Features
As warmer weather arrives and Forest Service developed recreation sites remain closed due to COVID-19 Pandemic, the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest encourage the public to help protect and sustain our valued natural resources and recreation opportunities.
Together with the community and individuals who use these public lands, we want to develop a strategic plan for how to manage recreation in the Entiat Valley looking 10 to 30 years into the future. We’re asking folks to think about what we should sustain. We’d like to know what recreation activities are important to you and your family for today and for generations to come.
This spring, a new survey will be available for public land users near and far to tell the Forest Service and partners the types and locations of important outdoor recreation activities they enjoy in western Kittitas and Yakima Counties.
To support COVID-19 public health and safety measures, our offices are closed to the public until further notice.
Please call the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest office you need to visit for assistance by phone or email.
How is the Forest providing clean water, economic opportunities, healthier landscapes, sustainable recreation, and so much more? Learn how we cared for the land and served people in 2018.
Information about permits required, gathering guidelines, maps of potential personal use picking areas, and more...
A 1946 Forest Service publication with some great words of wisdom. [2-page PDF]
The Forest Service has been conducting Aerial Insect and Disease Damage Surveys in the Pacific Northwest for 70 years. See the latest map for the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest and other forests across Oregon and Washington. You can zoom in on map and display a legend explaining color codes.
Check out these great videos highlighting the opprortunities for wheelchair accessible adventures on this National Forest and many other forests across the Pacific Northwest.
Since 2012, a portion of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest that encompasses the Pasayten Wilderness and stretches almost all the way to Winthrop, Washington, has been part of the National Forest Foundation’s (NFF) Treasured Landscapes. In this Majestic Methow area, the NFF, the U.S. Forest Service, individuals and corporate partners, and local conservation organizations are investing more than $2 million in important restoration work. The NFF’s Majestic Methow projects were developed during community meetings in the Methow Valley. Here is a brief description of our current list.
The Okanogan-Wenatchee N.F. is experiencing uncharacteristically severe fires, insect infestations, disease epidemics, habitat loss and hydrologic events causing massive erosion. Climate change will exacerbate these threats in the near future. Scientists agree active, landscape-scale restoration is needed if the forest is to become resilient to these threats. Learn more by visiting the restoration strategy website
A 5-minute Forest Service video
There are many closures in effect due to wildfires in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. When planning your trip, please check to make sure the area you plan to visit is accessible and open for public use.
For a map of closures, go to the Interactive Closure Map
Summer is here and people are returning to our rivers to cool off. Salmon return to our rivers about this time too. They deposit their eggs in gravel on the river bottom — in shallow areas where the current is swift. These shallow areas are the same places where canoes, rafts and inner tubes drag bottom. People also tend to walk across the river in these shallow areas. People can help the salmon out by walking on dry ground instead of wading in the spawning beds. The places where salmon have spawned are one to three square yards in size. The gravel looks brighter than surrounding gravel.
Remember, if you’re draggin’ bottom, it’s time to watch for salmon and their spawning beds!
This Forest Service video titled "Hiking Safely with Goats" provides guidance and educational value for people recreating in areas where they are likely to have interactions with mountain goats.
Guided Snowshoe Walks at Snoqualmie Pass, Stevens Pass and Swauk Sno-Park. Get outdoors and learn about winter ecology snowshoeing on the Okanogan-Wenatchee and Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forests January through March. No experience is necessary and the Forest Service provides snowshoes.
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