Starting Location: Parking lot, Point of Interest : two waterfalls, forest trail
Length of hike: Just over 2 miles,
Level: Easy to moderate
Bathrooms: Yes, pit toilets
Parking: large gravel lot
EV Chargers: No
$5 Day Use Fee (BLM) with credit card machine (not working)
We were fully expecting rain today, and were dressed for it. But somehow it just never showed up while we were hiking.
The drive to Alsea Falls is beautiful, if winding. We came up from Philomath, but there is also a route from the East, by Monroe.
Due to recent rains, the flow was pretty high, which made for a lot of water coming through the falls. Alsea Falls is just a few steps from the bridge over the river, and we could hear it. There is good access to the riverbank, and the trail is well maintained.
Here's a video to give you an idea of how powerful it sounded.
This is the view from the bridge, and you can see 3 from our group sitting next to the raging river.
We then headed down the trail to Green Peak Falls, which the sign said was about 1 mile away. Again, the trail is well maintained, with few steep areas. Even the mud was sparse. we only had to go around a few puddles. There were 2 deadfalls across the trail, but not really slowing us down.
The trail is also well marked, so it would be hard to get lost.
About halfway to Green Peak Falls is this campground (which was closed), with toilet. There's also a bridge across the river.
The parts of the trail that are steep, or go over a ravine, have very stable bridges and/or steps. These steps led to the bottom of Green Peak Falls, which seemed even louder, and there was a definite spray at the bottom. which we braved for photos.
It was hard to hear over the roar of water, and my glasses got covered with spray, but it was worth it. I wonder what it looks like in the summer?
On the way back, not far from the campground, Peak Creek joins the South Alsea River, and we found a swing hanging from a tree. The wooden slat of the swing was just low enough to be pushed around by the water. None of us was brave enough to try it out. Maybe in the summer?
On the way home, we stopped to get a picture of this old mossy sign for the Hubert McBee Memorial Campground. It still had not rained on us, and we headed home happy hikers.
We also stopped in Corvallis at the Old Spaghetti Factory for a late lunch. Yummy.
Season 6 . Hike # 13 - D og Mountain Starting Location: Parking Lot off Hwy 14 Point of Interest : Views of Gorge, wildflowers Distance : about 6 miles (3 up and down) Difficulty : difficult due to steepness Bathrooms: Yes. 2 pit toilets at start of trail Parking : about 70 spots in gravel lot, permit required EV Chargers : no Dogs OK? yes, on leash -------------------------------------------------------------------------- This hike was to celebrate my daughter's 30th birthday. Lots of friends and family came camping, and also on this hike. We camped at Big Cedars Campground in nearby Willard, Washington. It had a large group camping area that came in handy for our large group. It was close enough to get to Dog Mountain, and far enough to be secluded. We had been practicing for this hike, which we heard is difficult and steep. It is. I think I heard someone say, right as we passed the restrooms onto the trail itself, "Is the whole t...
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Smith Rock State Park Starting Location: parking lot - Welcome Center Point of Interest : Smith Rock, rock formations, Crooked River Length of hike: Many Hikes Available (Trail Map) Misery Ridge Loop 4 miles Level : Misery Ridge trail is hard, to to steepness, some loose gravel. River trail is easy. Bathrooms : at main parking lot, and down by river. Parking : Decent paved lot along the road. EV Chargers : No We got here around 9am, hoping to get the hard climb out of the way before it got hot. The parking lot along the road was already full, so we parking the the overflow/RV parking on the South side. Not too long of a walk to the welcome center. Obviously there were groups who had come early and were finished hiking. There were a lot of people, but it didn't feel too crowded. There are trails for everyone. Our first time at Smith Rock. We decided to do the Misery Ridge loop, which includes the Mesa Verda trail which jo...
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