Sage Hills Trails Open on Friday

The long awaited opening of the Sage Hills Trails in the Wenatchee Foothills is almost here.  Each year, these trails close in December to provide mule deer winter habitat without human influence. Winter can be a difficult period for pregnant does, as well as fawns, who are building fat reserves to make it through winter. It is tempting for folks to get out on the trail, but the winter closure is the most important time to avoid stressing deer.

With the snow melting and the green beginning to show, the Wenatchee Foothills beckon to runners, hikers, and bikers. As hard as it is for us all to wait, the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust wants to remind everyone that even if March starts to feel warm and spring like, April 1^st is opening day for all foothills trails north of fifth street except the new Homestead Trail at Horse Lake, which opens May 1st.

On April 1^st and 2^nd, Land Trust representatives and trail volunteers will be at Horse Lake trailhead and Sage Hills trail to celebrate the opening weekend and welcome the community back to the foothills.  Stop by Friday evening or Saturday for free snacks, trail maps, and trail information. Meet the volunteers who work hard to keep the foothills in amazing shape and learn how to become a volunteer yourself. Plus, anyone who comes to the trails via muscle power—biking, walking, running—instead of motorized power will get a prize. Stop before your ride, family walk, or trail run to get great information and learn about your local Land Trust.

The Chelan-Douglas Land Trust is a local non-profit working to conserve our land, our water, and our way of life through voluntary land agreements, education, partnerships, stewardship, and well planned growth.  The Land Trust works collaboratively with local landowners and communities to identify and protect the region’s most important natural landscapes forever.