Snag Cove, A Short Visit

 Fall has hit the Pacific Northwest and though we are experiencing great weather, we know that the really nice days will soon pass and we will be facing the cold winter.  At the end of the season like this, we start checking off everything we need to do to put our camper away, get the house and yard ready for winter and make sure we get all our important appointments taken care of before we go south.

When we returned home from the John Day/Oregon trip, we had one meeting scheduled. Now we have stacked up numerous appointments and our To Do List is getting longer.  This means we must cut down the length of our explorations, fitting them in between our numerous commitments.

We take this time of the year in stride, by shortening our treks and checking out areas that we have never explored before.  Snag Cove FS Campground fit our criteria just right.  We have never been up north of Kettle Falls. Many of our friends have mentioned the area.  They fish the waters of the Columbia River or Lake Roosevelt for the Walleye that abound.  

I found Snag Cove using Google Maps and thought it might be a nice place to spend a couple nights.  Linda stocked the camper with our necessities and on Sunday we departed.  When we left the house the Seahawks football game was at halftime and Linda found a radio broadcast of the second half.  The Hawks were winning but that didn't last and they ended up losing to the Saints.

We followed I-90 to Spokane and cut north up Argonne and then west to HWY 395. This lead us northwest through Loon Lake, Chewelah, and Colville to just beyond Kettle Falls where we hung a right on the Northport Flat Creek Road. Snag Cove sits just off the road about six miles along the Columbia.

We were the only folks camping in this small campground. It consists of nine very close sites, a vault toilet, and a boat launch.  The sites are paved and level, all within about forty feet of the river.  The Northport Flat Creek Road is about 100 feet from the other side of the campsites. We had reserved site #6, but once we checked out the layout of the campground, I went online and changed our site to #9. This site was the upriver most site and it gave us the most privacy if someone was to wander into camp.

Once settled we sat out in the sun and watched the river flow by. There was very little traffic on the road and we only saw three boats the entire evening. The Hunter's moon rose and lit up the campground. We heard an owl hooting in the distance; it was a very quiet night.

The following day we got up and about and did a few walks. There is not a lot to do at Snag Cove. There are no trails to hike or ride. The campground is there to support the boat launch, and fishing and boating are the activities available. I imagine people swim when the weather is hot, but there are NO SWIMMING signs near the docks and boat launch. We decided that this one visit would satisfy our inquiring minds.

That evening we played SkipBo. Linda won every game.

The next morning we woke up and had breakfast, packed our gear, and departed. We drove home on a different route which led us through Davenport. It was a beautiful drive in which we spotted deer and a very fast coyote who dashed in front of the truck and almost didn't make it.

We arrived home in time to watch the Seattle Mariners lose. We started planning our next outing, looking to take advantage of this wonderful fall weather.