nature Archives - Pacific Northwest Explorer

Florence, Oregon

by Alan K. Lee

Introduction

Florence, Oregon (not to be confused with Florence, Italy) is a small town on Oregon’s central coast. The town lies on the estuary of the Siuslaw River, a few miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. Historically, Florence’s economy centered around commercial fishing and the timber industry, but today sport fishing and general tourism are more important. Florence has a vibrant old town area, many festivals and parks, and access to miles of ocean beach. The surrounding area also has many tourist draws, most prominently the 31,500-acre Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area that runs for forty miles along the coast from the Siuslaw River to Coos Bay.

The Town

I have to confess that for years Florence was, to me, just a not terribly attractive town that you passed through to get to the lakes, streams, beaches, headlands, and dunes that were the real attractions of the area. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I discovered the charms of the old town waterfront area, the many quality eating establishments to be found in the town, and the parks and other attractions of the town. While the surrounding areas are still the main draw, Florence makes an attractive base to explore the area and has plenty of attractions of its own.

The old town area of Florence lies along the shore of the Siuslaw River. Although not large, the area has many restaurants and cafes and numerous small hotels and guest houses. There is a marina and an RV park, trails along the river, and a number of public art works. On my last visit, the main old town street was closed to vehicle traffic one evening to facilitate a giant block party that drew a huge crowd, with live music and many food vendors that made for a very festive evening.

Art lovers will want to check out the Blue Heron Gallery and Backstreet Gallery, both in the old town area. For history buffs, the Siuslaw Pioneer Museum offers “a taste of life as it was 150 years ago.”

Quality dining in the old town can be found at Waterfront Depot, Nosh Eatery, Maple Street Bistro, 1285 Restobar, and the Firehouse. Outside of old town, Venny’s Café on Hwy 101 gets good reviews and Fresh Harvest Café, farther north on 101, is a good place to get breakfast or lunch. Brew pubs worth checking out include Beachcomber Pub and Homegrown Public House, both in the old town.

You might want to try the sport of sandboarding, especially if you are a family with active kids. Think snowboarding but on the dunes not the mountain slopes. Sand Master Park, just north of Fred Meyer in the north end of town, bills itself as the world’s first sandboarding park. You can get lessons, rent sandboards, and try out the sport onsite on 200 acres of dunes.

If you enjoy gambling, Three Rivers Casino Resort, just off Hwy 126 about a mile east of Hwy 101, offers plenty of opportunities to strike it rich (or not), plus several dining options and frequent live entertainments events. The casino is owned and operated by the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians. The Tribes also own and operate Ocean Dunes Golf Links, one of two 18-hole courses in Florence, the other being Florence Golf Links (formerly known as Sand Pines).

One of the oddities of Florence, Oregon involves an exploding whale. In 1970 a 45-foot sperm whale carcass washed ashore at Florence. The Oregon Highway Division used twenty cases (literally a ton) of dynamite in an attempt to break the carcass into small pieces. The resulting explosion sent pieces of the whale flying as much as 800 feet from the beach. No one was injured but several vehicles were damaged by falling blubber. The KATU-TV news story and video of the event has become something of a cult-classic and continues to be frequently viewed more than half a century later. An exhibit at the Siuslaw Pioneer Museum has bone fragments from the whale and a city park along the riverfront west of Hwy 101 was recently renamed Exploding Whale Park.

The Oregon Dunes

The Oregon Dunes consist of the largest coastal dune field in North America, coastal spruce and pine forest that includes many “tree islands” surrounded by dunes, miles of ocean beaches, and numerous freshwater lakes and wetlands. Outside the boundary of the national recreation area (NRA) there are several state parks and a number of Siuslaw National Forest campgrounds.

Honeyman State Park, about three miles south of Florence, has a large (364 site) campground, dunes access for both hikers and OHVs (Oct-Apr), picnic areas, a children’s playground, restrooms and showers, and two freshwater lakes.

The miles of dunes are a very popular off-highway vehicle (OHV) recreational area. You can rent dune buggies if you don’t have your own, and tours on larger OHVs are also available. About one third of the NRA is open to off-highway vehicles. There are also ample areas within and adjacent to the NRA that are off limits to OHVs that provide a quieter experience for hikers, paddlers, birders, photographers, beachcombers, and other nature lovers.

Fishing and Boating

Fishing for rainbow and cutthroat trout and warm water species like bass and perch are popular activities on the freshwater lakes near Florence. Woahink, Siltcoos, and Tahkenitch Lakes south of Florence are all prime fishing grounds. All have public boat ramps that also give canoers, kayakers and paddleboarders access to the lakes. Cleawox Lake in Honeyman State Park also is a popular paddling spot. The Siuslaw River has both salmon and steelhead runs, and ocean fishing trips can be booked through charter services in Winchester Bay (aka Salmon Harbor) about twenty-five miles south of Florence. A list of local fishing guides can be found on the Port of Siuslaw website.

Area Beaches

The south jetty area has five beach access points and four miles of beach where OHVs are not permitted. Go south on Hwy 101 and turn right onto Sand Dunes Road about a half mile south of the Siuslaw River Bridge. At the north end of town, the north jetty area and Heceta Beach County Park give access to another five miles of ocean beach. There are also many beach access points both north and south of Florence.

Heceta Head

Heceta Head Lighthouse, about ten miles north of Florence, is one of the Oregon coast’s most iconic and most photographed locations. The lighthouse, built in 1893, is 56 feet tall and sits 200 feet above the ocean, making it one of the best whale-watching points on the coast. And the original assistant lightkeeper’s house is now a bed and breakfast inn with six rooms and features a seven-course breakfast menu.

Sea Lion Caves

Located on Sea Lion Point about a mile south of Heceta Head , Sea Lion Caves is a privately owned attraction featuring the largest sea cave in the Americas. The cave (and the surrounding rocky shoreline) is the only mainland rookery of Steller Sea Lions. From the observation deck at the gift shop there is a great view of Heceta Head Lighthouse. From there, a short trail brings you to an elevator that descends over 200 feet to the cave. In winter and spring, you’ll likely see hundreds of sea lions in the huge cave, but in the summer and fall there may not be any sea lions in the cave. They’ll mostly be found on the rocks outside the cave in those months. But the cave itself (about 300 feet across and 125 feet high) is worth the cost of admission.

Cobra lilies, Darlingtonia State Natural Site

Darlingtonia Wayside

A few miles north of Florence at Darlingtonia Wayside (now officially Darlingtonia State Natural Site) you’ll find one of the few places in the Pacific Northwest where cobra lilies (Darlingtonia californica) can be found. These carnivorous plants trap and consume insects that provide the plant with nitrogen and nutrients that they can’t get from the boggy soil. There are restrooms at the parking area and a short boardwalk trail that takes you into the cobra lily’s domain.

Conclusion

Florence, Oregon is a great stopping point on a tour of the 363 miles of Oregon coastline. There’s so much to see and do in the surrounding area and in the town itself that you could easily spend a week in Florence and not run out of things to do and sights to see. I’m looking forward to my next visit, maybe an off-season trip this winter.

And if you’re heading farther down the coast, make sure to stop in Bandon-by-the-sea. Farther south, the southern Oregon coast has spectacular scenery and is as uncrowded and unspoiled as it gets on the Pacific coast.

Posted Dec 2, 2024

All photos © Alan K. Lee

North Vancouver, BC

by Alan K. Lee

Introduction

The city of Vancouver, BC is loaded with wonderful places for the traveler to explore – Stanley Park, Gastown, Chinatown, Granville Island, Yaletown, and many more. And there are great places to visit outside of the city itself. North Vancouver, across Burrard Inlet from Stanley Park and downtown Vancouver, has a couple of gems of its own in Capilano Bridge Park and Grouse Mountain, and another park almost unknown to outsiders with its own suspension bridge, Lynn Canyon Bridge.

Capilano Bridge Park

When I was growing up, one of my father’s cousins and her husband lived in North Vancouver. We visited them several times and I had heard about the spectacular Capilano Bridge from a young age, but for some reason we never visited the park. And in all the intervening years, I had never made it to Capilano. That changed this past summer when my wife and I spent a week in Vancouver.

The suspension bridge is magnificent, 450 feet long and 230 feet above the Capilano River. The first Capilano Bridge was built in 1889 using rope and cedar planks. Steel cables have replaced the hemp rope, and the modern bridge can support the weight of a 747 jetliner (according to the park’s website). It’s safe, but it moves – a lot if there are a lot of people crossing – and I was surprised by how unsettled it made me feel. But it’s an unforgettable experience, nevertheless.

The park has other attractions, as well. The Treetops Adventure takes you high into the forest canopy from tree to tree on seven suspension bridges, and part of the Cliffwalk is cantilevered out over the canyon, with nothing between you and the ground hundreds of feet below except the wooden boards you’re standing on. And there’s more. See the park’s website for more information.

Current ticket prices for Capilano Bridge Park range from C$24.95 for children 6-12 to C$71.95 for adults 18-64 (US$18.48-53.30). Tickets and pricing for 2025 are not yet available.

Capilano Bridge is a popular tourist attraction for good reason but suffers from its popularity. Even on a weekday morning when we were there in June, it was crowded. And it’s not cheap. And it’s a bit touristy. I can understand why some people consider it an overpriced tourist trap. But the bridge is magnificent, and I don’t regret spending what it cost for our tickets. That said, though, we probably won’t go back.

Lynn Canyon Bridge

If Capilano is too crowded, too touristy, or too expensive for your tastes, North Vancouver has another suspension bridge, Lynn Canyon Bridge, about five miles east of Capilano. The bridge itself is shorter and not as high as Capilano, but it’s much less crowded, entry is free (except for a modest parking fee), there’s a nice waterfall just upstream that is visible from the bridge, and there is an extensive trail system to explore.

And, if that’s not enough, there is yet another suspension bridge another mile or so east of Lynn Canyon, the Seymour River Suspension Bridge.

Grouse Mountain

Grouse Mountain is only seven miles from downtown Vancouver (and only 2.2 miles from Capilano Bridge Park). I don’t think there is another major city in North America with a ski area that close. Grouse Mountain is a favorite winter destination for skiers and snowboarders, but it’s also a great summer destination for travelers and adventurers.

From the base of the mountain, a gondola (called the Skyride) takes you 780 vertical meters (2560 feet) up the mountain to the upper terminal. From there a chair lift takes you up another 150 meters (492 feet) to the 1230-meter (4035-foot’) summit. You can also access the upper terminal by trail if you’re fit enough. The famous Grouse Grind is a 2.9 km (1.8 mi) trail that climbs 853 meters (almost 2800 feet) at an average grade of 31%. Even in my younger days I probably wouldn’t have taken that route up, but many people do.

In addition to jaw dropping views of Burrard Inlet, Stanley Park, and the city of Vancouver and its suburbs, there are two restaurants in the upper terminal (Altitudes Bistro and the more upscale Observatory Restaurant) and a brew pub and restaurant (Beavertails) a short walk from the upper terminal. There is also a theater in the upper terminal. And there are rope courses and zip lines for the adventurous.

Near the summit of the mountain, there is a unique wind turbine (The Eye of the Wind) designed to provide clean energy to help power the gondola, ski lift, and the other facilities. What sets it apart from all other wind turbines, besides its mountaintop location, is a viewing room more than a hundred feet above the ground that is accessed by an elevator within the turbine tower. It was closed when we were there, though.

Adult (19-64) roundtrip Skyride tickets run C$80 (about US$60). Senior (65+) tickets are C$70, youth (13-18) C$60, children (5-12) C$40, and infants (under 5) ride free. In the summer there is also an option (called the Skyride Surf Adventure) that allows you to ride up the mountain on top of the gondola for an additional C$35.

Grouse Mountain has a lot to offer, and my wife and I had a blast exploring the top of the mountain last summer (2024).

Conclusion

Vancouver is a great destination for the traveler. See my posts on Stanley Park and Granville Island and False Creek for a taste of what the city offers. And just a short distance from downtown Vancouver, North Vancouver has its own charms.

Posted November 5, 2024

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Granville Island and False Creek, Vancouver, BC

By Alan K. Lee

Introduction

Travel guides for Vancouver, B.C. all highlight Granville Island as one of the prime tourist destinations in the city, and rightly so. It has a wealth of shops, art galleries, restaurants and pubs, theaters, and open spaces in a compact, pedestrian friendly setting. Granville Island is located in the False Creek area immediately south of downtown Vancouver. False Creek, as its name implies, is not a creek. It’s a saltwater inlet off of English Bay that separates downtown Vancouver from the rest of the city. And False Creek has much more to offer the traveler than just Granville Island.

Water taxis

You can drive to Granville Island, but it’s probably not the best way to get there, especially if you’re staying in the south end of downtown, as my wife and I were on our recent visit. You can also walk across the Granville Bridge to get there, but that’s also not the best way. The best way is by water taxi.

Two companies, Aquabus and False Creek Ferries, operate water taxis on False Creek. Both have numerous ferries that run frequently and dock at multiple locations along False Creek. Not only are they convenient, they’re also simply fun. Buy an all-day pass and spend the day exploring the area. You won’t run out of things to do. Just riding the ferries is entertaining in and of itself. Day pass tickets for both companies cost $20 for adults and $18 for seniors and children. (All prices quoted in this post are in Canadian dollars). Aquabus has more ferries, but False Creek Ferries also serves the Vancouver Maritime Museum and the Kitsilano area that Aquabus does not.

Granville Island

If you only have a short time to spend in Vancouver, Granville Island should be near the top of your list of places to visit. And if you have more time, you could easily spend a full day exploring the island and not run out of things to do.

Granville Island is a small area (only a half mile long by a quarter mile wide), but jam packed with literally dozens of restaurants and pubs, more than 100 studios, art galleries and boutiques, many theaters and performance venues, a public market (called Public Market) that rivals Seattle’s Pike Place Market, public docks for both small boats and canoes and kayaks, a community center, a water park, a large playground, a public park, a hotel, and the list goes on.

My wife and I often like to just show up and see what we find when visiting a new location (which we essentially did here), but Granville Island can be a little overwhelming for the first-time visitor. The Granville Island website offers a “plan your visit” interactive function, though, that you can use to make a custom plan based on your interests and how long you can stay (from a few hours to all-day plus). I highly recommend it, especially if you only have a short time to dedicate to Granville Island.

The Village

The Village, located on the southeast shore of False Creek, was the site of the athlete’s village at the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. After the Olympics, the area was converted into residential housing, commercial spaces, and parks and plazas. The Olympic Village Square features two huge sculptures of sparrows that are eighteen feet tall. My wife and I had lunch in the Village twice (once at Tap and Barrel and once at Craft Beer Market). It’s a nice area to just hang out and relax.

Science World

Science World is the large geodesic dome at the east end of False Creek that is visible from all over the area. It was originally constructed to be the Expo Centre for the 1986 World’s Fair (Expo ‘86). Today it is a science center and museum run by the non-profit ASTC Science World Society.

Science World houses numerous permanent displays and interactive science exhibits, rotating temporary exhibits, and an OMNIMAX theater. The Science World Society also runs outreach programs, sponsors lectures and classes, and conducts youth camps. Ticket prices (2024) range from $34.85 for adults to $23.65 for children (3-12). Youth (13-18) and senior (65+) admission is $28.10. The OMNIMAX theater is temporarily closed (as of September 2024).

Yaletown

Yaletown, just north of the False Creek waterfront, was once a warehouse district. Today, many of the old warehouses have been converted into restaurants, pubs, cocktail lounges, and shops and boutiques featuring cutting edge décor and fashions. Yaletown’s a vibrant, young, hip district that has an energy and vibe that is unique to the area.

Plaza of Nations

The Plaza of Nations, to the east of Yaletown, was the site of Expo ‘86’s British Columbia Pavilion. The structures and glass-roofed plaza, originally meant to be temporary structures, became an entertainment center after the conclusion of the world’s fair, with a 4500-seat concert venue. But the structures were deemed unsafe in 2007 and were demolished in 2008. Today, the area consists of an open plaza and a developing mixed-use commercial, residential, and entertainment district.

The Plaza of Nations is located just west of BC Place, a large stadium with a retractable roof that was the main stadium of the 2010 Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympics. Today, it is home to the Vancouver Whitecaps of the North American Soccer League and the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League.

Public Art

Throughout the False Creek area, in the parks and plazas, along the walkways, and all over Granville Island, you will find outstanding examples of public art, from Native American (First Nations) art to modern contemporary art. And the galleries and studios of Granville Island are an art lovers delight.

Indigenous Wood Carving, Granville Island

Parks

Numerous parks line the shores of False Creek. At the east end you’ll find Creekside Park adjacent to Science World and Concord Community Park just to the north. Along the south shore, Hinge Park has open spaces and a small wetlands area, and Charleson Park has a children’s playground and a dog park. Ron Basford Park on Granville Island has an amphitheater and a nice view of the city from a grassy hilltop.

Along the north shore, George Wainborn Park, David Lam Park and Coopers’ Park offer open spaces, fountains, sports courts, a skate park, and nice views of the False Creek waterfront.

And to the west of the main False Creek area, Sunset Beach Park at the mouth of False Creek and English Bay Beach Park to the north offer an uninterrupted, mile-long stretch of sand that is a popular picnicking area and a great spot to view the sunset.

Conclusion

Granville Island was on my radar long before we made this trip, but the rest of the False Creek area was not. In the end, my wife and I wound up spending more time exploring False Creek than we did any of the Vancouver area’s other destinations, and that’s worth noting because there are many other parts of the area that offer visitors a unique and enjoyable experience. Check out my Stanley Park post and look for upcoming posts on Capilano Bridge Park and Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver and the Gastown/Chinatown district in the north end of downtown Vancouver.

Posted September 15, 2024

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Johnston Canyon Hike, Banff National Park, Canada

by Alan K. Lee

Johnston Canyon Trail

Where: Banff National Park, Canada

Type: Out and back

Distance: 3.4 miles (5.5 km) round trip to Upper Falls, 7.5 miles (12 km) round trip to the Ink Pots

Elevation gain: Approx. 330 feet (100 meters) to Upper Falls, 1970 feet (600 meters) to the Ink Pots

Difficulty: Easy to Upper Falls, Moderate (for distance and elevation gain) to the Ink Pots

Map: All Trails

Overview:

The Johnston Canyon Trail is one of the best hikes you’ll find anywhere in the Canadian Rockies. Johnston Creek cascades through a narrow gorge with many small waterfalls and two larger ones. Parts of the canyon are so narrow that the creek fills the canyon floor from wall to wall. Here you’re hiking directly above the creek on a catwalk bolted to the side of the gorge. Sure, it’s very, very popular and can be incredibly crowded, but it’s an incredible hike, not to be missed. Just go early in the morning or in the evening.

Getting there:

From the town of Banff, take the Trans Canada Hwy west for 3.4 miles (5.5 km) to the exit for the Bow Valley Parkway. Proceed on the parkway for another 11.0 miles (17.7 km) to the trailhead parking lot on the right. (Note that for the past three years the east end of the parkway from Hwy 1 to Johnston Canyon has been closed to vehicles – but open to bicycles – from May 1 to June 25 and for the month of September. During those periods vehicles must travel from Banff to Castle Junction on Hwy 1, then backtrack east on the parkway to Johnston Canyon. This has been a pilot program and these closures may or may not continue beyond 2024.

You can also get to Johnston Canyon directly from Banff via the Roam Route 9 bus. Check the website for schedules. There is also a hop-on-hop-off bus from Banff that stops at Moraine Lake and Lake Louise in addition to Johnston Canyon.

Trailhead:

The main trailhead parking area has approximately 120 spaces, but it fills up early. There is now a second parking area on the opposite side of the parkway, but that likely also fills up early and you may see cars parked along the parkway on both sides. There are restrooms with flush toilets at the trailhead and water is available. There is also a small café at the trailhead. There is no fee to park or hike. Dogs are allowed on leash. Strollers are not recommended on the trail, but the trail is easy enough for kids of all ages.

The hike:

The trail is an easy hike, with relatively little elevation gain. In 0.7 mile (1.2 km) you come to the100-foot (30-meter) Lower Falls. Here you can walk through a short tunnel that emerges just feet from the falling water. Just be prepared to get wet.

The trail continues for another 0.9 mile (1.4 km) to the bottom of Upper Falls. There the trail branches, with a side trail going to a viewpoint near the base of the falls and the main trail climbing 130 feet (40 meters) to the top of the falls. We turned around at that point, but the trail continues another 2.5 miles (4.0 km) beyond Upper Falls to the Ink Pots, a group of beautiful spring fed ponds in a mountain meadow.

Check the Banff Travel website for a much more detailed description of the hike.

Other area attractions and activities:

There are too many other attractions in Banff National Park and the surrounding area to list them all, but here are links to some of the best –

The town of Banff

The town of Canmore

Kootenay National Park

Posted July 31, 2024

All photos ©Alan K. Lee

Stanley Park, Vancouver, Canada

by Alan K. Lee

Stanley Park in Vancouver, British Columbia is a popular and much loved 1001-acre (405 hectare) urban oasis that occupies the northwestern end of the peninsula that is also home to downtown Vancouver.

My wife and I recently spent five days in Vancouver. We spent the majority of one of those days exploring Stanley Park. The park is bisected by a busy highway, but you would never know it. I never noticed any traffic noise and it’s easy to find quiet and serene places in the park. And there’s enough to do there and the park is large enough that you could easily spend several days in the park and still not see and do everything the park has to offer.

The park features rhododendron and rose gardens and a Japanese Garden War Memorial. Stanley Park is also home to the Vancouver Aquarium (Canada’s largest aquarium), a collection of totem poles, a lighthouse, a ridable miniature railway, a seaside saltwater swimming pool, playgrounds, a water spray park, tennis courts, sports fields, and an 18-hole pitch and putt golf course.

There are three restaurants in the park, Prospect Point Café at the northern end of the park near the Lion’s Gate Bridge, Stanley Park Brewpub in the southwest corner of the park, and Stanley’s Bar and Grill in Stanley Park Pavilion, a wedding and event venue that is the oldest building in the park. There are also several cafes in the Vancouver Aquarium.

Much of Stanley Park is forested, and part of the park’s appeal is the proximity of the forested natural area to the densely populated and heavily developed downtown area. The interior of the park contains 17 miles of hiking trails, and the immensely popular seawall path runs for 5½ miles along the shoreline. The park is similar in many ways to Point Defiance Park in Tacoma, Washington, one of my favorite Pacific Northwest destinations.

Stanley Park contains two freshwater lakes (10-acre Beaver Lake and 41-acre Lost Lagoon), a stream (Beaver Creek) that is a spawning ground for a run of salmon, and has several sandy beaches. It is also home to one of the largest Great Blue Heron rookeries in North America.

S.S. Empress of Japan Figurehead Replica

Stanley Park functions as the backyard for the urban residents of Vancouver’s many condo towers and can arguably be described as Vancouver’s heart and soul. Every visitor should spend at least some time in the park. You can’t fully understand the city without experiencing Stanley Park.

Besides our visit to Stanley Park, my wife and I visited Capilano Bridge Park, Lynn Canyon Park, and Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver, Gastown, Dr. Sun Yat Sen Chinese Garden, Granville Island and the False Creek area, and other parts of Vancouver. More posts on our visit to Vancouver will follow, so stay tuned.

Posted July 19, 2024

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Faro, Portugal and the Algarve Coast

by Alan K. Lee

Introduction

The Algarve consists of the southern coastline of Portugal, from Cabo Sagres in the west to the Spanish border in the east. The international airport in Faro, the largest city in the Algarve, makes the area easily accessible from anywhere in Europe, and the sunny climate and gorgeous coastline combined with the relatively low cost of accommodations and meals make it a wildly popular destination for tourists from colder and wetter, and more expensive, regions of Europe like the U.K.

My wife and I had the pleasure of spending a couple of days in Faro on our trip to Portugal and Spain this past April (2024). We also booked a day tour to the spectacularly beautiful coastal area near Carvoeiro, roughly 40 miles west of Faro. Our time in Faro and the Algarve gave us only a taste of what the area is all about, but its appeal was obvious, even at first glance.

Faro

Faro is situated on the banks of the Rio Formosa Lagoon, which is protected from the open Atlantic by a series of barrier islands. The lagoon was named a National Nature Park in 1987 and recognized as one of the seven natural wonders of the country in 2010. The park encompasses 65 square miles (170 square kilometers) of salt marsh and islands. It is an important stopping place for migratory birds, and the barrier island beaches are popular recreational areas for locals and tourists.

The Faro area has a long history and has been occupied since prehistoric times. The first recorded settlement dates to the 4th century BC when the Phoenicians established a town on the Rio Formosa Lagoon. The area has been controlled by the Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantines, Visigoths, and the Moors, who ruled the area for more than 500 years before Christian forces captured the area in 1249 during the Reconquista.

Faro has a charming old town with an interesting history, a small boat harbor, narrow cobblestone and tiled streets and alleys, restaurants and cafes seemingly on every corner, and beautiful churches and other buildings that predate anything to be found in our hometown, sometimes by many centuries.

We spent most of our time in Faro exploring the old town, sampling the local cuisine, enjoying the sunshine, and taking tons of photos. We did not visit any of the barrier island beaches, but the host of our B&B went out of her way to tell us about them and give us information about the ferry and tour boat operations that will take you there, an indication of how much the locals value the beaches. While Faro may not be a prime tourist destination, other than as a gateway to the Algarve, and gets short shrift in most guidebooks (Rick Steves’ Portugal makes no mention of Faro at all, for example), we found it to be a charming and worthwhile stop on our trip. For more information about Faro, click here.

The Algarve Coast

The first stop on our day tour of the Algarve was Algar Seco, just east of the small town of Carvoeiro. A wooden boardwalk runs along the top of the cliffs there, with amazing 180⁰ views east and west along the coast.

Stairs lead down from the boardwalk and into the limestone rock formations. The limestone cliffs rise directly from the ocean, with natural pools and blowholes along the water’s edge. Sea caves dot the area, and there are numerous dry caves higher up in the cliffs. Fossils of clams and other marine creatures can be found throughout the limestone layers.

Paths and tunnels that have been cut through the soft rock give easy access to the whole area. We had a great time exploring the cliffs and caves and just taking in the incredible views of the cliffs and ocean. Algar Seco is just an incredibly scenic place, well worth the hour-long van ride from Faro.

Our second stop was the Benagil area, a few miles east of Algar Seco. Photos of Benagil Cave were what drew my wife and I to the Algarve in the first place. We had dreams of kayaking or motoring into the cave that has a nice sandy beach, several openings to the sea, and a collapsed section of the roof giving views of the sky above. But so did hordes of tourists before us. So many, in fact, that overcrowding has led to regulations prohibiting all watercraft from entering the cave, making a boat tour less appealing.

And from above, you can barely see into the cave through the collapsed roof, unless you climb over the wooden barrier or go around it and climb along the edge of the opening, which many people (my wife and I included) do even though it is not safe.

The coastline there is plenty scenic, but we could have skipped Benagil, in my opinion. (But kayaking the coastline, even if you can’t access Benagil Cave, would be awesome).

Our final stop came at Marinha Beach, about a mile east of Benagil Cave. A trail leads from the parking area down to the beach, and there is a network of trails leading along the top of the cliffs to the west of the beach. Offshore sea stacks and several natural arches make this one of the most scenic shorelines you’ll find anywhere in the world.

We had a couple of hours at Marinha to enjoy the beach and explore the cliffs on our own before we had to meet back up with the tour group and head back to Faro. I think we could have easily spent the whole day there. Algar Seco is fantastic and should be on your itinerary if you visit the Algarve, but in my opinion, Marinha Beach and the cliffs of the Arcos Naturais (Natural Arches) are even better, without a doubt one of the highlights of our visit to Portugal.

Conclusion

Faro is an interesting city and a worthwhile stop, but if you have more time to explore the Algarve than we had, I suggest that you follow Rick Steves’ lead and spend a few days in Lagos or Salema in the far west of the Algarve. After all, we thought the area around Carvoeiro that we toured was fantastic, but Steves labels that part of the coast “the worst” of the Algarve. Yes, it’s touristy, crowded, and the lack of access to Benagil Cave makes it overrated. But, if the west end is better than Algar Seco and Marinha Beach, it has to be well worth visiting. We may never make it back to Portugal (so many places to see, so little time), but we will definitely explore the Algarve more thoroughly if we ever return.

Faro and the Algarve coastline are great destinations, and Lisbon and the surrounding area are definitely bucket list destinations for anyone that can travel to Europe. For more on our trip to Portugal, see to my posts on Lisbon and Sintra.

Posted July 11, 2024

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Wachau Gorge, Austria

by Alan K. Lee

In 2022, my wife and I had the pleasure of taking a river cruise on the Danube, beginning in Budapest, Hungary and ending in Passau, Germany. Along the way, we toured Bratislava, Slovakia, spent a day exploring Vienna, Austria, and visited several other smaller cities and towns on the Danube. Most of the actual sailing took place at night, but we spent one beautiful afternoon cruising through the fabulous Wachau Gorge between the towns of Krems and Melk in northern Austria.

The Wachau Valley is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (listed as the Wachau Cultural Landscape), known for its medieval history and architecture, but also for its modern-day vineyards and wineries and its riverine landscape. The Wachau Gorge is bookended by the town of Krems and the hilltop Gottweig Abbey and the town of Melk and the spectacular Melk Abbey on the south bank of the Danube.

Our day started with an early morning arrival in Krems and a morning tour of Gottweig Abbey a few miles south of the town.

Gottweig Abbey was founded in 1083 and has been continuously occupied for more than 900 years. The current structure was built in the 18^th century. (Viking River Cruises is the only cruise line that tours Gottweig Abbey, but also the only one that does not tour the larger Melk Abbey at the upstream end of the gorge).

Upstream of Krems, the valley narrows and the roughly 25 miles between Krems and Melk feature steeper slopes bordering both sides of the river with the occasional castle looming above the riverside towns. The town of Dunstein, seen in the featured photo at the top of this post, is particularly beautiful.

Most of the north shore of this stretch of the Danube is part of a nature park (Naturpark Jauerling Wachau) and is largely wild, managed to protect wildlife habitat and the natural environment. It’s also spectacularly beautiful.

Late that afternoon, we sailed past the town of Melk and the huge, and hugely popular, Melk Abbey. Like Gottweig Abbey, the original Melk Abbey was founded nearly a thousand years ago (in 1089) and has been continuously occupied ever since. The current structure dates from 1702. I would have loved to tour the abbey, but with several river cruise ships already docked there, I understand why Viking skips it.

Upstream of Melk, we spent the evening hours cruising the Wachau Valley, an agricultural area with many small riverside towns and vineyards.

The following morning found us in Linz, Austria. We didn’t see much of Linz because we took an all-day trip to the beautiful and well-preserved medieval village of Cesky Krumlov, Czechia. Then it was on to our final destination on the cruise, Passau, Germany.

After the cruise, we extended our trip to Salzburg, Austria and Munich, Germany. One of the advantages of river cruising is that you get to see a lot of places in a short amount of time. But one of the disadvantages is that you don’t spend much time in any one place. We were able to spend several days in Salzburg, though, and several more in Munich and the Bavarian Alps, through a relatively inexpensive addition to our cruise offered by Viking. Several of the friends we made on the cruise took a different extension (also booked through Viking) to Prague.

The two river cruises that my wife and I have taken (the other was on the Rhine) were both very enjoyable, hassle-free experiences (except for all of the Covid-19 tests that we had to take during our Danube cruise, but that is now in the past tense). Both featured an immersion into medieval history, beautiful riverside cities and villages, and beautiful stretches of natural habitat that is rare in Europe. I can personally recommend both cruises, and river cruising in general. If you’re interested in river cruises or are just curious, check out my European River Cruises post for more information and advice.

Posted April 15, 2024.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Zion Canyon

The southwestern United States is a wonderland of deserts, mountains, and canyons. Zion Canyon is among the most spectacular of the Southwest’s many canyons, maybe second only to the Grand Canyon. And while the vast majority of visitors to the Grand Canyon never venture below the canyon rim, Zion is much more accessible.

At Zion, you’re in the canyon, surrounded by the red and white Navajo sandstone walls of the canyon that tower as much as 2600 feet above you. Being immersed within Zion Canyon is a much more intimate experience than just looking down into the Grand Canyon. Everyone should visit the Grand Canyon at least once, but if I had to choose between visiting the Grand Canyon or Zion Canyon, I’d take Zion.

Getting There

By car, Zion Canyon is 165 miles from Las Vegas and 305 miles from Salt Lake City. If you’re flying, Delta flies to the nearby Cedar City and St. George regional airports from their Salt Lake City hub. United flies to St. George through it’s Denver hub, and American also flies to St. George through its Phoenix hub. There does not appear to be any commercial service from Las Vegas to either Cedar City or St. George. Check the airline websites or your travel agent for details.

Springdale

The small town of Springdale, Utah is the gateway to Zion Canyon. There are a variety of lodging and dining choices in Springdale, along with services such as gas stations and grocery stores, making it a good base for your exploration of the canyon. Springdale is a pretty town with a number of attractions itself, so budget some time to explore the town. If you’re an art lover like my wife and I, DeZion Gallery, Sorrelia Gallery, Worthington Gallery, David J. West Gallery, and Tribal Arts Zion are all worth a visit. One of David West’s photographs hangs on my living room wall.

Getting Around

Private vehicles are not allowed in Zion Canyon beyond Canyon Junction (unless you are staying at Zion Lodge). The National Park Service operates two free shuttle bus routes. The Springdale Shuttle makes nine stops in Springdale and at the park’s pedestrian and bicycle entrance near the Zion Canyon Visitor Center. The Zion Canyon Shuttle runs from the visitor center to the Temple of Sinawava, with numerous stops along the way. The shuttles are wheelchair accessible, strollers can be taken on board, and they have bicycle racks (electric bikes do not fit on the racks, though). Check the park’s website for current information and shuttle schedules.

Bicycling is permitted on all park roadways and on the Pa’rus Trail. All other park trails, off-trail routes, and the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel are closed to bikes. There are a number of places in Springdale where you can rent bikes and there are also numerous companies offering bicycle tours of Zion. Biking the canyon is a good alternative to riding the shuttle. From the Zion Canyon Visitor Center to the Temple of Sinawava at the end of the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive is about eight miles, with a few moderate hills along the way.

If you drive an electric vehicle, two charging stations are located within Zion National Park, one at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center and the other at the Kolob Canyons Visitor Center in the north end of the park. You can purchase a $5 pass code at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center that is valid for three days at either of the park’s charging stations. In Springdale, there are three Tesla charging stations (as well as others in nearby communities). Electrify America stations are located in St. George and Cedar City. ChargePoint and SemaConnect stations can be found in St. George.

Where to Stay

Dozens of hotels, motels, B&Bs, and vacation rentals can be found in Springdale and the neighboring community of Rockville. Check the Zion Canyon Visitors Bureau website or Utah.com for lodging information. Cedar City and St. George offer even more choices. Rates run from under $100 per night to over $500. One option worth considering is Zion National Park Lodge , located within Zion Canyon (not to be confused with Zion Canyon Lodge, which is in Springdale, not in the canyon itself). Summer rates for 2024 start at $257 (plus tax) per night at Zion Lodge. Plan ahead, though. Reservations often need to be made several months in advance.

If you’re camping, Zion Canyon Campground in Springdale has 133 RV sites and 47 tent sites. Zion River Resort in nearby Virgin, Utah also has RV sites and cabins. There are two campgrounds within the national park near Springdale, South Campground and Watchman Campground. South Campground has 117 sites, but no hookups. Watchman has about 120 RV sites with full hookups and about 70 tent sites. South and Watchman both require advance reservations, except in winter. The small Lava Point Campground in the north end of the park is first come, first served, but has only six primitive sites. Check the park website for more detailed information. Reservations for the South and Watchman campgrounds can be made through Recreation.gov.

Where to Eat

Probably no one comes to Zion for the food, but Springdale offers a number of dining options. Oscar’s Cafe, Spotted Dog Cafe, Kings Landing Bistro, and Bit and Spur Restaurant and Saloon all get good reviews. Zion National Park Lodge in the canyon has two restaurants, as well. The Red Rock Grill in the main lodge is a full service restaurant open for lunch and dinner. The seasonal Castle Dome Cafe adjacent to the lodge offers burgers, hot dogs, and snack food. And, Zion Canyon Brew Pub in Springdale offers a full food menu in addition to a variety of craft brews.

Hiking in Zion Canyon

Zion National Park offers more hiking options than I can list here, from the 0.4 mile Archaeology Trail in Zion Canyon to the 47 mile (one way) Trans-Zion Trek from the East Entrance to Lee’s Pass in the Kolob Canyons section of the park. Popular hikes in Zion Canyon include the 3.5 mile round trip Watchman Trail and Pa’Rus Trail hikes near the South (Springdale) Entrance, the Emerald Pools Trail, the West Rim Trail, and the strenuous (five miles roundtrip with 1520 feet of elevation gain) Angel’s Landing Trail. Hiking the Angel’s Landing Trail now requires a permit. Permits are limited and are awarded via a lottery system. Check the park’s website for information on applying for a permit.

One of the most spectacular hikes in the canyon is The Narrows. There is no trail through The Narrows – you’re hiking the bed of the Virgin River through a narrow canyon no more than 40 feet wide in places. If you’re interested in hiking The Narrows, be sure to check with the park rangers at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center. No permit is required, but The Narrows may be closed to hiking due to the possibility of flash floods. Thunderstorms many miles north of the park may lead to sudden and potentially life threatening rises in the river level with no warning, even when the park is sunny and cloudless. But if it’s doable safely, it’s a fantastic and unique hiking experience.

Trails outside of Zion Canyon (and all canyoneering routes) require a wilderness pass. Most are available online through the park’s website, but permits for some trails are only available in person.

Other Things to do in and near Zion Canyon

If you’re young and adventurous, canyoneering may interest you. Canyoneering involves traversing canyons, primarily slot canyons, that do not have established trails. Some, but not all, routes require technical rock climbing or rappelling skills. Since canyoneering permits within Zion National Park go quickly, advance planning is required. If you’re new to the sport, a guided canyoneering trip is probably the best way to go. There are a number of canyoneering guides, including ZionGuru, Zion Rock and Mountain Guides, and Zion Adventure Company, that offer a variety of trips for all skill levels, including family tours.

One hour and three hour horseback rides within the park can be booked through Canyon Trail Rides.

Mountain biking tours are available from a number of tour companies in Springdale. Note that these tours are outside of the park. I have no personal experience here, but from their websites they look to be pretty scenic and more than a little adventurous. Check the tour company websites for pricing and other information. Some offer discounts if you bring your own bike.

Off road vehicle tours are also available from a variety of providers. Like mountain bike tours, these are outside of the park. Again, I have no personal experience, so can’t make any recommendations, but the tours are popular.

Kolob Arch (National Park Service photo)

When you’ve finished exploring Zion Canyon, take a drive to the Kolob Canyons area in the north end of the park. This is an area that many visitors to Zion skip, but shouldn’t. Stop at the visitor center just off I-15 at Exit 40, then drive to the Kolob Canyons Viewpoint at the end of the road and hike the short Timber Creek Overlook Trail. If you’re up for more of an adventure, take the 14 mile out and back hike to Kolob Arch. This is a strenuous hike and should only be done by experienced hikers in good condition, but the reward is a view of the second largest free standing arch in the world (second only to Landscape Arch in Arches National Park). The trail to Kolob Arch starts at Lee’s Pass on the Kolob Canyons Road.

Outside of Zion

Often overlooked, Cedar Breaks National Monument, about 60 miles north of Zion Canyon, is an easy day trip and well worth a visit. Bryce Canyon National Park is only about 80 miles from Springdale, so it’s another easy day trip (but is spectacular enough you’ll want to spend a few days there). Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park is a short ways off the road to Bryce and is also worth a stop, as is Kodachrome Basin State Park, just east of Bryce. And if you’ve got another few days (or weeks), the sprawling, nearly one million acre Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument stretches from Bryce Canyon east to Capitol Reef National Park.

I can pretty much guarantee that no matter who you are or where your interests lie, a trip to Zion National Park will be an adventure you will not soon forget.

Originally posted June 14, 2021 by Alan K. Lee. Updated and re-posted March 15, 2024.

All photos © Alan K. Lee, except as noted

Fern Canyon Hike, California Redwoods

Fern Canyon Hike

Where: Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, California

Distance: One mile

Type: Lollypop loop

Elevation gain: 500 feet

Difficulty: Easy (or moderate to difficult if blocked by log jams)

Map:

Park brochure

Overview:

Fern Canyon is one of those magical places that are truly unique. I’ve never seen another place quite like it. You won’t find redwoods here, the canyon is neither deep nor wide, and the trail is short. But the vertical walls completely covered in ferns – six different species if I recall correctly – are the attraction here. And the fact that the canyon is narrow gives the experience an intimacy that grander spaces lack.

The “trail” through the canyon does not actually exist. You’re hiking the creek bed. In the summer and fall, boardwalks are strategically placed to help hikers, but come prepared to get your feet wet. And when I did this hike there was a huge log jam in the middle of the hike that spanned the canyon from wall to wall and necessitated climbing over, around, or under the logs. But even if you go only part way and must turn around, it is still a worthwhile hike.

This is a popular hike, and in the summer (May 15 to September 15) a free timed entry parking permit is required. The permit is only available online from the park website and must be obtained at least one day in advance. You can opt for either a morning or afternoon window. Note that dogs are not permitted on the trail.

Getting there:

Fern Canyon is located in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park on the northern California coast, approximately 50 miles north of Eureka.

Coming from the south, turn left off US 101 onto Davison Road 2.7 miles north of Orick. Follow Davison Road to the beach where it turns north and becomes Gold Bluffs Beach Road. The Fern Canyon trailhead is at the end of the road. If you’re coming from the north, the Davison Road turnoff is 2.3 miles south of the south end of the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway.

Davison Road and Gold Bluffs Beach Road are gravel and rough in places, and there are two small creeks that must be forded. A high ground clearance vehicle is recommended, but not absolutely needed, at least in the summer. The road may be closed during and after storms. Check the park’s current conditions webpage for off season closures.

Trailhead:

The trailhead at the end of Gold Bluffs Beach Road has space for about 30 vehicles and has restrooms. Drinking water is not available – bring your own.

The hike:

The trail starts at the northeast corner of the parking lot. In about one quarter of a mile you will come to a junction. Stay right and follow the creek up the canyon. Fern Canyon is only about a quarter mile long, but it’s a magical quarter mile. You’ll want to take your time and savor this short hike. And it will seem longer because of all the scrambling you have to do since the trail is the creek bed.

The logjam we encountered in the middle of the hike also took quite a while to negotiate. Once you reach the head of the canyon, you will see a trail leading into the forest to your left which will take you back to the junction you passed at the beginning of the canyon. Or you can simply turn around and retrace your steps through the canyon.

Best time to go:

The trail is open year-round, but because the trail is the creek bed and the canyon is narrow, the canyon may not be accessible in late fall and winter. The road to the parking area may also be closed during and after storm events. The best time to visit Fern Canyon might be early fall (after September 15). It’s likely to be much less crowded than in the summer months and a permit is not required.

Other area attractions and activities:

There are too many attractions in the Redwoods to list them all. Gold Bluffs Beach is worth a stop on your way back from your hike. There’s also a campground there if you want to make Fern Canyon more than just a day trip. The Prairie Creek Redwoods visitor center, near the south end of the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway is also worth a stop. And there are several worthwhile hikes through the redwoods off the parkway to the north. And the other parks that make up the Redwoods National and State Parks complex all offer outstanding hiking experiences. See my California Coast Redwoods post for more information on the wonders of the Redwoods.

Posted March 3, 2024 by Alan K. Lee

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Everglades National Park

A few years ago my wife and I had the privilege of exploring Key West, the rest of the Keys, and Everglades National Park on a winter getaway.

The Florida Everglades are about as far from our home in the Pacific Northwest as you can get without leaving the continent. I always envisioned the Everglades as swamp and marshland and nothing else, but it’s actually a quite diverse ecosystem. Wetlands make up much of the park, to be sure, but grassland covers a lot of it, too, with islands (called “hammocks”) of hardwoods scattered throughout. Pines dominate the higher ridges. Cypress swamps are found mainly in the northern part of the park and the adjacent Big Cypress National Preserve. And the coastal areas have both mangrove swamps and coastal prairie ecosystems.

The park was created in 1947 to preserve what remained of the Everglades after nearly half of century of damming, diverting, and draining the waters of the “river of grass” that had once flowed unimpeded from Lake Okeechobee to Biscayne Bay, Florida Bay, and the Ten thousand Islands area on the Gulf Coast.

Today, the Everglades are still one of the most endangered ecosystems in the country. Diversion of water upstream of the park for use by the agricultural industry and the ever growing population of southern Florida has greatly reduced the volume of water flowing through the park, which in turn has had a significant impact on the flora and fauna of the park. Nutrient pollution and residual pesticides from agricultural runoff have also had a significant impact on the park’s ecosystem. Introduced species, such as the Burmese python, have also put stress on the system. And, since much of the Everglades is less than three feet above sea level, global warming and sea level rise threaten the very existence of the Everglades.

There are two main accesses to Everglades National Park. The Tamiami Trail (US Hwy 41) cuts across the northern part of park and southern part of the Big Cypress National Preserve, and gives access to the Shark Valley Visitor Center in the northern part of the park and the Gulf Coast Visitor Center in Everglades City. The southern part of the park is accessed from the Homestead and Florida City area via Florida Hwy 9336, which crosses the park and ends at the town of Flamingo on Florida Bay.

The Shark Valley and Gulf Coast parts of the park are well worth visiting, but if you only have a day to spend at the park, the southern section is more diverse and has more things to see and do than the other areas. Stop at the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center, just inside the park boundary, to get maps and information on the park and park activities, but don’t spend a lot of time there. Instead, head to the Royal Palm Visitor Center.

The guide books didn’t even come close to preparing us for what we found at Royal Palm. The first thing we noticed was that blue tarps covered many of the cars in the parking lot. It seems that the local Black Vultures, for some unexplained reason, are known to eat the weather stripping around car windshields. We dutifully covered our rental car with one of the park-provided tarps, though there were none of the car-eating vultures present. The visitor center is pretty much a standard issue national park center, but what’s outside will amaze you. Just outside the back door of the center is a large pond. The first thing we saw there was a large alligator, apparently asleep, only a few feet from the walkway. Yikes!

Sitting on a railing post next to the pond, a Double-crested Cormorant ignored the people walking within feet of it. Four or five Black Vultures stood a few feet off the trail looking more bored than threatening. Along the Anhinga Trail more alligators lounged within feet of the trail. One was actually laying part way onto the paved trail. We got close up views and photos of Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, Little Blue Herons, Anhingas, White Ibis, Purple Gallinules, and many other birds along the trail. And in one water hole next to the trail, twenty or more alligators lazed together, maybe waiting for warmer weather (this was in February and it was unusually cold for south Florida). For a wildlife photographer, this place is paradise.

The other trail from the visitor center, the Gumbo Limbo Trail, takes you into a hardwood hammock. It’s less peopled and has fewer birds and other wildlife, but it is a nice, quiet walk and only takes a few minutes to do.

The sheer volume of birds and other wildlife at Royal Palm was astonishing, as was their total disregard for the people in their midst. No need for a long telephoto lens here.

Farther along the road to Flamingo, the Long Pine Key, Pahayokey Overlook, and Mahogany Hammock stops offer short hiking trails. Canoeing and kayaking opportunities are found at Nine Mile Pond and West Lake. You’ll also find a nice picnic area at Nine Mile Pond, and another at Paroutis Pond.

At Flamingo, get information on local area bird watching opportunities and check for ranger-led activities at the Flamingo Visitor Center. The center also has a small cafe where you can get sandwiches or a pizza. You can stock up on supplies at the Flamingo Marina Store next door. Manatees can often be found hanging out in the marina. A pair of Ospreys had built a nest on top of a pole at the marina when we were there, also. And you might catch a glimpse of the rare American Crocodile there. Ask at the visitor center if there have been an recent sightings and how to tell a crocodile from an alligator. The marina offers boat, canoe, and kayak rentals, and a 50 minute tour of the coastal area aboard a 30 passenger boat.

We had planned to take an air boat tour the next day in the Shark Valley area along the Tamiami Trail, but there was rain in the forecast for that day, and the air boats apparently don’t run in the rain. So, it was on to Plan B. That took us to the Shark Valley Visitor Center and a naturalist led tram ride to an observation tower about seven miles to the south. You can also rent bicycles at the visitor center, and we probably would have done that if the weather had been less threatening. But the two hour tram tour was informative and entertaining, and the ranger stopped at every available photo op.

Alligators at the Shark Valley observatory

We saw many more alligators at Shark Valley, specially around the observation tower, and many, many birds, including Wood Storks, Roseate Spoonbills, and Red-shouldered Hawks. No sharks, though. The name Shark Valley comes from the Shark River Slough that flows through the valley. Some sharks do come upstream to give birth in the slough, but not in the area of the visitor center.

We continued west from Shark Valley to Everglades City and the Gulf Coast Visitor Center. This is the jumping off point for exploring the Ten Thousand Islands section of the gulf coast, and for paddling the 99 mile long Wilderness Waterway Trail. Naturalist-led boat tours can be arranged at the visitor center, and rangers lead bike and canoe tours between Christmas and Easter.

Anyone who has read Peter Matthiessen’s historical novel Killing Mister Watson will probably want to continue on past Everglades City to Chokoloskee. The book tells the story of Edgar J. Watson, a notorious, and probably murderous, real life character. Watson had never been convicted, but was suspected in many disappearances, and greatly feared. In 1910, on the beach next to the Smallwood Store in Chokoloskee, more than twenty men from the local area gunned him down, claiming self defense. None of the men involved were ever charged with his killing. The Smallwood Store still stands, though it is a museum now.

If you’re a birder, wildlife photographer, nature lover, or just someone that likes to see places that are different from where you live, the Everglades will thrill you.

For more information about the park and the Everglades, go to the park website. And if you plan to visit Everglades National Park, no visit to south Florida is complete without paying the Florida Keys and Key West a visit.

Originally posted December 4, 2018 by Alan K. Lee. Most recently updated February 27, 2024.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Beaver Creek

Every year, hundreds of thousands of people visit the Oregon coast, lured by the spectacular scenery, the many miles of beaches, and the dozens of often charming and sometimes quirky small towns. The more popular places are crowded, often overcrowded, in the summer and fall, but if you know where to look you can find uncrowded, sometimes deserted, beaches, trails, and other attractions, even in the high season. Sometimes all you have to do is look east of Hwy 101. Beaver Creek is a prime example. It flows into the ocean at Ona Beach, located between Newport and Waldport on the central coast. Ona Beach is often crowded, but if you turn east off Hwy 101 at the Ono Beach access instead of west, you come immediately to a boat launch area on Beaver Creek. When I was last there, the boat launch parking lot was almost empty. The beach parking lot was full.

Before it reaches the ocean, Beaver Creek flows through a freshwater marsh that teems with wildlife. The marsh is critical habitat for Coho salmon, winter steelhead, and cutthroat trout. The creek and marsh are also home to beaver and river otter. Elk, deer, coyotes, black bears, and the occasional cougar also roam the marsh and adjacent upland areas. Beaver Creek is also prime birding territory. More than 75 species waterfowl and other birds inhabit the area. So, bring your binoculars and camera, and keep your eyes open.

Beaver Creek State Natural Area can be explored both by boat and by foot. Launch your canoe or kayak at the boat ramp adjacent to Hwy 101, or drive a mile east on North Beaver Creek Road to access the hiking trails. Even in mid-summer you’re likely to encounter few other people (they’re all at the beach). I have not paddled Beaver Creek, so I’ll leave a description of that for a future post, but I have hiked the area. There is a nice view from the top of Snaggy Point, but the main attraction here is the peaceful and quietly beautiful area that is largely unknown to the general populace and almost completely unknown to the hoards of out of state tourists.

The Beaver Creek visitor center, 1.2 miles east of Hwy 101 on North Beaver Creek Road, would normally be a good first stop to acquaint yourself with the area. If it’s open, you can pick up an informational brochure and map of the trail system there. The map and brochure can also be downloaded from the Beaver Creek State Natural Area website (linked above). There is also a small parking area a few hundred yards east of the visitor center that may have the map and brochure if the visitor center is closed. You can also find a checklist of the birds found at Beaver Creek on the website.

The Beaver Creek Loop Trail is an easy, mostly flat trail that circles the upland area across the marsh from the visitor center. There are also connecting trails that take you to high points with some open views. The loop trail is about three miles long and takes you through a mixed forest of second growth conifer and alder forest. You can hike the loop in an hour, but give yourself 2-3 hours (or more) to linger and enjoy the peace and quiet. Click on the link above for a detailed description of the loop trail hike.

There are many reasons to visit the central Oregon coast. Beaver Creek by itself might not be a destination that warrants the trip, but if you’re a hiker, kayaker, or birder, or just want some peace and quiet away from other tourists, it makes for a pleasant side trip. And you might find that it’s a place you return to whenever you’re in the area. I know I’ll be back soon.

There are plenty of other places on the central Oregon coast to visit that can easily be paired with a trip to Beaver Creek to make for a pleasant day trip or weekend outing. Even if it’s crowded, Ona Beach is worth exploring. And a couple miles south, Seal Rock State Park is one of the more beautiful spots on the central coast. To the north, the Newport area has an abundance of places to find good food and drink. And Newport also has a couple of the premier attractions on the central coast.

Tufted Puffin. Photo from the Oregon Coast Aquarium website.

In the South Beach area, just across the Yaquina bay Bridge from downtown Newport, you’ll find both the Oregon Coast Aquarium, one of the Pacific Coast’s premier aquariums, and Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center, home to one of the world’s foremost marine education and research programs. Both are well worth a visit. The Oregon Coast Aquarium is open 10:00-5:00 daily. Ticket prices range from $15 for children 3-12 to $25 for adults. Admission for seniors (65+) and teens (3-17) is $20. Infants and toddlers get in free. Tickets can be purchased online or at the gate. The visitor center at the Hatfield Center is open 10:00-4:00 Thu-Mon. Admission is $5 (ages five and up). Tickets need to be purchased online on the center’s website.

Next time you’re in the Newport area, give Beaver Creek a look. I think you might be pleasantly surprised.

Posted February 25, 2024 by Alan K. Lee

All photos © Alan K. lee, except as noted

Lauterbrunnen Valley, Switzerland

It’s been almost a decade since my wife and I visited Switzerland, but the memories haven’t faded. One of the highlights of our visit was the Lauterbrunnen Valley in the Berner Oberland section of central Switzerland. It is by any measure one of the most spectacularly beautiful places in the world.

We came to Switzerland after a Rhine River cruise that ended in Basel, Switzerland. From there we continued on to the small village of Murren, perched on the edge of the glacier carved Lauterbrunnen Valley, some 2300 feet above the valley floor.

Looking down on Murren from the Birg cable car station

To get there, we took a Swiss Rail train from Basel to Interlaken, then transferred to a local train that took us to the village of Lauterbrunnen where we boarded a cable-car lift that took us up the side of the valley. From the upper cable-car station it was a short 15 minute ride on a narrow gauge railway to Murren. If that all sounds a little complicated, it wasn’t. The train to Interlachen was direct with no stops. There was almost no layover in Interlachen. The cable car station in Lauterbrunnen is a short walk through a tunnel under the main street. The gondola was waiting for us in the station. The narrow gauge train at the top was there waiting for us to arrive. It all ran like the proverbial Swiss watch. It couldn’t have been easier.

You can also reach Murren by taking a local bus up the valley from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg. From there you can ride the lift that takes you first to the little village of Gimmelwald, then to Murren. From Murren it continues to the top of Schilthorn at an elevation 9744 feet. Gimmelwald is Rick Steves’ favorite village in the area, and it is certainly a picturesque and charming little village, but it’s tiny and accommodations are limited. Murren has many more lodging options and tourist services, but it is more crowded and very much a tourist town.

After getting settled in our hotel in Murren, we went for a hike above the village. Even though it was cloudy and none of the surrounding mountains were in view, the slopes of the valley are dotted with meadows and patches of forest, and are spectacularly beautiful. We hiked to Allmendhubel, where there is a children’s playground and a small cafe. Murren and Allmendhubel are connected by a funicular, but it was not running at the time. The trail to Allmendhubel passes a restaurant and inn called Sonnenberg. And not far from there is the Pension Suppenlap, another inn and restaurant. Both are high above Murren. There is a service road to them, but it is not open to the public. The only way to get to them is to walk. (Murren also has no public vehicular access.)

The meadows above Murren are grazed by cattle in the summer. Local farmers have huts (called alps) at various heights above the valley floor. The alps are manned by a team that tends the cattle and turns the milk produced into the local cheese. Each alp also has a herd of pigs that are fed the leftovers from the cheese making process. In the fall the farmers move their livestock down to the valley floor, sometimes in bad weather by the same gondola that transports the summer tourists.

Jungfrau Massive viewed from near Murren

Across the valley from Murren are the peaks of the Jungfrau Massive – the famous Eiger, Monch in the center, and the highest, Jungfrau. They were in the clouds the day we arrived, but the following morning the sun was shining and the three mountains were there in all their glory. Quite a sight, to say the least.

Schilthorn cable-car approaching the Birg station

We rode the cable-car from Murren up to the top of Schilthorn that morning. The first leg of the ride takes you to the Birg station where you transfer to another gondola that takes you to the top of Schilthorn. At Birg there is a walkway out over the edge of the cliff where you can look straight down through the grated floor hundreds of feet to the rocks below.

At the Schilthorn summit there is a revolving restaurant and viewing platform with panoramic views east across the valley to Jungrau, Monch, and Eiger, south and west to a seemingly endless expanse of mountain peaks, and to Lake Thun and the town of Thun to the north. Part of the James Bond film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was filmed at the top of Schilthorn and the there is a Bond World 007 exhibit and theater there that’s at least worth a quick visit.

That afternoon we took the cable-car down to the valley floor. A short bus ride took us to Trummelbach Falls. It’s hard to describe just how amazing this waterfall is. It’s actually a series of ten cascades, or chutes, inside the cliff face. The top and bottom of the falls are narrow slot canyons only a few feet wide, and the central part is completely within the mountain. From the bottom an elevator takes you up inside the mountain to a series of walkways, tunnels, and stairs that follow the cascades through the caves and slot canyons. Even in mid-summer when we were there the volume of water blasting through the mountain was awe inspiring. There just isn’t anything like this anywhere else in the world, as far as I know. It’s certainly the most incredible waterfall I’ve ever seen. You simply can’t capture the magic of this place with a camera. You have to see it to understand how truly mind boggling it really is.

Lauterbrunnen is a short bus ride from Trummelbach. It’s bisected by a busy road and crowded with tourists, but has a few good pubs and restaurants. It would be just another tourist town if it weren’t located where it is. The town is crowded up against the thousand foot high vertical wall of the valley. On the other side of the Weisse Lutschine River the eastern wall of the valley rises to the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau peaks. A half mile from the town, and visible from almost everywhere in the valley, Staubbach Falls cascades 974 feet down the canyon wall. And there are many other waterfalls lining both sides of the valley. Did I say this place is spectacularly beautiful?

The next morning we rode the train and lift down to Lauterbrunnen, then took the electric powered cog railway through Wengen and on up (way up) to Jungfraujoch, between the Jungfrau and Monch peaks, via a tunnel through the interior of the Eiger and Monch. Jungfraujoch, at an elevation of about 11,300 feet, is the highest train station in Europe. Mountain climbing by train! It’s hard to believe that the rail line was built more than a hundred years ago. It was cold, windy, and blindingly bright at the top, but magnificent. I probably took 150 photos that morning. Very, very cool place.

On the way down from Jungfraujoch we stopped at the Kleine Scheidegg station for lunch, then got on the wrong train. We wound up going to Grindelwald instead of Lauterbrunnen, but it was a very scenic wrong turn. From Grindelwald the train took us back to Interlaken. We then took another train back to Lauterbrunnen.

We left the next morning, but reluctantly. We could easily have spent a week or more there and not run out of things to do and see. For one thing, it is an absolute hikers paradise, and we did only that one relatively short hike to Allmenhubel. I hope to return someday when I can more fully explore this incredible area. It’s truly one of the most beautiful places in the world.

From Lautenbrunnen we travelled to Bern and then to Basel before returning home. Both are well worth visiting. Click here to view my post on Bern and Basel.

Originally posted by Alan K. Lee, June 8, 2019

Updated and re-posted March 6, 2021 and January 31, 2024

All photos © Alan K. Lee

New Orleans

New Orleans. NOLA. The Big Easy. No matter what you call it, and no matter where your interests lie, the city has something for you. Food, drink, music, art, history, architecture, parks, festivals, cemeteries, voodoo, river boats, streetcars, endless parties, you name it. New Orleans has it all. In abundance.

The city’s identity has been forged from many roots – French, American, African American, Native American, Haitian, and more. And those roots have produced many branches and have blossomed into something truly unique.

It’s been quite a while since I’ve been to New Orleans, but the ten days or so that my wife and I spent there left an indelible imprint on my psyche. The food, the music, the arts, the people. There is simply no place else like it in the U.S. Probably no place in the world.

We spent our first day in New Orleans just wandering around the French Quarter with no agenda. We almost always allow ourselves time in a new city just to explore at random. We’ve had many memorable experiences that we would never have had if we had stuck to the guide book recommendations. But don’t throw away the guide books, either. Their recommendations are there for a reason.

That first night, we wandered over to Bourbon Street to see what that is all about. We had a great time and we came back again another night. And, by all means, if you’re visiting New Orleans for the first time, venture into the French Quarter after dark and take in that giant street party. Get your Hurricane in a go cup and wander the street. Take in some of the live music, mingle with the other tourists, have another Hurricane, dance the night away. Get it all out of your system. But don’t think that’s the real New Orleans. Bourbon Street is the Disneyland version of the Big Easy.

So, how to experience the real New Orleans? Well, you probably have to spend a year or two there to really get to know the city. It’s a complex place. But if you don’t have that kind of time, my first recommendation would be to find a place to stay in the French Quarter. It’s the historic center of the city and the city’s cultural heart. Most of what you’ll probably want to see and do you’ll find either in French Quarter itself or close by.

My wife and I stayed at a boutique hotel (I’ve forgotten its name) near the river, across the street from the House of Blues, for the first part of our stay. As I recall, it was a very nice and quite affordable place. But after a few days there, the hotel had some sort of plumbing system problem, necessitating our move to the Hotel Monteleone on Royal Street for the second part of our visit. The Monteleone turned out to be one of the better hotels we’ve stayed in, but there are plenty of other places to stay in the French Quarter. Check the French Quarter website for recommendations.

Since my wife and I are both art lovers, another thing that we always do in a new city is spend at least some time exploring the local arts scene. Sometimes that just entails visiting local museums and art galleries. But we also seek out local artists and art related events when we can. The New Orleans Museum of Art , located in City Park, and the adjacent Besthoff Sculpture Garden were two of our first stops, along with a number of galleries in the French Quarter. But we also took in an arts and crafts fair in Mickey Markey Park in the Bywater neighborhood, about a mile east of the French Quarter, where we met several local artists.

I won’t spend much time here trying to give you a guide to the French Quarter. There are plenty of guide books and online guides that will do a better job than I can. But there are tons of things to see and do in the Vieux Carre and you could spend your entire visit there and not get bored. Plan to spend at least a full day, and preferably a couple of days, exploring the French Quarter on your visit.

But if you really want to sample what New Orleans has to offer, and have the time, I recommend that you also go beyond the French Quarter. Visit City Park and Audubon Park. Take a walk through the Garden District. Take the ferry across the river to the Algiers neighborhood. Visit one of the city’s famous cemeteries. Take a cruise on the Mississippi in a paddle wheeler. Check out the Treme and Marigny neighborhoods. Even go beyond the city itself and take a swamp tour or a plantation tour.

We spent one afternoon exploring the Algiers neighborhood across the river from the French Quarter. Take the ferry from the terminal at the foot of Canal Street. It’s a short but scenic ride and Algiers is an interesting place. Check out the Jazz Walk of Fame next to the ferry terminal. Take a walk along the levy on the Mississippi River Trail. Stop in at one of Algiers many restaurants and bars, such as the Dry Dock Cafe, the Old Point Bar, Tout de Suite Cafe, or the Crown and Anchor English Pub. And just walk around the neighborhood. As I said, it’s an interesting place, full of beautiful old houses and impressive buildings.

Touring one of the city’s many cemeteries turned out to be one of the more interesting things we did on our visit. Because the land New Orleans is built on was originally a swamp, and much of it is below sea level, the dead are not buried in the ground, but are interred in above ground crypts or tombs.

When we were there, we were warned that some of the cemeteries were dangerous places to visit and should be avoided. That may have changed, but check before you venture into any of the city’s cemeteries. There are organized cemetery tours that you can take, but we preferred to go on our own. One of the cemeteries that was said to be safe, and the one we visited, was St. Patrick Cemetery No. 1, on Canal Street near the end of the streetcar line.

Many of the tombs there are large, elaborate, and impressive, holding the remains of many generations of the same family. The larger and more ornate ones are generally well kept up, but many of the others have not been maintained and are crumbling. Many are just ruins, empty and abandoned. One has to wonder what became of the bodies.

Visiting some of the city’s parks also turned out to be one of the more worthwhile ways we found to spend our time. There are a number of parks in the city that are worth a visit. Jackson Square in the French Quarter, and Louis Armstrong Park, on Rampart Street in the Treme neighborhood adjacent to the Quarter, should be on everyone’s agenda.

City Park , about two miles north of the French Quarter, and Audubon Park, a couple of miles west of the Quarter, both have attractions for the whole family. Besides being home to the New Orleans Museum of Art, City Park is also home to the Louisiana Children’s Museum, a short walk from NOMA, and the New Orleans Botanical Garden. And Audubon Park is home to both a zoo and an aquarium. Both parks also feature nature trails, beautiful ponds, magnificent live oaks draped in Spanish moss, and many other attractions. Both City Park and Audubon Park are easily reached from the French Quarter by the city’s streetcar lines.

Think of New Orleans and Mardi Gras is probably the first thing that comes to mind. Mardi Gras has been celebrated in Louisiana since at least 1699, before the founding of New Orleans. It is celebrated in many other communities, but the New Orleans festivities are the quintessential Mardi Gras celebrations. We were there a week or two after the end of Mardi Gras, so I can’t give you an eye witness account of what Mardi Gras is actually like. But it is a festival that I would like to experience some day.

The other New Orleans festival that I would dearly love to take in is the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, held each year in late April and early May. This may actually be a bigger tourist draw than Mardi Gras. As many as 650,000 people have attended in past years.

Music is an essential component of the spirit of the Big Easy. Whether it’s traditional Cajun fiddle tunes, blues, jazz, swamp rock, zydeco, country, or a fusion of some or all of those genres, music permeates the city. Street performers are a common sight in the French Quarter any time of the day or night. And there are probably hundreds of clubs throughout the city offering live performances late into the night, every night. Take in as much of the music as you can while you’re there because it’s such a vital component of the city’s spirit.

There’s plenty of music to be heard on Bourbon Street, but there are more authentic venues elsewhere. Preservation Hall, in the French Quarter, is probably the most famous. Tipitina’s, on Napolean Avenue about a mile and a half west of the French Quarter, might be the most highly regarded club. The Spotted Cat Music Club, the Blue Nile, and d.b.a., all on Frenchmen Street in the Marigny, are three of the most highly regarded clubs. Le Bon Temps Roule, near Tipitina’s, and Chickie Wah Wah, on Canal Street in Mid-city, are a couple of other well regarded venues. In the French Quarter, check out One Eyed Jack’s.

Like music, the cuisine of New Orleans is one the city’s defining features. I fell in love with the food when we were there, and gumbo and jambalaya have become mainstays in my home kitchen. The Foodies Guide to New Orleans website will give you a good overview of the city’s culinary offerings. The people of New Orleans are passionate about their food and anyone you talk to will probably be happy to steer you to some great places to eat. Or you can book one of the many food tours that are available.

The food scene has probably changed a lot since we were there, but there are some iconic New Orleans eateries that you might want to check out. The Cafe du Monde in the French Market is one of those. It’s been a New Orleans institution since 1862. Go for the beignets and the coffee with chicory because that’s about all they serve. And go early. You’ll probably still have to wait in line to get in, but it’s an iconic New Orleans experience that shouldn’t be missed. And dinner at Antoine’s was a highlight of our stay. Antoine’s has been in existence even longer than the Cafe du Monde. They’ve been serving French Creole food in the same location since 1840. There’s no place in New Orleans more steeped in history than Antoine’s.

And then there’s voodoo. Personally, I have no interest in voodoo, but it’s another unique component of the culture and you can’t ignore it completely if you want to get the full New Orleans experience. You might just want to stop in at one of the many shops in the French Quarter selling voodoo related trinkets. Or maybe delve deeper into the history and practice of voodoo by visiting the Voodoo Museum or taking a voodoo tour.

New Orleans can’t be adequately described in words or pictures by any means. It really has to be experienced. It blends the Old South charm of places like Charleston and Savannah with the party atmosphere of places like Key West, and mixes in a whole lot more to boot. You should make the pilgrimage to the Big Easy at least once in your life. You won’t regret it.

Originally posted January 9, 2021 by Alan K. Lee. Updated and re-posted January 10, 2024.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Whale Watch Week

In early winter every year approximately 18,000 gray whales migrate south from their feeding grounds in Alaska to their breeding grounds in Baja California. At the peak of this migration, about 30 whales per hour pass any given point along their route.

Adult gray whales are huge: 40-50 feet long and up to 90,000 pounds in weight – as big and heavy as a loaded semi-truck. They are also a long-lived species, 55-70 years is not uncommon, and some have been estimated to be as much as 80 years old. Gray whales are simply magnificent creatures, and they draw thousands of people to the Pacific coast in hopes of seeing them pass by. And because they migrate close to the shore, the many headlands along the Oregon coast are prime whale watching viewpoints.

Every year, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department sponsors two Whale Watch Week events, one in the winter and another in the spring when the whales make their return trip to Alaska. The 2023 winter event ran from December 27 to December 31. The 2024 spring dates are March 23-31. During the event, fifteen sites along the Oregon coast will be manned by volunteers to assist whale watchers in seeing these amazing creatures. You can also tune in to a live video feed during the event. For more information, go to the Oregon Whale Watch website or the Oregon State Parks whale watch website.

Photo by Marc Webber, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

The spring migration north is spread out over several months, so there are fewer whales per hour to see, but the weather is often better and the calves born in Baja can be seen making their way north to Alaska with their mothers. The mothers and calves also migrate closer to shore than the whales in their winter migration south.

Gray whale sculpture in Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos, Baja California Sur, Mexico

The majority of the world’s gray whales spend their summers feeding in the waters around Alaska (a few spend their summers along the coast of the U.S. and Canada) and migrate to Baja California to breed and give birth in the winter months. A smaller, and endangered, population migrates south along the northeast Asian coast. In the past, gray whales also ranged along both the European and North American Atlantic coastlines, and migrated to North Africa and possibly as far as South America to breed. But the Atlantic population has been almost totally extirpated by the whaling industry. In recent years, though, a few gray whales have been sighted in the Mediterranean and along the Atlantic coastlines of Africa and South America.

Whale watching at Depoe Bay, Oregon. Photo from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

If you’re a resident of the Pacific Northwest, or are planning a visit over the holidays or in the spring, consider adding a trip to the Oregon coast to see these wonderful creatures. In addition to the on shore whale watching sites, you can also take whale watching cruises out of Depoe Bay, Oregon and other coastal ports. There’s no guarantee, of course, that you’ll see whales on any given day, but if you do, you won’t be sorry that you made the trip. And you or your children may remember it for the rest of you lives.

Photo by Merrill Gosho, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Even if you don’t see any whales on your trip, the Oregon coast has much else to offer the visitor. Check out my posts linked below for more on the Oregon coast:

Wreck of the Peter Iredale. Photo © Alan K. Lee.

Fort Stevens State Park

Hug Point State Park

Oswald West State Park

Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach, Oregon. Photo © Alan K. Lee.

Four charming Northern Oregon Coast Towns

Bandon, Oregon

Natural Bridges, Boardman State Scenic Corridor, Oregon. Photo © Alan K. Lee.

The magnificent Southern Oregon Coast

Posted December 22, 2023 by Alan K. Lee. Updated March 20, 2024.

Photo Notes:

The featured image at the top of this post is by Merrill Gosho, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. All photos except those by the author were sourced from Wikimedia Commons.

Gig Harbor, Washington

Gig Harbor, Washington is located on Puget Sound near Tacoma. My first visit came only about five years ago. At the time it was one of the few towns on Puget Sound that I had not explored. I had heard testimonials to the town’s charm. And charming it is, at least the historic downtown along the waterfront. Like Poulsbo and other small Puget Sound communities, it is the historic center and waterfront that draws visitors to the town. Away from the waterfront, Gig Harbor is like most other small towns and suburbs in the Puget Sound area – almost certainly a nice place to live, but not much reason to visit. But the historic downtown is most definitely worth visiting. I don’t know why I had never visited before, but my wife and I have returned to Gig Harbor several times since that first visit, and I’m sure we will be back again soon. It has become one of our favorite places in Washington.

Once a small fishing village, Gig Harbor is now a bedroom community of nearby Tacoma. In the 1950s and 60s, new development in the area began to threaten the historic character of the area as the town developed after the Tacoma Narrows Bridge was built. However, city leaders steered most of the new development away from the harbor area. Today, Gig Harbor’s waterfront is an attractive and charming commercial district that blends modern aesthetics with the area’s historic and cultural heritage.

The history of Gig Harbor dates back to 1840, when Captain Charles Wilkes steered his “captain’s gig” into the sheltered bay during a heavy storm. The following year he published a map of the Oregon Territory, naming the bay Gig Harbor.

The Gig Harbor area was settled after the Civil War by Scandinavian and Croatian immigrants. In addition to commercial fishing, boat building and logging were also important components of Gig Harbor’s early economy. Among the prominent boat builders were the Skansie Brothers, who built the regions first gasoline powered fishing boat in 1905. The Skansie Netshed and House, home of Andrew and Bertha Skansie, is on the National Register of Historic Places.

When you arrive in Gig Harbor, park your car downtown (parking is free, but you need to get there early on summer weekends), and take a walk along the waterfront. The Skansie Netshed and House is located in Skansie Brothers Park. Maritime Pier, Jersich Dock, Ancich Park, and Eddon Boat Park are other spots where you can access the waterfront.

At the head of the bay, check out the Harbor History Museum. You can learn much more about the history and heritage of the Gig Harbor area there and see the Shenandoah, a 65-foot wooden purse-seiner built in 1925, that is being restored at the museum.

The museum is located where Donkey Creek flows into the harbor, and when the salmon are spawning you can watch them swimming upstream from viewing platforms in Donkey Creek Park, across Harborview Drive from the museum.

Tourism is more important than fishing to Gig Harbor’s economy today, but a small fishing fleet still exists and is still important to the cultural identity of the town. On the first weekend of June each year, during the Maritime Gig Festival, the fleet gathers in the bay for a Blessing of the Fleet ceremony.

Getting out on the water is both great fun and a way to view the waterfront from a different perspective. You can rent kayaks, stand-up paddle boards, and electric boats at Gig Harbor Boat Rentals, if you’re so inclined.

If you’re thinking about paying Gig Harbor a visit, a good place to start is the Gig Harbor Guide. It offers useful information on the history of the town, accommodations and dining options, and a detailed calendar of events.

My wife and I timed our first visit to coincide with the Gig Harbor Beer Festival. We’re from Beervana (also known as Portland), after all, and we frequently seek out new opportunities to sample craft beers that we’ve not tried before. Gig Harbor has four craft breweries: Gig Harbor Brewing, 7 Seas Brewing, Wet Coast Brewing, and Dunagan Brewing. We sampled beers from all but Dunagan at the beer festival, and we both found a number of beers to our liking, even though we have very different tastes in beer. Gig Harbor Brewing and 7 Seas Brewing have taprooms located on the waterfront in Gig Harbor. Wet Coast has a taproom just off Hwy 16 in the newer part of Gig Harbor. And Dunagan’s Irish Pub and Brewery is located about a mile south of Wet Coast, also just off Hwy 16. Of the four, only Dunagan’s serves food. If you want to eat as well as drink, try the Tides Tavern or one of the other establishments listed in the Gig Harbor Guide.

One restaurant that you should not miss is Netshed No. 9. Breakfast there was so good that we came back the next morning. And it has become our go to spot for breakfast when we’re in Gig Harbor. Try their triple berry whipped ricotta French toast. It might be the best French toast I’ve ever had. Netshed No. 9 is not open for dinner, but the same owners operate Brix 25°, located next door. We didn’t eat there, so I can’t vouch for it personally, but I have no doubt that it offers the same quality dining experience. One dinner place that we did eat at is Il Lucano, a very fine, authentic Italian restaurant a few blocks off the waterfront. Another place that I can recommend is Millville Pizza, on the waterfront. They serve artisanal wood fired pizzas, appetizers and homemade desserts. In my opinion, Millville is one of the best pizza places in the Northwest.

Today, many of Gig Harbor’s roughly 10,000 inhabitants commute to Tacoma across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. The first bridge was built in 1940, but due to a design flaw, it proved to be vulnerable to cross winds. Nicknamed “Galloping Gertie,” it collapsed in a relatively minor windstorm only a few months after it was completed. It wasn’t until 1950 that a replacement bridge was built.

Once known mostly for the “Tacoma Aroma” produced by the polluted tide flats of Commencement Bay, a pulp and paper mill, a rendering plant, and an oil refinery, Tacoma has experienced a cultural, environmental, and artistic renaissance in recent decades. Industrial areas, like the old Dickman Mill site (now a city park), have been reclaimed and remediated. And the Tacoma Aroma is no more, thanks to modern environmental regulations. Today, the city has a vibrant arts scene, highlighted by the Museum of Glass and the Tacoma Art Museum in the Museum District. The city also has many beautiful parks. The 760-acre Point Defiance Park features a zoo, an aquarium, several botanical gardens, hundreds of acres of forest, and miles of Puget Sound waterfront. So, consider adding a visit to Tacoma to your itinerary when you come to Gig Harbor. But regardless of whether or not you choose to visit Tacoma, Gig Harbor should definitely be on your radar, if it’s not already. It’s an interesting, historical, and beautiful town with a lot of things to see and do.

Originally posted August 29, 2019 by Alan K. Lee. Most recent update December 9, 2023.

Winter Hikes at Silver Falls

by Alan K. Lee

The following is an edited and expanded version of a post first published (in a different format) on this site on December 31, 2019.

Winter Hikes at Silver Falls

Where: Silver Falls State Park, Oregon, USA

Distance: One to eight miles

Elevation gain: 300 to 800 feet

Difficulty: Easy to moderate

Map: Oregon State Parks map and brochure

Overview:

Winter is closing in, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still good hiking options in the Willamette Valley. Silver Falls State Park near Silverton, Oregon offers a number of loops and out and back hikes from barely one mile to nearly eight miles in length that take you to one or more of the eleven named waterfalls in the park. There are also back country trails in the park offering even longer hikes (though no waterfalls). And the park is once again holding its Winter Festival in December that will offer ranger-guided hikes in the park and informational displays about the plants and animals found in the park.

Silver Falls has been called the crown jewel of the Oregon state parks system. You’ll get no argument from me. It’s a spectacularly beautiful and unique place. Where else can you see 10 (or more) waterfalls on a single hike? I grew up in Salem, about a 30 minute drive from the falls. I’ve been there countless times, and it has never failed to delight and sometimes amaze me. When I started this blog in 2018, Silver Falls was my first post.

Winter can bring snow and ice and dangerous conditions to the trails in the park. But at an elevation of about 1500 feet, the park isn’t high enough for snow to remain on the ground all winter. And on my last winter visit to the park the temperature was in the mid 40s and there was no sign of snow.

Getting there:

Silver Falls State Park is located about fifteen miles east of Salem, Oregon. Coming from Salem or south, take Ore Hwy 22 east and look for signs to Silver Falls. The turn off onto Ore Hwy 214 is about five miles east of Interstate-5. The South Falls day use area is about 15 miles from Hwy 22. Coming from the north, take exit 271 off I-5 at Woodburn. Proceed through Woodburn on Ore Hwy 214, which then takes you through the towns of Mount Angel and Silverton. The park is about 12 miles beyond Silverton.

Trailheads:

There are four trailheads in the main canyon area. By far the largest parking area is at South Falls. There is a small parking area (eight spaces) at the Winter Falls trailhead. The North Falls and new North Canyon trailheads have parking for 30-50 vehicles. There are no facilities at the Winter Falls trailhead, but the other three have restrooms and drinking water available. The South Falls area also has a cafe and a nature store. All parking areas require an Oregon State Parks day use pass. Daily passes are $5 and can be purchased at the South Falls, North Falls, and North Canyon trailheads. Annual passes are $30 for one year and $50 for two years, and can be purchased online through the at the Oregon State Parks website.

The South Falls-Maple Ridge hike:

This 2.2-mile loop is a good option if you don’t have time to do any of the longer hikes possible in the park. Starting at the South Falls parking area, make your way to the creek above the falls and follow it downstream to the viewing area at the top of the falls. At 177 feet, South Falls is the highest falls on the north or south forks of Silver Creek and the second highest in the park. From the top of the falls the trail descends to a good vantage point a short way down the trail. Just below the first viewpoint look for a signed side trail to Frenchie Falls. This is the eleventh named falls and the smallest by volume, but it’s worth a look. Back on the main Canyon Trail there are several more places where you can get a good view of South Falls.

Continue down the main trail, which will take you behind South Falls. Here you will be between two layers of the Columbia River Basalt lava flows that are about 15-16 million years old. You’ll be tempted to linger behind the falls because it’s a pretty cool spot, but be prepared to get wet. Spray from the falls often soaks the whole “cave” behind the falls.

Below the falls there are several good viewpoints. Just downstream of the falls you’ll come to the first trail junction. The trail across the bridge will take you back to the parking area for a one-mile loop hike.

Continuing on the Canyon Trail, you’ll next come to Lower South Falls at approximately the one-mile mark. Here the trail also goes behind the falls. Below the falls, you’ll come to the junction with the Maple Ridge Trail at the 1.4-mile mark of the hike. Take the Maple Ridge Trail and climb out of the canyon.

Along the rim of the canyon the Myrtle Ridge Trail takes you through a world of moss and ferns. In the summer it’s shaded by the many Bigleaf Maples and Douglas Firs that line the trail, but in the winter it’s more open and, if you’re lucky enough to get some sunshine, the moss-covered trees and rocks and the ferns can be a vibrant green that is captivating. There wasn’t any sunshine on my last winter hike there, but the moss and ferns still provided a shot of greenery that contrasts with the darker green of the conifers above. Follow the Myrtle Ridge Trail back to the South Falls day use area where you started.

South Falls-Winter Falls loop:

The South Falls-Winter Falls loop is a longer hike (approximately 4.5 miles) than the South Falls-Myrtle Ridge loop. Follow the trail as described above, but at the Myrtle Ridge Trail junction, continue on the Canyon Trail. Here the Canyon Trail leaves the south fork of Silver Creek and joins the north fork. Following the north fork upstream, look for an intermittent waterfall across the creek at the 1.9-mile mark.

The trail then takes you to Lower North Falls (30 feet) at the 2.4-mile mark. Just above the falls a side trail leads to Double Falls, the highest in the park at 184 feet (combined drops). The volume of water flowing over Double Falls is much less than the falls on the two forks of Silver Creek, but still worth a look.

Next up is Drake Falls (27 feet), then the 106-foot drop of Middle North Falls. A side trail here leads behind the falls, but dead ends on the other side. Back on the main trail, you will come to the junction of the Winter Falls Trail at the 2.9-mile mark. Take the Winter Falls Trail to the base of the falls. Like Double Falls, Winter Falls is on a tributary creek with less volume than either fork of Silver Creek.

From the base of the falls, continue up the trail to the rim of the canyon and return to the South Falls day use area on the Rim Trail.

Other winter hikes:

The new North Canyon trailhead and North Canyon Trail makes possible a new loop hike that I’m calling the North Canyon Loop that takes you to North and Twin Falls. And the 0.6-mile out and back hike to Upper North Falls is an easy addition to extend the hike to 3.0 miles. And of course the full 7.2-mile Trail of Ten Falls is doable year-round.

Other area attractions:

The Silverton area has a number of decent places to grab a bite to eat or a pint of beer after your hike. Try the Silver Falls Brewery and Alehouse in Silverton or the Benedictine Brewery near Mount Angel that is operated by monks from the Mount Angel Abbey. Silverton is also home to the Oregon Garden, one of the state’s leading botanical gardens. Next door to the Oregon Garden is the Gordon House, the only surviving Frank Lloyd Wright designed house in Oregon.

Posted November 27, 2023. Updated December 5, 2024.

Rocky Mountain National Park

Overview

Rocky Mountain National Park in northern Colorado is without question one of the most scenic places I have ever been. Its mountains, lakes, meadows, waterfalls, rivers, and forests rival those of Glacier National Park, the Canadian Rockies, and the Teton Range. And its vast tracks of alpine tundra above the timberline and its 14,000-foot peaks make it unique. All of that, and its proximity to the Denver metropolitan area, make it one of the most visited national parks in the country.

I had the pleasure of visiting the park last August (2023) with my wife at the beginning of our tour of the Colorado Rockies that also took us to Breckenridge, Leadville, Aspen, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Alamosa, Royal Gorge, Pueblo, and Colorado Springs. We ended our tour at the Garden of the Gods, an incredibly beautiful collection of rock spires that is another of the most scenic spots I’ve ever visited.

The popularity of Rocky Mountain National Park has led to overcrowding in the past. To limit the number of visitors, the park has instituted timed entry permits, which are needed to visit both the Bear Lake area of the park and to access Trail Ridge Road, which takes you through the high-altitude country along the continental divide. The permits can be obtained through the park website but go quickly.

View from Alpine Visitor Center, Trail Ridge Road

On the first day of each month during the summer tourist season, the park opens the sale of permits for the following month. We had already made reservations for lodging in Estes Park, as well as our flight to Denver and our car rental before the entry permits for the days in August that we planned to visit were available. So, my wife got on the web early on July 1 to ensure that we got permits for our desired days, which she was able to obtain. Otherwise, we would have been scrambling to change our plans.

Estes Park

The town of Estes Park, located just outside the eastern boundary of the park, is the gateway to the park and an ideal base for exploring the park. It is a tourist town, to be sure, with at least some of the negatives that being one brings. But it also has enough appeal to make spending a whole day there an enjoyable start to your trip. We had fun exploring the compact downtown area with its many cafes, bars, art galleries, and shops. The Riverwalk along the Big Thompson River and Estes Lake is pretty, and many of the downtown businesses can be accessed from both the main street and the Riverwalk.

At an elevation of 7500 feet, Estes Park is also a good place to spend a couple of days acclimating to the altitude. If, like us, you live near sea level, giving yourself a few days to get used to the lesser oxygen content of the atmosphere is definitely something that you should consider doing. We didn’t, but we paid a bit of a price for not doing so, too.

Bear Lake Area

Our first full day in the Rockies was spent in the Bear Lake area of Rocky Mountain National Park. Having a timed entry permit doesn’t mean you’ll find a parking spot at Bear Lake, so we opted to park in the park-and-ride lot a few miles past the entry station and ride the shuttle up to the lake. The shuttles run frequently and the trip is short – 15 minutes, maybe. So, if you don’t get on the first shuttle, another will be along soon.

We did three hikes that day. The first, a short, almost flat 0.8-mile loop around Bear Lake, was a good start. Bear Lake is at almost 9500 feet, so the air was noticeably thinner than even at Estes Park. But we took it slow, soaking up the scenery and taking lots of photos.

Our second hike was longer, about two miles, and took us to Alberta Falls. The trail descends about 300 feet from Bear Lake to Tyndall Creek, then climbs to the falls on Glacier Creek. We took a shortcut on the return trip by hiking down to the Glacier Gorge trailhead and riding the shuttle back to up Bear Lake rather than hiking back up the hill.

Our third hike was the 2.5-mile out and back hike up to the aptly named Dream Lake at just under 10,000 feet. We were feeling the altitude by the time we got to the lake. We spent quite a bit of time at the lake resting and taking in the absolutely gorgeous setting. Emerald Lake is only about a third of a mile from Dream Lake, and possibly even more beautiful, but I was gassed by then, so we turned around at the head of the lake and returned to Bear Lake and picked up a shuttle ride back to our SUV.

On our way back to Estes Park we took a side trip to Moraine Park, a glacier-carved valley on the Big Thompson Reservoir lined by steep ridges to the north and south. Moraine Park was once home to a resort and golf course but has been restored to its natural state of meadow and marshland. Moraine Park is known for its elk and other wildlife, but the elk were nowhere to be seen when we were there.

Trail Ridge Road

The next morning, we packed up and headed for the high country of Trail Ridge Road. Much of the drive is above timberline. The high point of the drive is at almost 12,200 feet.

We first stopped at Beaver Meadows Visitor Center. From there, the road climbs steadily to Many Parks Curve Overlook, where you look down almost 1500 feet to Beaver Meadows and Moraine Park in the distance. At Rainbow Curve Overlook you look down on Fall River Valley, 2200 feet below you.

We stopped at Rock Cut and did a short hike at an elevation of 12,150 feet. It had to be short because just walking around at that elevation was enough to make both of us lightheaded. But, my God, what incredible scenery.

I can say with confidence that Trail Ridge Road is one of the most beautiful drives on the planet. Just awesome.

Coming down off Trail Ridge we stopped on the continental divide at Milner Pass (at 10,759 feet you actually come down in elevation from Trail Ridge to the divide). We did a short walk there along the shore of Poudre Lake and, of course, took a photo of the continental divide sign before heading south.

Upper Colorado River

The headwaters of the Colorado River lay just northwest of Milner Pass. We stopped in Coyote Valley, where we did another short hike (about 1¼ miles) along the upper reaches of the river, which at that point is just an easily wadable creek.

Conclusion

We exited the park that afternoon at Grand Lake, with some regrets that we didn’t plan for more time in the park. Two days weren’t enough. It was a pretty grand two days, but we missed a lot of what the park has to offer. I’m hopeful that we will be back someday, maybe as part of a longer Rocky Mountain adventure. I’m up for a return trip Rocky Mountain National Park, and to the Tetons, Yellowstone, and Glacier, too. I don’t know if that will happen, there are so many places that we’ve never been to, but the dream is there, and why wouldn’t it be?

Posted November 16, 2023 by Alan K. Lee

Garden of the Gods, Colorado

Garden of the Gods

Introduction

My wife and I had the pleasure of visiting the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs on our trip to Colorado last summer (2023). The park is an unbelievably beautiful collection of soaring rock formations that, in my opinion, is truly worthy of national park status. But in fact, it is a Colorado Springs city park, not a national park. But it’s one of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring city parks you’ll find anywhere in the world. And to top it off, admission is free.

Geology

What is now the Garden of the Gods was a shallow inland sea 250 million years ago. When the sea evaporated, it left behind sand that formed dunes, which were in turn buried and compacted, forming layers of red sandstone. The uplift of the Rocky Mountains tilted the sandstone layers nearly vertically. Glacial erosion during the Pleistocene Ice Age sculpted the soaring spires of the present-day.

History

There is archaeological evidence of indigenous people’s use of the area dating to at least 1330 BCE. But native people’s presence in the area almost certainly predates that by centuries if not millennia. European presence dates to early Spanish explorers in the 16^th century, followed later by French and American fur trappers in the 18^th and 19^th centuries. The area became part of the United States in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase.

In 1859, Colorado City was founded and later became the capital of the Colorado Territory before the capital was moved first to Golden, then Denver. Colorado Springs was founded in 1871 just east of what became known as Old Colorado City. Colorado Springs grew rapidly and eventually Old Colorado City became incorporated into the growing city, and is now a neighborhood west of downtown Colorado Springs.

The Park

In 1879 Charles Perkins purchased 480 acres of what is now the Garden of the Gods. After his death in 1907, his family donated the land to the City of Colorado Springs with the provision that it be a free public park. Garden of the Gods Park was created in 1909 and more than 110 years later the park remains open to the public free of admission.

Today the park spans 1341 acres of the Garden of the Gods and the adjacent Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site. In 1971, 862 acres of the park was designated a National Natural Landmark.

The Visitor and Nature Center, located on W. 30th Street across from the park entrance road, is a great place to begin your visit. It includes an information center staffed by park employees, 30 educational exhibits, and a theater that shows a film about the park every twenty minutes.

The park is very popular and parking can be a problem, but there is also a large overflow parking area just west of 30^th Street if the visitor center parking lot is full. There is a pedestrian tunnel under 30^th Street to get from the overflow lot to the visitor center. The park also operates a free shuttle bus in the summer that runs from the visitor center to the center of the park with stops at the overflow parking area and the Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site.

The twenty-one miles of hiking, biking, and horseback riding trails that wind through the spires, the numerous rock-climbing routes, and the abundant wildlife, not to mention the incredible rock formations, make the Garden of the Gods an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise. More than 130 species of birds can be seen in the park. Mule deer, bighorn sheep, coyotes, and red foxes also inhabit the park.

For more information on the park, go to the Garden of the Gods website.

Conclusion

Garden of the Gods is one of the highlights, and truly a must see, of any visit to Colorado. I had seen photos of the Garden’s rock formations, but those didn’t convey just how spectacular and how awesome the rock formations are (nor do the photos here). You have to see them in person to fully appreciate what a magnificent place Garden of the Gods really is.

Look for an upcoming post featuring Rocky Mountain National Park for more on our Colorado trip.

Posted November 8, 2023 by Alan K. Lee

Oswald West State Park

Located between the small towns of Manzanita and Cannon Beach on the north Oregon coast, Oswald West State Park offers a beautiful secluded beach, a prime example of spruce-hemlock temperate rain forest, and some of the most spectacular scenery on the entire coast. The park stretches from Arch Cape in the north to the south slopes of Neahkahnie Mountain, with Smugglers Cove and Short Sand Beach nestled in between Cape Falcon and the north flank of Neahkahnie Mountain.

Oswald West State Park has long been one of my favorite destinations on the Oregon coast. On one of my recent visits, a few days before the spring equinox, the sun was shining, there was an off shore breeze blowing, and the temperature on the beach was about 75 degrees. It was one of those beautiful late winter/early spring breakout days that signal the end of winter – a near perfect day for hiking, sight seeing, and just relaxing on the beach.

The park, originally called Short Sand Beach State Park, was created in 1931 through the efforts of Oregon’s first State Parks Superintendent, Samuel H. Boardman. Boardman was a fervent believer that of as much of the coast should be preserved in public ownership as possible. Many of the state parks along the coast were created under his stewardship. Short Sand Beach State Park was renamed in 1958 to honor former Oregon Governor Oswald West (1873-1960). West was instrumental in preserving public ownership of all Oregon beaches during his term in office (1911-1915) .

Short Sand Beach (also known as Short Sands Beach or just Shorty’s) is popular with local surfers, and is also a popular family destination. The three paved parking lots along Hwy 101 are often full on summer weekends. The short trail to the beach takes you through through the temperate rain forest along Short Sand Creek. There was a walk-in campground located in the forest adjacent to the south end of the beach until 2008 when a large Sitka spruce fell without warning, crushing two fortunately unoccupied campsites. The campground was permanently closed after examination of other trees revealed that several more were in danger of falling.

There are many miles of hiking trails within the park, including thirteen miles of the iconic Oregon Coast Trail. The Oswald West State Park trail guide is a good reference for hikers. Cape Falcon and the north slopes of Neahkahnie Mountain both offer truly spectacular scenery, and can be accessed from Short Sand Beach. The Cape Falcon trail is a personal favorite of mine. Most people don’t venture beyond Short Sand Beach, so you are likely to find yourself with little company, particularly on the section of trail between Cape Falcon and Arch Cape. The trail winds through the spruce-hemlock forest and over Cape Falcon with numerous viewpoints looking south across Smugglers Cove to Neahkahnie Mountain. North of Cape Falcon the trail passes through more spruce-hemlock forest to the small community of Arch Cape, just north of the Arch Cape headland.

Devils Cauldron is a spectacularly beautiful little cove on the north side of Neahkahnie Mountain. It can be reached by either a one mile hike from Short Sand Beach or a much shorter hike from where the Coast Trail crosses Hwy 101. To access the shorter route, drive south on Hwy 101 from the Short Sand Beach parking lots and look for a gravel parking area on the ocean side of the highway. Follow the Coast Trail north a short ways to a signed junction. The Devils Cauldron viewpoint is just a quarter mile walk from the parking area.

On your way back to the trailhead look for another trail branching off to the south. The junction here is unsigned and the trail is sometimes overgrown and impassable. But if it’s open, the trail leads to a narrow shelf of rock that falls away on three sides to the ocean below, and the cliffs of Neahkahnie Mountain tower over the viewpoint to both the north and south. It may not be a place for people with a fear of heights, but it’s one of the most awesome places on the entire coast.

If you’re not a hiker, Hwy 101 has numerous turnouts along the stretch that traverses the face of Neahkahnie Mountain. Here the highway is literally carved into the cliff high above the sea. The views of the ocean and coastline are truly spectacular, and Neahkahnie is one of the best places to spot gray whales.

In the spring, about 18,000 gray whales make the annual trek from their breeding grounds in Baja California to feed in the nutrient rich waters off Alaska. At the peak of the migration in late March about 30 whales per hour pass any given spot on the Oregon coast. Oregon State Parks sponsors Whale Watch Week twice each year, in late March and again in late December when the whales are returning to Baja. Volunteers can be found at 17 spots along the coast, including Neahkahnie Mountain, to help you spot migrating whales. Check the Oregon State Parks Whale Watching website for more information.

After visiting Oswald West, I like to stop at Cannon Beach or Manzanita for a bite to eat and/or a brew or two. In Cannon Beach try Oro’s Fireside Restaurant, Corbin’s, Castaways Global Cuisine, or Pizza A’ Fetta. Cannon Beach brew pubs worth visiting include Pelican Brewing, Bill’s Tavern and Brewhouse, and Public Coast Brewing. If you’re looking for fine dining and cost is not an issue, try the Stephanie Inn or Newmans At 988.

If you’re heading south, Big Wave Cafe, Left Coast Siesta (Mexican), Neah-kah-nie Bistro (fine dining), Marzano’s Pizza Pie, and San Dune Pub (that’s not a typo) in Manzanita are all good places to stop, as is Riverside Fish and Chips in nearby Nehalem. A good breakfast before heading to the park can be had at Lazy Susan Cafe in Cannon Beach, Yolk in Manzanita, or Wanda’s Cafe in Nehalem.

Oswald West State Park is about a two hour drive from Portland, so it’s easily doable as a day trip if you’re from the Portland area or are visiting Portland. But if you want to make a weekend of it, there are plenty of other attractions on the north Oregon coast beyond Oswald West. Hug Point is another spot that my wife and I visit frequently. Both Manzanita and Cannon Beach are interesting towns worth exploring in their own right, have nice beaches, and have many resorts, motels, B&Bs, and other accommodations, as well as their many fine eating and drinking establishments. Seaside, Gearhart, and the Astoria area are other options to the north. Public campgrounds can be found at Nehalem Bay State Park near Manzanita (265 camp sites and 18 yurts), and Fort Stevens State Park (almost 500 campsites, 15 yurts and 11 cabins) at the mouth of the Columbia River about 30 miles north of Oswald West.

If you’re an art lover, Cannon Beach has many fine art galleries, including White Bird, DragonFire, Bronze Coast, Jeffrey Hull, North By Northwest, Imprint, and Icefire Glassworks. Look for a future Pacific Northwest Explorer post on the Cannon Beach art scene.

Originally posted March 27, 2019 by Alan K. Lee. Updated and re-posted June 26, 2021 and November 4, 2023.

Champoeg Riverside Trail

Where: Champoeg State Heritage Area, Oregon

Distance: 3.2 miles (approximate)

Type: Out and back

Elevation gain: Minimal

Difficulty: Easy

Map: The park map and brochure is available online at the park website and at the park visitor center.

Overview:

The Champoeg Riverside Trail along the Willamette River in Champoeg (pronounced sham-poo-ee) State Heritage Area is an easy family and pet friendly hike with little to no elevation gain. The trail features some good views of the river and is a good year-round option for hikers, close to both the Salem and Portland metropolitan areas. Champoeg State Heritage Area is also one of the most significant historical sites in Oregon (see below).

Getting there:

From Portland or Salem, proceed to Exit 278 (Aurora-Donald) on Interstate-5, go west on Ehlen Road for 3.5 miles, then turn right onto Case Road and follow it to Campoeg State Heritage Area. The park can also be reached from Newberg by taking Oregon Hwy 219 south for four miles to Champoeg Road, then east on Champoeg Road for two miles to the park entrance.

Trailhead:

Inside the park, follow signs to the Riverside picnic area. Restrooms and water are available at the parking area. An Oregon State Park day-use pass ($5/day or $30/year) is required.

The hike:

From the Riverside parking area there are several trails leading to the riverbank. Once there, turn right and follow the packed dirt and gravel trail along the riverbank east to the Townsite picnic area at about the quarter-mile mark. Continue east through the parking area and pick up the Townsite Trail at the east end.

The Townsite Trail takes you along the river through a mixed woodland of Douglas fir, bigleaf maple, and red alder with partially screened views of the river. There are several user-made trails leading down to the water, but they are steep (and dangerous if the ground is wet), so be careful if you want to get to the water for a better view of the river.

At about the one-mile mark you’ll come to an open field on your right and you’ll see a boat dock ahead on your left. There is a small parking area here with a restroom. Head down to the dock for the best views of the river on this hike.

Coming back up from the dock, look for a trail to your left. This will take you to Champoeg Creek where it flows into the Willamette. The trail then loops back through the forest and comes out into a clearing. Follow the edge of the clearing back to the restroom above the dock. From there, retrace your route back to the trailhead at the Riverside picnic area.

Best time to go:

Weekdays from mid-June to mid-October are best, but this is a year-round trail and a good option for winter hikes in the Willamette Valley. Summer weekends can be crowded (and hot), so go early in the day if possible. The trail can be muddy in places in the winter and spring, so hiking boots are advised, and the many side trails leading down to the water are slippery and dangerous when the ground is wet.

Champoeg State Park:

In addition to its hiking trails, the park also offers several large picnic areas that can be reserved for group outings and a 94-site campground. The park is also the site of the historic 1843 vote that led to the area becoming part of the United States rather the United Kingdom. Until that vote, the de facto government of the area was the English owned Hudson Bay Company. For more information on the area history, go to the Oregon State Parks website, or visit the Visitor Center at the park.

Lower South Falls, Silver Falls State Park

Other area attractions:

Silver Falls State Park, one of the best year-round hiking destinations you’ll find anywhere, is located about 30 miles south of Champoeg and 15 miles east of Salem. If you go, you might also want to check out the nearby Oregon Garden, located in the small town of Silverton.

Posted October 26, 2023 by Alan K. Lee