When the holiday weekend's rain gave way to a some sun on Monday, we took the dogs out for a walk in the North Hills - our coats in tow, but not on our backs.
I've started to use the Orange Street access to this local open space area when I run because it's just a little more than a mile from our front door. Recently, we've also found it to be an easy way to take out the dogs, too, but being that it's just off Interstate 90 they stay leashed until getting up the hill a ways.
The trail starts out by switchbacking up the slope then splits at about half a mile. The eastern side rises to the popular ridge trail at about 1 mile, and the western side rounds the hill to the Moon-Randolph Homestead at about 1 1/2 miles then reaches the ridgeline. Go either direction and follow the ridge trail for a 4-mile loop.
On our walk, we found death camas and long-plumed avens in the grassy hills near the homestead, and fuzzytongue penstemon, the last of the season's lupine and the first of the bitterroots along the gravelly ridgeline.
The best part of the walk was not having to towel off the dogs before getting back in the car!
More pictures of this North Hills walk are here.
Distance: 4-mile loop.
Trailhead: Park in the lot at the north end of Orange Street, alongside the Interstate 90 on- and off-ramp. The trail starts at a gate at the base of the hill a short distance to the west.
