Upper Table Rock

My last hike!  I can't believe it's been 15 hikes already.  On Saturday I hiked Upper Table Rock which is in the Rogue Valley.  This is about four hours south of Portland but I was there visiting family so it worked out beautifully.  I have actually hiked this before, in the third grade, and I remember it being much easier then!  It's about three miles up and down and was easy to moderate the entire way.  There were a few places where I needed to stop and take a breath but mostly it wasn't too hard.  The view from the top was amazing of course and made it totally worth it!

There are two Table Rocks in the Valley, Upper and Lower.  They both are rock topped mesas that rise up from the valley floor.  There is a perfect view of the mountains all around and it became very clear that the Rogue Valley really is in a bowl of mountains.  This makes the climate really cold in the winter and really hot in the summer.  I wouldn't suggest taking this hike during the summer as there is limited tree cover and the top just seems to permeate heat from both the sky and the rocks you're standing on.  This time of year there were plenty of wildflowers to check out, lots of cool birds, and it seemed like millions of little lizards!  I enjoyed the hike very much.

White capped mountains in the background, I believe that's the coastal range

You can see the top of Lower Table Rock here

Lower Table Rock is about a five mile loop and I plan on hiking that someday, maybe on my next 15 hike adventure!  Until then take care and remember to go hiking as much as you can.

Elijah Bristow State Park

I went to Elijah Bristow State Park on Friday on my way down to southern Oregon to visit family.  This park is located about 10 miles east of Eugene and very easy to get to.  It reminded me alot of Champoeg SP, North Santiam SP, Willamette Mission SP, and Tryon Creek SP.  I think there's a trend in state parks that they all have nice level trails that follow a river with a meadow in between.  It was beautiful of course and very easy, but I don't think I would drive the two hours to get there.  Perhaps if I lived in Eugene I would utilize this park often.

The trail is also open for horses and there tended to be quite a mess you had to step around. That made it a little annoying but it was a nice walk.  Not my favorite, but pleasant.

White River Wildlife Management Area

Today I went on a group bird walk with the Audubon Society to the White River Wildlife Management Area in the Tygh Valley of North-Central Oregon.  It wasn't exactly a hike but I'm totally counting it!  We ended up walking most of the day and even though it was at a snails pace, we put in quite some mileage.  We started out by stopping south of The Dalles near Dufur to check out a creek and oak woodland area.  We saw some amazing Lewis Woodpeckers which are nearing to be endangered and only come through this region during migration.  They are about 10 inches from beak to tail, have iridescent green wings, a red belly, white neck and red crown.  We were able to see five or six of them and that was quite a treat considering how rare they are.

After that we headed towards the Tygh Valley and stopped in a canyon where we got to watch a Golden Eagle fly around looking for food for a good five or six minutes.  This is the closest I've been to a Golden Eagle and it was just stunning!  We continued on to the White River Wildlife Management Area where we had to follow some forest service roads to get up to Jordan creek where we stopped for a bit.  The area was leaving the farmlands of The Dalles and entering into the high desert so the landscape changed right before our eyes.  Now we were looking at rustic desert shrub rather than the vibrant green nearer to the Columbia.  This area is definitely some place I would like to come back for an actual hiking trip.

We then continued on up into Mt. Hood National Forest (the eastern side of Mt Hood, I was on the western side when I went to Alder Flats last week...) where we made multiple stops before heading to Rock Creek Reservoir. One of my favorite episodes of the day was when the entire group (14 other people besides me and all older) were looking across the reservoir debating where those were Black Capped Chickadees or Mountain Chickadees when I started looking at the trees behind me and there was a HUGE Bald Eagle perched in a tree about 50 feet from where we all stood looking the other way! It was comical how ridiculous that was.  Another episode was when the most eager (read... irritating) birder insisted that we all stop our cars suddenly on the side of the road because he saw a duck in a pond he wanted to check out and it turned out it was a decoy.  Yes, a styrofoam duck.

After Rock Creek Reservoir we headed to White River Waterfall and that is seriously one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.  There used to be a small dam or something that left a very cool looking ruined building jutting out into the water.  I even posted two pictures of it instead of one because it was so awesome looking.  I have to admit going on this trip made me realize how wonderfully diverse the countryside is here in Oregon and how wonderfully diverse the fauna is.  Besides the amazing birds we saw a herd of Antelope, lots of horses and cows, a beaver, deer, and lots of quail.  Which, technically are birds, but I consider them more of a ground beast because they're so funny looking!  I think they should be in a category by themselves.

Just south of the Dalles looking toward Mt Hood

Near Dufur

Jordan Creek

Near Jordan Creek

Rock Creek Reservoir with Mt Hood 

White River Falls

AMAZING!  At White River Falls

 with a view of the valley

I recommend this drive to everyone! It had multiple places to get out and hike (or bird) and is relatively close-ish to Portland.  It took about three hours to get to the Tygh Valley but the entire day ended up taking 12 hours because of how much exploring we did.  It was so much fun I really didn't want to come back!

Cape Lookout State Park

My best hike yet!!!  I went to Cape Lookout State Park which is 12 miles south of Tillamook on the coast.  It took me about two hours to get there (it would probably have been less but there was construction) but was totally worth the drive.  The state park had three main trails, the South, North and Cape trail.  I decided to do the Cape trail since it followed a rock out into the ocean rather than the North or South trail since they went parallel to the coast.  It was stunning!  The trail was 2.5 miles to the lookout and then a return.  It was well maintained but was extremely muddy so make sure you wear shoes and pants you don't care about.  The trail began with a descent to a midpoint and then an ascent to the lookout. That was nice because you got to go up and down both ways, rather than a 2.5 mile uphill.

The trail was surrounded by old growth trees until you drop into the little midpoint and then it became a beautiful rainforest!  I guess this particular cape is one of the wettest in Oregon (100 or more inches of rain a year) so the flora is extremely vibrant.  Today was a clear day with temperatures between 65 and 70 degrees.  It was perfect.  One of the reasons I chose to drive out there today was because I knew the weather, and therefore the view, would be marvelous.

The cape sits between two bays that both had a magnificent stretch of unobstructed beachline.  To the north was Tillamook bay with a beautiful sand bar, and to the south was a beach I don't know the name of which appeared to have dunes.  I think the Oregon Dunes start much farther south but these may be a glimpse of what's to come.  The view was stunning and of course... I saw a Bald Eagle!  It flew out of nowhere.  Perhaps my friend was right when he called me the "eagle whisperer" since I tend to see them all the time.  Ha!

Speaking of birds there were hundreds, maybe thousands, of coastal Murres sitting on the water.  Murres are related to Puffins and were very beautiful.  Black wings with white heads and bellies.  They made a very melodious sound that at first reminded me of a distant train but then I realized it had a distinct almost Mourning Dove "coo".  Mix that with a distant train sound and you get the sounds of thousands of shore birds!  There were also tons of Blue-Green Swallows and I got a pretty good picture of one sitting on a rock.

I hiked out the end of that rock

All of those little dots are Murres

Do you see the Swallow?  He's so cute!

This hike I would recommend to everyone! It wasn't too difficult (except for the mud was pretty slick) and the view was amazing.  Not only at the lookout but at various points along the trail.  I have way too many pictures to post here but I'll post some so you can all get an idea of how awesome it was!

North Santiam State Rec Area and Willamette Mission State Park

Today I ended up doing two hikes instead of one to make up for the hike I missed last Wednesday.  Unfortunately, because I'm a giant dork, I forgot my camera so there are no pictures to post!  My original plan was to hike Beacon Rock since I've been trying to do that for a week now but I delayed it again.  The weather report called for thunderstorms so I figured walking up a metal staircase to a high point in the gorge was probably a bad idea.  And besides, I want to have a clear view if I'm going to put in that much effort!

I decided to go to North Santiam State Recreation Area a half hour outside of Salem on OR-22.  It was a pleasant drive and a nice park, but really I think I would only use it if I lived in Salem.  I don't recommend driving  all that way solely for this park, but then again I'm not a fishing enthusiast and apparently the fishing is AWESOME here.  There was a three mile loop trail that followed the perimeter of the park that I went on.  It wasn't very well maintained and there were three or four places where I had to wade or jump across creeks that went over the trail.  This gave the trail a very rustic and authentic look and was a very nice hike.  There were plenty of birds to check out and the Santiam River is extremely scenic. The trail itself was very narrow and I'm glad I wore sturdy shoes as I lost my footing in the mud a few times.

On the way back into town I realized that I was going to hit Portland traffic right around three so I was trying to think of some way to take up time when I saw the sign for Willamette Mission State Park.  I had read about this park in my guide and was interested, I guess I just didn't realize it was so close.  This park was a find!  This was the site of the first mission to Oregon started by Jason Lee in 1835. It is split in half by what I think was an offshoot of Mission Lake, which used to be part of the Willamette River until the flood of 1861 diverted the path of the water and created the lake.  On one side of the water was a 2.5 mile loop where there was a habitat restoration project in progress.  It was actually really nice because the area was divided into 10 lots and each lot had a different type of native plants growing.  There were informational signs for each lot and apparently the largest Black Cottonwood in the entire country grows here.  It was a very nice walk and combined with the other trail it was just about the right amount of walking for me for the day.

I was heading out of the park when I realized there was another road so I took it out of curiosity and discovered that the park was actually on the other side of the water!  There were multiple day use areas with picnic tables, volleyball nets, horseshoe pits, camping and RV sites, and even a horse camping area. It was giant!  As I was driving around I saw a sign that said  "historic mission viewpoint and ghost house" so I figured I would drag my tired legs around the corner and check it out. I mean, who wouldn't want to see a ghost house?  Anyways I assumed it would be right around the corner but since there were no maps I just followed the trail.  Well, I got to that point where I was like, geez this is taking forever but I can't imagine it being much longer, and then some.  There were various intersections for the trail and I managed to get really turned around.  When I finally came out on the other side I was at another campsite but no where near my car or the ghost house!  It was very frustrating.  I found my car though and realized after picking a map up at the gate that I had wandered about another 2.5 miles.  It seemed to take forever (even though in reality it was only a little over an hour) and I was very tired at the end of it.  Luckily it managed to push me back long enough to miss rush hour and I made it back home with no problems.

The second part of Willamette Mission State Park was remarkable!  It was full of beautiful songbirds and just a peaceful place.  I would definitely go back there for a day picnic or something since it's only about an hour from Portland, and I have to go find that ghost house!  It also had group picnic areas and plenty of facilities.  I would only suggest picking up a map at the entrance if you wanted to explore the trails.  

Alder Flats

I had quite the unintentional adventure today!  I woke up very excited about going up the the Hawk Mountain lookout which is in Mt. Hood National Forest.  It was supposed to be about 8 miles round trip and one of the best views of Mt. Jefferson in the state.  I followed my directions to the T and when I found the road I was supposedly supposed to take I thought - oh crap.  The hiking guide said it was gravel but this was more like an ATV road.  I wasn't actually sure if this was the road because I was confused anyways so I turned back before I ran out of gas up in the national forest.   And I certainly wasn't going to take my VW Jetta up that thing anyways.  I managed to drive back to Ripplebrook Guard Station and found a ranger that told me I was completely in the wrong spot!  I guess there is a Ripplebrook Guard Station AND a Ripplebrook campsite AND a Ripplebrook trail, beside the actual Ripple Brook itself.  So when the guide book said to turn at Ripplebrook I turned at the first one I came to, the guard staion.  I was VERY glad I didn't try to go up the road to nowhere and decided just to hike Alder Flats today since it was only a half mile away at that point.  I'm absolutely going to try to do Hawk Mountain again next week and hopefully we'll have at least one nice day so I can enjoy it.

I had an utterly disastrous camping experience at Alder Flats last summer and I was hesitant to do this trail again but decided to go for it and see what happened.  It was beautiful of course and I'm glad I didn't let my psyche talk me out of it. It's about a mile downhill to the campsite on the bank of the Clackamas River.  The trail follows a pretty stagnant pool (creek?) and I had to deal with a few mosquitoes on the way but once you branch away from the creek it wasn't a problem anymore.  The river bank is a wonderful place to have a picnic and swim and would make a great day outing for anyone. It's very scenic and quiet and I found some interesting wildflowers, including this wild orchid.  I also saw a few garter snakes (actually about 4) so if you're snakephobic I wouldn't want to hang out there very long. I saw one snake that was at least 3 to 4 feet long so these weren't just itty bitty snakes I'm talking about.  I enjoyed the hike very much and it wasn't that hard, but just enough to get some exercise out of it.

It was eerily silent the entire hike, no birds calls or anything!  I had been trying to figure out why there were no birds and decided that clearly the only reasons for that was because A) there was a bear or mountain lion on the trail, or B) a natural disaster like an earthquake or landslide was about to occur.  I was thinking about my best bear fighting technique when out of no where this g-d squirrel jumps onto a branch directly next to my head!  I seriously screamed like a little girl and almost fell into the creek.  Luckily I figured this probably scared off any bears so I was good to go for the rest of the hike!

The drive takes about an hour and a half to get to Alder Flats, past Estacada out highway 224.  It's a beautiful drive that follows the Clackamas River with gorgeous views.  I suggest everyone at least take this drive even if you're not going to hike, it's definitely a national forest for a reason!

Tryon Creek State Park

Today I went on a pretty easy hike through Tryon Creek State Park which is right here in the city.  It's very close to Lewis and Clark College and easy to get to via public transit.  Tryon Creek is famous for its Beavers Dam and the multiple use trails which criss cross through the park.  We did a very easy approximately one mile walk without hiking down to the creek.  There are many other trails to discover and I plan on coming back here and doing a somewhat harder hike that includes the creek.  There are also bike trails, horse trails, and I think (possibly) an ATV trail.

This place was a vibrant green throughout and extremely quiet considering how close to civilization it really is.  We saw plenty of birds and signs of other wildlife but didn't spot anything too interesting. The forest was extremely diverse and full of fascinating trees that we couldn't identify so next time I'm bringing a tree guide with me!  It's hard to explain how green this place was and it was a nice, relaxing break from the city- in the city.

I say this place is great for everyone!  You can modify your hike depending on your level of athleticism and there are plenty of trails to follow.  There is a very informative nature center at the parking lot which had a scale replica of the park.  This was exceptionally helpful to figure out which trails to take that would keep us on level ground.  It was also extremely beautiful and I whole heartedly recommend it.  (Next time I totally want to take a horse!)

Saddle Mountain

Yesterday I hiked up Saddle Mountain with a friend.  Saddle Mountain is the highest peak in Clatsop County and has a stunning view of the Coastal Mountain Range, the Pacific, Astoria, and even the Cascades.  I decided to take this hike yesterday instead of later on because the weather report said it was going to be clear and warm.  The drive took a solid two hours from Portland but route 26 is such a scenic drive it really didn’t seem to matter.  Once we reached the base of the mountain we were concerned about the fog but decided to take the climb anyways.  It was two and a half miles up to the top with an elevation gain of 1600 ft.  It actually took us two and a half hours to make the climb because of the steepness of the grade and the fact that I’m pretty lazy.  I admit this hike totally kicked my ass and there were numerous moments where I was thinking “this better be worth it”! The trail was very well maintained with numerous switchbacks.  It wasn’t until the last quarter mile that it got REALLY hard and for someone like me (mainly sedentary in my real life) it was a struggle to reach the top.  

TOTALLY WORTH IT!  The view was amazing.  We ended up hiking up in the fog but while we ate our lunch on the peak the fog lifted and we had a glorious view of the Pacific Ocean, Tillamook Bay, Astoria, the Columbia River, the Central Cascades and mountains that appeared to go on forever to the south of us.  It was stunning. Then, suddenly, out of a foggy patch a Bald Eagle swooped by so close to us we could make out its individual feathers.  It was amazing! I almost peed in excitement.  There were numerous (by numerous I mean a gajillion) little black gnat like bugs that pestered us at the top but they were not biting so it wasn’t too bad, just annoying.  There were also some Ravens that seemed to follow us around and lots of chickadees. One of the better moments of the hike was when a Raven tried to land on the steep slope in front of us and totally crashed landed into it beak first and stumbled around like a drunkard.  It was hilarious (maybe only to me but I got a good laugh out of it).  There were also some vultures circling and a couple of hawks and I’d like to note that all of this was going on BENEATH us because we were so high up. 

The hike down was a knee killer because of the steepness.  So much, in fact, that I am taking a day off from hiking to recover my knees and feet and will do a hike on Saturday to make it up.  It is imperative that you wear the correct shoes for something like this.  It would be very easy to slip and it is a long way down to the bottom.  I would also recommend bringing some sort of hiking stick or poles just to save some strain on the knees on the downward hike and to provide some extra stability. The path is forested for about three quarters of the way so make sure to bring sun block or a hat for the non-forested areas.

This was absolutely beautiful and is a must hike for everyone!  Yes, it’s difficult but totally worth it.  Not only was the view astounding with multiple awesome birds but it also had a very diverse wildflower and tree distribution. It was fantastic.   

Wahclella Falls

Today I went on a short hike to Wahclella Falls in the waterfall valley in the gorge.  Originally I was planning on doing Independence Pass on Mt. St Helens but decided to wait until summer for that one.  Weather reports were saying it was still snowy and cold and I'm just not that motivated.  I decided to do Beacon Rock on the Washington side of the gorge instead but once I got there and felt how freezing and windy it was at the base I figured a sheer climb up the side of the rock was a bad idea.  So I ended up crossing over the Bridge of the Gods and hiking up to Wahclella Falls.  Most of the waterfalls in the gorge I've already hiked so it was pleasant surprise when I realized this one I had missed.  It's about half way between Multnomah Falls and Eagle Creek and the only access point is off the I-84 at the Bonneville Dam exit.  The historic route 30 is stunning and travels past so many waterfalls but doesn't seem to get you to this one, which is probably why I hadn't noticed it before.

The path was a broad and well maintained gravel trail for about a quarter mile then turned into a wide rocky/mud trail for the remainder of the hike.  It was only a two mile loop which was perfect for a leisurely day stroll.  There were some steep inclines but for the most part it was very reasonable and would be good for children or animals.  The path followed the river past a few small waterfalls until it crossed over to the other side on an adorable bridge and then crossed back over the river later on.  The scenery was amazing!  There were so many small waterfalls coming out of the rock that there seemed to be at least two in view at all times.  The river was beautiful and the trees were green.  Wahclella falls itself was stunning with a three-tiered drop into a pool which looked like a place to go swimming on a hot day.  There was plenty of places to have a picnic and to just sit next to the water.

I enjoyed this hike very much and I *might* say I liked it almost as much as Silver Falls. It's definitely an easier hike than Silver Falls and much closer to Portland (only 40 minutes-ish away) and the scenery is absolutely gorgeous.  I expect it could get crowded during the summer or on weekends but is 100% worth it.