COVID-19: Northwest Public Lands are Re-Opening
UPDATED: May 22, 2020 Have your hiking boots been sitting beside the front door, collecting dust? How about your fishing pole, binoculars, kite and canoe paddle? The coronavirus put spring outdoor adventure on hold for months, and most of us have been sheltering in place. Now, thanks to our collective diligence and determination to put […]
How to Explore Nature Without Leaving Your Neighborhood
Nature is all around us, right outside our doors and windows for us to enjoy, if only we take the time to look, and listen, and smell, and learn.
Where to Find Snow (and How to Play In It)
Grab a sled or strap on some snowshoes, and head up to one of these snowy spots to play in the late-winter powder.
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
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
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
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 […]
Columbia River Gorge: Cheap Sleeps and Wildflower Hikes
In search of sunshine, open vistas and fields of wildflowers? Don’t wait for summer–find these adventures now on the sunny Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge.
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
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 […]
