Sure, you could join the masses at Multnomah during peak waterfall
season. Or you could head out to the Olympic National Forest and enjoy
the rush in sweet solitude.
By Rebecca Vande Hei | June 6, 2008
Those of us in Washington who love waterfalls are fortunate to live in one of
the premier corners of the planet for these lacy ribbons of crashing
white -- there might be more than 10,000 of them -- and thanks to a big
winter snowpack, this year is one of the best to search them out and
listen to their thunderous roar.
By Greg Johnston | June 19, 2008
Along the way to Whistler-Blackcomb, stop and visit the Shannon Falls Provincial Park,
located 36 miles north of Vancouver and just south of Squamish. Shannon Falls is the third highest waterfall in British
Columbia and is simply spectacular. Each minute thousands of gallons of water rush over the edge of the 1,000-foot
tall, 95 million year-old granite walls. The park, at the base, is filled with a deafening roar of water and a thick
cold mist. Standing directly downstream from the falls will give you an icy shower-Shannon Creek originates in the BC
December 29, 1969
NORTH CASCADES NATIONAL PARK
For two waves of strike-it-rich dreamers — first in the 1890s, then in the late 1940s — Horseshoe Basin in the upper Stehekin River Valley ultimately proved to be a bust for hundreds of prospectors who chipped and probed and drilled its steep rock walls in search of precious metals and mineral riches.
By Terry Wood | September 22, 2006
Hike of the Week
The Snoqualmie Lake Trail No. 1002 is a long haul no matter where you start.
It begins on the Taylor River Road in the Middle Fork Valley near North Bend. Our Mountaineers club group preferred starting there rather than the alternate approach from Dorothy Lake on U.S. Route 2, a long drive.
The Dorothy Lake Trail is easier, but it is still a long walk, putting Snoqualmie Lake just beyond the reach for most day hikers.
By Karen Sykes | August 31, 2006
Hike of the Week
Now is a good time to visit popular hikes before they become crowded in summer, such as the Denny Creek Trail, a route that climbs into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness and leads to Denny Creek Slippery Slabs.
In summer, hikers can continue to Melakwa Lake or beyond, but for now Denny Creek is a good turnaround point. Another popular trail nearby is the one to Franklin Falls, a busy place on a warm summer day.
By Karen Sykes | June 1, 2006
Hike of the Week
The pros far outweigh the cons for exploring Middle Fork Snoqualmie Valley trails (though hikers still need to play it safe by not leaving valuables in their cars).
The valley is riddled with old logging roads in various states of grace or disarray, and many can be hiked most of the year, such as the Bessemer Road Trail. The road is a good conditioner and is used by mountain bikers and horseback riders.
By Karen Sykes | May 11, 2006
STEVENSON -- You need to look near and far to fully appreciate spring hiking in the Columbia River Gorge.
What grabs your eye immediately are the expansive textures of a precipitous chasm created millions of years ago by basaltic lava flows and burnished into its current form by epic glacial floods 9,000 to 12,000 years ago.
However, if you focus your vision near at hand, you'll also notice a variety of colors, say the rose-purple fairy-slipper blossoms of calypso orchids, or the showy yellow blooms of balsamroot.
By Greg Johnston | May 11, 2006
Hike of the Week
Mid-April is about the time it hits you -- spring fever! You can keep it at bay for a while, but sooner or later you'll give in and make that first sojourn to the east side.
Yes, the cost of gas is painful, but even that is not enough to stop us from scratching that itch for sun, flowers, the scent of sage and the slower tempo of the channeled scablands of Grant County. Save your pennies, carpool, or plan a weekend. But go!
By Karen Sykes | April 20, 2006
Hike of the Week
Spring often visits Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park before it shows up anywhere else. When rumors of wildflowers began to fly in the lowlands, it was high time to sample the magic of trilliums, spring beauties, coltsfoot, Indian plum, skunk cabbage and more.
By Karen Sykes | April 13, 2006
