Category: Trip report

Northrup Creek and Jewell Meadows – 10/24/2026

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date October 26, 2026
No Comments on Northrup Creek and Jewell Meadows – 10/24/2026

Our run of unseasonably warm weather came to an end with a freeze watch for western Oregon. However, the lack of precipitation continued. We took the opportunity to check out a new hike to us, the Northrup Creek Loop in the Clatsop State Forest. The 8.7-mile loop as described in the Oregon Hikers Field Guide link above includes a ford of Northrup Creek that can reportably be treacherous at times. Given the lack of rain this year we knew this wouldn’t be the case now, making it a good time to visit.

We had originally planned on parking at the winter trailhead which is the only trailhead available from December 1st through May 15th when the road to the Northrup Creek Horse Camp is gated closed. The winter trailhead is located near the ford, and our plan had been to hike the loop counterclockwise in order to leave the ford till the end of the hike. We wound up missing the winter trailhead, so we decided to park at the Northrup Creek Big Tree Trailhead.

The Big Tree Trail is an optional 0.9-mile hiker only trail separate from the horse loop. By starting here, we could pick up the loop as it passed the picnic area and then, if we felt up to it after the loop, we could check out the Big Tree Trail.

The horse loop from the Big Tree Trailhead.

We picked up the loop and turned right heading for the horse camp.

The trail crossed a forest road where we encountered a trail closure sign. A portion of the loop at Cow Ridge was closed due to an active logging operation. Normally I would have found out about this while doing my pre-hike research, but the Oregon Department of Forestry is lacking when it comes to providing information. We turned around and discussed our options on the way back to the car. We decided to at least do the Big Tree Trail since we were already here so we when we arrived back at the trailhead we headed down that trail.

Map of the big trees along the trail and the campground.

Big leaf maple

Northrup Creek

The grand fir unfortunately toppled.

The grand fir down along the trail.

The Big Tree Trail ends at the entrance road.

Sign along the entrance road near the end of the Big Tree Trail.

During our hike on the Big Tree Trail, we had decided to stay here and modify the loop by hiking the entrance road as a replacement to the NE half of the loop. We turned right on the entrance road and followed it just under a mile and a half to the winter trailhead.

Ferns on a snag.

Passing the winter gate.

Bridge over Cow Creek.

Cow Creek flowing into Northrup Creek.

The Winter Trailhead.

From the winter trailhead we forked right and briefly followed Northrup Creek before arriving at the ford.

Self heal

The ford.

Our assumption had been correct, and the ford was barely ankle deep. We did switch into our water shoes to keep our shoes and socks dry, but the ford itself was not a problem. The trail made a steep climb on the far side of the ford before leveling out and arriving at an old forest road.

Cinquefoil

Mile 5 of the actual loop, this was the only mileage sign we noticed.

We turned left onto the road following the pointer and followed this road for 0.6-miles past a gravel pit to a road junction.

We were surprised to see some non-native foxglove still blooming.

My second hike in a row with a varied thrush sighting.

The gravel pit.

We turned right at the junction following another pointer and in another 0.3-miles came to Foster Mainline Road.

From the junction the continuation of the trail was visible across the road.

We crossed the road and continued on the loop which was now descending back toward Northrup Creek.

Canada jays

After reaching the creek again the trail made a series of ups and downs before finally arriving at the Northrup Creek Trailhead.

Another big maple.

Hedgenettle

Several small footbridges crossed seasonal creeks.

Thistle

A good sized cedar.

Vanilla leaf

Road crossing near the Northrup Creek Trailhead.

The Northrup Creek Trailhead.

From the Northrup Creek Trailhead the trail joined the entrance road to cross Northrup Creek and reach the Big Tree Trailhead where we’d parked.

Our modified loop came in at approximately 6.5-miles and 720′ of elevation gain.

The closed section of the loop is in the upper right portion of the snip.

This was another nice forest hike with lots of mushrooms and solitude (one group of 3 hunters). While it was a little disappointing not to be able to hike the full loop, our route worked out fine. It left us a little short of what I had hoped for so on the way home we decided to detour a mile west on Highway 202 and stop at the Jewell Meadows Wildlife Area. We were hoping to see some elk which we had not seen yet in 2026. As we were driving out Northrup Creek Road Heather spotted elk at the far side of a field.

Despite now having seen some elk we did stop at Jewell Meadows where there was a large herd in one of the fields. A few of the elk came closer to graze under the old orchard trees.

Robin

There were also a few elk clear across this field next to the brush, and I spotted a coyote running across through the grass.

A blurry shot of the coyote who was also on the far side of the field.

There is a fee to park at the wildlife area which can be paid online if you have cell service. We didn’t have enough service to get the payment through until we were back on our way home, but Heather did eventually get the payment to go through.

While there isn’t really a hike at Jewell Meadows looping around the grassy tracks provided a half mile loop. Getting to see the elk made for a perfect end to the morning. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Northrup Creek & Jewell Meadows

Tags Big Tree Trail, Clatsop State Forest, Cow Creek, elk, hiking, Jewell Meadows Wildlife Area, Northrup Creek Horse Camp, Northrup Creek Loop, Oregon

Hiking Oregon Salem/Albany Trip report Willamette Valley

Silver Falls State Park – 10/21/2026

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date October 23, 2026
No Comments on Silver Falls State Park – 10/21/2026

I headed out to Silver Falls State Park for a waterfall Wednesday hike. The volume of water at this time of year can vary greatly depending on how wet the beginning of Fall is. This year has been unseasonably dry (and warm), so I wasn’t expecting much from the falls themselves, but the park always provides good scenery. Given my recent setbacks with my heel and hip sticking close to Salem made sense and if necessary, I could cut the hike short. My plan was to hike the Trail of Ten Falls from the South Falls Trailhead, possibly adding in the paved Bike Path loop which I hadn’t ever explored. I also planned on skipping two of the most seasonal falls, Double and Winter, as they are off spur trails and due to the lack of rain would be running extremely low if at all.

I got a front row parking spot at 8am when the day use area opened and made my way through the South Falls District to the Canyon Trail at South Falls.

I was going to be a couple of minutes early so I stopped at the south entrance viewpoint first.

The cafe.

The nature store.

The chipmunks were out in force.

South Falls

Steller’s jay

I made my way down to and behind South Falls which I had to myself for a couple of minutes for the first time ever.

I continued on the Canyon Trail for a total of 3.7-miles to a junction with the Rim Trail.

Looking down at the stairs leading to Lower South Falls.

Lower South Falls

View from behind Lower South Falls.

It was a bluebird day above the canyon.

Footbridge over North Fork Silver Creek.

Lower North Falls

The spur trail to Double Falls is to the left just before the bridge above.

What little water there was in the creek below Double Falls from the footbridge.

Viewing platform for Drake Falls.

Drake Falls

Storm damage from the prior winter. This section of the Canyon Trail had been closed for a few months earlier in the year.

First view of Middle North Falls, my personal favorite.

Middle North Falls

A short spur trail leads behind this fall and to views from the other side.

The junction with the Winter Falls Trail (on the right). This trail had been closed when Heather visited in September due to a slide but had since reopened.

North Fork Silver Creek from the Winter Falls Trail footbridge.

Twin Falls with only one of the twins flowing.

First view of North Falls.

View from behind North Falls.

Climbing to the Rim Trail from North Falls.

I turned left at the junction with the Rim Trail and detoured on the spur trail to Upper North Falls.

Heading under the highway and footbridge from the North Falls Trailhead.

I had only seen about a half dozen people so far and had all seven of the waterfalls to myself for at least a minute or two. That ended when I arrived at Upper North Falls where a couple were doing multiple poses in front of the waterfall. I had to get a little creative to avoid having them in my pictures.

I used the vegetation to hide them here.

I rock hopped to the middle of the creek for an angle they weren’t in.

Then I zoomed in when they got too close for the angle trick to work.

After getting a few shots I took a break on a bench nearby and had a snack before continuing on. After the break I returned to the Rim Trail and followed it for 1.1-miles before forking left to the Bike Path Loop.

More winter storm damage.

The top of North Falls from the Rim Trail.

Passing the Winter Falls Trailhead.

There didn’t appear to be any running water in the creek above Winter Falls.

Coral fungus

The left fork to the Bike Path. The white line was one of many markings left over from the Silver Falls Trail Runs held Oct 16-18th this year.

I had to cross the highway to reach the Bike Path Loop.

The 1.8-mile loop began a little over 100 yards on the far side of the highway.

I opted to hike the loop counterclockwise. The path climbed gradually, passing a couple of pointers for “Ranches” (Davidsons & Foothill) before descending back down to complete the loop.

The creek that feeds Winter Falls.

The doe paused when she saw me then decided I wasn’t a threat and crossed the trail only to disappear in the vegetation on the far side.

The first trail to the Ranches.

Varied thrush. If you follow the blog, you know this is my nemesis. For me this is a pretty good picture of this elusive forest dweller.

Douglas squirrel

The end of the loop.

I recrossed the highway and stuck to the paved Bike Path for 0.4-miles then forked left when the Rim Trail crossed the path. I then followed the Rim Trail 0.4-miles back to the South Falls District where there was a school field trip in progress. That was a little too much chaos for me, so I hightailed back to the car.

This hike came in at 9.8-miles with approximately 1350′ of elevation gain.

My track from today (cyan) over Heather’s from March (pink).

As always this was an enjoyable hike. The one drawback for me to the park is that it is very popular. Starting early helps and if you aren’t dead set on waterfalls the backcountry trails (post) are never busy. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Silver Falls State Park

Tags Bike Path, Canyon Trail, Drake Falls, hiking, Lower South Falls, Middle North Falls, Oregon, Rim Trail, Silver Falls State Park. North Falls, South Falls, Twin Falls, Upper North Falls. Lower North Falls

Hiking Oregon Salem/Albany Trip report Willamette Valley

Minto-Brown Island Park (again) – 10/19/2026

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date October 21, 2026
2 Comments on Minto-Brown Island Park (again) – 10/19/2026

My ongoing issues with my back/hips have made it necessary to change the way we normally approach hiking. One of the biggest impacts has been our inability to travel for a vacation where we would typically hike 5 or 6 days out of the 10 days from Sat through Sun. My final week of vacation was going to be more of the same. Instead of a hiking trip I had a couple of appointments scheduled and was working my way back from not being able to hike for a couple of weeks due to heel and hip issues.

An afternoon PT appointment on Monday meant I needed to keep my driving time down and I also wanted to keep my distance options open, so I made the 15-minute drive to Minto-Brown Island Park for the fifth time this year. I parked in Lot 4 along Homestead Road which would give me a chance to check on the otters (post) first thing and on the way back.

The trail from Lot 4.

My plan was to check the slough for otters then proceed to Green Heron Slough where there always seems to be a good deal of wildlife. From there my plan, assuming my heel and hip cooperated, was to hit several of the other bodies of water where wildlife tends to hang out. My body cooperated and I wound up doing a counterclockwise loop past the fishing pond, Willamette Slough, and Oxbow Slough then returned to Lot 4 via Green Heron Slough. Along the way I visited the old cherry orchard and took a new to me path through the center of the orchard.

The new to me section through the orchard is the straight line at the top of the loop. This was a 7.5-mile route.

No otters on this day but there was still plenty of wildlife and excellent scenery. Here are some of the highlights.

One of several great blue herons seen throughout the morning.

Deer on the far side of the slough from Faragate Road. This was the first time I’d seen deer in this area.

While I didn’t see the otters in the slough where we had before, this belted kingfisher was at the far end.

The leaves are really starting to fall now.

Another GBH in Green Heron Slough.

Egret

Mallards

Sparrow

One of at least a dozen rabbits I saw.

Squirrel!

The perpetually flooded trail near the fishing pond. I was able to stay dry by walking on my heels today.

Wood duck in the fishing pond.

They mowed some of the fields.

Red-tailed hawk that was heading down to the field.

It didn’t get whatever it had dove for.

Nutria family

Willamette Slough

Black phoebe

Northern flicker

How many robins do you see?

Heading into the old cherry orchard.

Scrub jay

Spotted towhee

The new to me section of trail.

Cedar waxwing

An egret, mallards, and two greater yellowlegs in Oxbow Slough.

One of the greater yellowlegs.

Geese further out in the slough.

Egret, mallards, and a GBH.

The Willamette River.

A greater yellowlegs and a turtle sharing a log in Green Heron Slough.

Geen winged teal and an American wigeon

Stellar’s jay

Still no otters today.

It was another nice day at the park. There were a number of other species of birds that I saw/heard but couldn’t get a picture of. The amount and variety of wildlife in the park makes every visit unique and provides a reason to keep returning. In addition to all the critters we’ve seen in the park mink, beaver, bobcat, and even cougar have been spotted at times here.

Tags deer, Egret, great blue heron, hiking, minto-brown island park, Oregon, Salem, turtle

Coastal Range Hiking Trip report

Triple C & Step Creek Loops – 10/17/2026

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date October 20, 2026
No Comments on Triple C & Step Creek Loops – 10/17/2026

It had been a while since we had checked off a hike in one of Matt Reeder’s guidebooks. While it hasn’t been a main goal of ours in the same way as it was for Sullivan’s guidebooks (post) we’ve been tracking our progress with several others. Prior to my medical issues this year we had plans to finish two of Reeder’s books, “PDX Hiking 365” (2 remaining) and “Off the Beaten Trail” (1 left), as well as a couple of the five remaining hikes from “101 Hikes in the Majestic Mount Jefferson Region”. Some of the hikes in that last book are still closed due to fires in 2020, but hopefully the last couple will reopen soon. In the meantime, he is working on a second edition which is exciting.

One of the two remaining hikes in “PDX Hiking 365” was the Triple C Loop in the Tillamook State Forest. The trail is named in honor of the Civilian Conservation Corps who worked on forest recovery after the 1933 Tillamook Burn. The hike begins at Reehers Camp where from 1934 to 1941 men from the CCC were stationed.

We parked at the Reehers Camp Trailhead

The Triple C Loop is just 2.8-miles making it a little too short to warrant the drive from Salem however the Gales Creek Trail (post) shares a portion of the Triple C Loop and offers longer options, one of which being the Step Creek Loop.

We took Reeder’s advice to hike the Triple C Loop counterclockwise and from the trailhead parking lot crossed NW Cochran Road and picked up the trail on the far side.

The trail makes its way around a knoll passing through a nice forest before a second road crossing and descending to the Nehalem River.

Trail from the campground joining from the right.

Squirrel!

Mushrooms were plentiful along the trails.

Crossing NW Wheeler Road.

First view of the Nehalem River. We have not had much rain yet this Fall so the water level was low.

A little under 2-miles into the loop the trail crossed NW Cochran Road again.

Here we left the Triple C Loop and turned right on the road to cross the river and continue on the Gales Creek Trail.

The Gales Creek Trail resumed on the left (south) side of the road just beyond the bridge.

Vine maple along the Gales Creek Trail.

The trail skirted a clear cut and gradually climbed to a crossing of the old Tillamook Bay Railroad.

The trail continued its gradual climb for 0.2 miles to a signed junction marking the start of the Step Creek Trail.

We forked left onto the Step Creek Trail and in another 0.2-miles arrived at the start of the Step Creek Loop.

The first of two road crossings.

The second road crossing.

The start of the Step Creek Loop. We decided to also hike this loop counterclockwise, so we forked right.

This loop is 3.1-miles around consisting of gradual ups and downs. Near the 2-mile mark the trail approaches Step Creek. The trail then parallels for approximately half a mile however the creek remained mostly hidden.

Step Creek was off to the right flowing beneath the brush.

Self heal

Approaching the signpost for the Step Creek Loop.

After completing this loop we headed back to the Gales Creek Trail and returned to the Nehalem River crossing. On the far side of the bridge we turned right at a trail sign to complete the Triple C Loop.

It was a little over half a mile back to the Reehers Camp Trailhead. This section of the loop offered views of the Nehalem River and several spur trails that provided access to the water.

I took one of the spur trails down to the river to check it out.

I didn’t know this until it flew off a moment later but there was a raptor in the trees on the opposite bank.

There had been a brief shower earlier, but we also got some blue sky.

Foam flower

The outhouse at the trailhead in view.

The hike came in at 7.6-miles with approximately 1000′ of elevation gain.

This was a good fall hike that would also be nice in winter. A longer hike is also possible by continuing further on the Gales Creek Trail. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Triple C and Step Creek Loops

Tags Civilian Conservation Corps, Gales Creek Trail, hiking, Nehalem River, Oregon, Reehers Camp, Reehers Camp Trailhead, Step Creek, Step Creek Loop, Step Creek Trail, Triple C Loop

Hiking Oregon Salem/Albany Trip report Willamette Valley

Otters at Last: Minto-Brown 9/26/2026

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date September 30, 2026
2 Comments on Otters at Last: Minto-Brown 9/26/2026

We had plans to head to Eugene in the afternoon to celebrate our son’s birthday with my parents. My heel was feeling well enough to attempt another short hike prior to meeting up with them, but then I woke up with a stiff right hip making it hard to even walk. We had planned on a short walk at Minto-Brown Island Park to once again try and spot an otter. After my morning PT routine and a round of anti-inflammatory medication, the hip had loosened up enough that walking actually felt better than any sedentary position.

We decided to give Minto-Brown a try and headed out a little before 8:30am to make the 15-minute drive to Parking Lot 4 on Homestead Road.

We checked the slough near the parking area for wildlife and spotted a pair of pied billed grebes.

Pied billed grebe in the fog.

After checking this section of slough we headed out to Homestead Road (which becomes Faragate St S) and followed it along the slough to a gated road where we turned right to cross the slough.

Brown creeper

We spotted this Great Blue Heron from the bridge over the slough. We had also heard some loud splashing in the water and Heather and seen a dark shape in the slough but couldn’t make out what it was.

After crossing the bridge we turned right on the Blue Heron Loop to visit the slough where several otter photos we’d seen had been taken and where I’d seen the Green Heron on my previous visit (post). We checked a number of viewpoints and spotted a lot of wildlife but once again no otters.

Hawk as the fog was burning off.

Great blue heron

Closer look at the GBH.

Wood duck

Mallards and American wigeons

Great egret

Closer look at the egret.

We watched it for several minutes as it moved around in the algae, occasionally sucking in some of the water and expelling it. I had to post a photo and video to the Friends of Minto-Brown Facebook group to figure out this was almost certainly a carp.

Killdeer

Greater yellowlegs

Sandpiper on the far side of the slough.

After striking out on otters here we detoured on the spur trail I’d taken during my previous visit to the backside of Oxbow Slough.

There wasn’t much happening here other than some wood ducks in the distance, but a photographer we’d seen a couple of times already was here and he let us know that there were often otters in the slough next to the bridge we’d heard the splashing from.

With this new information in hand we continued on the Blue Heron Loop and made our way back to the bridge.

Field along the Blue Heron Loop.

Spotted towhee

When we got back to the bridge we scanned the slough where we’d seen the heron earlier but still no otters. At this point we decided to try walking up Faragate St. along the slough to see if there were any other viewpoints of the water. There was really only one obscured view, but just as we were about to turn around a red-tailed hawk landed in a tree above the road.

The hawk was a nice consolation prize, and we headed back toward Lot 4. However, as we were passing an obscured view of the slough I spotted three otters!

They spotted us too and swam off. We went back to the bridge for one last look and this time the otters were visible. There were at least four and possibly a fifth. Two of them were having what I decided was second breakfast.

We could have stayed and watched the otters for a long time, but my hip started hurting again while we were on the bridge, so we tore ourselves away. The good news is my heel felt much better during this 3.1-mile walk and the hip eventually loosened up again allowing me to enjoy the birthday celebration. Happy Trails!

Dotted line is today’s route.

Flickr: Minto-Brown (Otters)

Tags blue heron loop, Blue Heron Trail. Great Egret, hiking, minto-brown island park, Oregon, otter, Parking Lot 4, red tailed hawk, Salem

Diamond Peak Area High Cascades Hiking Oregon Trip report

Yoran Lake – 09/05/2026

September began with some much-needed precipitation including snow at higher elevations. Checking the forecast for a hike to start the Labor Day weekend revealed that the Willamette Pass area was expected to be partly sunny Saturday morning before a chance of showers and thunderstorms developed later in the day. I narrowed it down to two loops, one in the northern end of the Waldo Lake Wilderness the other in the northern end of the Diamond Peak Wilderness. Both loops would have us visiting multiple lakes however the northern end of the Waldo Lake Wilderness has been through two large fires in the past 30 years while the northern end of the Diamond Peak Wilderness has not endured a large fire. There would be more views hiking through the fire scars, but we weren’t sure if the partly sunny forecast meant that the Cascade Peaks would be visible, so we opted for the Diamond Peak Wilderness.

The loop we’d chosen was Midnight and Yoran Lake, a hike we’d done back in 2014 post. We also hiked half of the loop on our longer loop around Diamond Peak (post). For both of those outings we’d parked at the Trapper Creek Trailhead. To mix things up a bit (and cut 1.4-miles from the total distance) we decided to begin the loop from the Pengra Pass Trailhead located near the Pacific Crest Trail.

The next decision to make was which direction to hike the loop in. We chose clockwise for two reasons. The first being that we would be starting out on a short downhill which would allow us to warm up a bit versus starting with a climb. The second reason was that the longest stretch without passing near a lake at almost 4-miles and we prefer getting the less exciting stretches done first. Speaking of less exciting the first 0.2-miles followed a gravel road before reaching the Whitefish Creek Trail.

The Whitefish Creek Trail coming up from the left. The trail briefly followed the road before heading uphill.

The Whitefish Creek Trail leaving the road.

The Whitefish Creek Trail immediately entered the Diamond Peak Wilderness and gradually climbed for 0.7-miles to a junction with the Yoran Lake Trail.

Footbridge over Whitefish Creek. There was a very small amount of water flowing down the creek.

The Yoran Lake Trail junction.

We turned right onto the Yoran Lake Trail and climbed steadily for 2.8-miles to the first (unnamed) lake.

The Yoran Lake Trail was well maintained with no trees down across the trail.

Coral fungus

Blue sky above.

Despite the recent precipitation the creek beds were mostly dry.

The snowy top of Diamond Peak was visible over the trees.

Diamond Peak with fresh snow.

The unnamed lake.

We continued past the unnamed lake and in just over a mile came to a familiar unsigned junction next to a dry creekbed.

The trail crosses the dry creek bed a half mile from the unnamed lake.

The unsigned junction.

The trail to the right was a user created trail until 2019 when the Forest Service officially decided to connect the Pacific Crest Trail near Lils Lake with the Yoran Lake Trail. Before continuing on the Yoran Lake Trail we veered left and climbed steeply up the hillside to Karen Lake.

We’d camped at this lake on the final night of our loop around the mountain. We took a break along the lake shore near where we’d camped before and waited to see if Diamond Peak, which was now partly shrouded by a cloud, would make a full appearance.

We spent half an hour at the lake watching the clouds tease a reveal only to have more arrive.

So close.

After 30-minutes we were starting to get cold from not moving around so we continued on our loop hoping that maybe things would clear up when we reached Yoran Lake which was less than a quarter mile away.

The trail forks near Yoran Lake. The lefthand fork leads to some campsites while the righthand fork is the official trail. We went right and soon had a view across the lake to Diamond Peak.

Mount Yoran behind the trees to the left.

The trail climbs above the lake on a rocky shelf where we again stopped to give the clouds some time to move on. It took about 15-minutes for that to happen, and we finally had a view of the full mountain.

Mount Yoran was not dealing with clouds.

Finally, a full view.

After getting the view we’d been hoping for we continued on. The trail passed several more viewpoints above Yoran Lake before passing through the forest and arriving at Lils Lake.

Island in Yoran Lake.

Pond between Yoran Lake and Lils Lake.

Lils Lake

We followed the trail past Lils Lake to its end at the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT).

Signpost at the junction.

We turned right onto the PCT and started a stretch of trail that passed a number of named and unnamed bodies of water.

Diamond Peak and Lils Lake from the PCT.

The PCT passing a pond.

Maiden Peak (post) beyond the trees.

Another small pond.

The first named lake was Hidden Lake which was just off a spur trail to the right, 0.6-miles from the PCT junction.

Hidden Lake

After visiting Hidden Lake we continued on the PCT passed several more unnamed bodies of water before arriving at Arrowhead Lake a mile from Hidden Lake.

Unnamed lake

One of several ponds.

Stellar’s jay

Junction with the Deer Creek Trail.

Arrowhead Lake

Buffleheads on Arrowhead Lake.

From Arrowhead Lake it was 1.4 more downhill miles to a signed spur trail for Midnight Lake, the last of the named lakes.

Foamflower, one of the few blooming flowers remaining.

Midnight Lake sign on the spur trail.

Midnight Lake

After a short break at Midnight Lake we continued our loop. It was 0.2-miles from the lake to a junction with the Midnight Lake Trail and then another 0.9-miles to the Pengra Pass Trailhead.

The Midnight Lake Trail on the left.

Another unnamed lake at the trail junction.

I was just a bit too slow to get a picture of this belted kingfisher before it took flight.

Rhododendron along the PCT.

Ski runs at the Willmaette Pass Ski Are on the far hillside.

Fuji Mountain (post)

Leaving the wilderness area near Pengra Pass.

Wilderness permit kiosk at Pengra Pass.

The trail dropping down to the trailhead.

This loop came in at 10.8-miles with approximately 1300′ of elevation gain.

This is a nice loop with a variety of lakes and few good mountain views (when the clouds cooperate). We were a little surprised to have only run into 9 other hikers all day. The trails were also in excellent shape with only a couple of small logs to step over. The fresh snow on Diamond Peak was a nice bonus and a good reminder that Fall is on the way. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Yoran and Midnight Lakes

Tags Arrowhead lake, cascade mountains, Diamond Peak, Diamond Peak Wilderness, hidden lake, hiking, Karen Lake, Lils Lake, Midnight Lake, Mount Yoran, Oregon, Pacific Crest Trail, PCT, Whitefish Creek Trail, Yoran Lake, Yoran Lake Trail

High Cascades Hiking Mt. Washington Area Oregon Three Sisters Area Trip report

Black Crater – 08/29/2026

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date September 1, 2026
No Comments on Black Crater – 08/29/2026

When we were working on our goal of hiking William L. Sullivan’s featured hikes (post) we had a few outings where we didn’t get a view from a viewpoint or summit due to the weather. Now that we’ve completed that goal we are revisiting some of those hikes in an attempt to get those views. One such hike was a 2016 outing to Black Crater in the Three Sisters Wilderness. We had tried several times in the past couple of months to re-hike this trail but either smoke from wildfires or possibly thunderstorms had stymied us. A mostly sunny forecast coupled with a high of just 49 degrees (Fahrenheit) meant it was finally time for a second visit.

Before tackling the climb up Black Crater we thought it would be a good idea to warm up with a short hike at nearby Dee Wright Observatory and the Lava River Trail.

While the plan was to “warm up” it was anything but warm as the cool morning air combined with a stiff breeze. We took advantage of the restrooms then visited the observatory where on a clearer day we would have had views of numerous Cascade peaks. Today however, despite the presence of some blue sky, nearly all of the peaks were hidden.

Black Crater, which is straight ahead, was one of the peaks covered by a cloud. We hoped that the mostly sunny forecast was still in the cards.

Mt. Jefferson through a break in the clouds.

Interpretive signs near the observatory.

Black Butte (post) to the right with Green Ridge (post) behind it.

Viewing holes are located around the observatory to help identify the peaks.

There is also a mountain finder atop the observatory.

List of what we could have been looking at.

After visiting the observatory, we walked to the east where the interpretive Lava River Trail leads into the Yapoah lava flow.

While we had visited the observatory before this was our first time hiking this short loop. The interpretive signs were very informative which more than made up for the lack of mountain views.

Little Belknap Crater (post).

Mt. Jefferson making another brief appearance.

There was no chance of spotting the Three Sisters.

Black Crater was still looking awfully cloudy.

The Dee Wright Observatory on the left.

As we concluded the hike it looked like the clouds might be breaking up over Black Crater.

After a rather chilly warm up hike we drove to the Black Crater Trailhead.

On top of not getting a view from the summit on that visit the 2017 lightning caused Milli Fire burned over the majority of the trail.
Forest at the trailhead before the Milli Fire.

The sign at the trailhead states the summit is 4 miles away however it is really 3.6-miles. Either way the trail gains approximately 2300′.

The trail enters the Three Sisters Wilderness a short distance from the trailhead. In fact the wilderness sign is visible from the trailhead and as I was zooming in for a photo I realized there was a doe next to it.

The hike is about as straight forward as one can be. There are no trail junctions, no creek or river crossings, and no faint sections of trail. The climb is steady but rarely feels steep. There are plenty of views due to the Millie Fire but today the clouds were limiting those.

Mt. Washington hidden by a cloud.

Black Butte

Lupine

Cascade aster

Another aster, not sure which one.

Cloud hovering over Little Belknap and Belknap Craters.

The trail is well maintained.

Looking up toward the summit.

Rabbitbrush goldenweed
Junco

Yarrow

Bleeding heart and northwestern rabbit-tabacco

The fire spared the trees closer to the summit.

Beardtongue

One-sided wintergreen

Black Butte managed to stay out of the clouds for most of the morning.

Golden-mantled ground squirrel

Clouds passing by.

Cable for the former fire lookout.

The final stretch to the summit. There was a cloud passing over when I arrived and I wondered if there would be any views.

It was windy at the summit, but I took a seat on the rocks above the former lookout site hoping for the clouds to pass.

View to the NE into Central Oregon.

The summit of North Sister.

Scott Mountain in the center which we climbed a few weeks ago (post).

I had a snack while I waited but the clouds seemed to be getting worse and it was cold in the wind, so I decided to start back down.

Looking toward Broken Top and the North Sister.

Heading down from the summit.

I detoured to the western end of the summit where another rock outcrop sits.

Little Belknap and Belknap Craters beyond the rock outcrop.

It only took a minute or two to reach the other outcrop, but by the time I had the clouds had begun to finally open up.

Broken Top with Mt. Bachelor (post) behind to the right.

The summit from the second outcrop.

The Three Sisters. The summit of Middle Sister is just visible to the right of North Sister.

The west side of the Three Sisters Wilderness.

Collier Cone (post) below the North and Middle Sisters.

The Husband with Yapoah Crater (post) at the lower left of the frame.

I stuck around for a while as the clouds continued passing by, but when I started losing the view again I headed back.

Dwarf alpinegold

The clouds coming in from the right were quite a bit darker than any had been so far.

Alpine mountain buckwheat

Mountain bluebird

Pussypaw

Fireweed and northwestern rabbit-tobacco.

It felt like it could start raining at any moment.

Beetle

Back at the trailhead.

The hike up Black Crater was 7.2-miles and we did about a mile at Dee Wright Observatory. Cumulative elevation gain was close to 2500′.

The two hikes for the day.

While it wasn’t quite a clear as we had hoped the views were vastly better than they had been on our first visit.

Dee Wright Observatory is a must stop if you are driving the McKenzie Highway and the Lava River Trail would be a great place to bring out of state visitors. The Black Crater hike is also a great hike providing a good workout and excellent views when the conditions are right. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Black Crater

Tags Black Crater, Black Crater Trail, Black Crater Trailhead, Dee Wright Observatory, hiking, Lava River Trail, McKenzie Highway, McKenzie Pass, Oregon, Three Sisters Wilderness

High Cascades Hiking Oregon Trip report Waldo Lake Area

Bobby Lake – 08/22/2026

Due to the number of wildfires and corresponding smoke this summer we have been waiting until the day or two before a hike to decide where we will be going. A favorable forecast for the Cascade Crest led us back to the mountains. Our destination for the day was Bobby Lake, located two and a quarter miles east of the Waldo Lake Road (Forest Road 5897).

A 4.5-mile hike isn’t quite long enough to warrant a 2:30 drive to the trailhead so I had come up with a loop incorporating several trails in the area including the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) which passes within a quarter mile of Bobby Lake.

We’d visited Bobby Lake in 2019 after hiking up The Twins (post). We’d started that hike from the Twin Peak Trailhead. For today’s hike we had planned to start at the Bobby Lake Trailhead however there didn’t appear to be any open spaces so we parked across the road at the Betty Lake Trailhead (Betty Lake 2024 ).

The Bobby Lake Trailhead across Waldo Lake Road from the Betty Lake Trailhead.

Trailhead ambassador (Canada jay).

We crossed the road and picked up the Bobby Lake Trail.

We followed this trail for 0.4-miles to a 4-way junction with the Gold Lake Trail.

Coming up on the junction.

From the 4-way junction loops are possible in either direction. On our previous visit to the lake we’d headed north on the Gold Lake Trail to return to the Twin Peak Trailhead. Today’s loop would be incorporating the southern portion of the Gold Lake Trail. We had decided to save the visit to Bobby Lake for later in the day, so we turned right onto the Gold Lake Trail and followed it downhill 1.7 forested miles to a junction with the Mount Ray Trail.

Aster

Sickletop lousewort

Trail sign ahead on the right for the Mount Ray Trail.

Up to this point the hike had been on new trail for us with the exception of the Bobby Lake/Gold Lake Trail junction. In 2025 I had been to this junction during my Mount Ray/Island Lakes loop (post) so the next 1.7-miles were new only to Heather. This section of the Gold Lake Trail crosses Ray Creek then passes along Gold Lake Bog and Gold Lake before reaching a junction with the Fuji Mountain Trail.

Entering the Gold Lake Bog Natural Research Area.

Ray Creek

Aster

Mushroom

Fireweed

Monkshood

Skunk cabbage

Gold Lake Bog from the trail.

The northern end of Gold Lake through the trees.

The only blooming lupine we spotted.

Bunchberry

The Fuji Mountain Trail junction.

It was 0.2-miles from the Fuji Mountain Trail junction to the end of the Gold Lake Trail at Gold Lake Campground.

We’d been here in 2024 when we visited the Gold Lake Shelter and Marilyn Lakes (post).

We walked up Gold Lake Road (FR 500) for 0.6-miles to the Maiden Peak Trailhead.

Crossing Salt Creek, the outlet of Gold Lake.

Looking toward Gold Lake from the bridge.

Salt Creek

Gold Lake Shelter

Leaving the campground.

The Maiden Peak Trailhead. There was room for a small number of cars on the opposite side of the road.

We turned up the Maiden Peak Trail and followed it uphill a total of 2.4-miles to the Pacific Crest Trail. The trail gained a total of 650′ and was mostly well graded. It did steepen over the last quarter of a mile where it gained 200 of the 650′.

Like most of the trails in this area it passed through a mature forest which limited views.

Fuji Mountain to the left and Mount Ray to the right through the trees.

The Merlin app says Hammond’s flycatcher.

Skyline Creek

Just beyond Skyline Creek we passed a junction with the Skyline Trail.

Signs at the Skyline Trail junction. The area is a popular area for cross-country skiing.

Chipmunk

Canada jay

The Pacific Crest Trail junction.

The PCT junction was another junction that we’d been to before. In 2016 we had come down the Maiden Peak Trail to the junction after summiting Maiden Peak and turned south onto the PCT (post). Today, after a short break to recover from the final steep climb, we turned north. It was 2.3 gradual downhill miles to the Bobby Lake Trail. Again, the trail passed through a lovely forest which provided a peaceful hike but no views to speak of.

This snake was the only other trail user we passed on the PCT.

This may have been the chillest snake we’ve come across. It never moved as we passed around it.

The Bobby Lake Trail junction.

We turned right onto the Bobby Lake Trail and followed it a quarter of a mile to the lake.

There is a large rock outcropping on the lake shore approximately 0.2-miles to the south of where the trail arrives at the lake while the Moore Creek Trail continues east along the northern end of the lake. Our previous visit had been in September, and we’d had the rock outcrop to ourselves. Today there were already several people on the outcrop, so we took the Moore Creek Trail and found a different spot for a break.

Maiden Peak and the rock outcrop from our break spot.

Maiden Peak. The rock outcrops on this peak make it one of the more identifiable peaks in the Cascades.

Damsel fly

After a good break we headed back to the Bobby Lake Trail and followed it 2.25-miles back to the Betty and Bobby Lakes trailheads. The 1.6-mile section between the PCT junction and the Gold Lake Trail junction seemed to be a continuous up and down.

This loop came in at 12.5-miles with approximately 1300′ of elevation gain.

This was an enjoyable loop despite the lack of any big views. It provided quite a bit of solitude and a lot of nice, unburned forest. Bobby Lake was obviously the highlight and is said to be one of the best swimming lakes in the Cascades.

There are no restrooms at either the Betty or Bobby Lake Trailheads, so we made a quick stop at Salt Creek Falls (post) on the way back to Eugene to use the facilities there and to give Heather a chance to see the falls since she wasn’t with me earlier this year when I’d visited.

Happy Trails!

Flickr: Bobby Lake

Tags Bobby Lake, Fuji Mountain Trail, Gold Lake Bog, Gold Lake Shelter, Gold Lake Trail, hiking, Maiden Peak Trail, Mount Ray Trail, Oregon, Pacific Crest Trail, Skyline Creek, Skyline Trail, Trail

Central Coast Hiking Oregon Oregon Coast Trip report

Fogarty Creek State Recreation Site – 08/15/2026

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date August 17, 2026
No Comments on Fogarty Creek State Recreation Site – 08/15/2026

I had a solo outing planned but not a destination. Going into the weekend rain showers and possible thunderstorms were in the forecast for the mountains so I once again turned to the Oregon Coast. No thunderstorms or even precipitation was called for south of Lincoln City and I’d had my eye on a hike from the Fogarty Creek State Recreation Area to the Gleneden Beach State Recreation Area.

My planned route was a combination of two entries in the Oregon Hikers Field Guide involving the Fishing Rock overlook. I began my morning by parking at the Fogarty Creek North Trailhead.

I had decided to do this hike in reverse of the field guide description in order to make the crossing of Highway 101 before 6:30am when there would be few cars out. I hiked out the park entrance road to Highway 101 and made my way across.

On the far side of the highway I turned right on the sidewalk had headed north for 120-yards to Fishing Rock Street where I turned left and followed it for a tenth of a mile to the Fishing Rock State Recreation Site.

Small parking area at the recreation site.

I picked up the Oregon Coast Trail next to a signboard and followed it into a dark corridor of trees.

I had to use the flash to get a picture.

Soon after exiting the trees an Oregon Coast Trail pointer showed that trail veering off to the right.

The OCT pointer.

I stayed left and continued out the headland until I could see Fishing Rock, a small rock island just off the headland.

Pigeon guillemots

Fishing Rock just beyond the end of the headland.

I turned around and made my way back to the Oregon Coast Trail and followed it north off the headland and down to Lincoln Beach.

Seaside daisies near the beach.

Once I was on the beach it was 2.25-miles to the Gleneden Beach State Recreation Area. It was another foggy morning so visibility was limited, but there were a number of shore birds in the surf.

They weren’t all shore birds.

Seagulls

Sanderlings

Black-bellied plovers

The large group of trees marked the Gleneden Beach State Recreation Area.

I headed across the beach up the trail to make use of the facilities here. Back in 2015 we started our Salishan Spit hike here (post).

Aster

One of several rabbits I spotted.

I returned to the beach and headed back toward Fishing Rock. The visibility was still poor, but the tide was nearing the morning low tide which revealed some nice tide pools near the Fishing Rock.

Sand flea

Coming up on the headlands and Fishing Rock.

I followed the Oregon Crest Trail back up to the Fishing Rock Recreation Site and then turned onto gravel Fogarty Avenue.

OCT pointer at the recreation site.

The OCT follows Fogarty Avenue 0.2-miles to Highway 101.

At Highway 101 I followed another OCT pointer along the shoulder for 500′ where it dropped down to Fogarty Creek Beach.

Fireweed

Thistle

I headed north along this beach back toward Fishing Rock.

There were a number of seals on these rocks.

The field guide indicated that you normally can only go a short distance in this direction, however at the time of my visit it would have been possible to continue all the way to Fishing Rock.

I wasn’t sure how quickly the tide might come back in and cut off access, so I turned around after taking the photo above. Heading south I got as close to the ocean as possible attempting to get a better look at the seals, surf scooters and cormorants offshore.

Surf scooter

Cormorant

More surf scooters.

Fogarty Creek

Rabbit Rock sticking out into the Pacific.

At the southern end of the beach I turned inland along the cliffs where a number of shorebirds were nesting.

Cormorants

I made way back inland toward Fogarty Creek eventually passing under Highway 101 on a paved path on the south side of Fogarty Creek.

I followed the paved path through a picnic area and to the South Fogarty Creek parking lot. On the far side of the lot is a gated gravel road which I hiked up 0.5-miles past a water tower to a saddle at the boarder of the State Park.

The gate maintenance road from the south parking area.

The road was pretty steep, but the forest was nice.

I assumed this gate was the park boundary. There were not any signs posted though so I continued up to the saddle to see if there was a view.

Unless you like looking at clearcuts there is no reason to climb past the water tower.

On my way down I circled the water tower and snacked on a few ripe berries.

Salal

Blackberries

Pearly everlasting

Coastal brook foam

Slug on a shroom.

From the south parking area I turned right to cross Fogarty Creek on a footbridge then turned left to return my car in the north parking area.

Fogarty Creek

This hike came in at 8.4-miles with 350′ of elevation gain.

Combining it with a hike out Salishan Spit would have nearly doubled that distance and of course the hike could have been shortened in various ways. One could also avoid having to cross Highway 101 by going out to the beach along the creek and following the OCT along the highway in both directions.

This was a nice hike that benefited greatly from my visiting at low tide. Fogarty Creek especially would be a fun place to stop with kids. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Fogarty Creek

Tags Fishing Rock, Fishing Rock State Recreation Site, Fogarty Creek State Recreation Area, Gleneden Beach State Recreation Area, hiking, Lincoln Beach, Oregon, oregon coast trail, Rabbit Rock, Tide pools

Hiking Mt. St. Helens Trip report Washington Washington Cascades

Trail of Two Forests & Ape Canyon – 08/08/2026

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date August 10, 2026
3 Comments on Trail of Two Forests & Ape Canyon – 08/08/2026

During the week a shift in the wind brought wildfire smoke from the numerous wildfires in Pacific NW and British Columbia to the Willamette Valley. After several days of unhealthy air quality another shift began pushing the smoke out of the valley which was good for us but not for the unlucky folks now in the smokes path. Some progress has been made on several of the fires, but new ones keep popping up. One of these was incident 282 in the Willamette National Forest approximately 4.5-miles north of Waldo Lake (post) which was detected on Friday afternoon. Our planned hike for Saturday had been to revisit nearby Bobby Lake (post). While the new fire was relatively small, we felt it was best to avoid the area and began looking for an alternate hike.

We decided that our best bet, based on weather forecast and proximity of fires, was to head to Washington’s Mt. St. Helens. For the main hike we picked the Ape Canyon Trail which we had hiked twice before, but the not since 2013 (post). Before the 2013 hike we had stopped at Ape Cave to explore the lava tube there. There is another short interpretive trail near Ape Cave, the Trail of Two Forests, that we had not visited yet, so we decided to stop there first this time.

A NW Forest Pass is required to park at the TH.

The hike is a short loop on a boardwalk with a number of interpretive stops where lava casts remind visitors of the previous forest that existed before the lava flow.

A tree stood here when the lava arrived.

A highlight is “The Crawl” where you can descend into a tree mold and crawl through a lave tube to a nearby exit.

For the sake of my knees, and the longer hike to come, I opted not to make the actual crawl and stuck to the boardwalk.

The sign for the exit from the entrance.

The exit

This was a fun little hike that would be great for kids as it is just under half a mile in length. There are also several picnic tables at the trailhead.

From the Trail of Two Forests we drove to the Ape Canyon Trailhead.

Map at the trailhead. This becomes important later at the end of our hike.

The hike to Ape Canyon is straight forward in that there are no junctions, it is just a 4.5-mile mostly uphill hike along a ridge to a rock chasm above Ape Canyon with a view of Mt. Adams to the east.

Pearly everlasting

The lower portion of the trail passes closely to the Muddy River’s lahar left created by the melting of much of the Shoestring Glacier during the 1980 eruption.

Red huckleberries, yummy.

Bunchberry, not edible.

Paintbrush

It was quite a bit smokier than we’d expected based on the forecast. The smell of smoke was prominent over the first couple of miles of trail.

Sickletop lousewort

Thimbleberry, extra yummy.

Oregon grape, apparently this makes good jelly but not pleasant off the plant.

Chipmunk

Ghost pipe

Baneberry, not edible.

Beardtongue

Scouler’s bluebells

We eventually climbed above the smoke.

Red elderberry, not edible raw and potentially dangerous even when processed.

Fireweed

Candyflower

The trail alternates between the SW and NE sides of the ridge providing views of Mt. Adams and Mt. Ranier and Mt. St. Helens.

Mt. Rainier through some haze.

Mt. Rainier

Mt. Adams

Pumice Butte

Mt. Adams amid the wildfire smoke.

Lupine

Paintbrush

Butterfly on aster

Ape Canyon

Golden-mantled ground squirrel with an itch.

Mountain heather

The chasm with Mt. Adams in the distance.

The trail is a little sketchy opposite the chasm and a reroute may soon be needed.

Just ahead to the right the tread gets pretty narrow.

Just beyond the chasm the trail arrives at a junction with the Loowit Trail.

We turned right onto the Loowit Trail and continued 0.8-miles to a currently dry spring-fed creek in the Plains of Abraham. Heather had spoken to a couple of hikers who mentioned that they had seen mountain goats on one of the hilltops from the trail closer to the spring. Last September I had seen goats on Pumice Butte during my hike from June Lake (post).

Dwarf lupine

Dwarf lupine on the Plains of Abraham.

When we got far enough around to look back at the hills above the Loowit Trail I took several pictures of what looked like they might be mountain goats to the naked eye.

One of them paid off.

The Loowit Trail crossing the Plains of Abraham.

Mountain goat fur.

Heading for the spring with Mt. Adams in the distance.

This area would have had a nice wildflower display if we had visited a few weeks earlier.

Above Ape Canyon.

The springs are back there but there was no flowing water today.

There were two small pools holding water in the creek bed.

On the far side of the creek bed two mountain bikers that had passed us earlier mentioned that they thought they’d seen a couple of bear cubs in the canyon below but weren’t certain. They continued on and I scanned the hillside.

It didn’t take long before I spotted what I thought could be a bear. When I zoomed in with the camera though I couldn’t tell at first if it was a bear or the shadowed end of a log. Then the head moved. It was the momma bear. A few moments later we had spotted the cubs as well.

We got to watch them forage for quite a while. The distance made it hard to get pictures but that didn’t stop me from trying (a lot).

Momma making sure the kids were following.

When we finally lost sight of the bears I decided to continue on the Loowit Trail to a viewpoint at the far end of the plains while Heather opted to break out her camp chair and relax a little longer.

Oregon sunshine

Paintbrush

Curious golden-mantled ground squirrel.

Alpine Butte

Coming up on the viewpoint at the junction of the Loowit and Abraham Trails. The peaks along the ridge from left to right are Coldwater Peak (post), The Dome, and Mt. Margaret (post). The top of Mt. Rainier is visible to the right.

Mt. Rainier

Penstemon

I turned around at the junction and headed back. Along the way I spotted a bear walking up the ridge of the butte that the bears had been below.

I assumed this was momma bear again but I didn’t see the cubs and the bear dropped over the far side of the ridge soon after I’d spotted it.

I reconnected with Heather and we headed back. The visibility of Mt. Adams was much improved and the smoke that had been present over the lower portion of the morning hike and moved on.

There were also clearer views of Mt. Rainier too.

Stonecrop

Fritillary on pearly everlasting.

Nuthatch

Marble Mountain across the lahar.

Circling back around to the trailhead head map. I was a little ahead of Heather and got back to the trailhead first. When I arrived there was a group of ladies and kids gathered around the map. One of them asked me if this trail went to the “canyon” and I said yes. I thought to myself it was crazy to be trying to get to Ape Canyon with such little kids and starting after 3pm to boot. A few moments later as I was putting my pack into the car I realized that she may not have been referring to Ape Canyon when she asked about the canyon, and she had probably meant nearby Lava Canyon (post). It was too late to catch them so I hoped that Heather might say something to them, but they didn’t ask her any questions, and she just assumed they were just exploring. I felt really bad and hopefully the figured it out sooner rather than later but in my defense I did give the correct answer to the question that was asked. The trail sign also named it the Ape Canyon Trail and the map was right there.

Aside from probably having sent a family on a wild goose chase the hike was great. Hiking to the far end of the plains put my hike at an even 13-miles.

There is some contention with the elevation gain as both Washington Trails Association and William L. Sullivan list the elevation gain as 1400′ while the Oregon Hikers Field Guide says 2485′. The GPS was much closer to the latter and by the way both Heather and I felt by the end the higher number seemed more realistic. It appears that the lower number is simply the difference in the high point and trailhead elevation and doesn’t account for the uphill sections on the way back.

Regardless of the actual elevation gain any hike that includes both mountain goats and bears (oh my) is a great one. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Trail of Two Forests and Ape Canyon

Tags ape canyon, Bear, hiking, Loowit Trail, mountain goat, Mt. St. Helens, Plains of Abraham, Trail of Two Forests, Washington