Kayaking and Hiking Adventures

Season 6 - Hike #21 - Whale Cove Loop at Rocky Creek Viewpoint Starting Location: Rocky Creek State Scenic Viewpoint Point of Interest :  view of Whale Cove Distance : .5 mile Difficulty : easy to moderate, depending on weather Bathrooms:  building was closed, there were 2 porta potties Parking : yes, paved with sidewalks EV Chargers :  no Dogs OK? yes, on leash Permit required? no This is just south of Depoe Bay, maybe 2 miles? The viewpoint itself offers a great view of the ocean, but the real treat is the short trail that leads to an overlook of Whale Cove. The trail starts right by the parking lot to the North, and goes by the bathrooms, although the building was closed when we were there. The overlook is a small platform with some information plaques, and a great view of Whale Cove. The trail winds through coastal trees, and there was some thick brush that had recently been trimmed back to give more space on the trail. The trail is supposed to be ...

Season 6 . kayak#2 - Multnomah Channel Starting Location:   Hadley's Landing , Sauvie Island Point of Interest :  House Boats, Wildlife Distance : about 4 miles (2 up and back). The Channel is 21 miles long. Time on float: about 2 hours Bathrooms:  yes, at the landing Parking : yes, with trailer parking, paved EV Chargers :  no Rentals:  no Parking permits required for Sauvie Island. This was our first trip to Sauvie Island. It was also our anniversary. We have not gotten out on the kayaks much so far this summer, and this was about a 2 hour drive from our house. Luckily, we had rented an Air BnB for our anniversary, so it was only about 20 minutes to the boat launch from Scappose. The Multnomah Channel runs for about 21 miles between Sauvie Island and the Oregon mainland. We didn't want to shuttle, or be on the water that long, so we put in at the Hadley Boat Ramp with the intention of floating downriver for about an hour, and then coming back.  The...

  Season 6. Hike #20 - Oak Island Nature Trail Starting Location: S auvie Island, Oak Island Road parking lot Point of Interest :  nature trail Distance : 2.5 mile loop (lollipop) Difficulty : Easy Bathrooms:  Portapotty Parking : small dirt lot EV Chargers :  No Dogs OK? on leash Permit : Y ou do need a parking permit from ODFW on the Island. We picked this hike on our Anniversary, since we were in the area to kayak the Multnomah Channel between Sauvie Island and Oregon. There are several hikes on Sauvie Island, but I was having some foot issues, so we chose an easy, short hike. There sure were a lot of signs on that sign post. This hike goes along a small peninsula that juts out into Sturgeon Lake. However, you don't get to see much of the water on this hike. There is, however, QR codes designed by the local middle school to teach about Biomimicry. Most of the hike is along fields, or through sparse forest, like this. It's pretty flat all over Sauvi...

Moonshine Park Starting Location: Our Campsite A18 Point of Interest : views, waterfall Length of hike: .2 mile loop Level : Easy - paved trail until going down to the river Bathrooms : yes, flush, clean, with showers (free) Parking : Day Use or at campsite EV Chargers:   No Firewood : yes $7 a bundle This is our 3rd year camping at Moonshine. We had family join us for this weekend. We don't have room for firewood anymore, although we've stopped bringing firewood camping due to the issue of introducing insects to a new environment. In any case, we got wood for our fires. While we were there, one of the campers was making gigantic bubbles in the meadow by the group camping area. They got really big, and lasted a long time. Some of them got across the creek. Our old floaties were not working anymore, so we got some new ones. These are really comfy for floating in a calm river like here at Moonshine. We managed to play a few games of Spot. The weather got a bit misty on our ...

Season 6 - Hike #19 - Beazell Forest Trail Info Starting Location: Barn by parking lot - bridge leads to trail Point of Interest : forest views, old barn,  Length of hike: 1.8 mile loop, and bird trail (1.2 miles) Level : Easy/Moderate - well kept trails Bathrooms : Yes, nice and clean flush toilets Parking : yes, with overflow for RVs and trailers EV Chargers:   No Dogs : Yes, on leash We've done this hike with family before. Not too far away, and pretty easy.  There is a old barn that has been renovated for events, and is popular for weddings. When we got there, people were setting up for a wedding, but we were early. There parking lot by the bard is pretty small, but there is overflow parking by the road. The trails remain open even if there is an event. There are a few structures on this hike, like this old gazebo. It was great weather, but noticeably cooler on the forest trail. I even took off my sunglasses, it was so much darker. There is an old car across...

Fort Hoskins Historical Park   Trail Info Starting Location: Fort Hoskins parking lot (across from bathrooms) Point of Interest : views, and local history. Length of hike: 1.8 mile loop Level : Easy/Moderate - well kept trails Bathrooms : Yes, nice and clean flush toilets Parking : yes, with overflow for RVs and trailers EV Chargers:   No Dogs: Yes, on leash We've hiked Fort Hoskins before, and it is now the standard used when talking about how hard it is raining. We got poured on last time, so this was  redemption hike.  The weather was much better this time, and the view was better too. We did get there at the same time a BMW car club pulled in to use the restroom, so parking got full, but otherwise, there was only a few people there. The main trail goes up and around the hill, so we hiked through he forest most of the way there. The trail is in good shape. The only moderately difficult part would be steepness, and there's not much of that here. After the...