Jacobson Preserve

Jacobson Preserve sits in the foothills right above Wenatchee, a pocket of undisturbed shrub-steppe managed by the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust. The trails here are gentle and meandering, climbing just 340 feet to a viewpoint overlooking the Wenatchee Valley. It is the kind of place you can visit on a lunch break or bring the whole family for an evening walk.

What makes this preserve worth knowing about is the ecology. Only about 3 percent of Washington's historic shrub-steppe remains undisturbed, and this is some of it. Rabbitbrush, sagebrush, arrowleaf balsamroot, and antelope bitterbrush make up the plant community, with three designated wildlife monitoring points along the route. Spring brings wildflowers that you can see from downtown Wenatchee when the hillsides turn gold and purple, drawing west-side visitors looking for early-season color.

The Saddlerock Traverse trail now connects Jacobson Preserve to the Saddle Rock summit, offering a more gradual approach than the traditional route from the southeast. Trails north of 5th Street close December 1 through April 1 for wildlife protection, but most trails south of 5th Street stay open year-round. Local schools bring first-graders here for field trips in spring, which tells you everything about the accessibility. You can also reach the trailhead by bus on Wenatchee Link route 5.