regret packing up your gear and finding a spot to throw up a car campsite at Fishtrap. The stars will blanket you at night, and the sun will welcome you while you put your miles in on the trail during the day. Maybe it is not as exciting as peak-bagging, but it is a comforting adventure to encourage us to keep moving forward while waiting for far more grand adventures.