Hike the Inland Northwest

'Go Take a Hike' is rarely considered an insult in the Inland Northwest.

Instead, it can be encouragement to try one of literally hundreds of walking adventures in the area, from easy strolls to more advanced scrambles.

With plenty of public land, beautiful vistas and parks departments who realize the beauty of natural scenery, there are plenty of opportunities for novice and seasoned hikers to explore in Idaho and Washington.

Here are summaries of some of them.

Dishman-Mica: A section of land between Park Road and Dishman-Mica, just south of Sprague Avenue in Spokane Valley, includes roughly 530 protected acres of hiking trails, granite hills, serene ponds, forested wildlife and grassland. Ten trails take travelers through a rocky canyon, ravines and more. The best start is the PineCliff Discovery Trail, which begins at Sargent Road south of 2nd Avenue. Explorers may even spot more than 50 species of butterflies Contact: 509-477-4730 or visit Spokanecounty.org/parks.

Tubbs Hill: Considered the natural crown jewel of downtown Coeur d'Alene, the park offers more than 100 acres of land to hike, walk or jog on. Established trails that head around the entire hill, and plenty of rougher, handmade trails that randomly head back into the woods.

Sandpoint: There are several trail systems with easy day hikes in the area between the Selkirks, Cabinets or Monarch mountains. Two of the more popular are Roman Nose and Chimney Rocks trails, within the Sandpoint Ranger District. Info: (208) 263-5111

Kootenai Wildlife Refuge: A wetland area to the south of the Canadian border near Bonners Ferry, Idaho, was formed as a refuge in 1965 from the revenue of Ducks Unlimited stamps. It includes 2,774 acres of wetland inhabited by many species of migratory waterfowl. Info: (208) 267-3888

Most outdoor shops or public land agency offices have information about trail systems, including the U.S. Forest Service (www.fs.fed.us/ipnf ) and U.S. Bureau of Land Management at www.blm.gov.)