Sam Hill

The Icicle River Valley is a spectacular outdoor playground that supports a wide variety of native species and wildlife. A perfect example of the Icicle Valley’s balance of recreation and biodiversity is Sam Hill—a 40-acre property renowned for spectacular climbing, wildflowers, and native species.

Sam Hill boasts more than 12 well-known crags, but access was threatened when development became a real possibility. In the early 2000s, the U.S. Forest Service acquired property up Icicle Road for recreation, but could not acquire the adjacent Sam Hill property due to its privately-held mineral rights. CDLT agreed to own and steward the property, until such time as the Forest Service might be able to own and manage it along with its adjacent pieces. Local climbers and Land Trust members Mark Shipman and Freeman Keller led the drive to protect the property from impending development. Thanks to a coalition between the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust, Trust for Public Land, and the Washington Climbers Coalition, Sam Hill was purchased and permanently protected in 2005. 

In 2020, CDLT was able to donate Sam Hill to the U.S. Forest Service, thanks to a generous donation of the property's mineral rights by the Bevis Family. The Land Trust, in turn, was then able to donate the Sam Hill property to the Forest Service. This is part of a Forest Service effort to increase the amount of protected property on Icicle Road for recreation. 

CDLT has enjoyed making this property, with its beautiful hikes, spectacular views, and alpine wildflowers, accessible and known to our members and the public at large. A successful partnership and a happy ending for Sam Hill!