Waterfalls in northwest Oregon

There are 2 great places to go to see waterfalls in northwest Oregon, the Columbia River Gorge and Silver Falls.

Wahkeena Falls

Columbia River Gorge : The western entrance to the Columbia River Gorge is at Troutdale, 20 minutes east of Portland. We exited SR 84 at Troutdale and followed the signs for the Historic Columbia River Highway (aka 30). It took us about 4 hours to drive the first 30-miles because we stopped to see the view lookouts and stop at 5 of the waterfalls. Most of the waterfalls can be seen from a short walk from the parking areas. The Gorge Map  was a helpful resource for this area.

Our first stop was at Vista House, an octagonal stone structure which was built between 1916-18 as a memorial to Oregon pioneers, as a comfort station for those traveling on the Historic Columbia River Highway and as an observatory.

The Vista House offers amazing views looking down the Columbia River, and also of Washington state, which is on the other side of the river.

There is a visitor’s center, a small gift shop and bathrooms at the Vista House.

Next we stopped at Guy Talbot State Park and see the first waterfall along the Historic Columbia River highway.

A trail underneath the Historic Columbia River Highway bridge leads directly to the 250’ tall Latourell Falls.

Even the many bridges along the Historic Columbia River Gorge are picturesque.

Sheppards Dell Falls is the next waterfall along the highway.

The path is short and the view is worth it.

Bridal Veil Falls is located in Bridal Veil State Park. The lower trail takes you downhill to the base falls and is about a mile round, and is a little steep coming back. There is also a short, level trail that takes you through a prairie and offers view of the Columbia River.

Wahkeena Falls is the next stop. Wahkeena is a Yakima Indian word meaning “most beautiful.”

The most well known and popular spot is Mulnomah Falls. It is very tall and picturesque, with a lovely little stone bridge part way up. There is also a large restaurant and gift shop here.

We continued on to Cascade Locks and instead of going the rest of the 50-some miles of the Historic Columbia River Highway, we took the “Bridge of the Gods” toll bridge over the river and into Washington state. We headed back towards Portland, west on highway 14 which goes parallels the other side of the Columbia River. We stopped at Beacon Rock, the core of an ancient volcano. There is a steep, mile-long trail to the top but it was getting late in the day so we didn’t hike it.

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Silver Falls State Park : this park is near Silverton, Oregon, and is an hour and a half south of Portland. It has a 9-mile trail aptly called the “Trail of 10 Falls” that takes you to 10 waterfalls. I wasn’t up for a 9-mile hike, so we started at the South Falls Lodge and walked 1 mile and back, going to what we thought might be the two more scenic waterfalls.

South Falls is 177 feet and is located fairly close to the South Falls Lodge, although the trail was steep at times. If you look close at the photo, you can see people on the trail.

You can walk behind South Falls.

Lower South Falls is 93 feet and almost a mile from South Falls.

You can walk behind Lower South Falls, also. You can see some people in the upper right corner of the photo.

To see more photos of Silver Falls, go here: Silver Falls on Flickr

To see more photos of the Columbia River Gorge, go here: Columbia River Gorge on Flickr

Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show

Finally, the reason we decided to take a trip out west! Sisters, Oregon, is located just inside the Deschutes National Forest, and while it isn't in the mountains, it is named for the Three Sisters mountains located near by.

Along with many summer and recreational activities, Sisters is home of the Sisters Outdoor Quilts Show, a one-day show of quilts on the second Saturday in July.

They had over 1300 quilts for the show. Where do you put 1300 quilts? Everywhere! 1300 quilts is a lot…and I’m sure I didn’t see them all, although the number of photos I took might convince you otherwise.

Even more amazing is that all 1300 quilts get hung in 1.5 hours. They must do some serious planning with many volunteers for that to happen.

This is the Stitchin’ Post. Yes, it’s a common name for quilt shops. Yes, it’s big and they have a lot of fabric. Yes, there was a line to buy fabric. Yes, I bought fabric.

There are several events that happen the week before the show, including special displays. When we went in to one place to see the displays, I noticed that the sun was shining though the quilts that were hanging on the outside of these windows. And no, I don't know who that woman is.

I also got to see my quilt, Twilight Descends, from the back with light shining through, even though I used a black fabric for the backing. The downside of seeing the sun through the quilts was that it was sunny and hot. I know, it’s a dry heat, but it’s still hot in the sun.

The parts that cover the windows are made with a strong netting, so you can see through it and actually drive it. I don’t plan on making one any time soon. This car had a good parking space. Even though we arrived 15 minutes after the show officially opened at 9:30 am, we still had to park alongside the highway and walk a good distance. So if you're going to go, show up early, wear comfy shoes, and bring your sunscreen!

To see more photos of the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, go here: Sisters Quilts on Flickr or visit my quilting blog For Quilts Sake.

Lodging and Dining :
We didn't stay in Sisters, although they do have several resort-types of lodging near by. They fill up quick, so plan ahead. We (and several other quilters) stayed in Redmond, with was half an hour away. Bend is also half an hour away, and it’s a little larger than Redmond, so it might have more options.

Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

Crater Lake National Park is located in the southwestern part of Oregon. It was formed when Mt. Mazama, an active volcano, erupted and then collapsed into itself creating a caldera. The 5-mile wide caldera filled with rain and melted snow and is the deepest lake in the US.

When we got to Crater Lake, we stopped at the first overlook we came to. The view was amazing and the water was so incredibly blue. We ate a picnic lunch there, even though the mosquitoes were fairly aggressive (and the only mosquitoes we saw the whole trip).

Pam at one of the Crater Lake overlooks.

We stopped at several other overlooks, which all had spectacular views, and most have parking areas right there.

There’s only one place where you can get down to the water, and that is at Cleetwood Cove, and it’s a 1-mile walk down. This is also the only place you can get in a boat, which is a ranger-led boat tour. We didn’t do it.

Scott on the snow, on July 9.

As we drove further into the park, we noticed that the snow on the side of the road was getting deeper and deeper.

We had planned on driving the 33-mile Rim Road that goes around the caldera, and we made it almost half way around when the rest of the road was closed. I actually wasn’t very disappointed as the views we did see were so impressive, I wasn’t sure they could get any better.

Even though we were in the snow at noon, we drove 3 hours north to our hotel in Redmond, where they tied their record high of 98.

To see more photos of Crater Lake, go here: Crater Lake on Flickr

Lodging and Dining :

We didn't stay or eat at Crater Lake, although they do have a lodge and some food options, although I think they are seasonal.

CALIFORNIA COAST : JULY 2010 & 2017 : ATTRACTIONS

Pigeon Point Lighthouse

Pigeon Point : Pigeon Point is about an hour south of San Francisco along CA-1.

The beach at Pigeon Point Lighthouse

Pigeon Point is home to a 115-foot lighthouse, one of the tallest lighthouses in America. The lighthouse is currently closed to the public, but the grounds are open. There are also several beaches to explore in the area.

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Shops in Sausalito

Sausalito : Sausalito is a quaint little town on the other side of the Golden Gate bridge. It has art shops and cafes and a nice view of San Francisco, unless there’s a lot of fog.

San Francisco is barely visible in the upper left of this photo

You can easily drive there from San Francisco, or if you’re adventurous you can bike across the Golden Gate Bridge and then coast downhill. There is also a ferry that goes to Sausalito.

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The California coast north of San Francisco

CA-1 : Driving from San Francisco to Ferndale should only take 5 hours if you take US-101 N, but I didn’t want to drive up US-101 N, I wanted to drive along CA-1, which would take about 6.5 hours, not including time to stop and admire the amazing views or stop at the many state beaches and state parks. The GPS wanted us to drive US-101 N, but we were able to convince her it was our way or the highway.

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Redwoods : Shortly after CA-1 joins OH-101 N is the beginning of the redwoods. Some of the redwoods have been turned into kitchy road-side attractions, but I like kitchy road-side attractions.

The Chandelier Drive-thru Tree

Chandelier Drive-thru Tree : Located in Leggett, there is a redwood tree that you can actually drive through. There was a modest admission fee, which isn’t mentioned on their website.

Inside the One Log House

One Log House : located in Garberville, this is a house made using just one really big log.

Our rental car looks like a toy next to these trees

Avenue of the Giants : A 31-mile portion of the original Hwy 101, which now parallels the new US-101 N and goes through 50,000 acres of redwood groves. The south entrance is near Phillipsville and the north entrance is near Pepperwood. This is probably one of the most scenic drives I’ve ever been on. (CA-1 would also be in this list.)

Me in the doorway of one of the playhouses made from a single tree

Shrine Drive-Thru tree : This drive-thru tree (not pictured) is less impressive than the other one, but it does have some playhouses made from a single tree that are big enough for adults to go in and one even has a second floor.

Scott on a burl on the Giant Tree

To get to the Giant Tree (and also the FlatironTree), you turn off the Avenue of the Giants on to Mattole Road, which is a paved road but when we were there in July, 2017, had a lot of pot holes. And because of the dappled sunlight filtering through the trees, the potholes were hard to see. The road is narrow so if you meet someone coming the other way, one of you will have to pull over. But it's only a few miles down this road even though it seems longer, and it's worth it to see the Giant Tree shown above.

Scott at Wedding Rock in Patrick's Point State Park

Patrick's Point State Park - has several hiking paths that lead to great views of the ocean, including Wedding Rock pictured above. They also have a reconstructed Yurok plank-house village.

Can you see the tiny people in Fern Canyon?

Fern Canyon : this is exactly what it sounds like. A gorge with ferns growing on both sides. It's located in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, 3 miles north of Orick off Highway 101. Turn on Davidson Road and drive through Elk Meadow along a 6-mile dirt road to Gold Bluffs Beach. Follow the beach for 3 more miles to the parking lot. This road is narrow and it's slow going and a few times we had to drive the car through some small streams, but once we got the parking lot, the entry to the canyon was close by, and you can walk about a mile through the canyon. Parts on Jurassic Park were filmed here.

The view from the top at Trees of Mystery

Trees of Mystery : Sky Trail! Cathedral Trees! Elephant Trees! A Giant Talking Paul Bunyan! Plus Some Really Big Trees! This is one of my favorite places. There is a little bit of walking, and some slight inclines. We rode the sky trail (tram) up to the top and decided to walk down the 1-mile Wilderness Trail, which was really steep going down and then at some point actually started going uphill again.

You can get married at these catherdral trees

Cathedral Trees are when several trees have grown up along the perimeter of the living remains of the stump of a fallen redwood.

Scott and another really big tree

To read more interesting information about the redwoods, click on the “Redwood Trees!” tab on the Trees of Mystery web site.

Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox

The 49' 2" tall Paul Bunyan and his 35' tall friend, Babe the Blue Ox, wave and greet visitors. Paul can actually talk and interact with the kids who sit on his foot. The day we were there, his favorite expressions were “All right!” and “Right on,” so we think Paul might be an old hippy. And considering that we’ve been quoting him almost every day since we visited, I think he was one of the unexpected highlights of our trip.

The $14 admission includes the Sky Trail and I think it's worth every penny.

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Interesting towns in Northern California

The hotel across the street from the one we stayed in

Ferndale : 21 miles north of the “Avenue of the Giants” is the Victorian Village of Ferndale. There are some hotels located in historic buildings and several gift and art shops. Of personal interest to me was the Itsy Bitsy Quilt Shop, and yes, I did buy some fabric there.

A UFO at the Kinetic Sculpture Museum

There is also a Kinetic Sculpture Museum, for sculptures created to compete in the Kinetic Sculpture Race. (You can read more about Kinetic Sculptures once I get the Corvallis post up.) There were several places along the west coast that advertised, but Ferndale claims to have held the first Kinetic Sculpture Race in 1969. (Sadly, this is now closed).

The folk art of Romano Gabriel in a shop window in the historic district of Eureka, CA

Eureka : 34 miles north of the “Avenue of the Giants” is the town of Eureka. As in "Eureka, we have cell service here!" It's a decent-sized town (about 34,000) with an interesting historic district. They have an arts night the first Saturday of the month, unfortunately we were there on the second Saturday.

Lighthouse Monument in Trinidad

Trinidad : 58 miles north of the “Avenue of the Giants” is the small town of Trinidad (less than 400 permanent residents). We opted to stay close to Trinidad because the images on Google maps looked interesting. It has a spectacular coastline with many public beaches and offshore rocks and sits on a bluff above the ocean. It's a little fishing town and the fog often rolls in giving it a mysterious, moody feel. Plus it's very close to Patrick's Point and close to Trees of Mystery.

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If you want to see more photos of the California coast, go to: California Coast photos on Flickr

Want to sleep and eat? Here's my post on lodging and dining along the California coast.

CALIFORNIA COAST : JULY 2010 & 2017 : LODGING + DINING

California Coast Accomodations :

Pigeon Point : Pigeon Point is about an hour south of San Francisco along CA-1.

The Pigeon Point Lighthouse

We stayed at the Pigeon Point Lighthouse Hostel. We didn’t actually stay in the lighthouse, which was closed to the public because of the condition it is in, but we did stay in what used to be the lighthouse keeper’s homes. We had a private room in what was more like a three-bedroom house, and we shared the living, kitchen and bath with two sisters and their kids. The hostel is part of Hostelling International, and the California website has a lot of information about the hostels and what to expect.

There are also lighthouse hostels at Point Montara, between San Francisco and Piegeon Point, and at Point Reyes National Seashore, north of San Francisco.

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The Hotel Ivanhoe

This entry will cover both lodging and dining as the Hotel Ivanhoe, a beautiful Victorian hotel also has a restaurant and a saloon. The restaurant serves dinner on Wed. through Sun. and I can highly recommend the Ravioli Pesto. Seriously. I didn’t even have to read any further on their menu. Scott was able to take a beer from the saloon and drink it on the front balcony located outside our room.

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Our cottage at the View Crest Lodge

We stayed at the View Crest Lodge which was a few miles north of Trinidad, CA. It was clean, comfortable, and large, with a covered spacious deck. This was one of the ones that share a wall with another unit and while their website claimed the shared walls were sound proof, I had my doubts until we got there. There was another couple with a child staying in the other unit and we didn't hear a thing from them the whole time. I really enjoyed staying here.

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Cafe Nooner, Eureka - Funky little restaurant with vegetarian options in the historic district in Eureka.

Seascape Restaurant, Trinidad - Located on the pier with great views of the water.

The Lighthouse, Trinidad - Has savory, mashed potato waffle cones and you can get beef or vegetarian gravy.

Beachcomber Cafe, Trinidad - Funky little coffee shop with breakfast and sandwiches.

California Coast Pies : The morning after our stay at Pigeon Point we had breakfast at Duarte’s. I really enjoyed the eggs and potatoes, but it was the fresh olallieberry jam on sourdough toast that I really enjoyed. They also have olallieberry pie, which is why we went there in the first place. Since it was breakfast, we got a slice to go and enjoyed it later after lunch. An olallieberry is a cross between a loganberry and a youngberry.

Looking for something fun to do? Here’s my post on attractions along the California coast.