Oregon

The hike and possible rappel to Frustration Falls begins at the Salmon River trailhead right outside of Welches, Oregon. From the trailhead you follow the trail for about 4 miles at which point you reach Canyon View (Shown in pictures 5-6 above). From the main trail this is the only view of Frust...

Just about an hour west from Portland in Ecola State Park you'll find Indian beach. It's a 5 dollar fee to get into the park, but that fee also keeps the crowds out. Once you get into the park just follow the signs to Indian beach just a little ways down the road. This beach is filled with surfe...

The beach in Oswald West State Park is one of the more secluded beaches on the Oregon coast. Most tourists tend to stay by Canon Beach and Seaside, Oregon, so this little gem gets much less traffic.The parking lot is right on the highway with plenty of parking, a bathroom, and a drinking fountai...

I think that when you decide to travel through Oregon, you anticipate a scenery that surrounds you in luscious green forests and crystal blue rivers that you cannot take your eyes off of. Rather at Leslie Gulch; it's about the volcanic "tuff" formations that tower over you.From Highway 93 heading...

Built in the 1930's, the Tilly Jane A-Frame sits on the North side of Mount Hood at around 6,000ft. The cabin is very popular during winter months as it is located only 1,000ft below the tree line and offers beautiful snowshoeing, hiking, skiing and snowboarding opportunities, yet is also a popul...

Nehalem Bay State Park is a great central location on the Oregon Coast to use as a base camp, whether you want to go south to explore Cape Kiwanda or go north to photograph the famous Cannon Beach. There are six loops: A-F, and only A-C are open in the winter. The only first-come-first-served are...

Leslie Gulch, a canyon on the border of Oregon and Idaho, is full of almost surreal rock formations made up of tuff from volcanic eruptions 15 million years ago.To walk around in these canyons is like being transported into another world. Timber Gulch, one of many hikes located in Leslie Gulch, i...

The crystal clear waters of Big Lake sit at an elevation of 4,600 ft. in the Willamette National Forest, on the western slopes of the Cascade Mountain Range. The Big Lake Campground (N 44 22.439 W 121 53.599) lies on the western shore of Big Lake, at the top of the Santiam Pass near Hoodoo Ski Re...

Founded in 1928 to conserve endangered species and educate visitors, Hoyt Arboretum is a 190-acre park in the forest above Portland's NW area. It's only 15 minutes from downtown! There are 12+ miles of trails to explore, my favorite is the Redwood Trail that takes you through towering redwoods a...

This hike starts at the main parking lot about a mile away from the falls. The falls are accessed via a very easy, well graded trail developed and maintained by the Oregon BLM.The hike through the forest and pine trees make it for a fantastic and fairy tale-like hike. When you arrive at Susan Cre...

Heading south from Wasco, the scenery trades off between new farms and old abandoned homesteads. Most areas are fenced off along the road to keep in the roaming cattle, but now and then there is access to adventure off and visit the places that the settlers decided on in the 18-1900's.About 50 mi...

Starting at the visitor center, the trail begins west heading into the forest where you’ll only gain around a couple hundred feet of elevation. While you are hiking on this trail you are surrounded by conifer trees, little open areas of sitting water, and look outs that are hidden within the trai...

This is a somewhat incomplete report because we did not venture too far into the Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness. The sky had been threatening us with rain for the duration of our hike along Eagle Creek and we did not want to push our luck too far since we were hoping for an early start on our drive ...

In June of 2015, I visited as many remote waterfall locations in Oregon as I could find. Whitehorse Falls, located along the Clearwater River in Douglas County, was one of those on my list. It's a small waterfall that is just off highway 138 (about 4.5 miles east of Toketee Falls) in Central Oreg...

Starting at the John B Yeon Trailhead parking lot, begin to walk into the forest. After a little more than a quarter mile, you will see a fork in the road, with one way leading to Elowah Falls, and the other way leading to Upper McCord Creek Falls. Take the trail leading to Upper McCord Creek. Th...

Alvord Hot Springs at the base of Steens Mountain deep in the heart of the eastern Oregon Wilderness is a hidden gem, known mostly to climbing enthusiasts and the ambitious adventurer willing to drive the nearly 4 hours from Boise, Bend, or 2.5 hours from the nearest town of any size, Winnemucca ...