Backpacking the Northwest » Dayhikes

No Fees for National Parks on Seventeen Days in 2011

drew — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 23:14:33 +0000

America’s Best Idea – the national parks – gets even better with several fee-free days at more than 100 national parks that usually charge entrance fees.*

Mark your calendar for these fee-free days in 2011:

January 15-17
(Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday weekend)
April 16-24
(National Park Week)
June 21
(First day of summer)
September 24
(Public Lands Day)
November 11-13
(Veterans Day weekend)

Making the fun even more affordable, many national park concessioners are joining the National Park Service in welcoming visitors with their ownspecial offers.

Here’s a tip – many of your 394 national parks NEVER charge an entrance fee. So start Planning Your Visit!

*Fee waiver includes: entrance fees, commercial tour fees, and transportation entrance fees. Other fees such as reservation, camping, tours, concession and fees collected by third parties are not included unless stated otherwise.

From the National Park Website

Sunrise Road at Rainier opens Friday June 26th

drew — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 23:17:45 +0000

The Sunrise Road in the northeast corner of Mount Rainier National Park will open Friday at noon for the season, a week earlier than originally scheduled, Mount Rainier Superintendent Dave Uberuaga said today.

Sunrise Lodge, Snack Bar and Gift Shop are scheduled to open July 2.

The Sunrise Visitor Center will remain closed for the season for interior
rehabilitation and installation of new exhibits. Visitor information and
book sales will be located in the Sunrise Ranger Station and Lodge for this
season.

Sunrise, at an elevation of 6,400 feet, is the highest point in the park that
can be reached by road. With approximately six feet of snow still on the ground,
hiking trails in the Sunrise area remain snow covered.

White River Campground also will open to camping at noon Friday.

The Mowich Lake Road is tentatively scheduled to open July 2. Visitors can
expect to find 4 to 5 feet of snow at the parking lot.

Most trails in the park are snow covered. For detailed information on
trail conditions, check the Mount Rainier web page and click on Quicklinks/ Hiking and Climbing/Current Trail and Backcountry
Conditions – or stop at a park visitor center.

and dining in the park.

Pre-recorded park information is available by calling 360-569-2211 and
choosing the menu of interest.

Read more: http://blog.thenewstribune.com/street/2010/06/23/sunrise-road-at-rainier-opens-friday/#ixzz0rilcW1Me

Siouxon Creek Trail | Amboy | Washington

drew — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 05:06:46 +0000

Highlights:
Busy trail used by hikers, bikes, and horses. Pretty waterfalls and nice camping

Summary:
Siouxon Creek is well known in the area for having easy access, miles of nice trails, good camping spots scattered along the trail, and many options to make side trips. There are many spots to sit and reflect on the beauty around you as you are swayed by the music of the river. Be careful on the upper end of the trail as steep switchbacks make it a little risky for children. Bugs can be a problem in the summer. Make an overnight adventure for you and your friends, and explore the many side trails. Hikers be aware the many mountain bikes use the trail as well, so be advised. I like the early springtime the best as there are no bugs, and no people.

Trailhead:
Drive either north or south along Hwy 503 to the small town of Chelatchie, and turn East onto NE Healy road. Follow this route for 9.2 miles, and turn left on Rd. 57 After another mile or so, turn left again onto Rd. 5701, still following only the paved road to the trailhead in a little more than 4 miles. (Lat:45.94618 Lon:-122.17826) Some Reviews of his hike
Reviewed by Pat on 9/27/2007
Took my wife a ways up the trail. No other hikers today. Had a good time and she wants to go back.
Reviewed by Anna37 on 7/26/2007
This is a 1.5 hour drive from Portland, and can be hard to find. Once you pass Calamity Peak, it’s still a good half hour drive down 57 to the trailhead. Seems desolate at first, but we passed several couples and mtn bikers during the course of about five hours. It’s just beautiful here. The river runs all along the first few miles, with gorgeous waterfalls and swimming holes to cool off in. The trail is good for running and hiking, and is by far one of the better mountain biking trails on the area. I didn’t do this whole trail, but am excited to return and get farther out to the views of Mount St Helens. With so many options, it’s a bit like spending the day at an outdoors-themed fun park. Amazing experience.

Reviewed by Kristen on 6/25/2007
For horse users, stay at the first parking area! The second one is too narrow and almost impossible to get turned around (especially if cars are there). Also, first parking lot will only fit 3-4 rigs. Trails were okay, some creek crossings, some steep slopes on one side of the trail dropping off to the creek. Trail guide describes bridge but its for foot traffic only (not horses) and you come to it right away. Trail was a little narrow in a few spots (for horses) but in most places okay. Trails were cleared of logs and such. Lots of pretty waterfalls. Water was crystal clear. Lots of hikers on the trail. Trails were fairly well marked. Quite a bit of tree cover.

Reviewed by RT on 10/2/2006
Forest service road was being paved today (Oct 2nd). Took an hour before I could get through. Also, made it to a waterfall lookout and had something growl at me…Couldn’t see what it was, possibly a coyote??? Other than that, a peaceful hike. Tried to get up Horseshoe Ridge but it was too strenuous for me…Nothing gradual about that trail! Maybe next year!

Reviewed by tz on 8/18/2006
Great for camping with kids. It is a short hike in (about a 1/2 mile) to a place to pitch a tent. Then you can hike, swim and explore with the kidlings. This was the first backpacking trip we took our baby (6 months) on, and is a good trip for first time packers–short but big trees, a creek, waterfalls, and a sweet bridge to jump off of into icy water.

Reviewed by Zack on 5/17/2006
Me and my friends first came here on a day hike, and we’ve gone back since to camp, and just recently (5/15/2006) to do some mountain biking. Beautiful surroundings and views of Siouxon Creek as the trail snakes along the water’s path. There are several great spots to take an icey dip to cool off and eat a little snack as well!

Reviewed by Rema on 4/3/2006
What a great hike! I think my dog loved it as much as I did. Not crowded at all, only saw 4 other people. I have no complaints! Directions were good, trail was nice and all one could hear was the sound of flowing water. I will definitely return and try going further, or attempt Horseshoe Ridge. Waterfalls were very pretty!

Reviewed by Jim on 1/16/2006
Nice teaser! Limited on time, we went only two miles in from the TH to the second bridge. The hike took a mix of experienced and novice hikers less that 90 minutes roundtrip. Winter allowed us to have the extremely accessible trail virtually to ourselves. This also provided us a short, picturesque drive to and from the TH. My sister lives in Amboy so we will be back.

Latourell Falls in the Columbia Gorge

drew — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 05:01:36 +0000

Latourell Falls is a wonderful introduction to the many waterfalls along the Columbia River Gorge. It is a plunge falls with a height of 249 feet. You can access the main or lower falls from the parking lot in the Guy W. Talbot State Park; this falls on Latourell Creek is named after Joseph Latourell, a prominent Columbia River Gorge settler. It is on the Historic Highway, 3.4 miles west of Exit 28 off I-84. It’s a short walk from the park’s picnic area to the viewpoint. The upper Falls is also a plunge falls with a height ranging between 75-100 feet. You can get behind the falls if you choose to cool off on a hot summer day. In winter the ice forms thickly and makes for beautiful pictures. To get to falls, travel another 0.8 of a mile along the trail from Latourell Falls (above). Continue on the trail to finish the loop back at the parking lot.
Trailhead:
You can get there from I-84. If you’re coming from the west, you can exit at Troutdale (Exit 17), Lewis and Clark State Park (Exit 18), Corbett (Exit 22), Bridal Veil (Exit 28 or Dodson (Exit 35). If you’re coming from the east, you can exit at Dodson [Exit 35], Bridal Veil [Exit 28] or Corbett (Exit 22].
(Lat:45.53882 Lon:-122.2177)

Some reviews of this hike

Reviewed by Jennifer on 12/17/2006
This is a spectacular set of waterfalls. The lower falls were roaring with all of the rain and snow that we’ve been having here. A breathtaking 250 ft. plunge. The upper falls are well worth the hike. A roaring two tier plunge that I had all to myself. The approach to the base of the falls was extremely slick and icy so you cannot approach the base in the winter when it’s really cold. One note: The trail loop to the upper falls has exposed cliffs and dropoffs that are very dangerous. Near the top of the lower falls there is a fence. For the love of God to not go past this fence. It is EXTREMELY dangerous. Some fools have bushwacked a trail to the cliff. If you slip it’s 250 feet to your death over the waterfall onto the rocks below.

Reviewed by Steve on 9/14/2006
The waterfalls on this hike are very pretty and I mean gorgeous. The rest of the scenery was rather disappointing for the gorge, lots of brambles and brush, not many views. The trail to the base of the falls is paved and easy. The trail to the upper falls is really steep to start with, no matter which way you walk the loop. The eastern side of the loop has some nice side views of the lower falls, the west side is boring, regrowth maple forest. The upper viewpoint of (Lower) Latourell Falls (off the main trail) is VERY dangerous and I recomend staying on the trail. If you’re a waterfall freak, don’t miss this one. If you’re looking for old growth or scenic vistas, it’s not that great.

Reviewed by Geoffrey on 11/2/2005
Initial elevation change a little rough for the little ones, I had to lie to my 5 year old a bit more than usual to coax her along. The lower falls standard water falling off a cliff is juxtaposed against a pretty unique upper fall geometry, I’ve some photos available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ludt/ in the “search by tag” search box enter “latourel falls”

Reviewed by Sherrie on 6/21/2005
I took my mom on this hike – it’s easy and beautiful, and if you want a nice beautiful hike without having to take all day, this is a great one! Not far away is the Vista House which is a nice stop-off. For more Photos click here: http://photobucket.com/albums/y152/Tanapics/Latourell%20Falls/

Reviewed by PK on 4/20/2005
It is a nice trail for a leisurely hike. The views from the top of the Columbia River below are very nice. The downside of the trail is that it can be pretty crowded on a nice weekend.

Reviewed by Jodi S. on 8/29/2003
Very good, maintained trail. Start out from the parking lot and climb the asphalt trail is the best way to view the falls. After viewing the falls, there are numerous trails that go in different directions, the first part of the trail that V’s out, stay to the left ( going uphill ) will actually take you back down to the parking lot.