Tag: outdoor recreation

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.

Forsyth Park, Savannah

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.)

Tunnel Beach near Oceanside

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

Lower South 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.

South Silver Creek
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:

South Falls

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.

Canyon Trail behind South Falls

Continue down the main trail, which will take you behind South Falls. Here you will be between two layers of the Columbia River Basalt lava flows that are about 15-16 million years old. 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.

Lower South 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.

Canyon Trail

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.

Lower North falls

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.

Double Falls
Drake Falls
Middle North Falls

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.

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.

Twin Falls

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.

North Falls

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.

Upper North 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.

North Falls viewed from the Rim Trail

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 Oregon Garden

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.

Lower South Falls

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

All photos © Alan K. Lee

 

Beaver Creek Loop Trail

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.

Beaver Creek Marsh

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:

Beaver Creek Loop Trail

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).

Beaver Marsh Trail

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.

Beaver Creek Loop Trail

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.

Beaver Creek Loop Trail

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.

Beaver Creek

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.

Beaver Creek

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.

Ona Beach

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.

God’s Thumb

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.

Ke’anae

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.

Ho’okipa Beach

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.

The shore at Ke’anae

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.

Falls at Pua’a Ka’a

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.

Waiʻānapanapa State Park
Waiʻānapanapa State Park

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.

Hana-Maui Resort

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.

Hana-Maui Resort

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).

St. Mary’s Church, Hana

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.

Red Sand Beach

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.

Koki Beach
Hamoa Beach

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.

Hana Lava Tube

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.

Ohe’o Gulch Falls, Kipahulu

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.

Southeast shore of Maui
Souteast shore of Maui

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.

Surfing Goat Dairy

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.

Makahiku Falls

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.

Wailua Falls

 

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.

 

Kula Lodge

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 Crater
Haleakala summit view

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.

Haleakala sunrise. Photo by Joan Newman
Iao Needle

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.

North Shore, halfway to Hana

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.

Kihei Beach

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
Big Beach, Makena Beach State Park

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.

Ho’okipa Beach

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.

Nakalele Blowhole

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.

Old Lahaina Courthouse

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.

Kihei Beach

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

 

 

Kihei sunset

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

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

 

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

All photos  © Alan K. Lee, except as noted

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.

Meadow near Sunriver Nature Center

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.

Bike path bridge at Sunriver Lodge

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.

Sunriver Marina

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.

Deschutes River above Benham Falls

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.

Deschutes River
Floating the Descutes at Sunriver

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.

Benham Falls

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.

Lava Butte

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).

Paulina Lake viewed from Paulina Peak

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.

Hosmer Lake
Sparks lake

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.

High Desert Museum

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.

Old Mill District, Bend

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 Lodge

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.

Mule Deer in Sunriver residential area

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.

Sunriver Nature Center

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.

Deschutes River at Sunriver

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

All photos © Alan K. Lee

 

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.

Moraine Lake, Banff 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).

Bow Lake, Banff National Park

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.

Mount Andromeda, Jasper National Park

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.

Wilcox Peak, Jasper National Park

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.

Athabasca Glacier

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.

Athabasca Glacier

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.

Sunwapta Lake

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.

Tangle Falls

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.

Sunwapta Falls

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.

Athabasca Falls

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.

Athabasca Falls

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.

Astoria River Valley

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.

Cavell Pond, Mt. Edith Cavell

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.

Maligne Canyon

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.

Maligne Canyon

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.

Maligne Canyon

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.

Maligne Canyon

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.

Maligne Canyon

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.

Maligne Lake

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.

Creek along Edith Cavell Trail

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

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Banff National Park

by Alan K. Lee

Banff National Park

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.

Bow Falls

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.)

Bow River

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.

Policeman’s Creek
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.

Banff Springs Hotel

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.

Upper Falls, Johnston Canyon

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.

Moraine Lake

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.

Moraine Lake

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

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.   

Hector Lake

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.

Bow Lake

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.)

Bow River

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.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

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.

Photo by Joan E. Newman

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.

Photo by Joan E. Newman

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.

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

Kona and the Big Island

by Alan K. Lee

Kailua-Kona

Kona, on the Big Island, was where I first set foot in Hawai’i, back in the year 2000. I will never forget stepping out of the plane and immediately being bathed in sunshine and enveloped in the warmth that is so ever present in Hawai’i. It wasn’t just that it was warm. The air felt different, not the suffocating humidity of summers in the much of the country or the oppressive furnace-like heat of the Southwest. Here it just felt  welcoming. Two steps out of the plane I knew I was in paradise.

Kohala Coast, north of Kona

My first view of the Big Island was also memorable. Looking out the window of the plane at the Kohala Coast as we descended toward Kona, I expected to see lush green jungle, but instead I saw black lava fields and brown grassland. There wasn’t a tree in sight. The land looked more the high desert of  eastern Oregon than what I envisioned Hawai’i should look like.

Saffron Finch, photographed in downtown Kailua-Kona

Kailua-Kona isn’t a desert by any means, but the average annual rainfall is a bit under 30 inches, less than Portland or Seattle. Parts of the Kohala Coast to the north of Kona get less than 10 inches of rain per year. In contrast, Hilo on the east side of the island averages more than 10 feet (127″) per year.

Banyan tree

My wife and I have been back to the Big Island a couple of times since our first visit. Our most recent visit came in February 2019. After visiting my wife’s cousin and her husband at their home on Maui, the four of us took the short hop over to Kona to explore the Big Island. It had been 15 years since our last trip to Kona, so I was interested to see how much it had changed. The answer turned out to be not all that much. A little bigger, more traffic, maybe a little more touristy, but essentially the same as I remembered it.

After settling into our condo rental near downtown Kailua-Kona, we walked into town. It was hotter and a little more humid than I remembered it being on our previous visits, so our first stop was a local pub to get a cold brew. After slaking our thirst and having a bite to eat, we walked around the town and harbor-front for awhile.

Sea and sky near Kailua-Kona

Kailua-Kona still has a small town feel and the downtown area is compact and easily walkable. Many of the businesses that were there 15 years ago are still there. The shave-ice place that we discovered on our first visit is still there, although with a different name now. The town is worth a look, but it is often crowded with tourists, especially when there’s a cruise ship in port. When there is, it’s probably best to avoid the area. Fortunately, the attractions of the Big Island are  numerous and varied, and regardless of what your idea of the perfect tropical vacation is, you can probably find it on the Big Island.

Manini Park
View across Kealakekua Bay to the Captain Cook Monument

We spent one morning at Kealakekua Bay, about 20 miles south of Kailua-Kona. On our last trip, my wife and I took a day cruise to Kealakekua to snorkel. That was one of the best snorkelling experiences I’ve ever had. This time we drove to Manini Beach, a pretty cool little park with a small sand beach, frequented more by locals than tourists. We would never have found it on our own, but the owners of the condo we rented put together an information book that had photos and directions to the park. Across the bay is a monument marking the spot where Captain James Cook was killed in 1779.

Place of Refuge

We spent two or three hours lounging and swimming at Manini Beach, then drove to the Place of Refuge (Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historic Park), on Honaunau Bay, a few miles south of Kealakekua, where we spent another couple of hours exploring. Pu’uhonua o Honaunau played a significant role in the lives of Hawai’ian people prior to contact with Europeans. If you have any interest in Hawai’ian history, this is a place you definitely should visit. Next door to the Place of Refuge there is also a very good (and popular) snorkelling access point called Two Steps. You are certain to find lots of colorful fish and sea turtles in the bay there.

Fish ponds at Kalahuipua’a Historic Park, Mauna Lani Resort

More native history can be found along the Kohala Coast to the north of Kailua-Kona. The Mauna Lani Resort has preserved a couple of features of native Hawai’ian life on their property. Kalahuipua’a Historic Park contains archaeological sites and preserves two ancient fish ponds. The ponds were originally shallow embayments that the native Hawai’ians walled off to raise fish for food. Over time the ground here has subsided, making the ponds deeper and larger than they once were.

Puako Petroglyph Archaeological Park

Puako Petroglyph Archaeological Park, also on the Mauna Lani property, preserves an area of relatively flat, smooth lava, several acres in size, that is literally covered with petroglyphs. It’s about a 3/4 mile hike, but a quite incredible site, and well worth the hike, even on a hot afternoon. I’ve never seen another place with anything close to the number of petroglyphs that can be found at Puako. The entire Puako Petroglyph Archaeological Preserve covers 223-acres and boasts more than 3,000 ancient petroglyphs, some dating to 1200 AD.

Lapakahi State Historical Park
North Kohala Coast

Farther north, in the North Kohala District, Lapakahi State Historical Park preserves the ruins of an ancient settlement. Several of the structures have been recreated to give an inkling of what life was like in the village. The park also protects 1.5 miles of shoreline and off shore coral reefs.

Kilauea Caldera
Steam vent near the rim of Kilauea Caldera

We came to the Big Island not long after the end of 2018’s epic eruption of Kilauea. The volcano was quiet when we were there, but most of the rim road and almost all of the trails in the summit area were still closed. That was a big disappointment. I would have liked to get a close up look at how much the crater had changed since our last visit. From what we could see, the Halema’uma’u Crater within the Kilauea Caldera is now many times larger than it was in 2004, but we couldn’t get near enough to see down into the crater. The trails down into the Kilauea Iki Crater were also closed, as was the Thompson Lava Tube Trail. The Chain Of Craters Road was open, so we stopped and explored a couple of interesting areas of much older eruptions that we probably would have skipped if more of the summit area had been accessible.

Vent of an ancient eruption
Lava field off the Chain Of Craters Road

After leaving Volcanoes National Park, we drove to Hilo, looking for Rainbow Falls. Our navigation system led us astray, however, leading us down a private road that went nowhere. We backtracked to Hilo to reconnoiter. While there, we had a wonderful dinner at the Cafe Pesto. Our friends had eaten there before and their recommendation was definitely on target. After dinner we consulted a map of Hilo and found our way to Rainbow Falls with no trouble. Our previous visit to Hilo (in 2004) came in the middle of a months long drought on the Big Island, and Rainbow Falls was  barely a trickle then. But this time the Wailuku River was flowing strongly and twin streams of water were pouring over the edge of the cliff. As impressive as it was, I couldn’t help but wonder how much more so it would be after a heavy rainstorm.

Rainbow Falls

We made our way back to Kona via the Saddle Road that crosses over the divide between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. In 2004 this was such a bad road that rental car companies specifically prohibited taking their cars on it. But much work has been done on it recently, and it is now one of the better highways on the Big Island, and by far the quickest route between Kailua-Kona and Hilo.

Place Of Refuge

Four days wasn’t close to enough time to do anything but scratch the surface of what the Big Island has to offer. There are beaches, of course, and snorkeling, golf, hiking trails, you name it. But even if you only have a few days, the Big Island is a great choice of places to visit. If you are thinking about visiting, a good starting point for your planning is the Big Island Guide website. It has tons of information on accommodations, dining, activities, sightseeing, the history and culture of the island, and much more.

Pond at the Punalu’u Bake Shop

No matter what your interests, I think it would be hard to have a truly bad experience on the Big Island, or any of the other islands, for that matter. Whether you choose to visit Kaua’i, Oahu, Maui, Moloka’i, the Big Island or Lana’i doesn’t matter. All of the islands of Hawai’i really are paradise.

Originally posted  August 6, 2019. Updated and re-posted November 19, 2022.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

 

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.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Bandon, Oregon

by Alan K. Lee

Bandon-by-the-sea

Bandon, Oregon, on the southern Oregon coast, happens to have been my home for the first seven years of my life. Although I did most of my growing up in Salem, I consider Bandon my home town as much or more than I do Salem.  I go back to Bandon often, most recently in July this year (2024).

History

Bandon was founded almost 150 years ago by George Bennett (often referred to as Lord Bennett), an Irish peer from Bandon, Ireland. In its early days, the economy of Bandon, Oregon was primarily agricultural. Bandon has been known for both its cheese and cranberries since the 1880s. The first jetty was also constructed in the 1880s, and Bandon was soon home to a fishing fleet and a robust shipping industry.

One of the things Lord Bennett brought to Bandon from Ireland was gorse, a thorny, thick growing plant with bright yellow flowers. In Ireland it was used for privacy hedges and property boundaries because it is almost impenetrable. In Oregon it went wild and was one of the state’s first invasive plants. Besides being thick and thorny, it is also a very oily plant and burns readily. In 1936 a small forest fire started from a slash burn that got out of hand, spread to the gorse near the town, and then to the town itself, destroying all but 16 of the 500 structures in the town. The fire decimated the community and all but ended shipping to and from the harbor.

In my youth, Bandon was primarily a mill town, with fishing and agriculture secondary industries. Today, the lumber and plywood mills are long gone. There is still a small fishing fleet that operates out of the harbor, Bandon is still one of the leading cranberry producing areas of the country, and dairy farming is still an important component of the economy. But it is tourism that drives the economy today. The three main tourist draws are the beaches, Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, and the old town section of Bandon.

The Beaches

The beaches on either side of the Coquille River are dramatically different. To the north, a wide flat beach stretches for ten miles to the Cape Arago headland, interrupted only by Fivemile Point. The north beach can be accessed from Bullards Beach State Park, Whisky Run, located just north of Bandon Dunes, and Seven Devils State Park, another mile or so to the north.

 

The beach to the south of the Coquille River is a spectacular collection of sea stacks and offshore islands, including Face Rock and Table Rock, that are part of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge. This is rightly regarded as one of the most beautiful beaches on the Oregon Coast.

Access can be had from the south jetty area, from the wayside at the end of 11th Street, and from Face Rock State Scenic Viewpoint on the Beach Loop Road. Farther south on the Beach Loop Road are other beach access points at Devils Kitchen and Bandon State Natural Area.

Coquille River Lighthouse

The Coquille River Lighthouse is located at the mouth of the Coquille River on the north jetty, across the river from the old town section of Bandon. It was constructed in 1895-96 and began operating on February 29, 1896. In addition to the lighthouse itself, there was a foghorn, a lighthouse keeper’s residence, and a barn. Various improvements were made in the following years, including a boathouse for the lighthouse tender. None of the other structures remain.

In 1939 the Coast Guard took over the lighthouse and deemed it unnecessary. The lighthouse was replaced by an automated light on the south jetty. The lighthouse sat abandoned for 24 years until it became part of the new Bullards Beach State Park in 1963. It was another 13 years before renovation of the lighthouse began, but it finally opened to the public in 1979. In 1991, during Bandon’s centennial celebration, a solar powered light was installed, ending the Coquille River Lighthouse’s 52 years of darkness. Further renovation of the lighthouse was done in 2007. The lighthouse closed to the public due to the Covid-19 pandemic and has yet to re-open, so you can’t go inside, but the road to it and the parking area are open.

Circles in the Sand

Denny Dyke began creating labyrinths on the Bandon beach in 2011 as part of his ministry, Sacred Journeys. The labyrinths are intended as a form of walking meditation. Over the next few years Dyke created hundreds of labyrinths, and he and a team of volunteers continue to create dozens of labyrinths every year, each unique and lasting only until the next high tide.

The Circles in the Sand labyrinths have become true works of art in the thirteen years that Dyke and his team have been creating them. They have also become very popular events, as have other walking labyrinths in other locations.

Golf

If you’re a golfer, you have likely heard a lot about Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. There are now five full length courses: Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes, Bandon Trails, Old MacDonald, and Sheep Ranch.

All of the Bandon Dunes courses are consistently rated in the top 100 courses in the United States, and the 13 hole par three course, Bandon Preserve, is a challenge in itself. A few miles south of town, Bandon Crossings offers a lesser known, much less expensive, and equally challenging course that should be on every golfer’s radar.

 

Old Town

Bandon’s Old Town area is loaded with restaurants, galleries, gift shops, and outdoor art exhibits. Art lovers will want to visit Second Street Gallery, and everyone should take in the Washed Ashore exhibit, which displays sculptures and other artworks created entirely from marine debris picked up from the beach. Washed Ashore is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public about plastic pollution of the oceans and waterways, and to making positive changes in consumer habits.

Good eats abound in Old Town. Start your day at Bandon Coffee Cafe, Jenn’s Joint Coffee Shop, Bandon Baking Company, or Shoestring Cafe. Stop at Face Rock Creamery to sample locally made cheeses and ice cream. Seafood lovers will want to sample the fare at Tony’s Crab Shack and Bandon Fish Market. Pub fare and quality draft beer are both to be had at Foley’s Irish Pub and Bandon Brewing Company. Decent and very affordable Mexican food can be had at La Fiesta. And if more upscale dining is what you’re looking for, try The Loft Restaurant and Bar or Alloro Wine Bar and Restaurant.

 

Accommodations

There are many hotels, motels, vacation rentals, and other accommodations in Bandon. Useful websites include: Visit the Oregon Coast,  Bandon Chamber of Commerce,  Bandon Dunes Golf Resort,  Trip Advisor,   Airbnb, and Vacasa.

There is a campground at Bullards Beach State Park with 103 full-hookup sites and 82 sites with water and electricity. And there are a number of commercial RV parks in the immediate area.

Getting There

Bandon isn’t exactly easy to get to. It’s about a 2½ hour drive from Eugene, three hours from Medford, and 4½-5 hours from Portland. There are no commercial flights to Bandon Airport. United Express does have daily flights from San Francisco and twice weekly flights from Denver to the Southwest Regional Airport in North Bend, but there are no direct flights between North Bend and Portland or other cities. There is no railroad serving Bandon, and there does not appear to be any bus service to Bandon. But Bandon’s remoteness means that it is less crowded than the northern or central Oregon coast, and the spectacularly beautiful beaches and interesting old town make it worth the trip. And, of course, there is Bandon Dunes, if you’re a golf fanatic.

Consider combining a visit to Bandon with a drive south along the spectacular Southern Oregon Coast and through the Redwoods of the northern California coast, one of the most beautiful and least visited sections of the Pacific coast. My wife and I did just that in 2022. Give yourself a week or more for that trip because there is just so much to see and do.

Best Times To Visit

For my money, September and October are the best months to visit Bandon and the rest of the Oregon coast. The summer crowds are gone, the high winds that frequently makes the beaches uncomfortable on summer afternoons are less frequent and the weather is often better in the fall than any other time of the year. But there is really no bad time to visit.

Originally posted July 24, 2018. Most recently updated August 4, 2024.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival

by Alan K. Lee

In 2018 I had the pleasure of attending the 42nd annual Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend, Washington. Although I’ve been a kayaker for more than 30 years, have had a number of friends that were boaters and sailors, and have admired wooden boats and the craftsmanship that goes into building them, I had never made it to the Wooden Boat Festival before.

That year, I decided to attend the festival only a month or so before it started, so most of the accommodations in Port Townsend were already booked. I wound up staying in the little waterfront town of Poulsbo, about 30 miles to the south of Port Townsend on Liberty Bay. Click here to see my post on Poulsbo.

I found the Wooden Boat Festival to be as amazing an event as I had imagined, and maybe then some. It was quite a treat to see so many beautiful boats in one place. There were more than 300 boats featured at the 2018 show. Many of the owners welcomed guests aboard their boats and all were happy to talk about their boats and answer any questions.

There were sailing, paddling, and rowing races, panel discussions, music, food and drink, films, and dozens of classes on boat designing and building, boat maintenance, sailing, navigation, living aboard, and much more. You could sail on one of several tall ships, try your hand at paddle boarding, or crew on a replica of one of Captain George Vancouver’s longboats from 1792. There was also a boat building competition in which teams endeavored to build boats from scratch in three days. And there were lots of activities for kids.

One of the highlights for me was being able to talk to some of the many boat builders at the festival, and seeing some of the boats that they’ve built. Casey Wilkerson of Kea Custom Boats in Edmonds, Washington had a number of kayaks and small boats that were just plain gorgeous. Pygmy Boats also had a nice selection of kayaks on display. And there were many other beautiful small boats displayed. Bill Palsulich brought his 18′ steam powered launch, and Clayton Wright brought a 10½’  boat that he built. He altered the original design by adding a pedal driven propeller – a pretty clever modification. Numerous other more conventional small craft were also featured.

All in all, there was far too much to see and do in a single day. I haven’t been back since the 2018 festival, but I’m hoping to attend the 2023 festival, to be held September 8-10. This time I’ll plan a little farther ahead, stay in Port Townsend, and take in the entire three days of the festival. And by the way, even if you’re not a wooden boat fan, Port Townsend is a pretty cool town, well worth a visit any time of the year.

For more information about the festival, check out the festival’s website.

Originally posted September 13, 2018. Edited and re-posted September 20, 2022.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Snoqualmie Valley

by Alan K. Lee

The beautiful Snoqualmie Valley runs from just east of Seattle, Washington southeast to Snoqualmie Pass at the crest of the Cascade Mountains. The valley’s proximity to Seattle and its eastern and southern suburbs makes the Snoqualmie Valley quite literally Seattle’s backyard. We’ll touch on some of the many recreational opportunities in the Snoqualmie Valley and in the Snoqualmie Pass area, but we’ll focus first on the two areas we visited on our most recent visit, Twin Falls on the South Fork of the Snoqualmie, and Snoqualmie Falls on the main stem.

Snoqualmie River

The middle and south forks of the Snoqualmie River arise near Snoqualmie Pass, which is only about 45 miles as the crow flies from downtown Seattle. The middle, south, and north forks of the river all come together to form the main stem of the Snoqualmie River just above the magnificent Snoqualmie Falls.

To say that the river is a very popular destination for people looking to escape the city is a bit of an understatement. On summer weekends it can seem like half the population of the metro area can be found along its banks or in the surrounding mountains. But there are dozens, probably hundreds, of hiking trails and other attractions, so the crowds disperse to some extent. But we were last there on the Fourth of July, and Snoqualmie Falls was a madhouse that day. Nevertheless, my wife and I still enjoyed our time there, and we had done a hike earlier in the day that was much less crowded. More on that below.

Snoqualmie Falls

Less than an hour’s drive from most of the Seattle metropolitan area, Snoqualmie Falls gets a lot of tourist traffic. More than 1.5 million people visit the falls annually. Most of the visitors are day trippers, but Salish Lodge sits on the north bank of the river at the top of the falls, so there are still many people in the area mornings and evenings. You’re not going to find solitude here.

The falls have been used to generate electricity since the turn of the 20th century. The first power plant was built in 1899. Power Plant #1 is largely inconspicuous because it is entirely underground, the first underground power plant built in the country. Power Plant #2, built in 1910 on the north bank of the river just downstream of the falls, is much more conspicuous, with three large pipelines running above ground down the slope to the plant.

So, this is not prime wilderness. But with a 268 foot vertical drop, Snoqualmie Falls is more than twice the height of Niagara Falls. And fed by the abundant winter and spring rains and the spring and summer snow melt from the Cascade Mountains, the volume of water flowing over the falls can be an awesome sight.

The Fourth of July might be the worst possible time to visit the falls. It took us some time just to find a parking place, and the viewing areas at the top of the falls were elbow to elbow. After waiting our turn to get photos at several view points, we hiked down to the base of the falls. There were fewer people at the bottom than the top, but it wasn’t uncrowded by any means. My advice would be to go on a weekday, if possible, come early in the day if you can only come on a weekend, and avoid holiday weekends completely. But despite the crowds (and the heat), we enjoyed our stop.

The falls are just a few miles off of Interstate 90, near the town of Snoqualmie. Take Exit 25 and follow Snoqualmie Parkway to the falls.

Twin Falls

Earlier in the day, we hiked to Twin Falls on the South Fork of the Snoqualmie River. This is a relatively easy, family friendly hike. The Washington Trails Association rates the hike Easy/Moderate. We had two of our grandkids with us (age four and six), and both made the 2.6-mile round trip without much difficulty. Twin Falls is a little less than ten miles east of Snoqualmie Falls. For a more complete description of the hike with more photos, click here.

Mount Si. Photo by Chris Light.

There are many other hikes in the Snoqualmie Valley that offer a variety of difficulty levels for all types of hikers. According to the Washington Trails Association, the Mount Si Trail is the most popular hike in the state. It’s not a trail for everyone, though. The eight-mile round trip gains a staggering 3150 feet in elevation. The WTA rates it Hard. No kidding. But, despite the difficulty, upwards of 100,000 people make the trek every year.

Snow Lake. Photo by Maryann Huang.

The Snow Lake Trail on Snoqualmie Pass offers a slightly shorter and easier hike (7.2 miles round trip with 1800 feet of elevation gain, rated Moderate/Hard). I was captivated by the photo above that I saw many years ago on the internet. Snow Lake is incredibly beautiful, as you can see.

Franklin Falls. Photo by Bobby Marko.

For those of you with young children (or grandchildren) in tow, there are many kid-friendly trails in the Snoqualmie region in addition to Twin Falls, including Franklin Falls, Lodge Lake, Oxbow Loop, Mirror and Cottonwood Lakes, and many others. Check the WTA website for more family friendly hiking options.

As well as hiking, the Snoqualmie Valley offers many other outdoor activities, from mountain biking, fishing, boating, and camping in the summer to cross country and alpine skiing, snow shoeing, and snowmobiling in the winter.

View from Mount Si. Photo by VOXroy.
North Bend

And if outdoor activities aren’t your thing, there are still options for you. For a luxury hotel experience, you can’t beat the Salish Lodge at Snoqualmie Falls. The nearby town of North Bend has some nice restaurants and an interesting history. Fans of the David Lynch TV series, Twin Peaks, may recognize parts of the town. The series was partially filmed in North Bend.

If you’re interested in sightseeing, but don’t want to (or aren’t able to) hike, the Summit at Snoqualmie ski area operates several chair lifts in the summer that will take you up to scenic viewpoints. Adult tickets are $20, and senior and youth tickets are $15. There are also a variety of bars and restaurants at the resort.

If you’re visiting the Seattle area, you’ll surely want to take in the Seattle Center and the Space Needle, but also take the short drive up the Snoqualmie Valley to get a taste of the outdoor experience that Seattleites value so much.

 

 

Posted August 29, 2022

All photos © Alan K. Lee, except as noted

Quinault Rain Forest

Rainfall in the Quinault Rain Forest is measured in feet, not inches. Average annual rainfall is about 12 feet. Some years see 15 feet. All that rain combined with a mild climate results in a lot of vegetation. Ferns cover the ground. Moss hangs from tree limbs. There are trees everywhere. And the trees are big. The largest Sitka Spruce in the world grows on the shore of Lake Quinault. The world’s largest Douglas Fir, Western Red Cedar, and Mountain Hemlock are all found in the Quinault Valley. And the Quinault Rain Forest is also home to the largest Yellow Cedar and Western Hemlock trees in the United States.

The Quinault Rain Forest lies in the southwestern corner of Olympic National Park, the adjacent Olympic National Forest, and the Quinault Indian Reservation in western Washington. It’s less than a four hour drive from either Portland or Seattle, but it seems a world apart, and more than a little stuck in time. It looks much as I remember it from when I first visited as a child more than a half century ago. Cell phone service and wi-fi availability are spotty. There are no big resorts and no towns of any size. Urban America is nowhere to be found.

The pandemic has kept all of us from traveling as much as maybe we’d like. That certainly applies to my wife and I. Most of our vacation plans for 2020 had to be cancelled. And just when the parks and recreation areas were beginning to reopen,  wildfires in western Oregon and Washington shut them down again. But the Olympic Peninsula was largely unaffected by the fires. So, my wife and I decided that the Olympics would be an ideal, and much needed, escape from Portland, and in September 2020 we headed to the Olympic Peninsula. Our first stop was Lake Quinault.

We treated ourselves to a stay at the historic Lake Quinault Lodge, one of the iconic grand lodges of the American West. The original Lake Quinault Lodge was built in 1904. The Boathouse annex was built in 1923. The original lodge burned down in 1924 and the current main lodge was constructed in 1926 on the site of the older lodge. Two additional annexes have been added since then. The existing lodge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

Rooms at the lodge are a little pricey, but you’re paying for the history, charm, and iconic nature of the lodge more than for the amenities provided. There are no TVs in any of the main lodge rooms, no fridges, or microwaves, no phones and no cell phone service. But that’s all part of the charm. The Boathouse and the other two annexes offer a few more amenities. Some come with fireplaces, the Lakeside Rooms are billed as family friendly, and the Boathouse Rooms are pet friendly. Our room in the main lodge came with all we needed, a comfortable bed and a view of the lake.

Services at the lodge were limited by the pandemic during our stay. The swimming pool, sauna, and game room were closed. The restaurant served take out meals, but the dining room was closed (outside seating was available and you could eat in the main hall or in your room). However, all services have been restored to pre-pandemic levels.

Some people undoubtedly come to Lake Quinault Lodge just to relax and enjoy the lodge and the setting, which I fully understand. On our second day there my wife launched her folding kayak from the beach in front of the lodge and spent an afternoon paddling Lake Quinault. Canoe rentals are available at the lodge if you don’t bring your own. I spent that afternoon relaxing in an Adirondack chair on the beach with a good book.

A somewhat cheaper alternative to Lake Quinault Lodge is the nearby Rain Forest Resort, which has a 16 room lodge, cabins (some with hot tubs), an RV park, and a restaurant. The world’s largest Sitka Spruce grows a short walk from the resort. Other options are the Quinault River Inn on Hwy 101 in Amanda Park, and Lochaerie Resort on North Shore Road. And there are three campgrounds on the south shore of Lake Quinault, and two (one a walk-in) on the north shore.

Lake Quinault Lodge, the Rain Forest Resort, or any of the three south shore campgrounds make an ideal base for exploring the area. Hikers have a variety of options, from the half mile Rain Forest Nature Trail Loop to a loop of about seven miles that takes you to Gatton Creek Falls, Cascade Falls, the Cedar Bog, the Rain Forest Nature Trail, and along the lake shore. Cutoff trails make shorter loops of various distances possible. Other hiking trails are a short drive from the lodge.

Two stops along South Shore Road worth making are Merriman Falls and Bunch Falls. Both are just east of Lake Quinault and both are right by the road, so no hiking required.

One hike that everyone should do is the Maple Glade Trail at the Quinault River Ranger Station on North Shore Road. It is spectacularly beautiful, and like the Rain Forest Nature Trail, it’s an easy 0.5 mile loop. But, unlike the Rain Forest Nature Trail, which takes you through a coniferous forest of Douglas Fir, Western Hemlock, and Western Red Cedar, the Maple Glade Trail immerses you in a Bigleaf Maple forest. There the ground is covered in ferns and other low growing shrubs and the maples soar overhead, but in between is mostly open and airy. The effect is like being in a gigantic room carpeted with ferns and roofed with a canopy of maple leaves.

The Maple Glade Trail can be extended by taking the connecting trail to the Kestner Homestead. There you’ll find the Kestner house, barn, outbuildings, and a cool old rusted delivery truck.

There are also much longer hikes that can be taken into the Olympic National Park from the Quinault Valley. The most famous, and probably most hiked, is the Enchanted Valley Trail. It’s a 13 mile hike along the East Fork of the Quinault River to reach the Enchanted Valley, so it is not a casual outing. Most people do it as a 3-5 day backpacking trip. My backpacking days are behind me, but the Enchanted Valley is one of the hikes that I regret having never done.

Those of us that live in western Oregon and Washington can be a bit blasé about the rain forest. We live in the middle of one, after all. But we shouldn’t take it for granted. The Quinault Rain Forest is a beautiful and spectacular reminder of what once stretched uninterrupted from the Redwoods of Northern California to the vast forests of southeast Alaska. If you have never experienced the grandeur of the coastal rain forest of the Pacific Northwest, you owe it to yourself to visit at least once. I don’t think you’ll regret it.

Originally posted October 26, 2020. Updated and re-posted August 11, 2022.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

 

 

Leavenworth, Washington

by Alan K. Lee

In the 1960s Leavenworth, Washington reinvented itself as a Bavarian-themed tourist town, modeled on the Danish-themed town of Solvang, California.

In the early part of the 20th century, Leavenworth was a thriving community, its economy fueled by the railroad and the timber industry. But by the 1950s the timber industry was in decline and the Great Northern Railroad regional office was long gone (to nearby Wenatchee). Even the railroad tracks had been relocated. By then Leavenworth had been losing jobs and population for decades. Leavenworth’s leaders looked for ways to revitalize the town, and tourism seemed to offer the best chance of boost the economy. So, they set about renovating the whole town.

The entire downtown area now resembles a Bavarian village, but the transition went beyond just the architecture of the town. Leavenworth has also adopted Bavarian culture in a variety of ways. Leavenworth’s Mai Fest and Oktoberfest were modeled on their Bavarian counterparts, German cuisine is featured at many of the town’s restaurants, such as Munchen Haus, and Bavarian-style pubs like Gustav’s are scattered throughout the town.

Even if not authentic and a bit kitschy, Leavenworth is still a beautiful, unique (at least in the Northwest), and charming small town that many people adore. Its mimicry of Bavarian culture has been very successful in attracting tourists, and today the town is again thriving. The town is crowded with tourists on summer and fall weekends, and accommodations are often booked up months in advance.

The immensely popular Oktoberfest has been tremendously successful in bringing tourists (and their money) to the town every fall. Its popularity, though, brought with it alcohol-related and other problems that led the town to consider making changes to the festival. The 2021 festival was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the town leaders rejected the proposal of the festival’s organizers (Projekt Bayern) for the 2022 festival. That led Projekt Bayern to move the official 2022 Leavenworth Oktoberfest to nearby Wenatchee. However, the City of Leavenworth decided to retain a smaller, more spread out and more family friendly celebration (called Oktoberfest 2022). The competing festivals led to more than a little confusion, but Projekt Bayern is not putting on an event in 2024, so (for now) we are back to having only one Leavenworth Oktoberfest. Go to the festival’s website for more information about this year’s festival.

There’s more to Leavenworth than Oktoberfest and all the faux Bavarian trappings, too. Leavenworth is located in a spectacular natural setting, and that by itself is reason enough to visit. Leavenworth has become a year round outdoor recreational mecca. Spring, summer, and fall offer abundant hiking, camping, fishing, rock climbing, mountain biking, whitewater rafting, and wildlife viewing opportunities. Winter brings Nordic and alpine skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating, sleigh riding, tubing and sledding, snowmobiling, dog sledding and even ice climbing opportunities for the outdoor enthusiast.

To really experience what Leavenworth is all about, you need to spend more than just a day there. Leavenworth is a little off the beaten path, about 130 miles east of Seattle on US Hwy 2, but it is worth an extended visit, at least once. Many people, though, find themselves returning again and again. And if you choose to visit Leavenworth, consider also visiting the fjord-like 50 mile long Lake Chelan about 50 miles north of Leavenworth.

For much more information on Leavenworth, Washington, the Two Wandering Soles Leavenworth blog post has a ton of info on the town and the area’s recreational opportunities.

Originally posted February 18, 2020. Most recently updated June 29, 2024.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Silver Falls State Park

By Alan K. Lee

Silver Falls State Park was voted Oregon’s favorite state park by an Oregonian/OregonLive readers poll. And no wonder. With more than ten waterfalls, six of them more than 90 feet in height, and four that you can actually walk behind, Silver Falls is a waterfall lovers paradise. And who doesn’t love waterfalls?

Silver Falls State Park is located in the Cascade Range foothills about 20 miles east of Salem. To get there from the Portland area, head south on I-5 to Woodburn and take Oregon Highway 214 through Woodburn, Mount Angel, and Silverton to the park. From Salem, take Oregon Highway 22 east for about 12 miles and follow the signs to the park. Day use parking permits cost five dollars and can be purchased at either the North Falls or South Falls parking areas. Twelve month passes cost $30 and 24 month passes $50, available on the park website.

Canyon Trail

The park was created largely through the efforts of one man, photographer June Drake. He grew up in nearby Silverton, and waged a twenty year campaign, from 1906 to 1926, to get the federal government to declare the area a national park. When that ultimately failed, he convinced the Silverton and Salem Chambers of Commerce to buy options on some of the land, to be later sold to the state, and purchased 160 acres himself that also became part of the park. Silver Falls State Park was created in 1931 and was dedicated on July 23, 1933.

South Falls Lodge

The park as we know it today was shaped by the efforts of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) during the Great Depression. From 1935 to 1942, 200 WPA and CCC workers built roads, parking areas, trails, bridges, and buildings, and planted trees to reforest areas that had been logged or burned. Many of the buildings, including the South Falls Lodge and Nature Store, are still in use today, more than 80 years after they were built.

The park includes a campground with 91 campsites (48 with water and electric hookups) and 14 cabins, an extensive day use area, including a cafe and nature store, near South Falls, a new day use area near North Falls, equestrian trails, bike trails, the Trail of Ten Falls that takes you to all of the falls, and 35 miles of backcountry trails.

South Falls

Smith Creek Village, near the backcountry portion of the park, has a restaurant, small cottages and cabins for rent, larger multi-bedroom lodges with kitchenettes and full bathrooms, and event spaces that will sleep up to 75 guests.

Trail behind South Falls

The newly opened North Canyon day use area is part of a planned North Gateway that will include a visitor center and a new 50 unit campground, both scheduled to open in 2025.

Lower South Falls

The waterfalls are the main attraction of the park, of course, and the Trail of Ten Falls is one of the finest hiking trails in the Pacific Northwest. I don’t know of anywhere else that you can see that many waterfalls, and actually get behind four of them, on a single hike. Silver Falls State Park is truly unique.

Lower North Falls

There are a variety of hiking options in the park, from a less than one mile loop that takes you from the top of South Falls down into the canyon and behind the falls then back to the starting point, to the full Trail of Ten Falls that takes you to all of the falls to the 35 miles of backcountry trails away from the waterfalls. And the backcountry  offers both mountain biking and horseback riding trails.

Middle North Falls

For a detailed description of the Trail of Ten Falls, click here. And one of the shorter loop hikes is described in my A Winter’s Hike at Silver Falls post.

The best times to visit Silver Falls are in the early spring when the falls are at their full force and in the fall when the reds and yellows of the maples and alders contrast with the deep greens of the conifers. Summer weekends can be very crowded, so come early or visit on a weekday if you can. But even on weekdays you will find plenty of company. Winter has its own charms, and you might even find some solitude then. The trails can be slippery when wet and are dangerous when icy, so check the weather forecast before you go.

North Falls

Whether you’re out for a picnic, a short walk, a long hike, an overnight stay in a cabin, tent, or RV, a horseback ride, or an outing on your mountain bike, Silver Falls State Park has it all.

Upper North Falls

Silver Falls State Park is one of the truly outstanding places in the Pacific Northwest to lace up your hiking boots and experience nature at it finest. Silver Falls is one of the gems of the Pacific Northwest, and not to be missed.

Originally posted June 30, 2018 by Alan K. Lee. Edited and most recently updated August 2, 2023.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Circles in the Sand 2022

by Alan K. Lee

The Circles in the Sand labyrinths began appearing on the beach at Bandon, Oregon in 2011. Created by Denny Dyke part of his ministry, Sacred Journeys, the labyrinths are intended as a form of walking meditation. Over the next few years Dyke created hundreds of labyrinths.

In 2014 Dyke’s efforts evolved into the Dreamfields labyrinths, larger and more elaborate than his original creations. The labyrinths are not mazes – there is one path and there are no dead ends or wrong turns.

The labyrinths are true works of art, each unique, each washed away by the next high tide. The sand is carefully groomed by a group of volunteers to a design by Dyke. Driftwood, kelp, shells, and other things left behind by the retreating tide are incorporated into the designs. Other shells and rocks are brought in and purposely incorporated into the design by the labyrinth builders, and the sand is raked into intricate and beautiful geometric designs.

The Circles in the Sand labyrinths are created on the beach below the Face Rock Wayside in Bandon. The beach there is a mix of flat sand and soaring sea stacks and off shore islands that is one of the most beautiful beaches on the Oregon coast.

Together with the rock formations at Coquille Point, a short distance north of the Face Rock Wayside, this stretch of beach is truly spectacular, well worth a visit at any time of the year. Combining a visit with the opportunity to experience Circles in the Sand makes for a unique and memorable experience.

Thousands of people walk the labyrinths each year. The labyrinths can be walked by anyone, free of charge. Circles in the Sand is funded entirely by donations. The 2022 schedule runs through August 15. For more information, click here.

Originally posted July 24, 2019. Updated and re-posted June 18, 2022.

All photos © Alan K. Lee