Exploring the Pacific Northwest

 

First stop at Crater Lake

Since my last post earlier this year, we spent the month of March in Florida, then returned to Minnesota for spring and summer. The summer has been busy with spending time with family and friends, golf, adding to my flower gardens, and weekend trips. In July Steve, Alyssa and I took a wonderful trip to the Pacific Northwest to see national parks in Washington and Oregon. Each national park we have visited has been unique and amazing, and these parks were the same!

Water Pipeline at Toketee Falls near Crater Lake

We flew into Portland, Oregon and headed south to Crater Lake National Park. Along the way we stopped at Roseburg Forest Products where Steve worked years ago. It was fun for him to see the plant and that area again. On the way to Crater Lake, our first encounter with the amazing landscape of Oregon was a stop at Toketee Falls where we hiked less than a mile through old-growth forest to the beautiful waterfall. Equally amazing was the 12-foot diameter pipeline that ran along the parking area. It was moss and plant covered with several spots spouting water. Made of redwood staves, it was completed in 1949 and powers turbines for electricity.

Wizard Island in Crater Lake

We stayed at the Diamond Lake Lodge, just north of Crater Lake. It was an older resort with no wifi or cell service so we were off the grid and in vacation mode quickly! The next morning we headed to the park. The first look at Crater Lake took our breath away! The caldera that holds the lake was formed 7,700 years ago when the Mount Mazama volcano collapsed. It is the deepest lake in the United States at 1,943 feet. The lake is fed by only snow and rain with no streams or rivers running into it, making it amazingly clear and blue.

A rim road circles the lake, but is closed in a section for construction. We spent the day driving the rim road, stopping at overlooks and hiking some of the trails. Highlights included:

Phantom Ship Rock

• Sun Notch Trail was a .75 mile loop through wildflowers and some remaining snow, with great views of Phantom Ship Rock and the lake.
• Watchman Peak had wonderful views of Wizard Island which was formed by an eruption after the lake was formed. Boat tours of the lake and to the island are available, but you have to take a steep hike down and back to reach the shore of the lake.
• Cleetwood Cove Trail is the only access to the shore of the lake. It is a 1.1 mile strenuous trail with 700 feet of elevation change. Alyssa hiked all the way down and took a very quick plunge in the icy cold water! Beginning in 2026 for two years this trail will be closed for updates to the trail and marina.

Pumice Castle rock formation

• Pumice Castle is an orange rock formation that can be seen from an overlook on the east side of the lake. This area also had large mounds of snow so a few snowballs were thrown!
• Vidae Falls, a 100 foot waterfall, can be seen from the road on the south side of the park.
• Pumice Desert Research Natural Area is on the north side of the park. It is a treeless subalpine pumice field that is still recovering from the eruption of the volcano. A few small trees are starting to grow in the area as it begins to recover.

Historic Timberline Lodge at Mount Hood

Little Zigzag Falls 

On Alyssa’s birthday we headed to Mount Rainier with a stop at Mount Hood to see the historic Timberline Lodge with wood interiors and massive stone fireplaces. The ski area was still open and there was skiing in July! We had a nice lunch break at Little Zigzag Falls nearby. It was a beautiful area with an old stone bridge that was once on the main road. A short hike led to the falls - along the Zigzag River and through the forest with moss, lichens, ferns and rock outcroppings.

At Mount Rainier we stayed at a cute rustic wood cabin in Packwood which was south of the park. We saw a herd of elk the first night, as well as deer wandering through the woods by the cabin. At Mount Rainier National Park, we entered the park in the southeast corner and drove north to the Sunrise Corrider where we had a timed entry. This is the only entrance in the park that requires a reservation to enter. 

Mount Rainier from the Silver Forest Trail

• From the Sunrise Visitor Center we hiked the Silver Forest Trail through meadows with beautiful wild flowers and spectacular views of Mount Rainer and the Emmons Glacier.
• A drive on the Box Canyon Road with a hike to see the canyon with the Cowlitz River running far below.
• A stop at Reflection Lake which wasn’t very reflective due to the breeze stirring up the water’s surface, but still a pretty view.
• Paradise Visitor Center is a very busy area of the park, with many visitors entering at the Nisqually Entrance in the southwest corner of the park. We did hike the crowded trail to scenic Myrtle Falls for a few quick photos. Scenic views like this just are not the best when you are dodging so many people!

Christine Falls through the historic stone bridge

• After some slow traffic due to road construction, we stopped at 60-foot Christine Falls, a beautiful falls beside a historic arched bridge.

Alyssa standing on a huge fallen tree

• The Longmire area of the park has historic buildings designed in the National Park Service Rustic style, including a National Park Inn, gas station, general store and more. The Trail of the Shadows was a lovely loop around the Longmire Meadow with springs still bubbling up from historic stone fountains. It went by a historic cabin and through a forest filled with huge trees, fallen trees and large plants in the wet springs area.

By Silver Falls in the Ohanapecosh area

• In the Ohanapech area the Grove of the Patriarchs was closed due to damage to the suspension bridge caused by flooding. We were able to hike one way on the Silver Falls Trail through a Douglas fir forest. This led to another beautiful waterfall.

Next, we headed to Seattle, stopping in Enumclaw, a small touristy town. We had lunch at the Kettle Diner where the classic long-time waitress told us to be careful in the big city of Seattle! Steve and I had visited Seattle a few years ago and saw many of the classic stops then. 

Pike Place Fish Market

Our first stop was the iconic Pike Place Market. Unfortunately, we were there on a Saturday so lots of traffic and crowds! We explored many of the shops in the market and on nearby streets, and made a quick stop at the gum wall.

Boeing planes with a green film to protect them during assembly

Sunday morning we took the Boeing Future of Flight tour. Marvin, our tour guide was from Sitka, Alaska and was great! We saw two jet assembly buildings from an upper-level balcony (or bays as they were called) where many planes were in different stages of assembly. After the tour, a drop off at the gift shop, then onto exhibits covering the history and future of flight. From a Sky Deck we could see planes that were almost complete, as well as the many Boeing buildings, and a small air strip for the area.

Lamb & Co Storefront in Snohomish

In my quest to visit HGTV show sites, we went to downtown Snohomish where Lamb & Co is located. Twins Leslie and Lyndsay host “Unsellable Houses”. They have a storefront with home décor and Lamb & Co. merchandise. Behind the store is the real estate office for the company. I enjoyed talking with the young lady who was manning the store to hear about working with Leslie and Lyndsay. We had lunch at the Snohomish Bakery with sandwiches on delicious bread.

Salmon in the fish ladder at the Ballard Locks

Our next stop was at the Ballard Locks which connects freshwater Lake Washington with the salt water of Puget Sound  We watched boats lining up to go through the locks. A fish ladder with salmon going upstream could be viewed from an underwater room. There was also a small botanical garden beside the locks.

The next three days were spent at Olympic National Park. It is very large with several ecosystems including old-growth temperate rainforest, glacier-capped mountains and subalpine meadows, and wild coastal beaches. All of it is amazing!!

A walk through the meadow in Hurricane Ridge

We took the ferry from Seattle to Kingston, then a drive through the peninsula to the visitor center in Port Angeles. We headed to Hurricane Ridge and hiked the Meadow Loop/Cirque Rim trail in the meadows with beautiful views, wildflowers and the remnants of an old ski lift.  

Madison Falls

Next stop - Elwha where we took a short hike to Madison Falls with large moss-covered maples and cedars along the trail.

Swimming in Lake Crescent

In the Lake Crescent area, we hiked 1.8 miles to Marymere Falls through old-growth forest to a 90-foot waterfall. The next day as we looked for a spot to have lunch we headed down a narrow gravel road on the west side of the lake. We finally came to a parking lot with an easy hike down to the lake with a beach and dock. We had lunch there and Steve and Alyssa spent some time in the clear blue water. It wasn’t as icy cold as Crater Lake, so they enjoyed their dip in the lake.

We stayed one night in Port Angeles at the Royal Victorian Motel, in need of updates but clean. The next two nights we stayed in Forks (west of the park) at the Forks Motel which was amazingly nice!

Sol Duc Valley was filled with old-growth forests that were magical. Many of the trees are hundreds of years old and very large. Snags, dead standing trees, provide shelter for many types of living creatures. The trees that have fallen are called nurse trees. They are often covered with moss and provide a place for new trees and other plants to grow. Ferns and other tropical looking plants cover the forest floor along with the moss and other fungi. At Sol Duc we hiked the short loop Ancient Groves trail and the Sol Duc Falls trail.

Moss covered trees in the Hoh Rain Forest

The Hoh Rain Forest is a very popular area of the park, so we got up early and arrived at 8:30 am, none too soon. The main parking lot was full but we did find parking along the road. We hiked the magical Hall of Mosses trail through beautiful old-growth forest, then the Spruce Nature Trail. This trail wound by the Hoh River with pale blue glacial water. When we left the area at 11 am, there were miles of cars waiting for entry.

Rialto Beach

The Pacific coast beaches are amazing. We stopped at a few of them and each one was a bit different. First Rialto Beach in the Mora Coastal Area with many weathered logs strewn on the rocky beach. The famed Hole in the Wall hike is along this beach but we arrived at high tide so could not walk up the beach for this hike.

First Beach in LaPush is on the Quileute Indian reservation. We stopped briefly here to see the sandy beach.

Ruby Beach with mist in the air from the surf

In the Kalaloch area we visited Ruby Beach. A short hike through the forest took us to a rocky beach with many trees and logs strewn about, and sea stacks in the water. It was a little after low tide so we were able to see anemones, shell creatures and star fish in the tide pools on the rocks.

Next we stopped at Beach 4. A long set of stairs lands on a large rock. You must crawl down the rock, with a rope to aid you in the climb, to reach the black sand beach. The rock has swiss cheese textured stone caused by piddock clams that burrowed into the rock for protection against the surf.

A little further south is the beach at the Kalaloch Campground which has the Tree of Life. The creek has eroded the earth beneath the tree’s roots so that a cave is formed under the tree. This beach also has many dead logs, but it is mostly sand with a few rocks. It was very misty that day so the beaches looked foggy and straight out of the movie “Twilight”.

Bella's Truck from the movie "Twilight"

Back in Forks we took time for shopping and “Twilight” spots. Yes, I am a Twilight fan, and read the books and watched the movies with my daughters. Bella’s pickup sits outside the Forks Chamber of Commerce office. We drove by the Swan house, as well as Miller Tree Inn that was used as the inspiration for the Cullen house.

On our final day as we headed back to the Portland airport we stopped at the Quinault Rain Forest. We took the South Shore Road in Quinault which is in the Olympic National Forest, not the National Park.

• Merriman Falls was a pretty falls that could be seen from the road.

Big Sitka Spruce Tree

• A short .3 mile walk led to the Quinault Big Sitka Spruce Tree. It was huge with a 58-feet circumference and 191-feet tall. It is estimated to be 1,000 years old.
• The Quinault Rainforest Trail was a half mile loop along a gorge with a babbling stream and through old-growth forest with lush undergrowth, snags, nurse trees and many large trees. It was a great final hike before we headed to the airport and back home!

A trail through the Quinault Rain Forest

The amazingly blue clear water of the lakes, the magic of the old-growth forests, the beauty of the wildflowers and mountain views, and the wild majesty of the Pacific coastline stand out in my mind from this trip. Put this part of the country on your travel bucket list!