Nestled Between Spokane And The Canadian Border Is A National Forest With Mountain Views, Trails, And Camping

Head north from the city of Spokane, through the northeastern fringes of Washington state, towards the Canadian border, and you'll soon be faced with one pretty hefty expanse of wilderness: the Colville National Forest. Sprawling across 1.5 million acres, it's a land of wild river valleys and glacier-carved peaks that'll tempt any lover of the great outdoors to pull over and get adventuring — there's oodles of hiking trails, an abundance of campgrounds, mountain-biking routes, and plenty more awaiting within!

Mountains are probably the most defining feature of the region. According to the official Forest Service website, not one, not two, but three separate ranges of peaks carve and cut their way through Colville, unfolding in a medley of forest-clad foothills and higher summits that eventually top out at over 7,300 feet above sea level. The Sherman Pass Scenic Byway wiggles its way amid all that to provide sublime views across the highlands, while everything from grueling summit attempts to short lake loop trails means access for walkers should be a cinch.

The Colville National Forest is fragmented across a big dash of northeastern Washington, though its two main sections are roughly split by the courses of the Columbia River and, conveniently, U.S. 395, which runs north from the town of Colville itself. Meanwhile, U.S. 20 snakes its way east to west through the forest. That all places the forest neatly between Canada, which butts right up to the boundaries of the forest in the north, and the river city of Spokane, which has an international airport — the Spokane International Airport (GEG) — about 1.5 hours' drive to the south.

There are hikes galore within the Colville National Forest. In fact, according to National Forests, this forest has something in the region of 180 miles of maintained trails for hikers, bikers, horseback riders, and even skiers. There's even a route that circles one of the highest mountains in Colville, Sherman Peak, looping from a trailhead on U.S. 20 around ridges of pine forest where wildflowers bloom in summer.

According to AllTrails, the highest rated trail in the forest is the more challenging 10-plus-miler that skirts Bead Lake. One hiker who completed the path in the summer of 2026 left a glowing review of the route on the site, saying: "Honestly, this trail blew me away with how beautiful it was! The water is so blue and the trail is absolutely lovely." It's a path that dips in and out of cedar stands to reveal secret swim locations and vistas of a shimmering lake surrounded by forests.

If you want something really testing, the Colville National Forest also has the Kettle Crest Trail. It's actually just one segment of the much-longer Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail, an epic thru-hike that links Glacier National Park with some of the PNW's most amazing beaches around La Push in the Olympic National Park. The bit in Colville is 44 miles that meanders through ancient woodlands as the Rocky Mountains loom on one side and the Cascades appear on the other.

If camping is what you're after, then Colville can deliver. A whopping 31 separate campgrounds pop up when you search for the national forest on Recreation.gov, the official U.S. booking portal for federally run sites across the country. There are options in all areas of the forest, with campgrounds along the Pend Oreille River in the east, and others peppering the peaks to the west of the Columbia River.

With a score of 4.5 out of 5 on Recreation.gov (at the time of writing), the Bonaparte Lake Campground currently reigns as the most lauded spot within the Colville National Forest. It's easy to see why, since the pitches there hug the southern and eastern banks of a stunning lake set some 3,600 feet up amid an amphitheater of summits, where trails lead to fire lookouts and ridge walks. There's also fine fishing to be done at Bonaparte Lake if you prefer something slower.

Other folks on the r/CampingandHiking subreddit recommend trying for a reservation at the Snow Peak Cabin. It's a real frontier-style lodging — think rough-hewn timber walls and a toe-warming wood stove inside — that clings to the ridges of the aforementioned Kettle Crest Trail. It can sleep four people and is open all year, which makes it a fine base for everyone from backpackers to cross-country skiers.