waterfalls Archives - Pacific Northwest Explorer

Johnston Canyon Hike, Banff National Park, Canada

by Alan K. Lee

Johnston Canyon Trail

Where: Banff National Park, Canada

Type: Out and back

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

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

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

Map: All Trails

Overview:

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

Getting there:

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

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

Trailhead:

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

The hike:

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

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

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

Other area attractions and activities:

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

The town of Banff

The town of Canmore

Kootenay National Park

Posted July 31, 2024

All photos ©Alan K. Lee

Lauterbrunnen Valley, Switzerland

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

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

Looking down on Murren from the Birg cable car station

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

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

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

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

Jungfrau Massive viewed from near Murren

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

Schilthorn cable-car approaching the Birg station

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Winter Hikes at Silver Falls

by Alan K. Lee

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

Winter Hikes at Silver Falls

Where: Silver Falls State Park, Oregon, USA

Distance: One to eight miles

Elevation gain: 300 to 800 feet

Difficulty: Easy to moderate

Map: Oregon State Parks map and brochure

Overview:

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

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

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

Getting there:

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

Trailheads:

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

The South Falls-Maple Ridge hike:

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

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

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

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

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

South Falls-Winter Falls loop:

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

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

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

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

Other winter hikes:

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

Other area attractions:

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

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

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Rocky Mountain National Park

Overview

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

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

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

View from Alpine Visitor Center, Trail Ridge Road

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

Estes Park

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

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

Bear Lake Area

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

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

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

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

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

Trail Ridge Road

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

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

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

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

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

Upper Colorado River

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

Conclusion

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

Posted November 16, 2023 by Alan K. Lee

All photos ©Alan K. Lee

McKenzie River Waterfalls Hike

The McKenzie River Waterfalls Loop Trail

Where: Willamette National Forest, Oregon Cascade Range

Distance: 2.6 miles

Elevation gain: 400 feet

Difficulty: Easy

Map:

Digital map: Oregon Hikers website

Overview:

The McKenzie River Waterfalls Loop hike gives you close views of Sahalie Falls, Koosah Falls, and the wild and spectacularly beautiful McKenzie River from both sides of the river. Or you can make a longer hike of it and start from Clear Lake Resort (6.4 miles round trip) or Coldwater Cove Campground (4.0 miles) on Clear Lake.

Clear Lake Resort on the northwest shore of Clear Lake and Coldwater Cove on the southeast shore both make ideal base camps for hiking the upper McKenzie area, as well as the Santiam Pass and McKenzie Pass areas. The resort has 14 cabins, four of which have two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom. The resort is popular, and reservations need to be made well in advance of your planned visit, especially for the four cabins with bathrooms. Coldwater Cove Campground has 44 camp sites. Water is available and there are vault toilets, but no RV hookups.

Getting there:

The upper McKenzie River area is about 65 miles east of Eugene, 50 miles west of Bend, and 130 miles southeast of Portland. From the Portland area, take I-5 south to exit 253, then travel east on Ore Hwy 22 for 79 miles to the junction with US Hwy 20, go west for three miles, then turn south on Ore Hwy 126. The Sahalie Falls trailhead is about five miles south of the junction. From Bend, take US Hwy 20 west to the junction with Ore Hwy 126 a few miles west of Santiam Pass, then south on 126 to the trailhead. From Eugene, take Hwy 126 east and then north to any of the three trailheads.

Trailheads:

The McKenzie Waterfalls Loop can be accessed from Sahalie Falls, Koosah Falls, or Carmen Reservoir. The Sahalie Falls trailhead has a sizeable parking area, but it’s a popular stop along the highway, and it is sometimes difficult to find a parking spot. The Koosah Falls and Carmen Reservoir trailheads are used less but also have smaller parking areas. There are restrooms and water available at the Sahalie trailhead. The Koosah and Carmen trailheads have vault toilets but no water. The Sahalie trailhead is located about a mile south of Clear Lake. The Koosah Falls trailhead is about a third of a mile south of the Sahalie trailhead. The Carmen Reservoir trailhead is just south of Koosah Falls on Forest Road 750 about three quarters of a mile west of Hwy 126.

The hike:

Starting at the Sahalie Falls parking area, which is about a mile south of Clear Lake, take the short, paved trail from the parking lot to the viewpoint for a great view of Sahalie Falls. Here the river plunges 75 feet over the edge of a lava flow from the Sand Mountain eruption about 3000 years ago. Even at the end of summer, when the river flow is at its lowest, the volume of water pouring through the notch in the cliff and crashing into the bowl below is impressive.

When you’re done taking in the view, retrace your steps and look for the trail to your right, which descends a set of steps. The trail follows the east bank of the river downstream past a series of cascades and a fifteen-foot, unnamed falls. This short section of trail is one of the most beautiful you will find anywhere. In about a quarter mile you’ll come to a viewpoint that gives a partial view of Koosah Falls, which, like Sahalie, drops 75 feet over the edge of another lava flow from Sand Mountain.

Stay right at the junction with the trail from the Koosah Falls trailhead. At the next junction, a side trail leads down a set off steps to the best viewpoint of Koosah Falls.

Back on the main trail, continue along the river. In another quarter mile you’ll come to a road along Carmen Reservoir. Cross the river on the road bridge and continue along the road for about 150 yards, then pick up the trail again at the Carmen Reservoir trailhead, to the right of the vault toilet and parking area.

In about 100 yards you’ll come to a junction with the McKenzie River Trail. Turn right and follow the trail north to another viewpoint of Koosah Falls.

Above the falls, a side trail leads to a good view of the fifteen-foot unnamed falls.

Farther along the main trail, another side trail leads to a view of Sahalie Falls. On the main trail there is another view of Sahalie. The trail passes close to the lip of the falls, then continues north through the forest and lava rock for about half a mile to a footbridge across the river. Cross the bridge and follow the trail south to your starting point at Sahalie. (If you started at Clear Lake, turn left after crossing the bridge to return to the lake).

Other area attractions and activities:

There are many other hikes in the area that are well worth doing in addition to the McKenzie Waterfalls Loop. Adding the 5.3 mile Clear Lake Loop Trail and the 4.2 mile out-and-back hike to the Blue Pool on the McKenzie River Trail make for a nice trio of hikes with amazing scenery – a beautiful mountain lake, a wild and scenic river with two spectacular waterfalls, and an almost otherworldly cobalt blue pool the color of Crater Lake. The Pacific Crest Trail crosses Santiam Pass only a few miles northeast of upper McKenzie area, giving hikers access to both the Mount Jefferson Wilderness to the north and the Mount Washington Wilderness to the south. And one of the many hot springs in the Cascade Range, Belknap Hot Springs, is only about 15 miles south of the McKenzie Waterfalls Loop. The hot springs are located at Belknap Hot Springs Lodge and Gardens. Day use visitors can soak in one of the hot spring’s pools for a $10/hr fee.

Originally posted December 4, 2022 by Alan K. Lee in a different format. Updated and re-posted September 28, 2023

All photos ©Alan K. Lee, except as noted

Skyline Trail, Mount Rainier

Skyline Trail Loop

Where: Mount Rainier National Park

Distance: 4.4 to 5.9 miles

Type: Loop

Elevation gain: 1700 feet

Difficulty: Moderate to Hard (for distance and elevation gain)

Map:

Paradise area trail map and description (from the Mount Rainier National Park website).

Overview:

The Skyline Trail loop is one of the Pacific Northwest’s iconic hikes. Beginning at the Visitor Center in the Paradise section of the park, the trail takes you up the mountain with great views of the summit, awesome views of the Nisqually Glacier, and panoramic views south to the Tatoosh Range and Mount St. Helens and Mount Adams in the distance. The high point of the trail is just over 7000 feet in elevation (and still 7400 feet below the summit). The lower portions of the trail take you through alpine forest and mountain meadows. The upper part is all above timberline with open views in all directions.

The Paradise area is famous for its spectacular wildflower displays that carpet the meadows, including the alpine meadows above timberline. Look for deer and elk in the lower meadows and forested areas. Look, and listen, for hoary marmots and pikas along the trail. Gray Jays and Clark’s Nutcrackers are common (and tame) below timberline, and you might see White-tailed Ptarmigans in the higher reaches.

The Skyline Trail is a very popular hike for many reasons, and you will have plenty of company on it. But the views are incredible, the mountain is utterly massive, and wildlife and wildflowers are abundant, all of which make putting up with the crowds well worth it.

Getting there:

From Portland, take Interstate-5 north to US Hwy 12 (Exit 68). Follow US12 east to Morton, then Washington Hwy 7 north to Elbe. Turn east on Hwy 706 and proceed to the Longmire Entrance to Mt. Rainier National Park. In the park, follow the signs to Paradise.

From Seattle, take I-5 south through Tacoma to Exit 127 (Hwy 512). Go east on Hwy 512 to Hwy 7, then south to Elbe. From Elbe, proceed as described above.

The park entrance fee is $30 if you don’t have one of the various national park passes and is good for seven days. The park no longer accepts cash payments.

Best Times to Go:

The hiking season is limited in the Paradise area and even more so for the upper part of the Skyline Loop. Paradise is also the most visited part of the park and is always crowded on summer weekends, so your best bet is to come on a weekday morning, or anytime after Labor Day. Even then, you may have trouble finding a parking spot. There are plenty of other worthwhile hikes in the Longmire and Paradise areas, so come prepared with a Plan B hike just in case.

Another option, if you can afford it, is to book a room at Paradise Inn, which allows you to park in the inn’s parking lot. But even that doesn’t guarantee you a parking spot, as we found out one afternoon after returning from a day hike lower on the mountain. The inn’s lot was full, as was the visitor center lot. We had to park in the lower lot and walk to the inn. The National Park Inn in Longmire is another lodging option to consider.

Trailheads:

The trail begins and ends near the Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center. Restrooms and drinking water are available in the visitor center. You can also start the hike from Paradise Inn, just uphill from the visitor center. Parking at the visitor center is limited and fills up early in the day. Parking at Paradise Inn is restricted to visitors staying at the inn. An alternative trailhead starts at the lower parking lot. (There is a trail to the visitor center, or you can take the Deadhorse Creek Trail up the mountain and join the Skyline Trail just below Glacier Vista. Starting at the lower trailhead adds only about two tenths of a mile to the hike.)

The hike:

From the trailhead at the visitor center, the trail heads straight up the mountain on a moderately steep grade. There are a myriad of trails crisscrossing the Paradise area above the visitor center, but most of the trail intersections are well signed. If in doubt, just head uphill. But bring a trail map, just in case.

At the 0.2-mile mark, you’ll come to a junction with the Alta Vista Trail, a side trail that takes you to a good viewpoint before rejoining the Skyline Trail. The Alta Vista Trail adds a little to the elevation gain of this hike, but doesn’t add any distance.

Stay on the main trail at the junction with the Deadhorse Creek Trail. The next trail junction, at the one-mile mark, is with the Glacier View Trail. Like the Alta Vista Trail, the Glacier View Trail parallels the Skyline Trail and doesn’t add any distance to the hike, but does provide a good view of the massive Nisqually Glacier.

Above Glacier View, the Skyline Trail switchbacks up a steeper section of the mountain above timberline. At the 1.6-mile mark you come to the junction with the Upper Skyline Trail (which may be signed as the Pebble Creek Trail). Staying on the main trail will take you to the well-named and very popular Panorama Point, with sweeping views down to Paradise Inn and the visitor center, across to the Tatoosh Range, and beyond to Mount St. Helens and Mount Adams. The Upper Skyline Trail is a three tenths of a mile shortcut and bypasses the often crowded Panorama Point. If you take the shortcut, stay right at the next junction to rejoin the main trail above Panorama Point.

Just above Panorama Point is a restroom open during the summer (it may be closed after Labor Day). Follow the trail going straight up the mountain where you will come to the eastern junction with the Upper Skyline Trail. Older maps show the Skyline Trail descending from Panorama Point across a snow field to the east and rejoining the Upper Skyline Trail on the ridge beyond. That is no longer the official route and is not maintained, although I saw a group of people taking it the last time I was there. Google Maps also still shows that trail.

Just past the junction with the Upper Skyline Trail, you’ll reach the high point of the hike at 7040 feet. From there, the trail traverses the rocky southeastern slopes of the mountain, then descends to the junction with the Golden Gate Trail at the 3.3-mile mark of the hike. Taking the Golden Gate Trail, which switchbacks down a steep slope before rejoining the Skyline Trail, cuts about a mile off the total distance of the hike.

Past the Golden Gate Trail junction, the Skyline Trail follows the crest of a ridge, then descends to a beautiful alpine meadow near the headwaters of the Paradise River. After crossing the river, which is still a small creek at that point, you will come to the junction with the Paradise Glacier Trail at the 3.9-mile mark of the hike, which once led to the famous Paradise Ice Caves. The caves no longer exist, however. Beyond the junction, look for the Stevens-Van Trump Historical Marker, commemorating the first ascent of the mountain in 1870.

Beyond the monument, the trail parallels the edge of a 1000-foot drop off to Stevens Creek to the east before turning west. Stay right at the junction with the Lakes Trail and follow the Skyline Trail as it switchbacks down to meet the Paradise River again. Stay right again at the 4th Crossing Trail junction. The trail then traverses the slope above the river and crosses over a ridge. Just past the lower junction with the Golden Gate Trail, you come to Myrtle Falls at the 5.2-mile mark. Myrtle Falls is one of the most photographed spots in the park, and one of the most crowded. Welcome back to civilization. From Myrtle Falls it’s a short half-mile jaunt back to the trailhead.

Other area attractions and activities:

Mount Rainier National Park offers innumerable attractions other than this hike. The Longmire area has an interesting history and a number of interesting hikes. Between Longmire and Paradise there are several waterfall hikes. The Reflection Lakes area below Paradise has several other nice hikes, as do the Stevens Canyon and Ohanapecosh areas. And the Sunrise area on the east side of the mountain has spectacular views of the mountain and many trails. And, as its name suggests, it offers especially gorgeous views of the mountain at sunrise.

Conclusion:

The Skyline Trail, even if you hike only a portion of the loop, should be on every hikers bucket list of destinations. There simply is no other high altitude trail that is as accessible and as scenic in the Pacific Northwest.

Posted September 8, 2023 by Alan K. Lee

All photos ©Alan K. Lee

A New Trail at Silver Falls

There is a new trail at Silver Falls and a new hike:

The North Canyon Loop

Where: Silver Falls State Park

Distance: 2.4 miles

Elevation gain: 300 feet

Difficulty: Easy

Map:

Oregon State Parks map and brochure.

Overview:

Silver Falls State Park opened a new day use area, called North Canyon, in July 2023, the first phase of a North Gateway complex that will also feature a visitor center and a new 50-unit campground (scheduled to open in 2025). North Canyon features a new picnic area, ADA accessible restrooms, and a 59-space parking lot, which more than doubles the available parking in the north end of the park.

North Canyon also features a new trail, the North Rim Trail, that runs along the canyon rim between the new day use area and the existing North Falls parking lot and North Falls trailhead. The new trail is ADA accessible to a viewpoint of North Falls. This new trail at Silver Falls makes possible a new 2.4-mile loop hike that is this week’s hike of the week.

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. The North Falls parking area is about 2.2 miles farther, and the new North Canyon day use area is just beyond that (look for a sign for the group camp area).

Coming from the north, take exit 271 off I-5 at Woodburn. Proceed through Woodburn on Ore Hwy 214 and follow 214 through the towns of Mount Angel and Silverton. The park is about 12 miles from Silverton. The North Canyon turnoff (old group camp area) is the first right after entering the park. The North Falls parking area is a short distance beyond the North Canyon turnoff.

Trailheads:

You can start and end the North Canyon Loop hike from either the North Falls or the new North Canyon trailheads. Both have restrooms and water is available at both. Day use parking permits cost five dollars and can be purchased at either parking area. Twelve month and twenty-four month Oregon State Park passes are available for $30 and $50 respectively from the Reserve America website.

The hike:

This hike can be done in either clockwise or counterclockwise directions. Going counterclockwise avoids the steep climb out of the canyon from Twin Falls to the North Canyon trailhead. I went the other way, though.

I started at the new North Canyon trailhead. The North Rim Trail is a wide gravel path with a gradual (less than 5%) grade that is ADA accessible from the trailhead to the North Falls Viewpoint. Beyond that, the trail is narrower and not ADA compliant.

Just beyond the trailhead you’ll come to the junction with the Twin Falls Trail, an older trail that takes you down a steep descent into the canyon. Turn right at the junction to do the loop in the counterclockwise direction.

Beyond the Twin Falls Trail junction, the North Rim Trail meanders through the forest, passing a children’s play area and a small two-table picnic area.

There are two bridges on the new trail built to meet ADA requirements.

North Falls from North Rim Trail viewpoint

In about six tenths of a mile, the ADA accessible portion of the trail ends at a spectacular viewpoint looking up the canyon to North Falls. This is a good spot to stop and linger for a while.

North Rim Trail beyond the North Falls viewpoint

Beyond the viewpoint, the trail is a narrower non-ADA accessible dirt path that continues for another two tenths of a mile to the North Falls parking area. The North Falls and Upper North Falls trailheads are on the opposite side of the parking lot. The 0.6-mile out and back hike to Upper North Falls is a very worthwhile addition to this loop, making for a slightly longer 3.0-mile hike.

From the North Falls trailhead, take the Canyon Trail, which descends a set of steps and then loops back behind North Falls, one of the four falls in the park that you can walk behind. You’ll probably want to linger here, too, for a while. It’s a pretty unique and pretty special spot, in my opinion.

Continue on the Canyon Trail, passing almost directly below the viewpoint on the North Rim Trail, for about a mile to the lower junction of the Twin Falls Trail. Stay on the Canyon Trail for now. The best view of Twin Falls is a few hundred yards beyond the junction. Then retrace your steps and take the Twin Falls Trail, which switchbacks steeply up the side of the canyon. You’ll gain about 250 feet in the first three tenths of a mile. The last two tenths of a mile back to the North Canyon trailhead is still uphill, but not nearly as steep.

Despite the steep climb out of the canyon, this new loop is a relatively easy hike, and a nice addition to the many other possible loops the park offers. As a life-long hiker, I can tell you that Silver Falls is about as close to paradise as it gets, and you could make a good argument for the Trail of Ten Falls being the best hiking trail in the Northwest. Silver Falls State Park has a lot more to offer than just hiking opportunities, too. For an overview of the park as a whole, click here.

Other area attractions and activities:

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.

Conclusion:

A new trail at Silver Falls is a rare occurrence – I can’t remember an entirely new trail opening at the park in my lifetime – and certainly a welcome one. The North Canyon Loop isn’t the most spectacular hike in the park, but it is a nice addition to the park’s already extensive list of outstanding hiking options.

Posted August 8, 2023 by Alan K. Lee

All photos ©Alan K. Lee

Isle of Skye, Scotland

The Isle of Skye is often described as magical or mystical, and having been there I understand why. It’s beautiful, wild, and unforgettable.

The Isle of Skye was one of the highlights of the trip my wife and I took to Scotland back in 2006, and even though it has been more than fifteen years since our visit, the memory of our visit hasn’t faded. (One of the other highlights of that trip was our visit to Edinburgh.)

The Isle of Skye is both remote and at the same time the most accessible of the Hebrides Islands thanks to the Skye Bridge connecting the island to mainland Scotland. Getting to and getting around the Isle of Skye is relatively easy even if you don’t rent a car. There’s no rail service to the island, but buses run daily from both Glasgow and Inverness, and there is a local bus serving the island villages.

The local bus won’t get you to the more remote parts of the island, but if you want to explore the island’s outer reaches, there are bus tours available from a variety of operators. And there are many boat trips that will give you a different perspective on the island, take you to other nearby islands, and possibly give you an up close look at some of the marine mammals and birds that inhabit the islands.

Dunvegan Castle (sourced from Wikimedia Commons and credited to bea y frida)

We had a rental car, and driving on Skye’s many one lane (single track) roads was something of an adventure at times, but we had no misadventures. We spent most of our time on the island exploring the north and west coasts. Highlights of our tour include Kilt Rock, Neist Point, and Dunvegan Castle , the oldest continuously occupied castle in Scotland and the ancestral home of Clan MacLeod.

Another highlight for me was the many sweeping vistas of the open fields and farmhouses, and the rocky shores of the island. I tried to capture some of the magnificence of those views, but no photo can do justice to the breadth and scope of the scenery to be had there. It has to be experienced in person.

While on the island, we stayed at the White Heather Hotel on the harbor in the town of Kyleakin, just across the Skye Bridge from the mainland. The hotel markets itself as a small hotel with the hominess and personal service of a bed and breakfast. We found the staff to be friendly and helpful, and our room was clean, nicely furnished, and more than adequate for our needs

Ruins of Castle Maol silhouetted against the setting sun

We found the White Heather to be a great base for our exploration of the island, but there are many other hotels and guest houses on the island. Check the Isle of Skye Visitor Guide for a full listing of available accommodations.

Portree, on the east coast of the island, would also make a good base your explorations. It is the island’s largest village (population 2500) and there are numerous hotels and other accommodations to choose from. It’s also more centrally located than Kyleakin. The town of Dunvegan, in the northwest part of the island, is another popular base of operations.

I have no hesitation in recommending the Isle of Skye as a destination that should be on your bucket list. It’s a wonderful place and Scotland as a whole was a great place to start our explorations in Europe. Scotland is both different enough from the U.S. to be interesting and a bit exotic and alike enough to be comfortable and inviting.

We didn’t get to see all Skye has to offer in our short stay, and I would love to go back and explore the island further. But a big part of the allure of travel, for us at least, is exploring new places and new cultures, and there are so many other places that we have not yet visited that we may never make it back to Skye. But I will always treasure our visit and will never forget either the island or its people.

Originally posted by Alan K. Lee, October 3, 2020. Updated and re-posted August 1, 2023.

All photos © Alan K. Lee, except as noted

Hug Point State Park, Oregon Coast

Hug Point State Park

Located near the coastal town of Cannon Beach, Oregon, Hug Point’s unique blend of beaches, tide pools, interesting and unusual rock formations, caves, and waterfall make it one my favorite spots on the coast. The headland also blocks the prevailing northwest wind in the summer, so it’s often quite pleasant there when more exposed beaches are uncomfortably cold.

Besides being one of the nicer and more interesting beaches on the Oregon coast, Hug Point also played an interesting role in securing Oregon’s beaches as public property more than a century ago. Before the coast highway (US 101) was built, the beaches were important transportation routes. In the case of the small community of Arch Cape, located about five miles south of Cannon Beach, the beach was the only route in or out of the town. And travelers had to get around Hug Point, which was difficult for horse drawn carriages and wagons. They had to “hug the point” in rounding it to keep from getting into water too deep to negotiate, even at low tide.

Early motor cars had even more of a problem getting around Hug Point than carriages and wagons. To make the traverse easier and safer, someone blasted a primitive roadway into the face of the headland. Legend has it that it was done by a man after he had lost his new car to the rising tide while trying to navigate around the point. But who actually built it, and when, remains unknown. There are photos of the finished roadway dating to 1915, but there are no surviving records of the roadway’s construction.

In 1911 Oswald West was elected Governor of Oregon, partly on the basis of his campaign promise to protect Oregon’s beaches from private development. The Oregon State Land Board had begun selling tidelands to private investors as early as 1874, but there was widespread opposition to that practice among the populace in the early years of the 20th century. West made the case that the beaches needed to be kept in public ownership to preserve access to coastal communities such as Arch Cape. In 1913 the state legislature agreed, passing a law making the entire coast from California to the Columbia River a state highway. To learn a little more about this often forgotten bit of Oregon history, and Hug Point’s role in it, click here.

The Oregon Beach Bill , promoted heavily by then-Governor Tom McCall, further cemented public ownership of Oregon’s beaches. Passed by the state legislature in 1967, the bill made all coastal lands up to sixteen vertical feet above the low tide line property of the state, and preserved public beach access up to the vegetation line.

I love the eroded sandstone rock formations found at Hug Point. The layered sandstone of the point has been warped and folded by tectonic processes and eroded by wind and water into fantastic formations. The tidewater rocks are covered in green algae and seaweed, barnacles, and mussels. The rocks, sand, colorful vegetation, waves, and ever changing light make for great photo opportunities.

Hug Point State Park is located about five miles south of Cannon Beach. The point can also be reached from Arcadia Beach State Park, about a mile to the north. It’s an easy day trip from the Portland area, but there many other attractions in the area, so many visitors spend a weekend or longer in the area.

The nearby towns of Cannon Beach, Seaside, and Manzanita all have numerous motels, BNBs, and other accommodations, as well as many restaurants and cafes serving fresh seafood and other locally sourced foods. Astoria, located at the mouth of the Columbia River, is both the oldest European settlement and one of the most interesting towns in the Pacific Northwest.

The nearest campgrounds are at Nehalem Bay State Park, about ten miles south of Hug Point, and Fort Stevens State Park, about 25 miles to the north. There are also numerous RV parks all up and down the northern Oregon coast.

Hug Point is one of the nicest beaches on the northern Oregon coast, especially for families, and because of that it can be quite crowded in the summer, even during the week. But if you’re looking for a quiet beach where you can find some solitude, you can sometimes find Hug Point nearly deserted on week days after Labor Day. And Fall offers some of the best weather on the coast. Winter days are frequently wet and windy, but those days have an appeal of their own, and some of my best memories of the coast are from stormy winter days where I had the beach entirely to myself.

One note of caution, though. If you go, pay attention to the tides. The waterfall and caves that draw most of the visitors to Hug Point State Park are nestled between Adair Point, immediately north of the beach access, and Hug Point itself. At high tide it can be difficult or impossible to get around these two points, so it is possible to get trapped between them.

Originally posted January 8, 2019 by Alan K. Lee. Updated and re-posted May 10, 2021, and July 20, 2023

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Lava Canyon, Mount St. Helens

Lava Canyon Trail

Where: Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument

Distance: 2.6 miles

Type: Out and back

Elevation gain: 900 feet

Difficulty: Moderate (for some steep sections and trail conditions)

Restrictions: Dogs and other animals not allowed.

Overview:

Lava Canyon, on the southeast flank of Mount St. Helens, is one of my favorite hikes in the Pacific Northwest. If you’re a waterfall lover (and who isn’t), Lava Canyon is a must see. The Muddy River crashes through the canyon here, cascading over and through a seemingly endless series of ledges and narrow chutes, one right after the other for about a mile and a half. It is truly spectacular.

The history of Lava Canyon begins about 3500 years ago when an eruption of Mount St. Helens sent a flow of lava down the old valley of the Muddy River, destroying the forest and filling the valley with molten rock. Over the intervening years, the Muddy River cut a new course through the lava flow, and the canyon gradually filled with sediment. Then came the 1980 eruption, which melted the summit glaciers and sent a huge lahar (volcanic mudflow) down the valley, destroying the rebuilt forest and scouring out the built-up sediment, exposing the remnants of the earlier lava flow. What was left is a steeply descending canyon with an almost continuous series of spectacular waterfalls and cascades. (For more information on the 1980 eruption, see my Mount St. Helens post).

Getting there:

To get to the canyon, take Washington State Route 503 east from the town of Woodland, 20 miles north of Portland on I-5. Continue east past the town of Cougar. Where SR 503 turns south toward Vancouver, continue straight on SR 503 Spur, which becomes US Forest Road 90. Just past Swift Dam, turn left onto Forest Road 83. The upper trailhead of the Lava Canyon Trail is at the end of FR 83. (The lower trailhead can be reached by FR 8322, which branches off from FR 83 shortly before you reach the upper trailhead. The most spectacular part of the canyon is the upper section, though, so if you haven’t already explored that, you’ll want to start at the top.)

Trailheads:

The upper trailhead has restrooms and water is available. Parking requires a Northwest Forest Pass. There are no facilities at the lower (Smith Creek) trailhead and no parking permit is required.

The hike:

The trail from the upper trailhead begins as an ADA accessible paved path with sections of wooden boardwalk. This section of the trail has a number of interpretive displays explaining the history and geology of the canyon. After about four tenths of a mile, a side trail leads to a bridge across the river. The paved path continues a few hundred yards to a waterfall overlook.

Below the overlook, the path is rock and dirt, steep in places. After another three tenths of a mile, you come to another side trail and a suspension bridge over the river that gives a bird’s eye view of the canyon and waterfalls. On the other side of the bridge is a connecting trail that takes you back to the upper bridge, making for a 1.4-mile loop. (Update: As of June 2023 the suspension bridge is closed. Check the National Forest Service’s Lava Canyon Trail web page for current information).

Below the suspension bridge the trail descends very steeply. This portion of the path is narrow, covered with loose rock in places, and there are sheer drops to the river below. Take extreme care on this section of the trail. There have been several fatalities here in recent years. Shortly after my wife and I did this hike in 2018 an 18-year-old man went missing in the canyon. It is presumed that he fell into the river and drowned. You can read the story here. Those that do brave the trail, though, will be rewarded with the most spectacular part of the canyon. Just take the warning signs seriously and be careful.

At about the 1.3-mile mark, the trail descends a 40-foot ladder to the base of the rock formation known as The Ship. Before 1980, sediment filled the canyon to the top of The Ship, to give you an idea of how much sediment was scoured out of the canyon. A short but steep side trail (and another ladder) leads to the top of The Ship.

(Below The Ship, the trail continues another 1.5 miles to the lower trailhead. The entire hike from upper to lower trailhead and back is about six miles and the elevation gain coming back is 1350 feet.)

Return from The Ship the way you came. Cross the suspension bridge if it is open and take the trail on the opposite bank to the upper bridge and re-cross the river. The two bridges both give you great views of the river and canyon below.

View of Spirit Lake on the hike to Harry’s Ridge

Other area attractions and activities:

There are many other hikes on Mount St. Helens that are worth doing, including Harry’s Ridge and Ape Cave. On the southern flank of the mountain, Swift Reservoir and Lake Merwin offer boating, camping, and fishing opportunities. Just east of Woodland, Cedar Creek Gristmill is a historic restored mill open to the public. And in Woodland, Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens is well worth a visit.

Originally posted in a different format September 29, 2018 by Alan K. Lee. Updated and re-posted March 23, 2021. Edited, updated and posted in this format June 29, 2023.

All photos ©Alan K. Lee

Clear Lake Loop Trail

Clear lake Loop Trail

Where: Upper McKenzie River Valley, Willamette National Forest, Oregon

Distance: 5.0 miles

Elevation gain: Minimal

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate (for rough sections of the trail through the lava flows)

Overview:

Clear Lake is one of the clearest (as the name would suggest), cleanest, coldest, and most beautiful lakes in the Cascade Range. It’s also the headwaters of the spectacularly beautiful McKenzie River. This hike takes you through the forest and lava fields around the lake, with great views of the lake from all sides.

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).

Map: Oregon Hikers

Getting there:

Clear Lake is located along Oregon Hwy 126 about 65 miles east of Eugene. From the Portland area, take I-5 south to exit 253, then travel east on Ore Hwy 22 for 79 miles to the junction with US Hwy 20, go west for three miles, then turn south on Ore Hwy 126. The lake is about three miles south of the junction. From the Bend area, take US Hwy 20 west over Santiam Pass to the junction with Ore Hwy 126, then south to the lake.

Trailheads:

You can start this hike from either the day use area at Clear Lake Resort on the northwest side of the lake or Coldwater Cove Campground on the southeast side. The resort has a small cafe (open limited hours) and restrooms, and drinking water is available. There is no charge to park and a Northwest Forest Pass is not required. The Coldwater Cove trailhead is at the end of Forest Road 770, about one mile east of Hwy 126 just south of the lake. There are vault toilets at the campground and drinking water is available. Parking requires a Northwest Forest Pass. The trail description below starts and ends at the resort.

The hike:

If you’re starting the hike at the resort, park in the day use area at the resort (unless you are renting one of the cabins or the yurt) and walk north through the resort along the shore of the lake. In a few hundred yards you’ll see the trailhead on your right.

The first part of the trail takes you through the forest with filtered views of the lake. Several side trails lead down to the lake for better views.

The new and much improved Fish Lake Creek bridge, 2024

The trail continues north away from the lake, then crosses Ikenick Creek and doubles back to the lake before turning north again for about a half mile to a junction with the McKenzie River National Scenic Trail. Here the trail crosses Fish Lake Creek. (The Forest Service was in the process of replacing the old single log bridge when I was there in 2022 and the bridge was closed, but the creek was dry and you could scramble down the slope and climb back up the other side. The new bridge was in place when I did this hike again in the summer of 2024.

After crossing Fish Lake Creek, the trail turns south and runs along the eastern shore of the lake to the Great Spring. This was the source of the McKenzie River before Clear Lake was formed about 3000 years ago when a lava flow damned the river.

From the Great Spring the trail follows the east shore through the lava fields and forest. Parts of the trail are pretty rough. Good quality hiking boots are advised, although I did this hike in sneakers on my latest visit. But open toed sandals or flip flops are definitely not acceptable footwear on this section of the trail.

Clear Lake Lodge from the opposite shore

The section of trail immediately north of Coldwater Cove Campground is paved. South of the campground, the trail runs through the forest to the south end of the lake where you’ll come to a trail junction. Turn right to return to the resort.

Clear Lake outlet and the beginning of the McKenzie River

The trail crosses the lake’s outfall on a bridge that provides good views south to the beginning of the McKenzie River and north across the lake. Across the bridge, the trail turns north through the forest along the west shore of the lake. There is one good side trail that will take you to the lakeshore, but the main trail gives only limited views of the lake before you return to the resort where you started.

Other area attractions and activities:

There are too many other hikes in the area to list all of them, but two of the best are the four mile out and back hike to the Blue Pool on the McKenzie River, and the 2.6-mile McKenzie Waterfalls Loop that takes you past both Sahalie and Koosah Falls on the McKenzie. The Pacific Crest Trail crosses Santiam Pass northeast of Clear Lake giving hikers access to trails in both the Mount Jefferson Wilderness to the north and the Mount Washington Wilderness to the south.

Fish Lake, a few miles north of Clear Lake, is definitely worth a visit. The lake dries up completely in the summer and becomes a lush, green meadow, even in late summer when the surrounding forest is bone dry. The 19th century Santiam Wagon Road crossed the Cascades here, and there was a Forest Service guard station here in the first half of the 20th century. Several of the Forest Service buildings and historic homesteads have been preserved and the area is now a National Historic Site.

Thermal pool at Belknap Hot Springs. Photo from Tripadvisor website.

One of the many hot springs in the Cascade Range is Belknap Hot Springs, located about 15 miles south of Clear Lake. The hot springs are at Belknap Hot Springs Lodge and Gardens. Day use visitors can soak in one of the hot springs pools for a $10/hr fee.

American Dipper. Photo by Joan E. Newman

Originally posted June 22, 2023. Updated September 7, 2024.

All photos ©Alan K. Lee, except as noted

Mount St. Helens

The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens was one of the most significant natural disasters in U.S. history. Everyone knows about the eruption, but a little history is in order here, I think.

Mount St. Helens had been dormant for 123 years until it awoke in March 1980. On March 15th a series of small, shallow earthquakes were recorded, centered below the summit of the mountain. In the days that followed, more quakes occurred, the largest a magnitude 4.2 quake on March 20th.

Mount St. Helens, May 17, 1980. Photo by Harry Glicken, USGS/CVO. Sourced from Wikimedia Commons.

Between March 25th and 27th 174 earthquakes greater than magnitude 2.6 were recorded, the largest a magnitude 5.1 quake on the 27th. The first eruption, also on the 27th, opened a new summit crater. The north flank of the mountain also began bulging outward, with the bulge growing 5-6 feet per day. More eruptions occurred over the next week few weeks. By April 7th the new crater measured 1700 by 2300 feet and was 500 feet deep. By mid-May the north side of the mountain had moved outward by 400 feet and the summit area had begun to collapse.

Mount St. Helens, May 18, 1980. Photo credited to U.S. Geological Survey. Sourced from Wikimedia Commons.

At 8:32 a.m. on May 18, 1980 a magnitude 5.1 earthquake caused the north flank of the mountain to collapse in the largest landslide ever recorded. A few seconds later the mountain erupted in a lateral blast that devastated an area as far as 20 miles from the summit and felled 230 square miles of forest. The blast superheated the waters of Spirit Lake instantly, causing a huge secondary steam explosion. This secondary explosion was heard as far away as San Francisco (but, interestingly, was not heard in the Portland area).

Mount St. Helens from Johnston Ridge, August 2018

The eruption sent an ash cloud 12 miles into the sky. In the Yakima Valley, northeast of the mountain, the ash cloud completely blocked the sun and noon was as dark as midnight. Ash fell as far away as Minnesota. The energy released by the eruption was estimated to be equivalent to 24 megatons of TNT, more than 1400 times the energy released by the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima in World War II.

Pumice Plain between Johnston Ridge and the crater

At least 55 people were killed in the eruption. The official total is listed as 57, but two people on the list who were reported missing after the eruption may not have been in the blast zone that day, and three others who are not on the official list may have been. Two of the most prominent people that died that day were Harry R. Truman and David A. Johnston.

Eighty-three year old Harry Truman owned Mount St. Helens Lodge on the shore of Spirit Lake. He had lived there for more than 50 years and refused to leave when the area was evacuated. He was a colorful, locally well known character who had lived an eventful life and had become something of a celebrity in the months leading up to the eruption. He was buried by the initial landslide.

David Johnston was a highly respected geologist and volcanologist. He was camping near where the Johnston Ridge Observatory is now located. He was the first to report the eruption. “Vancouver! Vancouver! This is it!” he radioed the USGS office in Vancouver, Washington just before he was hit by the blast.

Also killed in the eruption were photographers Reid Blackburn and Robert Landsburg. Blackburn’s body was found in his car at Coldwater Camp four days after the eruption. His camera was found later, but the film was not salvageable. Landsburg’s body was found seventeen days after the eruption. His camera was found inside his backpack under his body. The film in his camera survived and the photos he took before the ash cloud engulfed him provided some of the most dramatic and scientifically valuable photos of the eruption.

Thirty-eight years after the eruption, when these photos were taken, the area between the new crater and Johnston Ridge still looked much like it did when I first visited the area some 25 years before. Trees were beginning to regrow on the north side of the ridge, though, and shrubs and wildflowers were abundant. The land is recovering, but it will be generations, perhaps centuries, before the forest returns to anything like it was before the eruption.

The Johnston Ridge Observatory is a good place to begin an exploration of Mount St. Helens. At the observatory you can view interpretive displays and videos, and get information about the mountain, the eruption, and area hiking trails. The observatory is located at the end of the Spirit Lake Highway (WA 504). To get there from the Seattle area, travel south on I-5 and take WA 505 (Exit 63) through the town of Toledo to the junction with WA 504. From Portland, take Exit 49 off I-5 at Castle Rock. Johnston Ridge is approximately 50 miles east of I-5. There is an $8 parking/entry fee, payable at the observatory.

Wildflowers along the Boundary Trail on Johnston Ridge

One of the best hikes on the mountain is the trail to Harry’s Ridge, which begins at the Johnston Ridge Observatory. Total out and back mileage is about eight miles and total elevation gain is about 1000 feet. Check out my Harry’s Ridge Hike post for a more detailed description of the hike. You can also hike into the heart of the blast zone between Johnston Ridge and the crater. Check the Johnston Ridge Observatory website, linked above, for current information.

Another one of my favorite Mount St. Helens hikes is the Lava Canyon Trail on the southeast side of the mountain. Distances and elevation gains vary depending on how far down (or up) the canyon you go. You don’t have to go far down the trail from the upper trailhead to see some of the most spectacular waterfalls in the Pacific Northwest, though. The initial section of the trail is ADA accessible and everyone can view some of the best waterfalls. Again, check my blog post on Lava Canyon for more details.

Both the Harry’s Ridge and Lava Canyon hikes are among the best in the Northwest. They are very different, but both are incredibly beautiful and relatively easy hikes, and both can be done in a single weekend. But even if you’re not a hiker, visiting the Johnston Ridge Observatory and taking the short ADA accessible trail at Lava Canyon are more than worthwhile for everyone. And anyone who has not explored the mountain should do so at some point. It’s an unforgettable experience.

Originally posted March 27, 2021 by Alan K. Lee. Updated and re-posted June 19, 2023.

All photos © Alan K. Lee, except as noted

Twin Falls Trail

Where: South Fork Snoqualmie River, Washington Cascades

Type: Out and back

Distance: 2.6 miles round trip

Elevation gain: 525 feet

Difficulty: Easy

Overview:

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

Getting there:

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

Trailhead:

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

Best Time to go:

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

The hike:

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

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

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

Other area attractions and activities:

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

Posted April 18, 2023 by Alan K. Lee

All photos ©Alan K. Lee

Falls Creek Falls

Falls Creek Falls Trail

Where: Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge

Type: Out and back

Distance: 3.4 miles round trip

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

Difficulty: Easy

Maps: Green Trails No. 397 Wind River

Friends of the Columbia River Gorge

Overview:

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

Getting there:

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

Best time to go:

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

Trailhead:

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

The hike:

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

Other area attractions and activities:

Panther Creek Falls

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

Carson Hot Springs

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

Bonneville Dam

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

Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center

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

Food and drink –

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

Posted April 12, 2023 by Alan K. Lee

Hana

by Alan K. Lee

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lindberg grave, photo by Yurivict, sourced from Wikimedia Commons

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

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

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

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

Posted March 3, 2023.

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

Jasper National Park

by Alan K. Lee

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Meltwater from the Cavell Glacier, Mount Edith Cavell

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kona and the Big Island

by Alan K. Lee

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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, 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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