Category Archives: Washington

Lyle Cherry Orchard Lyle Cherry Orchard, just past the tunnels east of Lyle, Washington in the eastern Columbia River Gorge is a lovely climb from the river up into the oak savanna of the hillside. A few old remaining cherry trees from the long-abandoned orchard dot the top of hills lending the place its namesake.Continue reading “Lyle Cherry Orchard”

PCT North of Carson This spring I’ve made a couple of trips to the area north of Carson, Washington above the Columbia River Gorge, and begun exploring the southern parts of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. In a series of out and back hikes I’ve covered the span from the road near Sedum Point toContinue reading “PCT North of Carson”

Dalles Mountain Ranch Balsamroot Extravaganza There’s a reason why Columbia Hills State Park and the Dalles Mountain Ranch become one of the most popular spots in the Gorge in spring. The glorious golden blooms of balsamroot paint long swatches on the rolling, open hillsides. With the sunrise, meadowlarks call their dreamy warble and Chukars burstContinue reading “Dalles Mountain Ranch Balsamroot Extravaganza”

Swale Canyon Having recently explored around the Ice House on the Klickitat River and Trail, I wanted to come back and head out the other direction to explore the old railbed converted to trail and bike path. I arrived just after 9 am, and found some water collected in ruts with a sheen of iceContinue reading “Swale Canyon”

Klickitat River History Exploring Dry Ice and Redwoods The Klickitat River flows south into the Columbia in south-central Washington, draining the areas of Mt Adams. It is a drier area, with oaks and pines dotting the hillsides. The river corridor has been an important and continuing source of Salmon for the indigenous peoples and hasContinue reading “Klickitat River History Exploring- Dry Ice and Redwoods”

Coyote Wall Spring Anytime of year is really a good time to visit Coyote Wall, but little is better than the first warm days of spring weather when the Grass Widows are coming into bloom, the creeks full with snow runoff from high in the hills, and long awaited warm sunbeams are unobscured by clouds.

Table Mountain, Topped in Snow I think a short section of Heartbreak Ridge ascending Table Mountain is the is possibly the steepest section of trail I’ve encountered around here. There are a series of switchbacks that are barely a body length, zig zagging up the slope. Just past that super steep stretch was when theContinue reading “Table Mountain, Topped in Snow”

Wintry Dog Mountain Dog Mountain covered in the snow is a far cry from the spring scene when the balsam root blooms bathe the exposed hill slopes in yellow.  With fresh snowfall the slopes are blanketed an even white which dissapears without horizon into clouds above. And its possible to find the mountain completely emptyContinue reading “Wintry Dog Mountain”

Hummocks Trail to Johnston Ridge Observatory In the winter when snow arrives, the State closes the Spirit Lake Highway that leads up to Johnson Ridge Observatory overlooking the blast zone of Mt St Helens just after Coldwater Lake. The area is still accessible buy hiking (or if there is snow, snowshoe or skiing) the road,Continue reading “Hummocks Trail to Johnston Ridge Observatory”

Columbia Hills up to Stacker Butte Seeking some sunbeams, I headed east to Washington’s Columbia Hills State Park for the afternoon, parking off of State Route 14 at the lot by Eightmile Creek. The trails here offer an open expanse of the Gorge, looking down the Columbia as it flows towards the Columbia and MtContinue reading “Columbia Hills up to Stacker Butte”