Saddle Rock

Success–Saddle Rock is now a locally owned park!

Working together, we accomplished the 100-year community goal of acquiring and protecting Saddle Rock forever. Enormous community support for our Saddle Rock Campaign enabled the Land Trust and the City of Wenatchee in 2011 to purchase the property from Washington State and provide permanent stewardship funding for its ongoing care.

We reached our Campaign goal of $912,000, including the full stewardship amount of $382,000!

The 325-acre property has officially been transferred to the City of Wenatchee.

The City owns the land, and it is permanently protected by a Conservation Easement held by the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust.
Dedicated stewardship dollars will ensure better maintenance of the area without the City incurring additional expenses.
Local ownership means that we can now work on addressing long-standing parking needs.

Permanent protection of this treasured icon means our community can continue to enjoy Saddle Rock’s open space, recreation, and use as an outdoor classroom for schoolchildren for generations to come.

We had a wonderful celebration of our community’s success on Saturday, July 16th 2011 at the Saddle Rock trailhead. There were nature walks and hikes at 8:30, and a dedication at 10:00 a.m. Click here to check out the photos from this fun event.

Restoration and Stewardship

Over the years, Saddle Rock has been over-loved and under-maintained; it needs significant restoration and care. Through this partnership between the Land Trust and the City, restoration and stewardship dollars will ensure better maintenance of the area without the City incurring additional expenses. While the development of a trailhead is not part of initial plans, CDLT and the City will explore grant opportunities and partnerships for a public trailhead and maintenance.

Wenatchee Foothills Community Strategy

This purchase is the first step in a multi-year effort to implement the Wenatchee Foothills Community Strategy, a proactive approach to conserve and steward those properties in the foothills which have the greatest conservation qualities and are most appropriate for public trails. You can expect to see more exciting opportunities for the Foothills in the near future!

Shrub Steppe'n up Saddle Rock!

Check out these great photos from the Wenatchee School District's Shrub Steppe'n up Saddle Rock outdoor education program. Amazing volunteers help make this program a success.

See the recent article and photos on Shrub Steppe'n Up Saddle Rock on the Wenatchee World website.