Updated Cabinet Mountains hiking guide now out

The third edition of a local hiking guide has been published and contains updated trail information, new trails and a fresh cover, the publisher announced Wednesday.

“Trails of the Wild Cabinets: Third Edition” was written by Jim Mellen, who took over writing the guidebook from the late Dennis Nicholls. It describes more than 100 trails, contains numerous maps and photos and points out lakes, waterfalls, old-growth forests and other points of interest.

Sprawling 150 miles across the two states, the Cabinet Mountains are one of the lesser known frontal ranges of the Rocky Mountains,” a news release states. “Formed by ancient sedimentary rock and sculpted by massive glaciers during the Ice Age, the Cabinets hold inspiring peaks, breathtaking alpine lakes, unspoiled old-growth forests and rare wildlife.”

The book covers the trails of the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness, which stretches 35 miles in the central portion of the range; the western, mostly Idaho portion; and the southern range that stretches west of Montana’s Flathead Lake.

“Trails of the Wild Cabinets” is available at regional book and outdoor stores, or online at www.keokeebooks.com.