Northwest Bookshelf: Exploring Northwest Nature with Kids

Northwest Bookshelf: Exploring Northwest Nature with Kids

As a kid born in the 1970’s, my own childhood was free-range and mostly outside. Or rather, those are the vivid memories I have—on a bike, digging in the dirt, or playing with our dog in the park near my house. The reality is more mixed. We had cable TV and a Nintendo, and I […]

CAMP & HIKE: Icicle Creek Canyon

CAMP & HIKE: Icicle Creek Canyon

An outdoor playground in autumn, this little valley stretches like a finger into the North Cascades from Leavenworth and is lined with trailheads and campgrounds.

CAMP & HIKE: Cape Lookout State Park on the Oregon Coast

CAMP & HIKE: Cape Lookout State Park on the Oregon Coast

On the craggy Oregon Coast, a “headland” is a giant chunk of rock that juts out into the ocean, formed over millennia from volcanic lava flows followed by constant water erosion. Some of the larger ones are called “capes”. The coast is dotted with them, all up and down from Indian Point to Cape Ferrelo. […]

CAMP & HIKE: Steamboat Rock State Park

CAMP & HIKE: Steamboat Rock State Park

In the heart of Washington’s Grand Coulee desert country is an outdoor lover’s paradise. And your base camp for all of it sits in the middle of an “island” surrounded by your outdoor playground. Cool rocks and unusual birds. Hikes through blooming desert wildflowers. Fragrant sagebrush whipping in the wind. Sleeping under a big sky […]

STAY & PLAY: Mount Baker

STAY & PLAY:: Mount Baker

There are two kinds of Northwesterners – those who know about the awesomeness of Mount Baker, and those who don’t (yet). I’m about to put you in the first camp, and once you visit Baker for the first time you will go back, again and again. The Mount Baker Highway (Hwy 542) is a spur route that […]

Winter Fun at Crater Lake National Park

Winter at Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

The deepest lake in the United States is a pool of sapphire water ringed by sheer cliffs piled with snow. Beautiful in summer months, the lake is stunning beyond words in winter. The only catch is timing – to get the most stunning views you must hit it on a clear day. This is Oregon’s Crater […]