Traveling with Deals: WA

Showing posts with label WA. Show all posts

Reno to Portland Oregon Driving Trip

Here's our driving trip from Reno to Portland with plus trips from Portland.

Flew into Reno & stayed 2 nights.

Full day at Lake Tahoe – drove around the lake – hikes: East Shore Trail, Eagle Rock Trail, Emerald Bay Hike, Cascade Falls, Eagle Falls & Lower Eagle Falls (across the road), Inspiration Point, Sand Harbor

Lassen Volcanic National Park (pleasantly surprised) – Bumpass Hell Hike (favorite), King’s Creek Falls, Devasted Area, Lassen Peak & Reflection Lake

Redding (stayed one night after Lassen) – Whiskeytown Lake – Boulder Creek Falls – needed 4x4, Crystal Creek Falls

Redwoods – we stayed 2 nights in Arcata

Rockefeller Forest, Avenue of the Giants – Drury-Chaney Trail, Trinidad State Beach Sunset, Tidepooling at Luffenholtz Beach (favorite – we went twice), Fern Canyon -requires reservation, Trillum Falls – do the loop counter clockwise, Lady Bird Johnson Trail.

Beautiful drive to Grant’s Pass. We stayed in a Yurt with a hot tub

Crater Lake – Vidae Falls, Phantom Ship viewpoint Sun Notch Trail, any viewpoint, drive around the lake, We were considering Watchman Peak but it was raining & lightning

Bend Oregon – stayed 1 night. Hikes – 3 in 1 Tumalo Falls, Double Falls, & Upper Double Falls, Paulina Falls, Obsidian Flow Trail

Smith Rock State Park – on the drive to Portland.

Portland Area – Silver Falls State park -10 waterfalls, Columbia River Gorge Falls, Fort Vancouver, Fruit Loop Tour if berry season, Lucia Falls, Moulton Falls

Oregon Coast – Haystack Rock, Bandon and Brookings.

Mt St Helens, Ape Caves at Mt St Helens

Other ideas - Circle of Discovery - Redwood National and State Parks (U.S. National Park Service)

Kalama Falls - Washington

Kalama Falls is a picturesque waterfall located in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Washington. Drive past the forest road parking & look for a trail off to the side for a bonus waterfall.

Hardy & Rodney Falls Beacon Rock WA

From the lower trailhead, start off hiking on a wide path. Most of the elevation gain is in the first mile, until you come to a junction with another trail.

After the junction, the trail flattens out and traverses through more forest, passing small creeks and cascades that provide excellent photography opportunities. At about a mile and a half, hikers will hear Hardy and Rodney Falls, but two bridge crossings over smaller cascades come first.

Rounding the corner, you'll encounter a junction heading down to an overlook of Hardy Falls. There are two viewing platforms, both offering gorgeous views of the mighty falls.

After soaking in the view of Hardy Falls, head back up to the original trail. Cross a bridge built by DNR work crews, and continue just a few yards up the trail to Rodney Falls. Here the trail splits. Head down and to the right to continue across a wide bridge at the base of thundering Rodney Falls. This is the Hamilton Mountain trail, and heads up to a loop around the summit crown of the mountain.

If you don't have the time, energy, or desire to continue, the trail up and to the left brings you to the Pool of Winds in just a few hundred feet. This spur trail ends on the rock just adjacent to the first tier of Rodney Falls, where hikers can bask in the spray from the falls and peer into the splash pool, all behind the safety of a handrail.

Interesting log

View of Beacon Rock

Hardy Falls

Rodney Falls

end of trail & view of Rodney Falls

Panther Creek falls near Carson WA

Panther Creek Falls is a relatively easy hike for a beautiful falls. There are 2 view points of those that don't want to hike as fall down to the bottom.

From Carson, Washington drive north on the Wind River Highway for about 4 miles to Panther Creek Road where there is a sign for Panther Creek Campground. Turn right on Panther Creek Road and continue north to the Forest boundary where Panther Creek Road becomes Forest Road 65. Continue north on Forest Road 65 to the rock pit on the right side of the road. Park in the rock pit and cross the road to the trailhead.

From a different visit

Ape Caves - Mt St Helens WA

We stopped & had lunch at the beautiful pull off before heading to Ape Caves - McClellan Viewpoint

You need to make reservations ahead of time to visit Ape Caves. It also costs $5 to park unless to you certain passes. Details on the website.

We had headlamps & flashlights. We did the easier 3/4 mile hike. I read the moderate involves a lot more effort & we had already hiked some. The easier hike was a great experience.

Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Washington Road Trip Itinerary

Flew CLE-DFW-BOI Twin Falls 9,074 steps

Drove to Twin Falls

Thousand Spring State Park – Malad Gorge, Niagara Springs

Perrine Bridge

Shoshone Falls

Twin Falls 13,399 steps

Sawtooth National Forest – Ross Falls, TeePee Rocks- awful dirt road

Caldron Linn

Shoshone Falls & Dierkes Lake

Centennial Park – falls, Perrine-Coulee Falls

Driggs 10,639 steps

Perrine-Coulee Falls

Craters of the Moon – Devils Orchard, Inferno Cone – hiked up, Spatter Cones, Snow Cones, Big Craters, Broken Tops

Grand Teton – Mormon Row, Moulton Barn, Overlooks, Oxbow Bend, Cascade Canyon

Driggs 26.859 steps

Grand Teton

Jenny Lake to Hidden Falls & Inspiration Point – saw a moose

Signal Mountain – elk

Swan Lake to Heron Pond

Float trip – 4 eagles, 2 beavers, ducks, geese, heron

West Yellowstone (White Buffalo) 11,258 steps

Mesa Falls lower, upper, hike to lower falls

Yellowstone – Old Faithful, Firehole Lake Dr – Great Fountain Geyser – elk, bison crossing the bridge in front of us

West Yellowstone - 32,098 steps

Yellowstone

Firehole Canyon & waterfall

Grand Prismatic boardwalk

Biscuit Basin – hike to Mystic Falls & Overlook

Old Faithful boardwalk trails, Geyser hill

West Thumb Geyser Basin – boardwalk

Kepler Cascade

Black Sand Basin

Grand Prismatic Overlook

West Yellowstone 19,614 steps

Yellowstone

Gibbon Falls

Artist Paint Pots

Virginia Cascade – fox

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone – North Rim - Lower Falls, Inspiration Point, Upper Falls, Crystal Falls, South Rim – Artist Point

Hayden Valley – 150+ bison

Sulfur Caldron, Mud Volcano

Lee Hardy Rapids

West Yellowstone 12,624 steps

Yellowstone NP

Lamar Valley – 1000’s bison, 1 coyote, 5 pronghorn

Trout Lake

Petrified tree

Wraith Falls

Undine Falls

Roosevelt Arch

Mammoth Hot Springs – 50 elk

Missoula 7,006 steps

Ousel Falls – Big Sky

Kalispell 15,367 steps

Glacier NP - Going to the Sun Road

Waterfall hike – Baring Falls, St Mary Falls, Virginia Falls - deer

Jackson Glacier overlook

Lunch Creek – 4 bighorn sheep

Kalispell 14,285 steps

Glacier NP

Logan Pass – Hidden Lake hike – 10 mountain goats – 7 right in front of us, marmots

Lunch Creek – Bighorn sheep right in front of us, hike to falls

Bird Woman Falls overlook

Heaven’s Peak

Trail of the Cedar – Avalanche Creek

Sacred Dancing Cascade

McDonald Falls

Yakima 6,187 steps

Spokane Falls

Olympia 17.277 steps

Mt Rainier NP

Sunrise Nature trail & Emmons Vista

Silver Falls

Cougar Falls

Box Canyon

Ruby Falls

Reflection Lake

Paradise– Nisqually Vista, Myrtle Falls

Narada Falls

Christine Falls

Forks 14,590 steps

Olympic NP

Hurricane Ridge – Sunrise Point

Madison Falls

Marymere Falls

Lake Crescent

Salmon Cascade

Sol Duc Falls

Portland 13,671 steps

Olympic

Rialto Beach

Hoh Rainforest – Spruce Nature Trail, Hall of Mosses

Ruby Beach

Home 4,539

Fly PDX – DFW-CLE

3404 miles driving

4930 miles flying

228,487 steps

2085 pictures

33 named falls

Olympic - Beaches & Rain Forest

Rialto Beach - beach was rocky but beautiful with the rock formations & driftwood. Lots of photo ops. There are other beaches but when we visited, they were closed because of covid.