North Cascades National Park, 125 miles.
Colville National Forest509-684-7000 2mi
Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife509-684-7424 2mi
Traveling in Washington State0mi
Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge509-684-8384 10mi
Evans Campground : Open All YearWater not always availablePhone : 509-738-6266
First come- first serve basis. Thirty-four sites suitable for tents and RVs of all sizes. No more than two units (one RV and one car for example) and 10 people per site. Lots of shade, amphitheater and free scheduled activities during summer season. No hookups. Free dump station and water for RV tanks.
Fort Spokane Campground
No more than two units (one RV and one car for example) and 10 people per site. Lots of shade, amphitheater and free scheduled activities during summer season. No hookups. Free dump station and water for RV tanks. Comfort stations. Fort Spokane museum open in summer.
Gifford Campground, Open All Year Phone509-738-6266Details : First come-first serve basis. Forty-seven sites suitable for tents and RVs of all sizes. No more than two units (one RV and one car for example) and 10 people per site. Some shade, free scheduled activities during summer season. No hookups. Free dump station and water for RV tanks.
Hunters Campground, Open All YearPhone 509-738-6266Details : First come- first serve basis. Thirty-nine sites are suitable for tents and most RVs. No more than two units (one RV and one car for example) and 10 people per site. Some shade. Free scheduled activities during summer season. No hookups. Free dump station and water for RV tanks.
Keller Ferry Campground, Open All YearPhone 509-633-9188
Details : Reservations can be made for May 1 through September 30, otherwise it is a first come-First serve basis. Fifty-five sites. Some are suitable for tents and some for most RVs. Reservations may be made by contacting the National Recreation Reservation Service at (877) 444-6777. No more than two car units ands and 10 people per site. Some shade. Free scheduled activities during summer season. No hookups. Free dump station and water for RV tanks. This is a very busy and often full campground. Look for alternatives when planning.
Kettle Falls Campground : open All YearPhone 509-738-6266
Details : Reservations can be made for May 1 through September 30 other wise its first come- first serve basis. Eighty-nine sites suitable for tents and RVs of all sizes. Reservations may be made by contacting the National Recreation Reservation Service at www.ReserveUSA.com and through the call center at (877) 444-6777. No more than two units (one RV and one car for example) and 10 people per site. Lots of shade, amphitheater and free scheduled activities during summer season. No hookups. Free dump station and water for RV tanks.
Porcupine Bay Campground : Oen All YearPhone 509-725-271
Details : First come-first serve basis. Thirty-one sites. Some are suitable for tents and some for most RVs. No more than two units (one RV and one car for example) and 10 people per site. Some shade. Free scheduled activities during summer season. No hookups. Free dump station and water for RV tanks. Comfort stations. Water availability is contingent on lake level. This is a very busy and often full campground. Look for alternatives when planning.
Spring Canyon Campground: Open All YearPhone: 509-633-9188
Details: Reservations can be made for May 1 through September 30 otherwise its first come- first serve basis. Eighty-seven sites. Some are suitable for tents and some for most RVs. Reservations may be made by contacting the National Recreation Reservation Service at www.ReserveUSA.com and through the call center at (877) 444-6777. No more than two units (one RV and one car for example) and 10 people per site. Some shade. Free scheduled activities during summer season. No hookups. Free dump station and water for RV tanks. Comfort stations. Water availability is contingent on lake level. Contact station is open on weekends June-August.
One of the most popular sport fish in the northern and central United states has developed a similar reputation in Washington, and specifically at Lake Roosevelt national Recreation Area, in the last couple of decades. Known for its exquisite flavor and large size, this newcomer called ¿walleye¿ is providing additional excitement and opportunity in a state already rich with fishing resources.
The walleye is not a native Washington fish, and just how walleyes originally entered the state is unknown. The first verification of a walleye in Washington was in 1962, from Banks Lake in eastern Washington. Soon afterwards, populations began to show up in Franklin Roosevelt Lake (connected to Banks Lake through a huge pipe and pump). Since then they have spread from these original sites to the remainder of the mainstemColumbia river, from near the mouth to the Canadian border.
Walleyes continued to advance to other waters in the central Columbia Basin. Using irrigation canals as frontier highways, they have established populations in Moses Lake, Potholes Reservoir, Billy Clapp Lake, Long Lake, Crescent Lake and Soda Lake. The Department of Fish and Wildlife has also stocked walleyes insome of these lakes to supplement the populations, as well as to create a new fishery in Sprague Lake.
The walleye¿s appeal is certainly not its lethargic fight, although fish get so big here they can generate intense interest and excitement. Rather, it is their performance at the dinner table that keeps anglers returning, trip after trip. Many people consider walleyes to be the best-flavored white-fleshed fish in freshwater.Aficionados of yellow perch (a close relative of the walleye) might disagree, but not vociferously. Both are superb in a number of recipes with the walleye¿s larger size contributing bigger portions.
A good day¿s fishing for walleyes will yield several two-to- three-pound fish, with an occasional fish up to ten pounds. The current state record, caught in the Columbia River below McNary Dam in April 1990, weighed 18 pounds and 12 ounces.
One characteristic that helps identify the walleye is its large, opaque-white eyes.This feature is an adaptation to the fish¿s habits and preferences, and a clue forte perceptive angler. The large eyes have extremely fine light receptivity to see prey in dimly lit waters. Walleyes evolved in turbid waters and in deep lakes andthis ability to ¿see in the dark¿ has provided the necessary edge to survive.
Astute anglers know that this also means walleyes stay away from bright, sonneteers. When they have to come up to the surface or to shallow shore areas tiffed or spawn, walleyes look for muddy waters or they wait and move in from dusk to dawn. This is the best time to fish for them.
When walleyes reach maturity, they become highly migratory. As soon as the lakes and rivers begin to warm and thaw in early spring, walleyes make spawning journeys from their winter holding areas. Some of these migrations will cover dozens of miles to headwater tributaries. Other spawning may occur along shallowrocky lake shores, but in either instance, spawning areas are less than five feet deep. The only proven natural reproduction of walleyes in Washington is in Roosevelt Lake and intermittently in Lake Umatilla (John Day Pool).
During spring spawning runs, walleyes stack up in headwater streams and below dams and are easy prey for anglers-in-the-know. Most of the famous walleye holes throughout the country are these types of waters.
After spawning, walleyes will return to the main lake or river, staying in the shallows throughout the spring and early summer until the waters warm, then moving to deep, cooler water during the day, returning to feed at dusk. During winter, it is generally thought that walleyes hold up in deep waters until the spawning urge strikes again, but little is actually known about the winter habits of this fish.
Mission Point Trail: Only one-mile from the Kettle Falls Campground, at St. Paul¿s Mission, a 1/4 mile trail combines history and nature. There are signs along the trail explaining the history of the falls, the mission, and the Hudson¿s Bay Company¿s influence on the area.The view of the river is rivaled only by the abundance of plants you will find along the trail.
Old Kettle Town-site Trail: Starting in the Kettle Falls Campground, this one-mile trail winds through the original town-site of Kettle Falls. You will see house foundations, sidewalks and fruit trees-landmarks of the past. The trail leads to the swim beach and playground, and boasts great blue herons, osprey, and bald eagles.
The Sentinel Trail: Located at Fort Spokane. Signs along this trail give clues to how people lived here for almost 50 years. Echoes of the past can be heard along the two-mile trail. For the adventurous, the trail climbs approximately 300 feet to the top of the bluff, providing you a spectacular view of the fort grounds and the confluence of the rivers. A free trail guide about the Indian boarding school is available.
Bunchgrass Prairie Nature Trail: The start of this ¼-mile trail is in the Spring Canyon Campground. Discover wild roses, rock-eating lichens, and look closely at the different critters that call the grasslands home. A free trail guide is available at the beginning of the trail for you to use.
