Forty for Forty: A Foothills Traverse

Article in partnership with The Wenatchee World 

Forty for Forty: A Foothills Traverse

by Andy Dappen 

Over two decades ago, Gordon Congdon, working as the first Executive Director of the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust (CDLT), had a vision. He dreamed of protecting enough of the western foothills flanking Wenatchee to create a ‘Foothills Traverse Trail’ connecting undeveloped natural lands from Dry Gulch in the south to Horse Lake Road in the north. Such a trail would require protecting the hills from the sprawl of one- to five-acre lots that dot the perimeter of so many communities. In so doing, such protection would give local residents immediate access to natural areas to wander, wonder, and unwind; protect habitat, allowing wildlife to better cohabitate this region with people; and give the city a defendable border against the cyclical wildfires sweeping the landscape.

It was a big vision. At that time much of the property encompassed by the vision was undeveloped but privately owned. To scope out the possibilities and assess the feasibility of such a trail Gordon, Bob Bugert, and I – after receiving permission from necessary landowners – assembled minimalist overnight packs and walked a potential traverse in 2004. Starting from the end of Circle Street, we walked up and over Saddle Rock, crossed Number Two Canyon Road, walked up and over Chopper to Fifth Street, and then walked the Sage Hills to the Wallace Ranch situated at the end of Horse Lake Road. At the time large portions of the walk were without trails and entailed cross-country travel.

At the Wallace Ranch, whose lands are now part of the Horse Lake Reserve, Gordon knocked on the door of the caretaker’s house. An angry man threw open the door and stared at the three of us. “What the hell are you guys doing here? This is private property.”
Gordon explained we had permission for our mission.
The man was only slightly appeased. “It’s a good thing you talked to Mr. Wallace or I’d be pumping your bee-hinds with buckshot.”

In the intervening decades much has taken place to make Gordon’s vision a reality. The Land Trust, first under the leadership of Gordon himself and later under the leadership of both Bob Bugert and Curt Soper, has worked with willing landowners and acquired the property necessary to fulfill the vision. Some of this land is owned by the City of Wenatchee and co-managed by the Land Trust, and some is owned and managed exclusively by the Land Trust. Also, CDLT has overseen trail development allowing all of us access to these natural sage-steppe lands to wander, wonder, and unwind. And we can do this without worry that we are trespassing and risking a load of buckshot in the bee-hind.
 

Trip Details – 

Taking a day to traverse Wenatchee’s different foothills parcels is fun and helps you appreciate our surroundings from different vantage points. The outing will also help you consider improvements that would facilitate an even better traverse. For example, walking the route will help you see that more trailheads (specifically to the Castle Rock parcel) would hugely facilitate a traverse with minimal street walking. Finally a traverse might help you dream big. Land acquisitions and trail development by the Squilchuck Road to the south and Yaksum Canyon to the north could facilitate a Pitcher Canyon to Cashmere traverse through our front-country hills. That’s a next-generation project that dreamers can catalyze and help accomplish by joining forces with the doers at the Land Trust.

Access: Start by parking at the Saddle Rock Trailhead. Drive Miller Street south to its end, turn right on Circle Street and follow it a quarter mile to its end at the trailhead. The trailhead has a large parking area, vault toilets, picnic tables, a kiosk with maps, and a pet station with leashes to borrow and plastic bags for dog owners to carry out their pet’s droppings.

Allowed: This traverse is suited to hikers, trail runners, and mountain bikers. Leashed dogs are allowed (dog owners are expected to bag and carry-out their pet’s waste).

Not allowed: No motorized use, camping, campfires, hunting, shooting, picking of plants, off-trail travel, or littering. Horses are allowed on some, but not all, of the route.

Trip Instructions: The following details assume some knowledge of our local roads and trails. The attached map will help those who are less familiar with places mentioned.

• From the Saddle Rock Trailhead, follow the Saddle Rock Main Trail up and over the Saddle Rock Natural Area (1.4 miles). Use the Saddle Rock Traverse Trail to descend into the Jacobson Preserve and down to Skyline Drive (1.7 miles).
• Next comes a mile of road as you follow Skyline Drive to Western Avenue and then Western Avenue north to Castlerock Avenue where you’ll turn left and walk uphill to the trailhead. Use the trails from the trailhead to hike up Castle Rock and back (2.2 miles roundtrip). Retrace your steps to Western Avenue (a few hundred yards).
• Follow Western Avenue north to Fifth Street (0.75 miles). Turn left (west) and follow Fifth Street (which becomes Number one Canyon Road) about 1.2 miles to the Sage Hills Trail Parking Area. From the parking area, take the Sage Hills Connector (walk up Austin Court and turn right on Sage Hills Drive). The Main Sage Hills Trail starts from the end of Sage Hills Drive. Follow the trail north for 4.1 miles as it undulates (mainly climbing, but sometimes dipping) to the traverse’s end at the Horse Lake Trailhead (located near the end of Horse Lake Road).

Trip Stats: One-way distance: 12.5 miles (includes road mileage). Elevation gain: 3,000 vertical feet.

Land Ownership: The route uses a mixture of lands owned by the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust (CDLT), City of Wenatchee, and Chelan County PUD.

Upcoming Events: Participate in the Second Annual Foothills Fest on Saturday, October 11, 2025, from 12-2pm at Saddle Rock Natural Area. This free, family-friendly celebration honors 40 years of conservation made possible by the CDLT and Wenatchee community. Enjoy free tacos, inspiring speakers, and activities for all ages. Everyone is welcome.

Andy Dappen is the founder of  WenatcheeOutdoors.org and a former board member of the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust. Join him in supporting CDLT’s many projects that enhance our quality of life in Central Washington.  (https://www.cdlandtrust.org/support-us/membership)
Forty for Forty. Recognizing the 40th Anniversary of the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust with 40 stories about places the CDLT has protected and kept open for public access.