Hike beside the Salmon River through a mossy forest with old-growth cedar and fir, primitive campsites, and spring wildflowers to a canyon viewpoint above the river.
The Elk Creek Trail is a quiet, forested route in Oregon’s Coast Range on an old logging road that parallels Elk Creek before ascending a ridge of Elk Mountain.
Each spring, the meadows and hillsides surrounding Tom McCall Point are transformed by wildflowers, with vistas of the Columbia River Gorge dominated by yellow balsamroot, blue lupines, and red paintbrush.
Located east of the Cascade Crest, the Coyote Wall area is known for spring wildflowers. This loop hike features scenic vistas of the Columbia River, several waterfalls, and outstanding rocky prominences.
The Catherine Creek area is known for spring wildflowers, but it also features panoramic views of the Columbia River from Tracy Hill on this scenic loop hike.
While camping at Silver Falls State Park over the New Year’s holiday, I explored trails in the park’s backcountry. There are no waterfalls in this part of the park, but there is plenty of beauty and solitude.
While camping at Washburne State Park, I did a loop hike from the campground to Heceta Head lighthouse and back to camp via the Hobbit Trail and beach.
Located next Mount Hood, this hike to Mirror Lake and Tom Dick Harry Mountain includes a scenic subalpine lake, a forest filled with rhododendrons, and panoramic views from the rocky peak.
If you can only do one hike at Mount Rainier National Park, this incredibly scenic loop takes you from the meadows at Paradise to high above treeline on the mountain.
I’ve been enjoying hiking on less traveled trails recently. This section of the PCT near the Panther Creek campground had plenty of solitude, several unexpected wildflowers, and two great viewpoints.
This scenic loop hike in the Redwoods National Park offers more solitude than those located closer to the Prairie Creek visitors center.
This easy loop hike is a great way to see some of the largest redwoods in the Redwoods National Park at Prairie Creek.
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