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Cinque Terre

by Alan K. Lee

The following is an expanded and updated version of an August 2018 post on this site.

After years of talking about visiting Italy someday, my wife and I packed our bags and headed across the Atlantic in May 2018, bound for Cinque Terre and Tuscany. We left Portland on a Wednesday afternoon and landed in Florence on Thursday afternoon (local time), sleep deprived and feeling very jet lagged.

It took a while for us to find our Airbnb rental. In addition to being sleep deprived, we discovered that the street addresses in Florence are not sequential – 50 daVinci, for example might be somewhere between 200 and 500, with 51 daVinci blocks away – something we found both nonsensical and frustrating. But the beauty, charm, history, food, and art of the country, and people we encountered, more than made up for the country’s shortcomings.

Arno River and the Ponte Vecchio, Florence

Once we finally found our rental and got checked in, we spent a little time exploring the center of the city, then crashed early and tried to make up for our sleepless night on the plane. In the morning we made our way to the train station in central Florence and, with a little help from a Trenitalia agent, boarded our train for Cinque Terre, where our next Airbnb was waiting for us in the town of Manarola.

We chose to stay in Cinque Terre because most of the tourists are day trippers and we thought we might get a more authentic and less crowded experience in the mornings and evenings. That turned out to be true to a certain extent. A lot of other visitors had the same idea that we did, though. But it didn’t matter. It’s just an incredibly beautiful place.

Cinque Terre coastline looking north toward Manarola (center) and Monterosso (far distance).

Cinque Terre consists of five small villages (cinque terre translates to “five lands”) perched on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea between Pisa and Genoa. All five of the villages are remarkably well preserved. The whole area is a national park, so development is very restricted. There are no big resorts or hotels, and cruise ships can’t dock anywhere in Cinque Terre. Vehicular access and parking are also very limited, making it more difficult to get to Cinque Terre than other parts of Italy, especially for tour buses. There were plenty of tourists even in May, to be sure, but the incredibly beautiful location and the charm of the villages themselves make the hordes of tourists less objectionable.

Riomaggiore is southernmost of the five villages and the first you come to if you’re coming from Pisa or Florence, as we were. We didn’t spend much time there, just enough to walk up the steep main street from the harbor where we could get a good view of the town and the surrounding area.

Manarola is the next village. We spent most of our time there, since we were staying there, but I think it is also the most beautiful of the five villages, so we would have spent a lot of time there regardless. You could make an argument for any of the five being the prettiest, though, and a lot of people would vote for Vernazza.

Corniglia is the middle village, and the only one not on the water. It’s also the least visited. Many visitors may skip Corniglia because of the 380-step climb from the railroad station to the town, but if you can manage it the climb is well worth it. Corniglia is the least touristy of the five villages, but there are still plenty of interesting sights to see and places to visit, and also plenty of good places to eat and drink.

Vernazza has a pretty harbor and the view from the top of the Doria Tower is stunning. There are also a maze of narrow pedestrian alleyways lined with flowers in brightly colored pots that are a joy to explore. And Vernazza probably has more cafes and restaurants than any of the other villages.

Monterosso al Mare is the northernmost of the Cinque Terre villages and the only one with a beach. It is also the largest and most touristy of the five, but it still retains much of its original charm.

Because we would not be home on Mother’s Day, my two stepdaughters bought my wife (and me) tickets to a pesto making class and lunch at the Nessum Dorma Restaurant in Manarola, something I would not have done on my own, but which turned out to be both a good introduction to Italian cuisine and loads of fun. And the food was very good, including the pesto that we made ourselves.

Sea caves between Monterosso and Vernazza

The next day we made our way to Monterosso al Mare. There we took a guided kayaking trip along the coast to Vernazza. Along the way we were able to paddle into a couple of sea caves and to the base of a waterfall. Pretty cool stuff, and well worth the expense. Getting out on the water gives you a completely different perspective, and photo opportunities that can’t be had from shore. This was definitely one of highlights of the trip.

View south from Corniglia, looking toward Manarola

We found that the best way to get to Cinque Terre, and the best way to get from town to town, is by train. The train system in Italy is much better than some have portrayed it (at least when the employees are not on strike). Trains run on time (or close), run frequently, and the system is easy to use. It can be confusing at first, especially in large train stations like the Santa Maria Novello station in central Florence. But the Trenitalia agents were helpful, and after our first day we traveled around for the next two weeks without incident (except for the ticket machine that took our cash but didn’t give us the tickets).

Tickets for the local trains in Cinque Terre cost €5.00 each way regardless of your destination. If you’re in Riomaggiore, tickets to Manarola (which is a two-minute journey) cost the same €5.00 as tickets to Monterosso, so it can get expensive if you’re trying to see all five villages in a day. You can buy a Cinque Terre Train Card at any of the train stations that allows unlimited train travel between the villages and also north to Levanto and south to La Spezia, but unless you are making a lot of stops the savings are small (or non-existent).

Note: There are two types of Cinque Terre Cards. The Trekking Card gives you access to the Blue Trail from Corniglia to Monterosso. The cost is €7.50 for a one-day pass and €15.00 for a two-day pass, with discounts for seniors and children. The Train (Treno) Card also gives you access to the Blue Trail, plus unlimited access to the National Park shuttle busses, free use of public toilets, free wi-fi at train stations, and free entrance to some of the museums in La Spezia, in addition to unlimited train travel. A one-day Train card currently costs €18.20 for adults, €14.80 for seniors (70+), and €11.40 for children (4-11). One-day family (two adults and two children) cards are €47.00. Two- and three-day cards are also available. The Cinque Terre Travel website has a lot of good information on the train system.

Another way to get from village to village is by boat. There are large tour boats that make regularly scheduled trips from village to village (except Corniglia) at reasonable rates. They can be crowded and don’t run except in calm conditions. (Because they are too large for the small harbors they nose into the rocky shore and even a little chop can make getting on and off dangerous).

The tour boats weren’t operating on the day we had set aside for a tour, but we had already been out on the water kayaking, so it wasn’t a great loss. There are also private boats that can be hired. They are more expensive, but if you have a small group of people, hiring a private boat can be more affordable on a per passenger basis.

View from above Corniglia, looking south to Manarola

Hiking opportunities abound in Cinque Terre but be prepared for some serious elevation changes. The popular low elevation Blue Trail between Corniglia and Manarola and the Via dell’Amore between Manarola and Riomaggiore were both closed because of landslides when we were there. The Via dell’Amore’s reopening is scheduled for some time in 2024, but this being Italy, don’t hold your breath. When the Blue Trail between Manarola and Corniglia reopens is anybody’s guess. The Blue Trail between Corniglia and Monterosso was open we were there, and remains open as of May 2023, but again, this is Italy, so don’t count on it. Hiking the Blue Trail requires a Cinque Terre Trekking Card. All of the other trails in Cinque Terre are free.

View from Volastra, looking north to Corniglia (center) and Monterosso (far distance)

We did take the park shuttle from Manarola up to the village of Volastra, then hiked the high route from there to Corniglia. Most of that trail is relatively flat and has great vistas from Manarola all the way to Monterosso. The final portion to Corniglia is steeply downhill. After exploring Corniglia we returned to Manarola by train.

There are miles of other trails from Levanto north of Cinque Terre to Portovenere to the south. Definitely check out the Italian Fix website if you’re planning to do any hiking in Cinque Terre, as it has a lot of information on hiking in Cinque Terre and vicinity and is updated frequently.

Our five days in Cinque Terre passed quickly, then we were on to Lucca for a few days, then Siena, with a brief stop in Pisa to see the Leaning Tower, and finally back to Florence.

Would I go again? In a heartbeat. I could probably spend every evening for the rest of my life sitting at one of the cliffside tables at the Nessum Dorma restaurant in Manarola, looking across the little harbor to the colorful houses stacked one on top of another, sipping a local wine and munching on cheese and bruschetta or focaccia, and be perfectly happy.

Originally posted August 20, 2018. Updated and re-posted May 8, 2023.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

God’s Thumb Hike

Where: Oregon Coast

Type: Out and back

Distance: 4.5 miles

Elevation gain: 1100 feet

Difficulty: Easy to moderate

Map: Oregon Hikers website

Overview:

God’s Thumb is a conical basalt headland rising out of the sea like a giant thumb just north of Lincoln City, Oregon. I first laid eyes on God’s Thumb in the 1980s, from the open grassland on the summit of Cascade Head. From there the Salmon River Estuary is immediately below you and just beyond is the town of Lincoln City. In between, there is a rocky headland – God’s Thumb. There’s also an isolated cove and a nice beach visible from Cascade Head. I wondered how you could get there. When I inquired about the area, I was disappointed to find out that you couldn’t. Even though God’s Thumb was (and is) part of the Siuslaw National Forest, there was no public access to it. The only ways to get there crossed private property that were not open to the public.

The God’s Thumb hike remained closed to the public until about a decade ago. Although people occasionally trespassed across private property to get to it, God’s Thumb remained largely unknown. But in 2013 Lincoln City purchased about 500 acres of property that was the site of a failed subdivision and negotiated an easement with the owner of the neighboring property, making God’s Thumb legally accessible to the public for the first time.

Trailhead:

The God’s Thumb hike starts just north of Lincoln City. Coming from Lincoln City, go north on Hwy 101, past the turn to Road’s End and Chinook Winds Casino, and turn left onto NE Devil’s Lake Boulevard at the next traffic signal. The trailhead is on your left just before the cul de sac at the end of the road.

The hike:

From the parking area at the trailhead, the trail wanders through the woods for about a quarter mile before crossing Logan Creek on a bridge. On the other side of the creek you’ll come to Sal La Sea Drive. You’ll note that there is a small parking lot there. Turn right and walk up Sal La Sea Drive another quarter mile and turn right onto Port Drive. You’ll see a gate ahead. You’ll also note that there is parking for four or five cars at the end of Sal La Sea Drive. (See A few notes on parking, below). Walk around the gate and follow an old gravel road straight up the hill. In about a quarter of a mile you’ll come to a junction. Turn left and walk out to The Knoll.

You don’t want to skip this because the view here is spectacular. The Pacific Ocean is spread out before you in all its glory. The Road’s End section of Lincoln City is directly below you. Lincoln City stretches out before you, with Devil’s Lake to the east and Siletz Bay to the south. The view extends south to Cape Foulweather. You might want to park yourself on the grassy summit and just sit for a while. Apparently, the local herd of elk also like the view because they often bed down here at night.

When you’re done taking in the view from The Knoll, return to the main trail and continue north. This portion of the trail is on the easement granted to the city by the property owner. The trail takes you through a spruce and hemlock forest and across a small meadow. Parts of the trail are steep, but the elevation gain is modest, and most people won’t have any difficulty. You’ll soon come to a trail junction. Stay left to continue on to God’s Thumb. You’ll pass through more spruce, hemlock and alder forest, and across several grassy meadows before the trail swings to the west and comes to another trail junction. The trail to the right comes up from the private Camp Westwind on the Salmon River Estuary. Stay left at the junction and you’ll soon see God’s Thumb in front of you. Stop here and admire the view of The Thumb and the surrounding cliffs, the two coves and beaches on either side of The Thumb, and Cascade Head to the north.

The trail then drops steeply down the slope and across along a narrow ridge before climbing very steeply up the slope to the summit of God’s Thumb. This section can be tricky to navigate and can also be slippery if the trail is wet. Some people choose not to venture down and then up to the summit. But if you do, you’ll be rewarded with magnificent views in all directions. Even if you don’t, the views you do get make the hike well worthwhile.

When you’re done taking in the views, return the way you came. When you reach the second trail junction, before you get to The Knoll, you have the option of taking the trail to the left for an alternate, slightly longer route back to the end of Devil’s Lake Boulevard where you left your car. Check the Oregon Hikers website for a description of this trail and more information about the whole hike. If you don’t take the alternate route, venture out to The Knoll again. The view might be completely different if the fog has come in (or gone out).

A few notes on parking:

The two parking areas along Sal La Sea Drive that I mentioned are both okay to park in (legally) if you want to shorten your hike a little. But they’re not officially sanctioned because they fill up quickly and many people have parked on residential streets close by when they are full, to the ire of the local residents. Please do not park on any residential street. The Devil’s Lake trailhead was developed to give hikers an additional parking area and lessen the amount of people parking where they shouldn’t. If all of the parking areas mentioned are full, you can park at Road’s End State Recreational Area on Logan Road and walk up Sal La Sea Drive to the Port Drive trailhead. That makes the round-trip hike only about half a mile longer than starting at the Devil’s Lake Boulevard trailhead. And under no circumstances should you use the shorter trail from the end of Logan Road to get to God’s Thumb. The property owner has not granted public access across their property. They haven’t fenced it off, but please respect their property rights. And besides, there is no public parking anywhere on Logan Road other than at Road’s End State Recreation Area, so you risk having your vehicle towed if you park illegally.

Other area hikes and other attractions:

Other worthwhile hikes in the Lincoln City area include the Nature Conservancy’s Cascade Head Preserve, the Hartz Cove Trail on the north side of Cascade Head, and the Drift Creek Falls Trail in the Coast Range foothills to the east. More on those in later posts. And farther south, the Beaver Creek State Natural Area offers a nice, quiet, and peaceful hike that not many people know about.

And the central coast from Lincoln City to Newport has numerous other attractions, including the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, the charming (but increasingly touristy) town of Depoe Bay, Chinook Winds Casino in Lincoln City, and numerous state parks and waysides.

Originally posted (in a slightly different format) May 19, 2021 by Alan K. Lee. Edited, reformatted, and re-posted May 3, 2023.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Bayocean Peninsula Hike

By Alan K. Lee

Bayocean Peninsula Hike

Where: Tillamook County, Northern Oregon Coast

Type: Out and back beach walk or loop hike

Distance: 3.6- or 7.7-mile loop hikes or out and back hikes up to 8.2 miles

Elevation gain: Minimal

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate (depending on length)

Map: Google Maps

Guidebooks:

100 Hikes: Oregon Coast by William L. Sullivan

120 Hikes on the Oregon Coast by Bonnie Henderson

Oregon’s Best Coastal Beaches by Dick Trout

Oregon Coast Hikes by Paul M. Williams

Overview:

Bayocean Peninsula separates Tillamook Bay from the Pacific Ocean. The peninsula runs from the mouth of the bay south for five miles to Cape Meares. I’ll describe two loop hikes that include a beach walk and a return on the bay side, but out and back hikes on the beach or the bay side of the peninsula are also options here.

Bayocean Peninsula was once home to the resort community of Bay Ocean Park. A century ago the town had a large hotel, what was billed as the largest natatorium (indoor swimming pool) on the west coast and 2000 residents. But the ocean reclaimed all of it. Today, nothing is left of the town. See my Bayocean Peninsula post for more information.

The peninsula is now an undeveloped county park. There has never been a campground, but in the past backcountry camping was permitted. That has changed, however, and overnight camping is no longer allowed.

Getting there:

From the town of Tillamook, drive west on Third Street (Ore Hwy 131). After crossing the Tillamook River bridge, turn right onto Bayocean Road toward Cape Meares. At milepost five, turn right onto the old south jetty haul road (sometimes called the Dike Road) and proceed to the trailhead parking area.

Trailhead:

The trailhead parking area has space for about 25 vehicles. There are chemical toilets but no water available. There is a $10 Tillamook County day use fee, payable at the trailhead. An alternative trailhead is the beach access in the town of Cape Meares about a mile west of the Dike Road turnoff. There is no parking fee, but also no facilities. Add about 1.8 miles to the distances listed above.

The hike:

From the northwest corner of the Dike Road parking area, follow the trail through the dunes to the beach and turn north. In a little over a mile, look for a sandy draw between forested bluffs. Here you have a choice. If you follow the draw inland, a trail will take you through the spruce and pine forest to the bay side of the peninsula. From there you can return to the trailhead on the old jetty haul road for a 3.6-mile loop hike.

Or, continue along the beach until you reach the south jetty at the mouth of Tillamook Bay. You’ll be rewarded with one of the least crowded beaches on the entire coast. You might have the beach to yourself even on summer weekends.

From the jetty you can return the way you came for 7.2 mile out and back beach walk or complete the 7.7-mile loop hike by following the jetty inland to the old jetty haul road and following it back to the trailhead. The road is rock and gravel with some sandy stretches. It runs along the bayshore, with good views of the shore and bay, with a couple of stretches in the pine and spruce forest of the peninsula interior.

Note: At the time of this update (April 2024), the north end of the haul road is closed to the public due to jetty construction work, so the longer loop is not possible. The construction work does not affect the beach or the Bay Ocean Park townsite.

Look for ducks and geese on the water and shorebirds along the water’s edge. This is one of the best birding areas for waterfowl on the coast.

Near the end of the hike look for a sign labeled Bayocean Townsite. Here a trail leads toward the beach to the old townsite. The trail loops south through what was then the bayfront (the whole peninsula has shifted a couple of hundred yards to the east and much of the old townsite is now under the waves), then returns to the haul road, where there is an interpretive display that tells the tale of the town and its demise. From there, return to the parking area. (If you started at the town of Cape Meares, hike from the Dike Road parking area through the dunes and return to Cape Meares on the beach.)

Other area attractions and activities:

The beach walk south to the base of the Cape Meares headland provides an up-close view of the ocean waves crashing against the rocky headland, and Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint, on top of the headland, provides spectacular ocean views both north and south, one of the best whale watching spots on the coast, a lighthouse dating to 1890, and the spectacular Octopus Tree, a many trunked Sitka Spruce.

Farther south, Cape Lookout offers more hiking options, including a unique hike to the tip of the cape, which extends two miles into the Pacific.

If you want to quench your thirst after your hike, stop at the Pelican Brewing pub on First Street in Tillamook or de Garde Brewing a block south at the corner of Second and Ivy. Tillamook is also home, of course, to the famous Tillamook Cheese Factory, one of the most visited tourist destinations in Oregon. And Tillamook is also home to Blue Heron French Cheese Company.

Originally posted April 26, 2023. Most recently updated April 18, 2024.

All photos © Alan K. Lee, except as noted

British Columbia’s Gulf Islands

by Alan K. Lee

My wife and I love to explore new places, and most of our travels are to places that we have never been to before. But there are a few places that have drawn us back again and again. One of those is British Columbia’s Gulf Islands. The Covid-19 pandemic interrupted our plans to revisit the islands in 2021, but we will be back again in the near future.

The Gulf Islands are located off the southeast coast of Vancouver Island. There are six main islands in the Southern Gulf Islands: Salt Spring, Mayne, North Pender, South Pender, Saturna, and Galiano. The Northern Gulf Islands consist of Thetis, Penelakut, Valdes, and Gabriola Islands. Each island has its own particular charms, and all are well worth exploring.

The Gulf Islands Guide has a description of each island and good information on events and accommodations in the Islands. Other useful websites include Gulf Islands Tourism, and Salt Spring Island.org.

The largest, most populated, and most accessible of the Southern Gulf Islands is Salt Spring. Ganges, on Salt Spring, is the commercial and cultural heart of the Islands. It is the largest (and really the only) town in the Southern Gulf Islands. One of the charms of the Gulf Islands is that they are largely untrammeled by commercial development. There are no big resorts, no malls, nothing to draw in the masses except the natural beauty that surrounds you everywhere in the Islands. But once there, many people are captivated not only by the scenery and wildlife, but also by the people and the islands’ culture and lifestyle.

Salt Spring has an active arts community, with numerous galleries and studios in Ganges and scattered across the island. A Farmer’s Market is held in Ganges every Saturday during the summer, where you can sample artisanal cheeses and locally grown produce. Arts, crafts, and home and garden products are also available.

Salt Spring and the other Gulf Islands also offer an abundance of outdoor activities, from hiking and mountain biking to sailing and kayaking, camping, fishing, whale watching, and more.

There are no commercial airports in the Gulf Islands, but there are float plane companies that will take you to the islands. And the Victoria airport is only a few miles from the Schwartz Bay ferry terminal, so flying to Victoria and renting a car is a good option for people from outside the Northwest that want to visit the Southern Gulf Islands.

Most visitors to the Gulf Islands arrive via one of the BC Ferries. Passenger and car ferries travel from Tsawwassen on the B.C. mainland south of Vancouver to Long Harbor near Ganges, and from Schwartz Bay on Vancouver Island north of Victoria to Fulford Harbor near the southern tip of Salt Spring. There is also a smaller ferry from Crofton on Vancouver Island to Vesuvius on the northwest side of Salt Spring. The other Southern Gulf Islands are serviced by ferries departing the Long Harbor terminal.

The Northern Gulf Islands are reached by ferries from Chemainus and Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. Be sure to check the ferry schedules on the BC Ferries website. Reservations may be required, especially on summer weekends, and the ferry system is designed to serve island residents, not tourists, so island hopping can be difficult.

I’ve found that a good way to explore the Southern Gulf Islands by car is to base yourself on Salt Spring and pick an island to explore each day. North and South Pender Islands are connected by a bridge, so they can be explored in a day. Take another three days to explore Mayne, Saturna, and Galiano. That still leaves you several days to see all Salt Spring has to offer, even if you have only a week.

There is a bus system on Salt Spring Island, but public transportation is limited or nonexistent on the other islands. You can get around without a car, though. There is a unique Car Stop system, sort of an organized hitchhiking system, on all of the Southern Islands. Look for the Car Stop signs and stick out your thumb. Someone will stop to give you a ride. Drivers can be selective about who they pick up, and of course hitchhikers can be equally selective about whose car they get into. But it’s generally safe, and it’s free. It also a unique way to get to know some of the locals.

If you or one of your fellow travelers is an experience boater or sailor, you can charter a sailboat or power boat and explore the islands by sea. Full-service marinas are located at Sidney on Vancouver Island, and on Saltspring, Pender, Galiano, and Thetis Islands, and there are public docks on most of the islands. Winds and currents can be tricky and changeable in the narrow channels between the islands, so experience is essential and charter companies require proof of competence. But if you have the necessary qualifications, this is an excellent way to explore the Islands. We have done this, and I can personally recommend it.

There are a wide variety of accommodations available on the islands, from full-service resorts and hotels to traditional B&Bs to single rooms available through Airbnb. One place that I can personally recommend is Spindrift Oceanfront Cottages on Salt Spring Island near Ganges. Spindrift is located at the end of a peninsula in Ganges Harbor in a park-like setting. It has two sand beaches perfect for launching kayaks. If you’re a kayaker, this is a perfect jumping off point. Ganges Harbor and its numerous islands are well worth exploring. Prevost Island, a short paddle to the southeast of Ganges Harbor is also worth a visit. A portion of Prevost is set aside as part of the Gulf Islands National Park.

There are a number of Provincial Parks in the Islands that are worth exploring. Mount Maxwell Provincial Park on the west side of Salt Spring Island provides spectacular views of Salt Spring Island and across Saanich Inlet to Vancouver Island to the west. You can drive to the summit, but there are also hiking and mountain bike trails for the more adventurous. Ruckle Provincial Park on the southeast coast of Salt Spring has hiking trails that take you along the shore of Swanson Channel, as well as a campground with eight RV sites (no hookups) and 78 walk in tent sites. There are also good hiking trails at Mt. Erskine Provincial Park, just west of Ganges. Galiano Island also has several provincial parks, and portions of both Pender Islands and Saturna Island are set aside as part of the Gulf Islands National Park.

If you are a cheese lover, you’ll want to visit Salt Spring Island Cheese. Their farm is located on Reynolds Road, just off of the road leading to Ruckle Park. There you can not only sample and purchase their artisanal cheeses, but also see the whole cheese making operation. You can also find their cheeses at the Farmer’s Market in Ganges and in many grocery stores in B.C. and as far away as Toronto. If you are a wine lover, stop at Salt Spring Vineyards and Tasting Room, and Garry Oaks Estate Winery, both located south of Ganges on Fulford-Ganges Road.

You can’t see everything British Columbia’s Gulf Islands have to offer in a week, or even two, but it’s time enough to fall in love with them, which happens to a lot of first-time visitors. It happened to us. It’s brought us back numerous times, and we will visit again in the near future. And the proximity of the Gulf Islands to Victoria and the rest of Vancouver Island makes for a wide variety of possible itineraries on an extended vacation.

Originally posted July 2, 2018. Updated and re-posted February 17, 2021, and April 21, 2023.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Twin Falls Trail

Where: South Fork Snoqualmie River, Washington Cascades

Type: Out and back

Distance: 2.6 miles round trip

Elevation gain: 525 feet

Difficulty: Easy

Overview:

The Twin Falls Trail is a relatively easy, family friendly hike to a beautiful set of falls consisting of a lower falls and a smaller two-tier upper falls. We had two of our grandkids with us (ages four and six), and both made the round trip without much difficulty.

Getting there:

Twin Falls is located just off Interstate 90 east of Seattle. Take Exit 34 and go south on 468th Ave, turn left onto 159th St and proceed to the parking area at the end of the road.

Trailhead:

The sizeable parking area has room for 30 or 40 cars and there is room along the road to park if the lot is full. There are restrooms (vault toilets) but no water available. There is a $10 parking fee if you don’t have a Washington Discover Pass.

Best Time to go:

We did this hike in 2022 on the fourth of July, definitely not the best time to go if you want to avoid crowds. We were there in the morning, though, and the trail wasn’t overly crowded on the way to the falls – lots of people coming up the trail as we were going back, though. The trailhead and falls are both under 1000’ elevation, so the trail is snow free most of the year and makes for a good winter getaway from the Seattle metro area. Being so close to Seattle and so easily accessible means that it is likely to be crowded whenever you go in the summer, so it’s best on weekday mornings and evenings.

The hike:

The first half of the hike to the falls parallels the river with little elevation gain. There are several places on this section of the trail where you can access the river. Then the trail turns away from the river and switchbacks up to a high point where there is a partial view of the lower falls.

The trail then drops back down before making a second climb to another summit. Beyond that the trail descends a series of stairs and a side trail leads down another set of steps to a viewpoint of the lower falls that is well worth the 104 steps back up to the main trail.

Continue on the main trail and descend another set of stairs to a bridge over the river. There are awesome views from the bridge, both down the valley and of the two upper falls. Cross the bridge and climb another set of stairs for the best view of the upper falls. Take in the views, then return the way you came.

Other area attractions and activities:

For other hikes in the area and a broader overview of the Snoqualmie Valley, click here.

Posted April 18, 2023 by Alan K. Lee

All photos ©Alan K. Lee

Falls Creek Falls

Falls Creek Falls Trail

Where: Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge

Type: Out and back

Distance: 3.4 miles round trip

Elevation gain: 600 feet (to the base of the falls)

Difficulty: Easy

Maps: Green Trails No. 397 Wind River

Friends of the Columbia River Gorge

Overview:

The Falls Creek Falls trail is an easy 1.7-mile family friendly hike to a beautiful two-tier waterfall about 15 miles north of the Columbia River Gorge town of Carson, Washington.

Getting there:

From Portland, take I-84 east to Cascade Locks. Take exit 44 and follow signs to the Bridge of the Gods. Cross the bridge ($3 toll) and turn right onto Washington Hwy 14. Follow WA 14 for 5.9 miles through Stevenson to Carson. At the roundabout, take the second exit onto the Wind River Hwy and follow it through Carson for 14.3 miles. Just past the Carson Fish Hatchery, turn right onto NF-30. Go 0.8 mile, then turn right onto NF-3062. The trailhead parking area is 2.3 miles from the junction, at the end of the road.

Best time to go:

April through November. (The falls are at an elevation of just over 2000 feet, so the trail is often snow free in winter, but the road is gated from Dec. 1- Mar. 30, making for a much longer hike.) Like most Cascade Range waterfalls, Falls Creek Falls is at its most spectacular in spring, fed by the Cascade Range snow melt. But even in mid-summer the falls are impressive. This is a popular trail on summer weekends, so it’s best done during the week, if possible. On summer weekends, plan to get to the trailhead early. Trail use decreases after Labor Day, but this remains a popular trail until the fall rains arrive.

Trailhead:

The trailhead has parking for about 50 vehicles and has a restroom (vault toilet). A Northwest Forest Pass is not required.

The hike:

From the trailhead, proceed about 100 yards on Trail #152A to a junction. Turn right and follow the trail along Falls Creek. The trail gradually climbs through the forest for half a mile, where it crosses the creek on a suspension bridge. Above the bridge, the trail ascends the slopes above the creek before returning to the creek at the base of the falls 1.5 miles from the trailhead. From the base of the lower falls, it’s a bit of a scramble up slope to the upper falls, but well worth the effort. Return the way you came when you’re done enjoying the falls.

Other area attractions and activities:

Panther Creek Falls

Panther Creek Falls is an impressive, complex, and beautiful falls about five miles southeast of Falls Creek Falls. It’s a short out and back hike, less than a half-mile round trip. The trail descends steeply from the road to a viewing platform, with about 200 feet of elevation gain coming back.

Carson Hot Springs

Carson Hot Springs has been drawing people to its thermal baths since 1901. Today, the resort bills itself as a rustic retreat that prioritizes immersion in the surrounding forest environment over the glitz and glamour of high-end spas. The resort includes a rustic hotel and an 18-hole golf course, as well as the hot springs themselves.

Bonneville Dam

Bonneville was the first dam constructed on the Columbia River, completed in 1938. It’s a complex structure consisting of a navigation lock, two powerhouses, and a spillway spanning three islands between the Oregon and Washington shores. There are visitor centers on both the Washington and Oregon sides of the dam. The Bradford Island Visitor Center on the Oregon side has a viewing room where you can watch salmon and steelhead climbing the dam’s fish ladder.

Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center

The Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center is a museum dedicated to the preservation, conservation, and interpretation of the cultural and natural history of Skamania County and the Columbia River Gorge. I’m not a great fan of museums, but I spent at least a couple of hours there the first time I visited. It’s definitely worth a visit. It’s located on SW Rock Creek Drive, about a mile west of downtown Stevenson, directly below Skamania Lodge.

Food and drink –

For me, there is nothing better after a hike than a good, cold beer. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of quality pubs in the area. In Carson, Backwoods Brewing, located on the east side of Wind River Hwy, features 16 draft beers, plus hard ciders, seltzer, and kombucha. In Stevenson, try 54 40 Beer Lodge on Hwy 14 or Walking Man Brewing on 1^st Street. Across the river in Cascade Locks, Thunder Island Brewing, Cascade Locks Ale House, and Gorges Beer Company are all located on Wa Na Pa Street, Cascade Locks’ main drag. As far as food goes, all the pubs listed have typical pub fare.

Posted April 12, 2023 by Alan K. Lee

All photos © Alan K. Lee, except as noted

Charleston, South Carolina

by Alan K. Lee

Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia had been on my bucket list of travel destinations for a long time. So, when my wife and I decided to visit Asheville, North Carolina and Great Smoky Mountains National Park, taking a side trip to Charleston and Savannah seemed like a sensible addition to our itinerary. It wouldn’t add much expense and, being only 100 miles apart, we could get at least a taste of both cities in the limited amount of time we had. (To see my post on our visit to Asheville, click here).

We drove from Asheville to Charleston on a Sunday morning and spent the afternoon wandering around the historic center of the city. It’s older and more traditional, more Old South, than Asheville, but no less charming – lots of wonderful old houses and buildings, in all conditions from newly renovated to literally falling down, often the one adjacent to the other.

The oldest surviving structure in the city, the Middleburg Plantation House, was constructed in 1699. Spanning more than three centuries, the architecture of Charleston includes Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, Charleston Single House, and Art Deco style buildings and houses.

We found a wonderful restaurant, the now closed Hominy Grill, not far from our Airbnb for dinner that evening. The menu featured fresh, home-style food taken wonderfully upscale. Winner of the 2008 James Beard Award for Best Chef Southeast, we found it to be just a great place to eat. Actually, the food was wonderful everywhere we ate in Charleston. It would take a long time to sample all of the many acclaimed restaurants in the city. The annual Charleston Food + Wine Festival brings thousands of tourists to Charleston each March, and food tours are popular year around.

While many people come to Charleston just for the food, there is much more to see and do in Charleston, of course. There are walking and carriage tours of the city, and plantation and garden tours. Fort Sumpter, where the first shots of the Civil War were fired, is a short distance outside of town. You can learn some of the history of the area and see the city from the water on a boat tour of the harbor. The city has a number of outstanding museums, including the Charleston Museum, the Nathaniel Russel House, and Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim. And there is much more to see and do, more than we had time for in our three days in the city.

We spent most of our second day in Charleston exploring more of the historic center of the city, then ended the day with a trip to Folly Beach, about ten miles south of the city. Near the center of the small town of Folly Beach, Folly Beach Pier extends more than 1000 feet into the Atlantic Ocean. Folly Beach County Park lies at the west end of the island. At the east end, Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve offers a more secluded beach about a quarter mile walk from the end of East Ashley Avenue with a view across the water to Morris Island Lighthouse, which is surrounded by water just offshore from the westernmost point of Morris Island.

The next day we made the short trip across the Ravenel Bridge to Shem Creek Park in Mount Pleasant. The park encompasses a large salt marsh where Shem Creek meets Charleston Harbor. There are extensive boardwalks that allow you to get out in the marsh, and nice views across the harbor to downtown Charleston. It’s a nice place to get away from the city for awhile and rest your feet. And after all the walking around Charleston that we did the previous days, my feet needed a rest.

Our final morning in Charleston we made a second stop at Hominy Grill for breakfast. On our way out of town we made a couple of stops not far outside of Charleston. The first was the Angel Oak Tree on Johns Island. This huge Southern live oak is estimated to be 400-500 years old. It’s trunk measures 28 feet in circumference, it’s 66 feet tall, and its canopy covers 17,200 square feet of ground.

After leaving Angel Tree, we made a second stop at Caw Caw Interpretive Center, another of Charleston County’s many parks. There are six miles of trails and boardwalks through a former rice plantation that is now marshland and swamp. The park is managed for wildlife, and is home to otters, alligators, deer, and other wildlife. Caw Caw is one of coastal Carolina’s birding hot spots. It’s also the site of the 1739 slave revolt known as the Stono Rebellion.

We had a great time exploring Charleston. It’s really a beautiful and charming place. But to really see all it has to offer, you need to plan for more than a three-day visit. For more information, check out the Charleston SC Visitors Guide and Discover South Carolina websites.

After our visit to Charleston, we made the two-hour drive to Savannah. To read about our visit to Savannah, click here.

Originally posted Jan. 20, 2020. Updated and re-posted April 9, 2023.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Cape Lookout Hike

Cape Trail

Where: Cape Lookout State Park, northern Oregon coast

Type: Out and back

Distance: 4.8 miles

Elevation gain: 500 feet

Difficulty: Moderate (for distance and rough trail)

Map: Cape Lookout State Park Trail Guide

Guidebooks:

100 Hikes / Travel Guide Oregon Coast & Coast Range – William L. Sullivan

Beer Hiking Pacific Northwest – Rachel Wood & Brandon Fralic

60 Hikes Within 60 Miles Portland – Paul Gerald

Day Hiking Oregon Coast – Bonnie Henderson

Overview:

Cape Lookout is a narrow sliver of land extending two miles out into the Pacific Ocean between Cape Meares and Cape Kiwanda. The hike to its tip provides the hiker with a unique experience and some of the best viewpoints on the entire coast. The trail passes through an old growth spruce-hemlock forest with an understory of salal, salmonberry, huckleberry, and sword ferns. In summer the open areas are carpeted with wildflowers. The end of the trail, at the top of a cliff 400 feet above the ocean, is one of the best whale watching spots on the Oregon coast and one of the best places to observe sea birds.

Best times to go:

This trail can be hiked any time of the year, but trail conditions are usually best in late summer and early fall. Even then, the trail can be muddy. At other times of the year, it can be very muddy in places. The best times to avoid crowds are the winter months or anytime that it is raining. So, if solitude is what you’re after, gear up and go. On summer weekends the parking area fills up quickly, so it’s best to go early in the morning or in the evening after most of the crowd has gone home.

Getting there:

From Tillamook, take Ore Hwy 131 (Three Capes Scenic Route) west. At 5.0 miles, angle left onto Whiskey Creek Road. At the Netarts Bayfront, rejoin the Three Capes Scenic Route and follow it south to Cape Lookout State Park. The trailhead is 2.7 miles beyond the entrance to the state park campground and day use area.

From Lincoln City, take US Hwy 101 north and turn left onto Booten Road (1.4 miles north of the Nestucca River bridge). Proceed to Pacific City. Turn left onto Pacific Avenue and re-cross the Nestucca River. Immediately west of the bridge turn right on Cape Kiwanda Drive and follow it past Pelican Brewing. North of Cape Kiwanda (see the Other Attractions section below) the road becomes McPhillips Drive then Sand Lake Road. Continue to the T intersection, turn left, and proceed 3.2 miles to the trailhead.

Trailhead: Cape Lookout State Park

There are no facilities at the trailhead, but water and restrooms can be found at the day use area of the state park, just north of the cape.

The hike:

From the end of the parking area, take the Cape Trail to the left. (To the right is the trailhead of the North Trail, which descends 2.3 miles to the state park day use area). On the Cape Trail, in about a hundred yards you’ll come to the junction with the South Trail, which descends 1.8 miles to a little used beach.

The Cape Trail then descends gradually to a viewpoint at the 0.6-mile mark where you can see south to Cape Kiwanda and Cascade Head. Near the overlook, look for a bronze plaque set in stone that commemorates the site where a B-17 bomber crashed on a foggy day in 1943.

From there, the trail crosses to the north side of the cape and comes to a viewpoint at the 1.2-mile mark. Here you can see north to Cape Meares and Three Arch Rocks. Just west of the viewpoint, the original trail slid into the ocean about 30 years ago. The present trail detours away from the cliff through a boggy area on a boardwalk.

The trail returns to the south side of the cape and continues for another 1.2 miles, climbing and descending several times, to a viewpoint at the end of the cape, 400 feet above the ocean. Views there stretch from Cape Foulweather, 40 miles to the south, to Neahkannie Mountain, 40 miles to the north.

The end of the trail is the best spot to see gray whales. It’s not uncommon to see a dozen or more in an hour as they round the tip of the cape during the peaks of their spring and fall migrations. The journey between their feeding grounds in the Bering Sea and their breeding and calving grounds in Baja California is a round trip of more than 6000 miles.

You’ll probably linger for a while at the end of the trail, but when you’ve had your fill of sightseeing and whale watching, return to the parking area the way you came.

Other hiking options:

The North Trail is a 4.6-mile out and back hike with 800 feet of elevation gain from the day use area at Cape Lookout State Park to the beginning of the Cape Trail (or a 2.3-mile one way hike if you have someone drop you off at either end). For the ambitious, the North Trail and the Cape Trail can be combined into a 9.4-mile out and back hike with 1300 feet of elevation gain.

The South Trail is a 3.6-mile out and back hike with 800 feet of elevation gain from the Cape Trail to the beach to the south. The South Trail can also be combined with a 4.0-mile beach walk to an RV parking area as a 5.8-mile shuttle trip.

From the state park day use area, the beach to the north extends more than five miles to the mouth of Netarts Bay, making for out and back options up to 10+ miles in length. (Looping back along the bayfront is not an option.)

Other area attractions and activities:

To the north of Cape Lookout, the small town of Oceanside, one of my favorite small towns on the northern Oregon coast, has a nice beach (with a unique tunnel through the headland at the north end that leads to a very picturesque beach) and several good places to get a bite to eat. North of Oceanside, Cape Meares State Park has a working lighthouse, several short trails, and another good whale watching site.

Cape Kiwanda with Cape Lookout in the distance

To the south, Cape Kiwanda is a sandstone headland that is unlike any of the other rocky headlands on the Oregon coast. Just to its south, the town of Pacific City has a nice beach that is home to Oregon’s only dory fleet of fishing boats that launch directly from the beach. Pelican Brewing, on the beachfront, is one of the coast’s largest (and best) brew pubs, and there are several other decent places in town to get food or drink.

In conclusion:

The Cape Trail at Cape Lookout is one of the best hikes on the northern Oregon coast and one of the best places to watch gray whales on their annual migration. Combine the hike with visits to Cape Meares and Cape Kiwanda for an outstanding and easy day trip from the Portland or Salem areas.

Posted April 6, 2023 by Alan K. Lee

All photos © Alan K. Lee

The Trail of Ten Falls

The Trail of Ten Falls

Where: Silver Falls State Park

Distance: 7.2 miles

Elevation gain: 800 feet

Difficulty: Moderate (for length a steep climb out of the canyon)

Map: Oregon State Parks map and brochure

Guidebooks:

Hiking Waterfalls in Oregon by Adam Sawyer

Afoot & Afield: Portland/Vancouver by Douglas Lorain

100 Hikes in the Central Oregon Cascades by William L Sullivan

Waterfall Lover’s Guide: Pacific Northwest by Gregory A. Plumb

Waterfalls of the Pacific Northwest by David L. Anderson

Overview:

Silver Falls was voted Oregon’s favorite state park a few years ago, and for good reason. With more than ten waterfalls, six of them more than 90 feet in height, Silver Falls is a waterfall lovers paradise. And the Trail of Ten Falls (there are actually eleven named and at least one unnamed falls along the trail) is one of the finest hiking trails in the Pacific Northwest. I don’t know of anywhere else where you can see a dozen falls on a single hike, and four of them here have trails that actually take you behind the falls.

It’s no wonder, then, that Silver Falls can be crowded. The area around South Falls gets by far the most use and can be very crowded on summer weekends. But this is a spectacularly beautiful hike and is worth doing even at the park’s busiest times.

Best Times to Go:

Flows in the creeks are at their highest, and the falls at their most spectacular, in winter and early spring. Late September through October is best for fall color. Summer is best for reliably good weather, but the park is almost always crowded with other hikers in summer. For my money, the best times are weekday mornings in spring and fall. But there is no bad time to hike here, except when there is snow or ice on the trails. But even in mid-winter, the trails are usually open and snow free, and you might even have the trail to yourself.

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 will take you through the towns of Mount Angel and Silverton. The park is about 12 miles from Silverton.

Trailheads:

There are two primary trailheads that can be used for this hike. The North Falls trailhead has a fairly small parking lot, but the recent (July 2023) opening of the North Canyon day-use area more than doubles the amount of parking on the north end of the park. And the new North Rim Trail connects the two parking areas, so either can be used as the north end trailhead. The South Falls area gets much more use than the north end, but also has much more parking, so it is the most common starting point for this hike. The trail can also be accessed from the Winter Falls trailhead.

The hike:

Most people start and end their hikes at the South Falls Day Use Area, so I’ll start there as well. From the parking area, follow the signs to the top of South Falls. There is a viewpoint there, and seeing the creek disappear over the edge of the cliff is a pretty awesome sight. From there, the trail descends to a good vantage point a quarter of a mile or so down the trail. There are several more places where you can get a good view of the entire falls farther down the trail before it dives behind the falls.

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. When I was last there, in early June, it was just a trickle, and it often dries out by mid-summer. But it’s worth a look.

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. In between is a softer layer of sedimentary rock laid down by an ancient stream. This softer layer has eroded away to form the “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. 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. The Maple Ridge Trail climbs out of the canyon and returns to the parking area, making for a 2.5-mile loop. Beyond the Maple Ridge Trail junction, the Canyon Trail leaves the south fork of Silver Creek and joins the north fork. Following the creek 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. A half mile out and back side trip will take you to the base of Winter Falls.

Like Double Falls, Winter Falls is on a side stream and the volume of water is much less than the falls on North and South Silver Creeks. From the falls, the Winter Falls Trail will take you up out of the canyon to a junction with the Rim Trail. From there you can return to the South Falls Day Use Area to complete a 4.5-mile loop.

If you return to the Canyon Trail, you will next come to Twin Falls (31 feet), three tenths of a mile from the Winter Falls Trail junction. Just beyond Twin Falls there is a steep side trail leading up to the new North Canyon day-use area (the old group camp area) trailhead.

Stay on the Canyon Trail for another mile to North Falls (134 feet). Here once again the trail goes behind the falls. Look up to the ceiling of the overhang and you may be able make out cylindrical indentations that were formed when lava flowed around tree trunks and solidified before the trees burned. From North Falls, the trail climbs steeply to the North Falls trailhead three tenths of a mile beyond the falls.

The 0.6 mile out and back trail to Upper North Falls (65 feet) passes under the highway bridge at the North Falls parking area.

Back at the North Falls trailhead, take the Rim Trail. At about 0.3 miles from the North Falls trailhead you’ll come to a nice view back to North Falls. From there, it is 1.6 miles on a mostly flat trail back to the South Falls parking area.

Other area attractions and activities:

Silver Falls State Park is Oregon’s largest state park. In addition to the Trail of Ten Falls, the park has 35 miles of back country trails open to hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. There is also a campground with 91 camp sites and 14 cabins, and a café and a nature store at the South Falls Day Use Area.

The nearby town of Silverton has a variety of dining and lodging options. Stop in at the Silver Falls Brewery and Alehouse after your hike for a bite to eat and a pint of craft brewed beer. Or try 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.

The Trail of Ten Falls is an iconic hiking trail that every serious hiker in the state has likely done multiple times. It’s so spectacular that it alone is worth making the trek to Oregon from wherever you reside, no matter how far away that is. As an Oregon resident, I know I’m a little biased, but I don’t think I’m exaggerating here. If you’re a waterfall lover, come see for yourself. A trip to Silver Falls, combined with a visit to the waterfalls of the Columbia River Gorge will make for an unforgettable experience.

Posted March 27, 2023 by Alan K. Lee. Updated August 2, 2023.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Northern Oregon Coast

By Alan K. Lee

The Oregon Coast is one of the prime tourist attractions of the state. Tens of thousands of visitors descend on the Oregon coast each weekend in the summer. With beautiful beaches, rocky headlands, working lighthouses, busy fishing ports, ultra-fresh seafood, charming small towns, and more, the Oregon coast has a lot to offer over its 360-mile length. The northern Oregon coast, because of its proximity to the Portland metro area, gets the bulk of the tourist traffic, so it can be crowded and tacky gift shops and ugly beach front motels abound. But it also has its share of charming towns that avoid the worst of the commercial ugliness and are worth visiting any time of the year.

I’ll cover four of my favorite northern Oregon coastal towns in this post: Cannon Beach, Gearhart, Manzanita, and Oceanside. They all have their own unique personality, but they all share a few things in common. They’re all small (none have more than 3,000 year-round residents), they’re all beachfront towns and the Pacific Ocean plays a big role in their culture and community, all but tiny Oceanside have an active arts scene, and you can find outstanding places to eat and drink in each of them.

Astoria, the first American settlement west of the Rockies, is a good place to start an exploration of the Oregon coast, and it has enough to offer the traveler that I’ve covered it in a previous post. Click here to view that post. But I’ll start this post with the town of Cannon Beach.

Cannon Beach

Cannon Beach is probably best known for Haystack Rock, the huge sea stack that sits just off the beach. But for me, the chief attraction of Cannon Beach is the many fine art galleries that can be found in the town. If you’ve followed this blog or my Instagram account (@alanlee633), you know that my wife and I are big fans of the visual arts. For art lovers, Cannon Beach is the premier destination on the Oregon coast. Some of our favorite galleries are White Bird Gallery (fine arts and crafts) , North By Northwest Gallery (American masters and regional artists), Jeffery Hull Gallery (original watercolor and oil paintings), and DragonFire Gallery (original works by Northwest artists).

Besides the beach and the galleries, Cannon Beach also has many casual and fine dining establisnments. For breakfast or lunch, try the Lazy Susan Cafe. For fresh, affordable seafood check out Tom’s Fish and Chips or Ecola Seafood Restaurant and Market. Castaway’s Global Cuisine features Cajun-Creole and Caribbean food. If you’re looking for a good craft beer, Public Coast Brewing (at the north end of downtown), Bill’s Tavern and Brewhouse (downtown), and Pelican Brewing (at the south end of downtown) all offer a good selection of craft beers and pub food. Fine dining options include Newman’s at 988, and the dining room at the Stephanie Inn (both south of the main downtown area).

Gearhart

Gearhart offers a different vibe than Cannon Beach. It’s less of a tourist town (all of the typical tourist attractions and the associated tackiness can be found in the adjacent town of Seaside) and has a more residential feel. There are fewer dining options or galleries, but the laidback nature of the town and the miles of uncrowded beach make Gearhart one of my favorite places to stop on the north coast.

What really sets the Gearhart beach apart is that there are no oceanfront motels or restaurants, and really no beachfront residences. There are a couple of condo complexes close to the beach, but most residences are set back 700-900 feet from the sand. That gives the beach at Gearhart a unique character, with most of the houses out of view. And the sand goes on forever. You can walk the beach all the way to the mouth of the Columbia River at Fort Stevens State Park fifteen miles to the north.

Gearhart is also known for being the childhood home of famed chef James Beard. There are no five star restaurants there, but the town does have a few places to find good food and drink. Pacific Way Café and Marketplace offers a bakery, coffee shop, café, and small marketplace. Grandma’s Corner Restaurant, on Hwy 101, a local favorite for breakfast and lunch, is known for its friendly service and made from scratch comfort food like your grandma made it. Decent pub fare and good craft brews can be found at the Sand Trap Pub in the Gearhart Hotel. Wander through the hotel and check out the many whimsical paintings and historical photos displayed in the hallways. The art may not be to your taste, but it is creative and typical of all the McMenamin’s hotels.

Gearhart doesn’t have the many galleries that Cannon Beach offers, but there are a couple worth checking out. A Great Gallery, catercorner to Pacific Way Café, features the paintings of owner and artist Susan Thomas. Speakman Studios, on Pacific Way just east of Hwy 101, features artworks by Diane and Jay Speakman and their daughter Rachel. The studio is currently undergoing renovations but will reopen sometime in 2023. In the meantime, some of the Speakman’s art can be seen at The Art of Interiors in Cannon Beach.

Manzanita

Manzanita, located at the base of Neahkahnie Mountain on a peninsula between the ocean and Nehalem Bay, mixes residential and commercial areas, and like Gearhart, has very limited oceanfront commercial development, just a couple of motels and a few vacation rentals on the north end of town that could get away with calling themselves “oceanfront” and a few houses on the south side that really are beachfront. Most of the houses on the south end of town, though, are set back 300-500 feet from the beach and there are no commercial structures. With less than 1000 full time residents, Manzanita is smaller than either Cannon Beach or Gearhart. It gets more tourist traffic than Gearhart, but far less than Cannon Beach.

Dining options worth checking out in Manzanita include Yolk (all day breakfasts), Offshore Grill and Coffee House (seasonal food from local farmers), and Big Wave Café (seafood, steaks, and burgers). For an upscale dinner, try Neah-Kah-Nie Bistro (next door to Yolk).

Art lovers should visit 4^th Street Studio and Gallery (local and regional artists), Polaris Gallery (paintings by gallery owner J. Scott Wilson), and Hoffman Gallery (local and visiting artists) at Hoffman Center for the Arts.

Oceanside

Oceanside is the farthest south of the four towns and is not on Hwy 101, both of which lessen its tourist traffic. It’s also the smallest of the four. But it has a spectacular beach, with a unique tunnel cut through a headland that links Oceanside Beach with the aptly named Tunnel Beach to the north. To the south, the beach runs for two miles to the town of Netarts on Netarts Bay. And about a mile north of town, Short Beach, almost unknown to outsiders, gives access to the beautiful two-tier Larson Creek Falls. At low tide, you may also be able to get around the point to the south and explore Lost Boy Beach. (Take care here, though, because you could get trapped by the rising tide).

The beaches are the star here, but the town has its own charm, with many homes built on the side of a steep hillside overlooking the ocean that look like they could tumble down onto the beach at any time. (A mile or two to the south, several homes came close to doing just that about 25 years ago). There are also several good cafes and restaurants in town. Rosanna’s Café is my personal favorite, although Current Café and Lounge (across the street from Rosanna’s) and Blue Agate Café (a block north, adjacent to the beach parking area) both get slightly better ratings. Oceanside is lacking in galleries but check out Kristy Lombard Pottery in nearby Tillamook or Bay City Arts Center about five miles north of Tillamook in the town of Bay City.

Other Attractions

There is more to the north coast than just the towns and beaches covered here, of course. The beach and bayfront at Bayocean Peninsula, Short Sand Beach at Oswald West State Park, the family-friendly beach at Hug Point, the stunningly beautiful Ecola State Park, and the historic Fort Stevens State Park are all must see destinations. The cheeses and ice cream available at Tillamook Cheese Factory, one of the most visited tourist attractions in the state, is worth braving the crowds. You can go deep sea fishing on a charter boat out of Garibaldi or ride the steam train from Garibaldi to Rockaway Beach. For hikers, the Tillamook Head, Cape Falcon, and Cape Lookout trails offer scenic vistas only accessible by foot and well worth the effort it takes to get there. You can find fresh seafood everywhere. There’s storm watching in the winter. And the list goes on.

Posted March 24, 2023

All photos ©Alan K. Lee

Beaver Creek Loop Trail

Where: Beaver Creek State Natural Area (now part of Brian Booth State Park) on the central Oregon coast

Distance: 2.7 to 3.3 miles, depending on starting point

Elevation gain: Minimal

Difficulty: Easy

Map: Beaver Creek State Natural Area website

Overview:

You might not find this hike in any guide book, and that is a big part of its appeal. Thousands of people flock to the Oregon coast every weekend, even in the winter, but very few will make their way to Beaver Creek. You won’t find the trails crowded, even on a sunny day when Ona Beach, where Beaver Creek flows into the ocean, is elbow to elbow with people. You won’t find an old growth forest on this hike, nor any grand views or waterfalls. The woods and marsh are pretty enough, but can’t compete with the scenic attractions of the beaches and headlands only a few miles away. But what you will find at Beaver Creek is peace and quiet. You may see blacktail deer, maybe a beaver or river otter in the creek, possibly a bald eagle or an osprey flying overhead. More than 75 species of birds can be found at Beaver Creek, so bring your binoculars. You’ll probably encounter a few other hikers on the trail or see people paddling the creek. But you’ll also be able to find some solitude here.

Getting there:

Beaver Creek State Natural Area is located about eight miles south of Newport, just off Hwy 101 on the central Oregon coast. At Ona Beach, turn east off of Hwy 101 onto North Beaver Creek Road instead of west into the beach parking lot. In 1.2 miles, you’ll come to the park’s visitor center (called the Welcome Center) on your right. The visitor center is open daily from 12:00 to 5:00. The staff will be happy to answer any questions you may have. You can get a map and brochure there, but I’d print out the map from the park website (linked above) before you leave home just in case. The first time I hiked this loop I didn’t have a map. The trail junctions we’re signed for the most part, but there were a few places where a map would have been a big help.

Trailheads:

You can start the hike at the visitor center in the summer and fall when the water level in the marsh is low. Ask at the visitor center if the trail across the marsh is passable.

There’s also a parking area along the road a few hundred yards east of the Welcome Center, so you can also start the hike there if you choose. You may also be able to get a map at the kiosk there.

From late fall through late spring the trail across the marsh will likely be submerged. If so, head back toward the beach on North Beaver Creek Road. In about a quarter mile, turn left onto South Beaver Creek Road. In just over one mile, look for a gate on the left side of the road with an Oregon State Park sign. Park at a pullout on the right side of the road just beyond the gate. Walk around the gate and up a service road. In a little less than half a mile you’ll come to a junction with the Beaver Creek Loop Trail on your right. You can either turn right onto the trail there (to do the loop in a counterclockwise direction), or walk up the road a couple hundred yards and pick up the trail just beyond a group of agricultural buildings (to do the loop in a clockwise direction).

The hike:

Starting at the visitor center, take the Beaver Marsh Trail east. In little over a quarter mile you’ll come to a boardwalk that takes you to a viewing platform out in the marsh. Beyond the boardwalk, the trail leads through the marsh to a bridge over Beaver Creek. On the other side of the bridge, you’ll come to a junction with the Beaver Creek Loop Trail. The loop can be hiked in either direction, but for our purposes we’ll turn right and do the hike counterclockwise.

From the bridge the trail follows an old access road (this area was privately owned until the early 2000s). In a quarter of a mile you’ll come to the junction with the North Fork Trail. If you’re pressed for time or just want a short hike, the North Fork Trail offers the shortest loop here (1.6 miles, starting and ending at the boardwalk parking area). Continuing on the main loop trail, you’ll come to the junction with the Snaggy Point Trail in another quarter of a mile. This is a popular trail that climbs 360 feet to a viewpoint overlooking the marsh and the Pacific Ocean beyond, then continues east to rejoin the main loop trail.

Beyond the Snaggy Point Trail junction, the loop trail continues through the forest along the edge of the marsh to a junction with the Antler Overlook Trail, which connects to the Cooper Ridge Trail and provides another overcrossing of the upland area. The main loop trail then continues through the forest to the agricultural buildings mentioned in the winter trailhead description. Beyond the buildings walk up the service road for a couple hundred yards and look for the loop trail branching off to the left. The trail follows the edge of an open field.

In another quarter of a mile you’ll come to a junction with the Elk Meadows Trail, an 0.8 mile loop through the woods and a couple of meadows. The main loop trail continues along the eastern edge of the Beaver Creek State Natural Area for another three quarters of a mile, passing the Cooper Ridge and Snaggy Point trail junctions, to the bridge across Beaver Creek and the trail back across the marsh.

With the out and back Beaver Marsh Trail, the full hike is 3.3 miles from the visitor center, 2.7 miles if you start and end the hike at the boardwalk parking area instead of the visitor center, and 2.9 miles from the winter trailhead. Add 0.8 mile to those numbers for Elk Meadow Trail extension. You can also make it a longer hike by taking a side trip through the upland area. All together there are a little over six miles of trails to explore in the park.

Other area attractions and activities:

Besides hiking the Beaver Creek Loop and the upland trails, another way to explore the area is by canoe or kayak. Just east of Hwy 101, there is a parking area and boat ramp on Beaver Creek that is an ideal launching point. The creek is a flat water paddle with little current, so it’s a good place for kids and beginners to try their hand at getting out on the water. It’s also possible to launch a canoe or kayak at the boardwalk parking area east of the visitor center and paddle across the marsh to the creek.

And, of course, the beach is right there. Rest your legs after your hike and lounge on the sand at Ona Beach for a while and watch the waves. Or, if you’re up for more hiking, it’s only a 1.5 mile walk on the beach to Seal Rock, one of the more scenic spots on the central coast.

Other interesting hikes in the central coast area that could easily be paired with Beaver Creek include God’s Thumb and Drift Creek Falls in the Lincoln City area. (Look for a post on the Drift Creek Falls hike later this spring.)

Tufted Puffin. Photo from the Oregon Coast Aquarium website.

And in the South Beach section of Newport, just south of the bay bridge, there are two attractions well worth a stop on your way to or from Beaver Creek. The Oregon Coast Aquarium is one of the Pacific Coast’s premier aquariums, and Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center is home to one of the country’s top marine science education and research programs. 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) and tickets need to be purchased online on the center’s website.

Posted March 14, 2023 by Alan K. Lee

All photos ©Alan K. Lee, except as noted

Hana

by Alan K. Lee

My wife and I have taken many winter vacations to Hawai’i over the years. We had made three trips to Maui, and had seen most of the island, but we had never made it to Hana. On our only attempt to get there, we badly underestimated the time it would take. We made it only about halfway there. But this time we made it a priority to visit Hana and spend enough time there to really explore the area.

Getting to Hana is either a pain or part of the adventure, depending on your mind set. The Road to Hana is justifiably famous. It’s only a little over 50 miles from Kanhului to Hana, but that is very deceiving. With over 600 curves, 59 one lane bridges, and a speed limit that is 25 mph or less most of the way, the round trip from Kahului will take a minimum of five hours. But eight to ten hours on the road is more typical. In other words, it’s an all day outing, so start early.

There are many viewpoints and other stops worth making along the way, but a few stand out. A few miles east of Pa’ia, and just past Mama’s Fish House, stop at Ho’okipa Beach. It’s a beautiful beach, known for its surfing and kite boarding. But the real attraction for us was the honu (green sea turtles) that can often be found hauled up on the east end of the beach. On our first visit, that end of the beach was cordoned off and more than 30 honu were resting on the sand. There were fewer on our recent visit, but there were no barriers, so it was possible to get very close. But, keep your distance and don’t disturb them if find yourself there. They’re sacred to the native Hawaiians and somewhat rare.

About halfway to Hana, take the short side road to Ke’anae. (That is as far as we got on our first attempt to make it to Hana.) Stop at Aunty Sandy’s Famous Banana Bread (it’s famous for a reason) and pick up a freshly baked loaf, then drive to the end of the road and watch the waves crashing against the rocks. If the surf is up it can be a spectacular sight.

A few miles past Ke’anae, Pua’a Ka’a State Wayside has a nice waterfall with a good swimming hole below it, and there are restrooms and picnic tables there.

Just before you reach Hana, Waiʻānapanapa State Park is a must see destination. This was probably my favorite spot in the Hana area. It’s another great place to see surf crashing against the lava rock of the shore, and it has a small black sand beach. It is so popular, though, that you now have to make timed entry reservations in advance. Go to the park website for more information.

There are a lot of things that you’ll miss if you’re visiting Hana as a day trip. Better to do as we did and spend a night or two. That will give you enough time to really see and enjoy the East Maui area. But be forewarned, Hana is expensive.

Accommodations in Hana are limited and very expensive. The nightly rate for the two bedroom vacation rental that we stayed in was nearly $500, for example. Rooms in the Hana-Maui Resort start at over $700 per night. There are other somewhat less expensive options, but plan ahead. We booked our rental almost three months in advance, but there were few options left by then. I looked at some vacation rentals that were booked up a for more than a year.

Likewise, dining options are limited in Hana. The Hana Ranch Restaurant has decent food at a reasonable (for Hana) cost. The dining room at Hana-Maui Resort has an upscale menu, both in quality and price, and is one of only a few places open for breakfast. There are a few other restaurants that get decent ratings, and there are many food trucks scattered around town. If your accommodations include a kitchen, cooking your own food is a cheaper option. There are only two small stores in Hana where you can buy groceries, though, so I’d advise stocking up in Kahului beforehand. (Costco and Wallmart are both close the Kahului Airport).

Hana town is a bit of old Hawai’i, and is interesting in that regard, but the town isn’t the main attraction. The adventure of just getting there is part of the attraction, but there are also a number of beaches worth checking out, and more attractions beyond the town.

The Hana Bay Beach Park on the harbor front is worth a visit. Close by, Red Sand Beach is small beach that is a bit of a hike, but worth the effort. The trail starts near the end of Uakea Road, just past the Hana Community Center. The hike isn’t long, but the trail is steep in places and can be slippery if it’s wet, so caution is advised. The beach is located at the base of a red sandstone cliff, the source of its distinctive dark red sand.

A few miles past Hana, on Haneo’o Road, are two more beaches to check out. Koki Beach Park has more red sand at the north end of the beach. It’s a beautiful spot, but not safe for swimming. A few miles south, Hamoa Beach is a better spot to get in the water. You’ll also probably see a few surfers here.

Just off the road back to Kahului, a few miles west of Waiʻānapanapa State Park, Hana Lava Tube (Ka’eleku Cavern) is an interesting side trip from the town of Hana. Lava tubes form when the surface of a lava flow cools and solidifies, and the molten lava flowing underneath drains out, leaving a cavern below the surface of the lava flow. The cave isn’t wheel chair accessible, but it’s an easy, mostly flat, kid friendly walk that takes about half an hour.

South of Hana, beyond Koki and Hamoa Beaches, the highway continues on to the Kipahulu section of Haleakala National Park. This is better known as the Seven Sacred Pools. We were there not long after a series of severe rainstorms battered the island, and the water in the creek was still high, so the pools were closed to swimming. But the shoreline is beautiful, there are several small waterfalls, and there’s a hiking trail to a couple of bigger waterfalls up the mountain a ways.

Lindberg grave, photo by Yurivict, sourced from Wikimedia Commons

Beyond Kipahulu, the other attraction is the grave of Charles Lindberg. (We missed the turnoff to it, though, so we didn’t see it on this trip.) This is as far as most people venture beyond Hana. But what most people don’t know is that the Pi’ilani Highway continues past the Lindberg grave, and is a back door to Hana, or in our case, an alternate route back to Kahului.

Calling it a highway is a bit of a joke, at least for the first twenty miles or so past the Lindberg grave. It’s even more winding than the Road to Hana, narrow, one lane mostly, with many blind corners, and short segments of gravel or dirt. It’s passable without a four wheel drive or high ground clearance vehicle, though, and it takes you along the wild and largely unpopulated southeast coast of Maui, an area few tourists can say they’ve seen. The road then traverses the southern slope of Haleakala to the town of Kula. From there, it’s a short hop back to Kahului.

We made one last stop before between Kula and Kahului, the Surfing Goat Dairy , where we purchased some goat cheese and chocolates. It’s an interesting place (check out their website) and the baby goats were adorable. We ended our Hana adventure with a pit stop at the Ale House in Kahului for dinner and a pint or two.

Our trip to Hana was an interesting adventure. I’m not sure we’ll go back, but I wouldn’t have missed it for anything. If you’ve never been to Hana and can fit it into your itinerary, it’s definitely worth the trek, at least once. The Hana area is wild, beautiful, and unique, quite different from the more traveled parts of the island. For an overview of the rest of Maui, click here.

Posted March 3, 2023.

All photos © Alan K. Lee, except as noted.

The Island of Maui

by Alan K. Lee

Maui and the other Hawaiian Islands have so many attractions that it’s hard to list them all. Suffice it to say that there is something for everyone on the island of Maui, no matter where your interests lie.

My wife, Joan, and I have made a number of trips to Maui over the years. Although it is not my favorite Hawaiian island (that would be the Big Island), there is so much to do on Maui that we still haven’t seen it all. Our trips were all different. We stayed on different parts of the island, traveled with or visited different members of my wife’s family, took in different sites, and took part in different activities.

On our first trip, we stayed in Ka’anapali in West Maui, attended a traditional luau in Lahaina, toured the north shore, explored Pa’ia, spent a day lounging on the beach at Kihei, and made an unsuccessful attempt to get to Hana (more on that later).

On our second trip, with ten other members of my wife’s family, we stayed in the Upcountry town of Haiku and explored the Upcountry area on the north slope of Haleakala, took a whale watching cruise out of Lahaina, hired a professional photographer to do a family photo shoot on the beach at Kihei, and drove to the top of Haleakala to view the sunrise.

A couple of years ago my wife’s cousin Ruthee and her husband Mikel retired and moved to Kihei, Maui. We visited them in their home in 2019 and again recently. In 2019 we visited the Iao Valley, did some hiking in the Makena area of South Maui, and found a remarkable group of more than 30 green sea turtles sleeping on Ho’okipa Beach near Pa’ia. The four of us then flew to Kona for five days of exploring the Big Island. On our most recent trip we finally made it to Hana, where we stayed for two nights.

Maui is called the Valley Island. Most of the population lives in the Kahului and Wailuku areas in the valley between Haleakala and the West Maui Mountains, hence the island’s nickname. Most of the tourist activity, though, is centered in the West Maui area around Ka’anapali and Lahaina, and the South Maui area around Kihei and Wailea.

Less populated, less touristy, and more authentically Hawaiian, the North Maui area around Pa’ia and the Upcountry area on the slopes of Haleakala offer a different experience for those who are turned off by the touristy and often overcrowded Ka’anapali and Kihei areas. The same is true for Hana, but for slightly different reasons. But if you just want to lounge on the beach and soak up the sunshine, Kihei and Ka’anapali are perfect.

Haleakala is another world. At more than 10,000 feet high, the summit is often cloud hidden, and occasionally snow-capped. The summit crater looks like it was transplanted from Mars. And the sunrises are legendary. On our second trip, half the group (including my wife) got up at 3:00 am in order to catch that sunrise. I was part of the other group that chose to sleep in. We met the first group at the Kula Lodge for breakfast, then drove on up to the summit. Well worth it, even if we missed out on the sunrise experience.

Near Wailuku, Iao Valley State Park is another almost otherworldly experience. There it’s a trip into the tropical jungle, and something of a time trip back into what the Jurassic period must have been like. It wouldn’t have been too surprising to encounter a dinosaur there on our jungle hike. And the Iao Needle is spectacular.

And then there is Hana. Our first attempt to get to Hana was thwarted by a lack of planning and sabotaged by all of the incredibly scenic stops along the way. We made it about halfway on that first attempt before we had to turn around and make our way back to West Maui in time for dinner. Click here to learn more about Hana and our recent visit.

Like most visitors, we spent a lot of time just hanging out on various beaches around the island on all of our trips. With dozens of beaches and more than 30 miles of sandy shoreline, there are plenty of choices. Beach safety should always be a concern, of course. If you’re going to swim, snorkel, windsurf, or kayak, it’s a good idea to check the HI Ocean Safety website for safety tips and links to current advisories before heading to the beach of your choice.

Ahihi Kina’u Natural Area Reserve, South Maui

Makena Beach, also known as Big Beach, is a good choice in the South Maui area. With more than a half mile of sand, there’s plenty of room for everyone to spread out. To the north of Big Beach, over a small headland, is the more secluded Little Beach. Be forewarned, though, that Little Beach is clothing optional. And Kihei offers numerous beaches and parks, most with lifeguards, along six miles of shoreline.

In West Maui, Ka’anapali Beach is one of the best swimming beaches on the island, and features a daily cliff diving ceremony at sunset. But five hotels and six condominium complexes face the beach, so it’s often very crowded. There are also several nice beaches in the Kapalua area to the north, and in Lahaina to the south of Ka’anapali.

The North Shore beaches, such as Ho’okipa Beach and Kanaha Beach, offer some of the best kiteboarding and windsurfing in the Islands, and there are protected areas at both ends of Baldwin Beach, making it one of the best swimming beaches on the island. One of the nicest beaches, though small, is at Mama’s Fish House, which happens to serve some of the best seafood in the Islands. It’s expensive, but worth the indulgence. Going at lunchtime is at least slightly less expensive, and when we were there the lunch menu was the same as the dinner menu. Reservations are an absolute must and need to be made at least six months in advance.

On the northwest corner of the island, north of Kapalua, Nakelele Blowhole is a spectacular sight. Not only is it one of the biggest blowholes that I’ve ever seen, shooting water a hundred feet into the air, but you can walk right up to it in relative safety (though maybe not the smartest thing to do). Whether or not it is spouting, and how high, depends on the tide and probably wave height and direction, so it might not be the best idea to go there solely to see the blowhole. But the shoreline along that portion of the island is spectacular, and it’s only a short drive from Kapalua, so well worth the trip if you’re on that part of the island. And if you catch it at its best, it’s truly memorable.

There is way more to Maui than what I’ve covered here, of course. If you’re a golfer, there are courses from championship level resort courses, such as the Plantation Course at Kapalua that annually hosts the PGA Tournament of Champions, to more affordable public courses such as Maui Nui, Pukulani, and Waiehu. Horseback riding is a popular activity, and there are many hiking trails around the island. There are ziplines. You can descend below the waves in a submarine. Or snorkel in the submerged crater of an extinct volcano at Molokini. You can coast down the slopes of Haleakala on a mountain bike. And I’ve barely mentioned the cultural and dining experiences available. There’s almost no reason not to go.

Check the Go Hawaii/Maui website for more information on Maui dining, accommodations, activities, and more.

Originally posted as Something For Everyone on Maui on October 22, 2019. Updated and re-posted on March 3, 2023.

Asheville, N.C.

by Alan K. Lee

Asheville, N.C. had never been on my bucket list of travel destinations, nor had Great Smoky Mountains National Park. But some years ago the daughter of friends of ours moved to Asheville, and we started hearing about what an interesting city it is. So, my wife and I decided to pay a visit. And when we did, we found that it was indeed a very interesting place.

Our timing wasn’t the best. A hurricane had just missed Asheville a few days before we arrived. There was still plenty of evidence, in the form of downed limbs and trees, of the power of the storm, but the center of the storm had passed to the west of Asheville and the city had not suffered any major damage. And the weather was fine while we were there.

We spent our first full day in Asheville exploring the city. It’s an old city, but it’s got a very young, very hip feel to it. There are 60+ breweries in town, for example, the most per capita of any US city, and second only to Portland, Oregon (where we’re from) in total number.

Asheville is also a very arts oriented city. As well as sampling a few of the brew pubs, we also visited a few of the galleries and artists studios in the River Arts District and the city center, but our limited amount of time there didn’t allow us to fully explore Asheville’s arts scene.

Asheville is also a great destination for foodies. There are many very good restaurants in the city and there’s a thriving farm-to-table food scene. If you’re ever there, I highly recommend that you seek out Sunny Point Cafe in particular. It’s a wonderful restaurant in West Asheville. Everything’s made with fresh, local ingredients, and everything we had was done superbly. (It was so good that we ate there three times and I bought their cookbook). City Bakery in downtown Asheville is also a great place to start your day.

The city has much more of a Pacific Northwest vibe to it than I was expecting. Besides the galleries and studios, the restaurants, and breweries, Asheville is much like Portland in its easy access to nature and its outdoor oriented residents. I think you could move the whole city to the Willamette Valley or the Puget Sound region and it wouldn’t feel out of place at all. It has Southern roots, certainly, but what we saw of it was more New South than Old South.

On our second day, we trekked to Great Smoky Mountains National Park and drove up to Clingman’s Dome, one of the highest points east of the Rockies. The top of the divide was in the clouds and the valleys were filled with fog, but in between it was clear and the views were spectacular.

We spent most of the rest of the day hiking to a number of the park’s many waterfalls. The Smokies have a different, softer feel to them than the mountains of the Western U.S., but they have their own appeal. We were there a little too early in the season to catch much in the way of fall colors, but there were hints of how beautiful it would be in a few weeks.

We had planned to drive back to Asheville via the Blue Ridge Parkway, but portions were closed due to trees downed by the hurricane. The Parkway runs from Great Smoky Mountains National Park all the way to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, 469 miles in total. We were able to drive about a 25 mile section of the parkway near Asheville that was open, but not being able to see more of it was disappointing.

Our third day was split between further explorations of Asheville and a visit to Chimney Rock State Park, about 25 miles southeast of Asheville, near the town of Bat Cave.

There’s an elevator that takes you from the parking area up to near the top of Chimney Rock, which is a tall free standing spire on one side of a very large granite dome. The elevator wasn’t working, though, so we climbed the 492 steps (I counted them) to the top, then another 80 to a nook called the Opera Box that looks down on the top of Chimney Rock and provides a great view of the valley below.

After the climb and descent (going down was worse than going up), we did a 1.4 mile out and back hike to Hickory Nut Falls, a very impressive 480 foot waterfall on the other side of the dome.

After leaving the park we had lunch in the community of Chimney Rock, then went for another short hike along the Broad River.

Biltmore Estate. Image from Wikimedia Commons

Asheville is probably most famous for being the site of the Biltmore Estate, the largest private home in the country. Unfortunately, it takes the better part of a full day to tour the estate, and we didn’t have the time. So, that will have to wait until our next visit.

Asheville is a fascinating city, worth a longer visit than we gave it, and a great place to use as a base to explore the Great Smoky Mountains, tour the Blue Ridge Parkway, and visit the surrounding countryside. I hope that we will be able to return someday to more fully take in what Asheville has to offer, and more fully explore Great Smoky Mountains National Park and and the rest of the southern Appalachian Mountains via the Blue Ridge Parkway. For more information about visiting Asheville, click here.

After visiting Asheville, we visited two charming Old South cities: Charleston, SC, and Savannah, Georgia. Check out our posts on Charleston here, and Savannah here.

Originally posted December 22, 2019. Updated and re-posted January 30, 2023

Sunriver Resort

by Alan K. Lee

Sunriver Resort in Central Oregon has become a favorite destination for my wife and I over the years. Even during the first year of the corona virus pandemic we spent the 4th of July holiday at Sunriver with my step-daughter and her family. That year was a little different – we cooked all of our meals at the house we rented instead of dining out as we usually do, for example. But the nature center was open (with restrictions), as was the marina and the stables. And there are miles of bike paths winding through the resort and residential areas, which we took full advantage of.

Sunriver Resort is located about 15 miles south of Bend on the site of the former Camp Abbot, a WWII era Army training facility for combat engineers. After the end of WWII, Camp Abbot was abandoned. Most of the buildings were demolished and the land was sold to private developers. The only remaining Camp Abbot structure is the former officer’s club, now the resort’s Great Hall. Of Camp Abbot’s 5500 acres, 2200 were added to the Deschutes National Forest and the remaining 3300 acres eventually became what is now Sunriver.

Sunriver is more than just a destination resort. It is also a planned community of more than 4000 homes and condominium units. Most of the residences are second homes, many of them available as short-term rentals. Sunriver also has about 1500 full time residents, a fire department, several parks, community water and wastewater treatment systems, a public works facility that maintains the roads, bike paths and parks, and an airport.

Recreational facilities at the resort include two public golf courses, two private courses open to resort guests, tennis and pickleball courts, several swimming pools, parks, and the large Sunriver Homeowners Aquatic and Recreation Center (SHARC). Sunriver Marina offers canoe and kayak rentals and guided rafting trips. And the Sunriver Stables offer horseback and pony rides.

In the winter, snow sports take center stage. Snowshoe and cross country ski trails are close by. Alpine skiers and snowboarders make up a large portion of Sunriver’s winter visitors, as Mount Bachelor, one of the Northwest’s premier ski areas, is only about a 30 minute drive from the resort. Mount Bachelor also has a Nordic center with more than 30 miles of cross country ski trails.

With 300 days of sunshine a year, Sunriver has much to offer the outdoor enthusiast. Hiking, biking, fishing, and river rafting and paddling are all popular summer activities. The Deschutes River forms the western boundary of the resort, and the river is wide and placid in that stretch, perfect for a leisurely float. And floating the river is a very popular activity in the summer. The river is often crowded with people enjoying the river in canoes, kayaks, rafts, and inner tubes.

Downstream of the resort, the river changes drastically, becoming narrow and raging as it cuts through an ancient lava flow. Scenic Benham Falls is only a few miles from the resort. A relatively flat paved bike path makes cycling from Sunriver to Benham Falls quick and easy. You can also drive there, but the bike path is shorter and probably faster. And there is a somewhat longer and more challenging mountain bike trail from Sunriver to the falls for the more adventurous.

The bike path continues on to Lava Butte and the Lava Lands Visitor Center, part of Newberry National Volcanic Monument. Also part of the National Monument, Newberry Crater (actually a caldera) contains two lakes, East and Paulina, and a large and fascinating obsidian flow. You can also drive to the summit of Paulina Peak on the caldera rim where you’ll look down into the caldera and take in the panoramic views of the Cascade Range peaks to the west, the ponderosa and lodgepole pine forests surrounding the caldera, and the sage and juniper lands of the high desert to the east. Newberry Crater is about 25 miles by road from Sunriver. (Look for a future post on this site with more information and photos of Newberry Crater).

Sunriver Resort makes an ideal base for exploring all that Central Oregon offers. Besides Newberry Crater and Lava Butte, other attractions in Newberry National Volcanic Monument include the Lava Cast Forest , and Lava River Cave.

West of Sunriver, the Cascade Lakes Highway runs parallel to the crest of the Cascade Range and passes close to Todd, Sparks, and Elk Lakes. Hosmer Lake, just off the highway, is a fly fishing only lake where motor boats are prohibited, making it ideal for paddlers. The highway also passes close by Big and Little Lava Lakes, Davis Lake, Cultus Lake, Crane Prairie Reservoir, and Wickiup Reservoir. For those seeking to get deeper into nature, numerous hiking trails lead from the highway into the adjacent Three Sisters Wilderness Area to the west.

While you’re in the area, I highly recommend that you visit the High Desert Museum, on Hwy 97 about ten miles north of Sunriver. The museum offers visitors a chance to see native wildlife up close, and to learn about both the pioneering history of the area and the culture and lifestyles of the Native American tribes that lived in the area for thousands of years prior to the arrival of white settlers. The High Desert Museum consistently rates as one of the top attractions in Central Oregon.

For those wanting a more urban experience, Bend is only about a 20 minute drive north of Sunriver. Once a small lumber town, Bend is now a fast growing city with a population of about 90,000. Besides being one of the West’s premier outdoor recreation centers, Bend also has many fine dining establishments, brew pubs, wine bars, boutique hotels, art galleries, and numerous specialty shops. I’ll cover Bend in more detail in a future post.

Sunriver itself has a variety of restaurants, a nice brew pub (Sunriver Brewing), a number of small shops, and many fun things for kids to do (think bumper cars and climbing walls). Most of that is concentrated in The Village, located near the main entry to the resort. The Lodge also has several restaurants, and there is a Mexican restaurant (Hola!) on the river next to Sunriver Marina.

Sunriver Resort offers a variety of rooms and suites in the Lodge and adjacent Lodge Village and River Lodges. More than 300 homes and condos in Sunriver can also be booked through the resort. Check the resort website for more information. Many other vacation rentals are available through VRBO, Vacasa, Airbnb, and Sunriver Vacation Rentals.

We’ve visited Sunriver Resort many times, and we will return again many more times, I’m sure. It’s a great place for the whole family, and Central Oregon is a paradise for people who love the outdoors.

Originally posted December 20, 2020. Updated and re-posted January 21, 2023.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West

By Alan K. Lee

Many of us that live in the Pacific Northwest have a connection of one kind or another to the state of Arizona. Many Northwest retirees, like my parents, become snowbirds, escaping the Northwest winters by spending the colder months in the sunnier and warmer climes of the desert Southwest. Others, like my brother, escape at an earlier age. Most of the rest of us have vacationed at least once in Arizona, or at least have dreamed of doing so. My wife and I have both lived in the Pacific Northwest all our lives, but we’ve made many trips to Arizona over the years. One of our favorite places is Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West.

Taliesin West is one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most iconic creations. Begun in the same year that Falling Water, arguably his greatest creation, was built, Taliesin West was Wright’s winter home for the last two decades of his life.

Taliesin West was founded as the winter home for the Frank Lloyd Wright Fellowship, Wright’s school of architecture. It was always a school of architecture as well as Wright’s winter home. The Fellowship evolved into the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, which conducted classes at Taliesin West until 2020, when it separted from the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, changed its name to The School of Architecture, and moved its campus to Cosanti and Arcosanti, Arizona.

Wright’s designs and his design philosophy had a profound impact on American architecture. He is without question the most famous American architect, by a wide margin. Ask anyone to name an architect and almost all, if they can name any, will name Wright.

Wright first achieved fame shortly after the turn of the 20th century for his Prairie House residential designs, and he was always more interested in designing homes for people than structures for businesses or government agencies. During the Great Depression he designed a planned community that featured simple, affordable residences that he called Usonian homes. Although his planned community was never built, many Usonian homes were. One of those, the Gordon House, is now located at the Oregon Garden in Silverton, Oregon, not far from my home.

Over his long career, Wright designed more than 1100 structures, 532 of which were built. But as famous and influential as he was, for much of his career he received few commissions. In the 1920s he made most of his income from writing and lecturing, rather than from his designs.

In 1932 Wright formed the Taliesin Fellowship, an apprenticeship program that taught not just architectural design, but also construction and “farming, gardening, and cooking, and the study of nature, music, art, and dance” according to the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation website.

The original Taliesin, in Spring Green, Wisconsin, was Wright’s primary residence for most of his life and also served as the campus of the Taliesin Fellowship. In 1934, to escape the often brutal weather in Wisconsin, Wright began taking his students to Arizona each winter.

Taliesin West began as the winter camp for Wright and his students. And it was an actual camp in the beginning. The students lived in tents for their first few winters in Arizona, and Taliesin West was an ongoing project for many years. Even after most of the structures were completed, for example, all of the windows were simply openings in the walls, without glass, for almost a decade.

Wright’s design philosophy was holistic, and humanistic. He saw houses as organic structures that should be built in harmony with their environment and in tune with their inhabitants. “It is quite impossible to consider the building as one thing, its furnishings another and its setting and environment still another,” he wrote. He believed that all had to work “as one thing.” There is a story, whether true or not I don’t know, that the purchasers of one of his early residential designs invited him to their home after they moved in and he was so appalled by the way they had furnished the home that from that point on he not only designed the structures, he designed all of the furniture (much of it built in), the lighting, the rugs, the artwork, and even the dinnerware that went into them.

The structures at Taliesin West reflect Wright’s belief that architecture must reflect the natural setting of the site. To that end, they were built using native stone and other materials harvested from the site. That, and the long, horizontal orientation and flat roofed construction help them blend almost seamlessly into the environment. Taliesin West would still be a beautiful and striking piece of architecture even if it was located elsewhere, but it would not be as in harmony with its setting as it is, and it would be a lesser work.

The grounds of Taliesin West are beautifully landscaped and feature many outdoor works of art by various artists. Wright saw architecture as the “mother” of all the arts, and art was an important component of his designs, as was the landscaping.

Wright’s work ensures his place in history as one of the architectural greats. Today, Taliesin West lives on as testament to that greatness, and as home to the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.

Taliesin West is located in Scottsdale, Arizona, about 20 miles northeast of downtown Phoenix.

Originally posted November 26, 2019. Updated and re-posted January 7, 2022.

Jasper National Park

by Alan K. Lee

In August 2019, on a long road trip from our home near Portland, Oregon, my wife and I travelled to both Banff and Jasper in the Canadian Rockies. We had been to Banff before, but had never visited Jasper National Park.

We spent a few days exploring Canmore, just outside of Banff National Park, and the town of Banff, then visited Moraine Lake, Johnston Canyon, and Lake Louise before heading north into Jasper National Park on the Icefields Parkway. (Click here to read about our time in Banff).

The Icefields Parkway parallels the Continental Divide from just north of Lake Louise to the town of Jasper. It is without question one of the most scenic drives I’ve ever taken. Jagged peaks, glaciers, pristine lakes, spectacular waterfalls – it has it all.

From the beginning of the Icefield Parkway, just north of Lake Louise, the country felt wilder, more remote, and more removed from civilization. While Banff and Lake Louise seem relatively civilized because of the facilities, and the crowds, Jasper National Park is another animal. You won’t completely leave the crowds behind, of course, but you don’t have to venture very far off the road to find places with little or no trace of civilization.

Although it is only 143 miles (230 km) long and can be driven in less than three hours, you’ll want to spend a full day or more exploring the many scenic viewpoints, hiking trails, lakes, rivers, glaciers, waterfalls, and wildlife viewing opportunities that the Parkway offers.

We didn’t have enough time to stop at every viewpoint along the parkway, much less do any serious hiking or exploring. (If we go back, we’ll budget our time more wisely because there is so much that we missed on this trip). Our first stop after leaving Banff and entering Jasper came at the Icefield Centre, where the Athabasca Glacier drops down from the Columbia Icefield that straddles the Continental Divide.

From the Icefield Centre, visitors can take tour busses up to the Athabasca Glacier, then onto the glacier itself in special sno-coaches equipped to deal with the unique terrain presented by the surface of the glacier. You can also take a guided hiking tour onto the surface of the glacier.

We opted instead to hike to the terminal moraine of the glacier, where we could get a good view of the entire glacier as it descends from the massive Columbia Icefield. We then drove to nearby Sunwapta Lake, fed by runoff from the glacier. The whole area is beautiful, a bit unworldly, and truly magnificent.

From the Icefield Centre, the parkway follows the Sunwapta River north. We stopped for a short time at Tangle Falls, a beautiful series of small falls, which is immediately adjacent to the highway, no hiking required.

Then it was on to Sunwapta Falls. A short walk of a few hundred feet brings you to the top of the falls, where the Sunwapta River drops into a narrow canyon. The Sunwapta is a sizable tributary of the Athabasca River and the volume of water funneling into such a narrow passage is very impressive to see, and hear. The best view is from a pedestrian bridge that crosses the riverjust below the main falls. There is also a much less traveled 1¼ mile trail to Lower Sunwapta Falls, where the gorge empties out into the broad Athabasca Valley.

Our next stop was Athabasca Falls. Here Hwy 93A splits off from the Icefields Parkway. Like at Sunwapta Falls, the river here also drops into a narrow gorge, and a pedestrian bridge above the gorge gives a fantastic view of the falls. Before we left on our trip I saw a video of a black bear crossing that same bridge, full of tourists. Some of the people froze in place and some ran for their lives. The bear passed within inches of some of the people, paying them no mind, and went on its way.

If Sunwapta Falls was impressive, and it was, the Athabasca River here is bigger, the volume of water is greater, and the noise of the falls is deafening. Awesome is the only word for it. Athabasca Falls is world famous for a reason. Many highly hyped tourist attractions turn out to be less than advertised, but Athabasca Falls is not one of them.

After leaving Athabasca Falls, we continued north on Hwy 93A instead of returning to the Icefields Parkway and followed it about ten miles north to the junction of the road leading to the Mount Edith Cavell Day Use Area. The road up has a half dozen very sharp switchbacks, and trailers and RVs over 25′ are not allowed. (There is a parking area at the base of the road where you can leave your trailer, if you want to unhitch.) The road is paved, though, and fine for passenger vehicles and smaller RVs. The day use area is at the end of the road, directly below the summit of Mount Edith Cavell.

Meltwater from the Cavell Glacier, Mount Edith Cavell

The mountain is named for a British nurse who helped hundreds of British, French, and Belgian soldiers escape German-occupied Belgium in World War I. She was arrested, tried, and executed by the Germans in 1915.

From the day use area, a short but steep trail leads to a viewpoint that looks down to Cavell Pond and up nearly 5000 vertical feet to the 11,047′ summit. The lake was still partially ice covered when we were there in the middle of August.

The Icefields Parkway ends at the town of Jasper, a smaller, less crowded, and lower key version of Banff. There are abundant restaurants, pubs, galleries, and shops there, but accommodations are limited, and hotels and motels are expensive. Book your stay well in advance. We opted for staying in a travel trailer at an RV park 30 miles (48 km) from Jasper, just outside the park boundary, because that was the only thing available through Airbnb when we were planning our trip. It was a little inconvenient, but in the end it worked fine.

No visit to Jasper National Park should go without a stop at Maligne Canyon, just a few miles northeast of town. Here the Maligne River flows through a narrow slot canyon. In some places the canyon is more than 150 feet deep and only 10 feet wide. It’s an amazingly place, not to be missed.

To get to Maligne Canyon from Jasper, take Hwy 16 toward Edmonton. Just outside of town, turn right onto Maligne Lake Road and cross the Athabasca River. A few miles down the road you will first come to Maligne Canyon Viewpoint, then the Maligne Canyon Trailhead parking area.

From the trailhead parking area, look to the southeast and you’ll see, strangely enough, a restaurant (Maligne Canyon Wilderness Kitchen). The trail begins there. A short ways down the trail you will come to First Bridge. It spans the canyon immediately downstream of an impressive waterfall.

There are a total of five foot bridges that cross the Maligne River. The first four all give incredible views down into the canyon. The trail along the rim of the canyon also offers numerous viewpoints. Words simply cannot describe this place.

Because it is so spectacularly beautiful, Maligne Canyon can also be spectacularly crowded. Come early in the day (before 9:00) if possible to beat the tour bus crowd. The crowds thin out, though, below Second Bridge. Below Fourth Bridge the canyon opens up and becomes less spectacular, but still scenic. One way of avoiding some of the crowds, though a longer hike, is to start at the lower trailhead at Fifth Bridge and hike up the canyon.

After spending most of the morning at Maligne Canyon, we drove the 25 miles south to Maligne Lake. There we did a short hike along the east shore of the lake. The north end of the lake is less scenic than the fjord-like southern end, but there are no roads beyond the north end of the lake. Tour boats take visitors part way down the lake, but we weren’t there at the right time of day to get good photos, so we opted to skip the boat ride this time, one of the many things we left for our next visit to Jasper.

If you’re contemplating a visit to Jasper National Park, plan to spend at least five days. And you could easily spend longer. There’s a lot to see, as Jasper is a big place, larger than Yellowstone National Park. The two and a half days we had were not close to enough. If you want to see the Canadian Rockies and time is a constraint, my advice would be to skip Banff and focus on Jasper. Banff has it’s attractions, but Jasper is much less crowded and even more scenic. The Icefields Parkway website is a good starting point for planning your trip. Another good reference is the Jasper National Park website.

Originally posted September 19, 2019 as The Icefields Parkway. Edited, updated, and re-posted December 26, 2022.

Banff National Park

by Alan K. Lee

Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies is flat out gorgeous, one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. My wife and I made our first visit a couple of decades ago and loved it. But it took us twenty years to get back. We finally made it back to Banff in August 2019 as part of a long road trip from our home in the Portland, Oregon area.

It was a long drive. It’s more than 700 miles from Portland to Banff by the shortest route, even farther by the route we took. We took our time, though, and stopped in a number of places in southern British Columbia on the way. (Banff is a long ways from pretty much everywhere. If you don’t want to make the long drive, another option is to fly to Calgary and rent a car. Banff is less than a two hour drive west of Calgary.)

Besides being incredibly scenic, Banff is also significant in that it is part of one of the largest protected areas in North America. The park borders three other Canadian national parks, Kootenay, Yoho, and Jasper. The four national parks in turn border more than half a dozen provincial parks and protected areas. Altogether, the contiguous protected area totals more than 12,000 square miles (31,500 square kilometers). That’s almost four times the size of Yellowstone National Park, for comparison.

Historic North West Mounted Police Barracks, Canmore

On our 2019 trip, we rented a house in Canmore, just outside the park, since it was more affordable than staying in the park itself. Canmore turned out to be a pretty interesting place in its own right. It has a compact and very walkable downtown area with plenty of cafes and restaurants, brew pubs (try Canmore Brewing), interesting art galleries (don’t miss the Jeff Walker Gallery), and some interesting historical sites. There’s also a nice walking trail along Policeman’s Creek. And Canmore is only about a five minute drive from the southern entrance to Banff National Park.

The town of Banff, although crowded and touristy, is charming enough to warrant at least a few hours of your time. The Banff Springs Hotel is also worth a visit, even if you’re not staying there. If you’re a hiker, try the Tunnel Mountain Trail. We didn’t hike all the way to the top, but still got some great views of the town and the surrounding mountains, and a good workout.

One of the best hikes you’ll find anywhere is the Johnston Canyon Trail, about 15 miles north of the town of Banff. Here Johnston Creek cascades through a narrow gorge with many small waterfalls and two larger ones.

Another must see destination in Banff National Park is Moraine Lake. The turquoise blue water and soaring peaks surrounding the lake make it one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. It’s an easy walk up to a stunning viewpoint from the parking lot, and there is a trail along the shoreline that gives you more incredible views of this beautiful lake and the high peaks above it. You can also rent a canoe there and get out on the water for more spectacular views. And again, go early. Parking at the lake is limited and traffic on the road to the lake may be restricted if the parking lot is full.

You can avoid the parking hassles and the crowds, at least in the morning or evening, by booking a room at the Moraine Lake Lodge. It’s expensive, but if you can afford it, it might be worth it.

Lake Louise is justifiably famous, but fame brings people. Lots of people. There’s a lot more parking here than at Moraine Lake, but even though we were there early, we still had to park in one of the lower lots and walk up to the lake. And honestly, Moraine Lake is even prettier and less crowded. But if you’ve never been there, seeing Lake Louise is worth fighting the crowds. Rent a canoe and get out on the water, or take a hike along the shore to get away from the crowds. And, like the Banff Springs Hotel, Chateau Lake Louise is a destination in itself.

The portion of Banff National Park north of Lake Louise has a lot of attractions that many visitors never see. This part of the park was new to me. On our first trip we were among the many that didn’t venture north of Lake Louise. On this trip we did, though. Our journey took us on into Jasper National Park on the Icefields Parkway.

Drive a few miles north from Lake Louise on the Trans Canada Highway, turn onto the Icefields Parkway, and you’re in a different world. The crowds thin out and the country becomes wilder, more open, and more removed from civilization.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to really explore that part of the park. We made a quick stop at Hector Lake viewpoint, only a few miles from Lake Louise, and stopped for a little longer at Bow Lake before motoring on into Jasper National Park. (Click here to go to our post on Jasper.)

There’s much more to Banff than I have described here, of course. It’s a big park, and you could easily spend a couple of weeks there without running out of things to do, longer if you also visit some of the surrounding parks. But it’s worth the effort to get there at least once in your life, even if you can only spend a few days there.

“B’Air of Importance” by Shannon Ford, Banff Springs Hotel

Originally posted December 26, 2022. Most recently updated July 31, 2024.

Clear Lake

By Alan K. Lee

Clear Lake, in the central Oregon Cascades, is the source of the McKenzie River, and as its name suggests, it’s one of the clearest lakes you’ll find in the Cascade Range (or anywhere, for that matter). It’s also one of the cleanest, coldest, and most beautiful lakes in the Cascades.

Clear Lake is very young geologically, having been formed only about 3000 years ago when a lava flow from nearby Sand Mountain dammed the McKenzie River. One of the remarkable features of Clear Lake is the Underwater Forest, remnants of the forest that stood on the shore of the McKenzie prior to the eruption. The clean and very cold water of the lake preserved the trees, and some of them still stand upright on the lake bottom.

Clear Lake offers the outdoor enthusiast a number recreational options, including hiking, fishing, paddling, or just taking in the views and soaking up the beauty and peacefulness of nature.

My wife and I have taken short vacations at Clear Lake a couple of times in the past couple of years, most recently in August 2024. Both times, we stayed in one of the cabins at Clear Lake Resort on the northwest shore of the lake. Coldwater Cove Campground, on the southeast shore of the lake, is another option. The campground has 34 campsites, drinking water, and vault toilets, but no RV hookups. There are many other campgrounds and a few other resorts within a short drive of Clear Lake, as well. And the lake is also close enough to all of the communities in the Willamette Valley and Central Oregon to make it a day trip destination if you don’t want to spend the night.

Clear Lake Resort is a good option for those, like my wife and I, that prefer the warmth of a heated cabin to an unheated tent or cramped RV. The resort has 14 cabins and one yurt. Six of the cabins have two bedrooms, a full kitchen, and a bathroom. The other cabins and the yurt have power but no indoor plumbing. (There is a heated central rest room with showers at the resort).

The resort also has a small cafe and a day use area with picnic tables, a large fire pit, and a boat ramp. And you can rent row boats or canoes there (motorized craft are prohibited on the lake).

For hikers, the Clear Lake Loop Trail is an easy 5.0 mile hike with almost no elevation gain. You can start the hike from either the resort or Coldwater Cove Campground. Note that the trail along the west side of the lake may be closed periodically to protect bald eagle nesting sites. Call the McKenzie River Ranger Station at 541-822-7254 for more information. (The Ranger District’s website wasn’t much help, and the link to their email didn’t work).

The Clear Lake and upper McKenzie area is one of the most scenic and most interesting parts of the Cascades, and offers a number of other hiking options besides the Clear Lake Loop. The 2.6-mile McKenzie Waterfalls Loop is another easy, family friendly hike that takes you to both Sahalie and Koosah Falls. The 3.9-mile out-and-back Blue Pool hike is another. Like the Clear Lake Loop, both of those also incorporate parts of the 22 mile long McKenzie River National Scenic Trail. And the nearby Santiam Pass and McKenzie Pass areas both give access to the Pacific Crest Trail and more expansive views of Mount Jefferson, Three Fingered Jack, Mount Washington, and the Three Sisters.

Clear Lake also offers other recreational options besides hiking. Fishing is a popular activity at Clear Lake, as it is in most Cascade lakes. Brook and cutthroat trout reproduce naturally in the lake and rainbow trout are stocked annually. You’ll usually see at least a few people fishing from row boats on the lake in the morning and evening.

The lake is also a great place to paddle, and canoes and kayaks are a frequent sight on the lake. The clear water allows you to see deep into the lake and you get a perspective that you can’t get from the shore. My wife spent part of our stay exploring the lake in her kayak both times that we’ve there. Some of the photos here were taken by her from her kayak. Boats can be launched at either the day use area at the resort or at the campground’s boat ramp. Summer weekends can be very crowded with day trippers, though, as you can see from the photo above.

If you’re a scuba diver, the clear water and submerged forest make Clear Lake a great place to dive, even though the water is extremely cold (38° year round). Check the Scuba Bubbles website for more information about diving in Clear Lake.

From the Portland area, Clear Lake is about a 130 mile drive. Take I-5 south to Salem, then Ore Hwy 22 east past Detroit Lake to the junction with US Hwy 20. Go west on Hwy 20 for three miles to the junction with Ore Hwy 126. Clear Lake is a few miles south of the junction. From the Eugene area it’s a 75 mile drive on Hwy 126 to the lake. From Bend, the lake is a 50 mile drive west on Hwy 20, or about 65 miles via the very scenic McKenzie Pass Hwy (Ore 242).

You can take in Clear Lake and do the Waterfall Loop in a weekend. Make it a long weekend and add the Blue Pool hike or spend a day out on the lake. Better yet, make a week of it and check out Fish Lake, the Santiam Pass and McKenzie Pass areas, and the lower McKenzie River. You won’t run out of things to do.

Originally posted November 29, 2022. Updated September 6, 2024.

Lake Crescent and Vicinity

by Alan K. Lee

Lake Crescent, the nearby the Sol Duc Valley, and Hurricane Ridge are three of the prime attractions of Olympic National Park. My wife and I had the pleasure of visiting Lake Crescent and vicinity on an “escape from the pandemic” tour of the Olympic Peninsula in September 2020.

After spending three days in the magnificent Quinault Rain Forest, we made stops at Ruby Beach and Rialto Beach before heading on to Lake Crescent.

After checking in at Lake Crescent Lodge, we did a short but scenic and relaxing loop hike along the lake shore and through the forest east of the lodge. Lake Crescent lies in a glacier carved valley in the northern portion of Olympic National Park. The lake’s depth (nearly 600 feet) and clarity give the lake a brilliant deep blue color. Lake Crescent and nearby Lake Sutherland were once a single body of water, but a huge landslide about 7000 years ago divided the original lake into the separate lakes found today.

Lake Crescent Lodge, like Lake Quinault Lodge where we stayed on the first part of our trip, is one of the iconic grand lodges of the American West. Built in 1915, Lake Crescent Lodge is perhaps a little less grand than the other grand lodges, but it is no less significant in terms of its history and its romantic appeal. The main lodge is smaller than Lake Quinault Lodge, and the lodge rooms do not have private bathrooms. But there are many individual one and two bedroom cabins on the lake shore – the Singer Tavern Cottages and the Roosevelt Fireplace Cabins – that Lake Quinault and the other comparable lodges lack. More modern additions – the Storm King Rooms, Marymere Rooms, and Pyramid Mountain Rooms – are tucked into the woods a ways back from the shore. Our Storm King Room still had a view of the lake, though, and a nice balcony. All of the cabins and modern additions have private bathrooms.

As at Lake Quinault Lodge, the restaurant at Lake Crescent Lodge served only take out meals when we were there because of the corona virus pandemic. The lodge dining room was open for seating, however, so after our hike that first afternoon we claimed a window table looking out over the lake. Our meals were both very good, but Joan’s salmon “catch of the day” was a small (maybe 4 oz.) portion, and probably not worth the $28 price tag. My fish and chips were cheaper and more substantial, but we chose to drive to nearby Port Angeles for dinner the next two nights.

The next morning we hiked from the lodge to Marymere Falls, a picturesque 90 foot waterfall on Falls Creek. The trail is an easy 1.5 mile hike through old growth forest with minimal elevation gain to the lower viewpoint. From there the trail climbs steeply to an upper viewpoint. Both viewpoints offer unobstructed views of the falls.

My wife took her kayak out for a paddle on the lake that afternoon while I relaxed on our room’s balcony with a good book (Graham Greene’s Travels With My Aunt).

That evening we drove into Port Angeles, about 20 miles to the east, and dined at Next Door Gastropub. They have a good selection of beers and the Cuban pork sandwich that I had was quite good. After dinner we wandered around a bit, searching out some of the many public artworks scattered around the downtown area, before returning to Lake Crescent.

The following morning, we drove to the Sol Duc Valley west of Lake Crescent and hiked to Sol Duc Falls. Originally called “Sole Duck,” the spelling was officially changed to Sol Duc in 1922 to more accurately reflect its derivation from a Quileute language word meaning sparkling waters. The family friendly trail (less than a mile long) takes you through a dense forest with minimal elevation gain to the 48 foot falls. There the Sol Duc River breaks into a number of channels before making a sideways drop into a deeper gorge. There are many bigger and more spectacular waterfalls in Olympic National Park, but certainly none more scenic.

The nearby Sol Duc Hot Springs was once the site of a five star hotel. Built in 1912, the hotel lasted only four years, though, before burning down in 1916. The resort was rebuilt on a less grand scale in the 1920s and operated for a half century before closing in the 1970s. After being vacant for a number of years, it was renovated and reopened in the 1980s. Today the resort includes a restaurant and a variety of cabins with private bathrooms and modern amenities. Those staying at the resort have free access to a swimming pool, soaking pools, and hot tubs, all heated by water from the hot springs. People not staying at the resort can also enjoy the hot springs for a small fee.

A 17 unit RV campground that will accommodate RVs up to 36 feet is located a quarter mile from the resort. The RV campground sites have water and electric hookups, and there is a sewer dump station. A separate 82 unit “dry” campground is located nearby. The campground has restrooms, but no showers. The camp sites will accommodate small RVs, but do not have water or electric hookups.

After our hike to Sol Duc Falls we drove to the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center to do some more hiking and sightseeing. The visitor center is located 17 miles south of Port Angeles at an elevation of 5242 feet above sea level. Hurricane Ridge is the only alpine area in Olympic National Park accessible by car, which makes it very popular and means it can be very crowded, especially on summer weekends. We were there in the middle of the week in late September, though, so crowds weren’t much of an issue.

The Hurricane Ridge Road is paved, but winding with poor sight lines and several tunnels. It is also a popular challenge for cyclists because of the elevation gain, so go slow and watch for bicycles on the road.

The visitor center’s gift shop and restrooms were open, but the main part of the center was closed due to the corona virus pandemic. The rangers were manning an information desk outside on the sidewalk, though, where they were giving out maps and answering questions.

Several short loop and out and back hikes ranging from a half mile to a mile and a half take you from the visitor center to viewpoints with great views in all directions. Look for wildlife when you’re there. We’ve seen mountain goats there in the past, and on this visit a doe was grazing only a few feet off one of the trails, almost within arms reach. Past the visitor center, at the end of the road, you’ll find the trailhead for a longer 3.2 mile round trip hike to Hurricane Hill with even more spectacular panoramic views.

The following morning we somewhat reluctantly checked out of the lodge. Our six days in the Olympics were a much needed getaway from both the pandemic and the wildfires that had threatened many of the populated areas of western Oregon. We in the Pacific Northwest are lucky to have such a magnificent place so close at hand. Olympic National Park is a jewel worth visiting, no matter how far you have to come to experience it.

From Crescent Lake, we headed on to Port Townsend for the final part of our trip. Look for an upcoming post on Port Townsend, one of my favorite places in the Northwest, and home of the annual Wooden Boat Festival.

Originally posted November 7, 2020. Updated and re-posted November 9, 2022.