Near the first day of March I hiked in the “Ksamnori” Hills, starting by the upper pull-off area near the road.    There was snow on the trails and some parts were icy, so I carried microspikes and put them on, as needed.   There was little mud since the ground wasn’t frozen, except for a thin layer where it had been stomped and/or biked.    There was no one else on these trails on this day.    In the snow there were some deer and coyote tracks and there were some magpies flitting among the trees, but otherwise all was quiet.

On the Ksamnori Trail going clockwise, we hike across the open shoulder of the hill overlooking the river valley to the north.

Similarly the southwest corner of the loop route goes around the open shoulder, with views south and west.

Much of the trail system goes through open pine forests with grassland slopes.    Douglas fir populated sheltered slopes around the hilltops.   The single tracks can be busy with mountain bikes in season, so we prefer to hike the trails off-season.

The hike took about 2 hours, returning back to the trailhead as the skies cleared.

This is a favorite hike, especially in shoulder season.    More information on hiking this area can be found on this website.

A few moments from the hike are shared in a short video, available on TikTok (www.tiktok.com/@dsmith941).

Please note that the trails are officially closed in winter by the biking community and any access to this area is not with permission.