Royal Basin includes some of the best subalpine and alpine scenery in the Olympic Mountains. We began our trek camping next to Royal Creek before continuing on to basecamp at Royal Lake and explored the Upper Royal Basin on a day hike.
The theme of this year’s backpacking trips so far is rain. I just got back from a three night trip at the North Fork Skokomish River in the Olympic Peninsula where it rained off and on for several days.
Packwood Lake is a great early season backpacking option if you can find a good weather window. Even though the forecast called for rain every day, we lucked out and only had a brief period of bad weather.
On this three day backpacking trip, the forecast called for rain, so we took a few tarps and waterproof gear and setup a basecamp at Goat Creek.
In the spring, bright green new growth on alders and shrubs mix with woodland wildflowers lining the trail at Gales Creek.
My first hike in three months! The Old Salmon River Trail is an easy hike with plenty of forest greenery and water sounds for soothing the soul.
On this four day camping trip at Tumalo State Park near Bend, we explored the Oregon Badlands and trails next to the Deschutes River.
On this three day camping trip, we stayed at the Beachside campground near Yachats and explored the Cape Perpetua area.
At Beacon Rock State Park, several former logging roads have been gated and turned into trails for hikers and equestrians. Beacon Rock and Hamilton Mountain are the more popular destinations here, while Hardy Ridge is far less crowded.
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