Page Type:
|
Mountain/Rock |
|---|---|
Lat/Lon:
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46.73769°N / 119.90298°W |
County:
|
Grant |
Activities:
|
Hiking |
Season:
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Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter |
|
Overview
Saddle Mountain is an abrupt bump on the grassy plains of central Washington. It's a wild, isolated spot, with little recreation facilities. But it's a powerful place, powerful in the way that only worn down mountains can be. Perhaps not a destination to drive across the country for, but don't overlook it if you're in the area. And if you hang glide— or just enjoy watching hang gliders— it's an especially marvelous spot.
The Saddle Mountains receive extensive and generally dispersed recreational use year round, and more is predicted for the future. Primary recreational activities include: rock collecting, OHV riding, horseback riding, hiking, camping and hunting.
The Saddle Mountains area is becoming known for its hang gliding and paragliding. Visitors come from all over Washington to take advantage of the consistent updrafts that are prevalent along the northern slope.
Rockhounders regularly come from as far away as British Columbia and the Oregon coast as well as other parts of the U.S. to converge on the Saddle Mountains in search of petrified wood that is abundant at several locations on the mountains.
Elevations range from a low of 486 feet at the Columbia River to approximately 2,700 feet at Wahatis Peak to the east. The Saddle Mountains have a gentle southern slope in contrast to the precipitously bold relief of the north-facingcliffs. There are sand dunes on the western toe slopes caused by consistent strong winds along the Columbia River. Vegetation is dominated by big sagebrush and bluebunch wheatgrass. Bluebunch wheatgrass dominates the grass community at the higher elevations and cheatgrass dominates the lower levels.
Read more: http://www.gorp.com/weekend-guide/travel-ta-washington-sidwcmdev_065638.html#ixzz2kPPS25ce
Getting There
The Saddle Mountains are accessible from three state highways (Highways 243, 24 and 26) and two county roads. State Highway 243, which parallels the Columbia River, provides physical access to the western portion of the area. The southwestern portion of the Saddle Mountains can be accessed from Highway 24 via"R" Road, one mile east of the town of Mattawa and County right of way via O road, 4 miles east of Mattawa. The eastern portion can be accessed from Highway 24 via Corfu Road located at the entrance to the Wahluke Wildlife Recreation Area (about 20 miles east of Mattawa). This road crosses the mountain and eventually intersects Highway 26 at Corfu, Washington.
Roads and trails on the public lands on the Saddle Mountains total about 80 miles and are located mostly on the western end. These roads were constructed for various access purposes, such as access to the communication sites for maintenance to the four power/transmission lines that traverse the mountains; and management of the grazing leases. Some roads are county roads or rights-of-way that were established years ago. These roads are open to mountain bikes.
Read more: http://www.gorp.com/weekend-guide/travel-ta-washington-sidwcmdev_065638.html#ixzz2kPOfJ0OH
Route
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Red Tape
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Vegetation
Lomatium tuberosum Federal Candidate Arennaria Franklinii var. thompsonii Federal Candidate Oxytropis campestris var. wanapum Federal Candidate Cryptantha interrupta State Sensitive Cryptantha leucophaea State Sensitive Arennaria nuttallii State Sensitive Penstemon sp. Undocumented/new species Lesquerella sp. Undocumented/new species Poisonous plants such as low larkspur, death camas, loco weed and lupine grow in small quantities throughout the area. Read more: http://www.gorp.com/weekend-guide/travel-ta-washington-sidwcmdev_065638.html#ixzz2kPQYDgc8
Camping
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External Links
Add External Links text here.http://www.or.blm.gov/Spokane/maps/saddlemts.pdf