Kayaking and Hiking Adventures

  Season 6. Hike #1 (First Day Hike) - Luckiamute State Natural Area Starting Location:  North Trailhead (Trail Map) Point of Interest :  wildlife habitat, hiking Distance : 2 mile loop (4 with campground trail) Difficulty : Easy. Flat, a bit muddy after rains, but passable Bathrooms:  Permanent bathroom at South end, porta potty at North Trailhead Parking : small lots EV Chargers :  No This was our 3rd First Day Hike, and while looking at the long list of available First Day Hikes, we saw this one that was pretty close to where we live, and we had never heard of it before. We ended up getting there early, which was good, since there are 3 driveways marked as part of the state park, and we came from the South, so the 3rd time was the charm. Don't go to the middle driveway...that's the ranger offices. The North and South Nature Areas are separated by private land, for now, so there's no trail from one to the other. We had 2 rangers with us for this hi...

We had originally planned to go camping this weekend near Oakridge, but we not able to reserve a campsite, even with a local checking it out for us. So, we decided to stay closer to home and go to the Willamette River. We put in at Buena Vista Park, which is just south of the Buena Vista Ferry, which happened to be closed for repairs. Although the park is small, there was plenty of parking, a pit toilet, and a nice boat ramp.  When we put in, our plan was to head upstream for about a mile, until we found where the Luckiamute River enters the Willametter. We could also head upriver a bit more and check out the Santiam. We ended up going up the Luckiamute, mostly because it was closer. The Willamette River was wide and mostly slow, with a current that didn't slow us down too much. There are some interesting features along the bank, including what look like limestone cliffs, shady rock beaches, and few signs of civilization.  Except for the jet skis. Fortunately, the jet skis di...