HORSE LAKE RESERVE

This 1,500-acre reserve represents a critical piece of protected open lands in the Wenatchee Foothills. Wildlife can move from mountains to the valley. Mule deer will always find a winter haven here. People can hike for miles on trails that start right out the city’s back door.

Comprised of two former homesteads, Horse Lake has outstanding habitat for mule deer, elk, upland game birds, and reptiles. Historically, the sagebrush lands once held struggling fruit trees, part of an early 1900s scheme to grow apples and pears on dry lands. Two brothers, Lee and Everett Burts, farmed wheat on part of the ranch until 2001. They then replanted 270 acres of wheat fields with native species to restore wildlife habitat. Finding a buyer to protect the land was exactly what they had hoped for. The Wallace families, who owned the other ranch included in the Horse Lake property, also wanted the land to be protected from development. John Wallace said, “I did not want to see this area covered with homes and I wanted the public to be able to enjoy the property.”