OREGON: Hiking Along the Rogue River

Oregon has so much to offer in terms of hiking and outdoors activities. During our last visit, we were able to explore a region of Oregon that was new to us - the Siskiyou National Forest. We took the Rainie Falls hike, a 3.6 mile trek along the Rogue River. The hike wasn't too strenuous and the surrounding landscape was beautiful. We would love to come back and explore more of this region.

We spotted some Stellar's Jay birds and, unfortunately, lots of poison oak! While we avoided any rashes from poison oak, it is certainly something to be aware of in this region, especially on a trail that welcomes pets.

If you've ever visited the Siskiyou National Forest, tell us about it below! Did you do any hiking or kayaking? What was your favorite hike?

You can read our other entries about Oregon here.

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OREGON: Crater Lake National Park

Crater Lake National Park is always listed as a must-see for anyone visiting Oregon. This wonder formed out of the caldera of a destroyed volcano, and is the deepest lake in the USA. The lake formed due to precipitation of snow and rain.

As it was only about a 5 hour drive from where we were staying in North California, we made it a priority to visit the park for a day. 

We decided to hike the Garfield Peak Trail - a 1.7 mile hike of steep incline to a scenic viewpoint. The hike was a little strenuous due to the elevation, but we were able to complete it within a couple hours. While the view was wonderful, unfortunately the skies were a bit hazy during our visit due to recent fires. We would have loved to spend more time around the lake for better photos under ideal conditions, but we just didn't have that extra time. However we viewed a gorgeous sunset in the evening near our hotel, and also made time to head out towards the lake at night for some star gazing. 

If we were to return to Crater Lake, we'd like to do so during winter, as the bright blue of the lake really shines when surrounded by snowy peaks. Otherwise, this was a great day-trip but we didn't feel as though there was much else to see. 

 

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OREGON: The Search for the Wizard's Hat

I'm sure you've all probably seen photos of this iconic rock structure - the wizards hat. Being as I'd seen it all over Flickr, I figured it was a pretty popular spot for photographers in Oregon. On the contrary, we discovered that no one we met had any idea what we were talking about. This strange rock ended up bringing us on quite an adventure.

(source)

With a little research, we discovered that the Wizard's Hat was located on the shore of Bandon, Oregon. With the help of photography communities on Flickr, we were able to find exact coordinates which we plugged into our Google Maps. While the coordinates gave us an idea of where to find the Hat, it did not at all help us find somewhere to park. After a little driving, we were able to find a location a little further down the beach that had parking available.

Upon pulling up to the beach, we looked along the shore but didn't really spot it. We asked the other beach-goers, and no one seemed to know what we were talking about. Apparently it's not as iconic as the internet would make it seem.

We wandered down the beach until we finally found it, among several larger formations.

And so of course, we promptly got to posing in ridiculous poses along side it to celebrate.

The sky was overcast that day, and so the lighting wasn't ideal for the dramatic photographs we had seen throughout the internet. Regardless, we decided to continue exploring the beach and see what else we could find.

We were exploring between a few rock formations, when suddenly the tide started to come in. One moment I was walking along a sandy beach, and the next I found myself waist-deep in the ocean. Josh, upon the wave hitting his ankles, promptly scurried up the nearest rock to safety. Holding my camera over my head, I tried to climb up and dropped my cell phone into the wave in the process. With a little searching (read: splashing around in the water in a blind panic), I was able to find my phone and get out of the water to safety, soaked from the belly down, with my boots full of fresh Pacific Ocean water. We decided to call it a day for coastal wandering.

Lessons learned:
1. The ocean is not to be trusted
2. Samsung Galaxy phones are surprisingly durable
3. Waterproof boots are only waterproof to a certain depth

At the moment, this was terrifying. We had never seen a sneaker wave, and there was no warning. We promptly learned to be more careful while exploring the Pacific Beaches. In the end, the phone recovered, no one was hurt, and it makes a pretty funny memory.

What are some of your funniest travel memories?

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OREGON: Mt Hood

On our continued adventures in Oregon we decided to travel to Mt. Hood, which is Oregon's highest mountain peak. Two things that drew us to this destination were: the mountain's ski lodge (the Timberline Lodge) was used in The Shining and the beauty of the hikes around the area in the spring. The drive up the mountain contained beautiful panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and pine trees. Upon arriving we were treated with a beautiful view of the lodge and mountain top. Fortunately during the spring the lodge is quite vacant due to its attraction to skiers in the winter time. During the winter the mountain is full of people and a spectacular view of a snow covered terrain.

After getting some information from the lodges receptionist we began our hike. We decided to try one of the zig zag trails leading from the Timberline Lodge. The zig zag trail leads through the zig zag canyon - aptly named since a small stream runs through the canyon in a zig zag pattern. You do have to cross over the stream to continue back up the mountain to continue the hike, but during our stay it wasn't terribly deep. This trail intersects with the Pacific Crest Trail, which runs along the entire Pacific Coast.

Although we visited Mt Hood outside of it's more attractive season (it is beautiful in winter), it was still a worthwhile hike with some spectacular views.

You can read our other entries about Oregon here.

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