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.
Depoe Bay First Day Hike to Boiler Bay We decided to start off the new year, literally, with a First Day Hike, a special program from Oregon State Parks Starting Location: Depoe Bay Whale Center Point of Interest : Boiler Bay, possible whale watching? Length of hike: 4 mile round trip Level: Easy The weather was gorgeous, if a bit on the chilly side. But January at the Oregon Coast? We'll take it. We gathered at the Depoe Bay whale watching station in the middle of town, and 2 rangers led us on a hike to Boiler Bay. We met up with some friends from Dallas who were interesting in hiking together once a month, and this seemed like a fun way to get started. We also had some family join us from Albany. Oregon State Parks has several First Day Hikes available on New Years Day. We chose this one. The hike was 3 miles round trip, and on a sidewalk most of the way. Still, there was a great turnout for the event. We got some weird look from drivers passing us on Hwy 101, but...
Another return to a place we've been to before. We chose Turner Lake so that a friend could come with us to paddleboard, and she was nervous about going down a river. And being cold. So to Turner we went. It was a gorgeous day. Perfect temperature, gentle breeze. I'd rather be on a river where there aren't as many people, but this was fine. We had a fourth friend with us, without a board or kayak, so we brought our canopy and some chairs. After we floated for a bit, we went back so she could take a turn. I volunteered to stay behind and take a nap, while the other 3 went out. While I didn't actually doze off, it was very comfortable laying in the shade with the breeze. The only negative issue was trying to back up our new to us trailer down the boat ramp. Since we don't have much practice, it took us a while. It didn't help that people kept walking behind and in front of the truck as we were trying to back up and/or pull ahead to readjust. That and the amou...
Ellendale Creek Loop Starting Location: Yellow Gate, park on side of road about 2 miles up Reuben Boise Road Point of Interest : views Length of hike: 4.8 mile loop Level : Moderate - well kept trails, some steep elevation Bathrooms : No Parking : Side of road EV Chargers: No Even though we have lived very close to this trail for over 20 years, we had never heard of it before. It's not well marked, and there are no signs naming it, or trail markers, but there are logging roads, and some horse trails heading up the hill. Of course, I forgot my phone on this hike, so few pictures. The first part of the hike is through forest, which is fine, but you are going up hill, so there's no view unless you turn around. You should turn around to look occasionally, because there are some nice views. If you make it to the top, there is a nice view of the valley, and we could see several of the larger Cascade Mountains, including the Sisters, Jeffe...
Comments
Post a Comment