The Long Way
Ferry County
A snowy mountain landscape with evergreen trees under a blue sky.
Plate I. Winter view of Sherman Peak, Sherman Pass Scenic Byway. From wa100.dnr.wa.gov
A paved path winds through a wooded area next to stacked logs and a silhouette statue.
Plate II. Log flume exhibit, Sherman Pass Scenic Byway. From nsbfoundation.com
A forested mountain slope with autumn-colored trees under a clear blue sky.
Plate III. Autumn larches, Sherman Pass Scenic Byway. From wa100.dnr.wa.gov
Snowy trailhead turnoff, Sherman Pass Scenic Byway.
Plate IV. Snowy trailhead turnoff, Sherman Pass Scenic Byway. Photograph by Vesha53, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Overlook along Sherman Pass Scenic Byway.
Plate V. Overlook along Sherman Pass Scenic Byway. Photograph by Robert Ashworth from Bellingham, WA., USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sherman Pass Scenic Byway

Kettle Falls, Ferry County, Washington. Multiple-use trailhead on Sherman Pass; Year-round.

Details

Map. Kettle Falls, Ferry County, Washington. Larger map
Where
Kettle Falls, Ferry County, WA. No street address stated. Directions
When
Open 24 hours/day.
Getting there
From Kettle Falls, take U.S. Highway 395 to State Route 20, follow State Route 20 for 25 miles to Sherman Pass, and turn right on the trailhead access road.
Fees
No parking fee.
Access
A Washington State Sno-Park Permit is required December 1 through March 31; no pass is required outside those dates.
Phone
(509) 684-7000
Website
fs.usda.gov
Managed by
Colville National Forest.
Coordinates
48.60859287, -118.4767329.

A summer-and-winter trailhead with an outhouse, information board, trail maps, registration boxes, and parking for passenger vehicles, trucks, RVs, and horse trailers.

Notable Events

  1. 1811David Thompson and a party of Canadian fur traders reached Kettle Falls along the corridor's early travel routes. fhwaapps.fhwa.dot.gov
  2. 1825A Hudson's Bay trading post called Fort Colville was established at Kettle Falls. fhwaapps.fhwa.dot.gov
  3. 1920sLog flumes were built along Sherman Creek to move timber to the Columbia River. seattletimes.com
  4. 1934Camp Growden operated as a major Civilian Conservation Corps work camp. seattletimes.com
  5. 1967Sherman Pass became a Washington State Scenic Byway. djcoregon.com
  6. 1988The fire burned forests on the western side of the pass, leaving pockets of mature fir and larch. spokesman.com
  7. 1990Sherman Pass was designated a federal Scenic Byway. djcoregon.com
  8. 2007GreenWorks designed a master plan for gateways, signs, overlooks, and interpretive facilities; FHWA awarded more than $1.9 million. djcoregon.com

People

  • Andrew Colville, Hudson's Bay Company committee member for whom Fort Colville was named (Fort established in 1825).
  • David Thompson, Explorer and fur trader who reached Kettle Falls with Canadian traders (June 1811).
  • William Tecumseh Sherman, Namesake of Sherman Pass and Union army commander (Passed through the area in the 1890s).
  • David Keeley, City of Kettle Falls project manager who helped plan byway improvements.
  • Jann Bodie, Retired Colville National Forest landscape architect who worked on byway improvement plans.

Sources

  1. stateofwatourism.com/scenic-byways/sherman-pass-scenic-byway
  2. nsbfoundation.com/sb/sherman-pass-scenic-byway
  3. wsdot.com/travel/real-time/mountainpasses/sherman
  4. fs.usda.gov/r06/colville/recreation/kettle-crest-trailhead-sherman-pass
  5. recreation.gov/gateways/13842
  6. wa100.dnr.wa.gov/okanogan/sherman-pass
  7. fhwaapps.fhwa.dot.gov/bywaysp/byway/2232
  8. spokesman.com/stories/2010/sep/01/fall-spectacle-sherman-pass
  9. seattletimes.com/life/travel/the-amazing-cider-making-machine-of-stevens-county
  10. newashingtontrails.com/maps/ShermanLoop.pdf
  11. scenicwa.com/poi/camp-growden
  12. djcoregon.com/news/2007/11/26/greenworks-sherman-pass-scenic-byway-master-plan