Appeal Tribune Wednesday, July 6, 2016 3A
PHOTOS BY ZACH URNESS/STATESMAN JOURNAL
Rylan and Noah Peters look out at sunset on Anthony Lake in the Elkhorn Mountains of Eastern Oregon.
Adventures
Continued from Page 1A
9. Old Cascades
Wildflowers
The geologic region known
as the Old Cascades are smaller,
older and far less visited than
more famous High Cascade vol-
canoes that rise nearby.
But what the Old Cascades
lack in sky-scraping grandeur,
they make up for with old-
growth forest, cliff-walled
meadows, smaller crowds and
most impressively, wildflow-
ers.
Wildflower season in the Old
Cascades lasts from around late
June to mid-July and makes for
a glorious day-trip from Salem,
or part of an overnight camping
trip in the Santiam Pass area.
Old Cascade hikes often follow
semi-overgrown trails and have
a tendency to be short and
steep. But such is life.
My favorite Old Cascade
hikes, from easiest to more dif-
ficult, include Echo Basin (2.4
miles), Bachelor Mountain (3.8
miles), Middle Pyramid (4.2
miles) and Crescent Mountain
(9 miles).
There aren’t a ton of camp-
sites within the Old Cascades,
but nearby spots in the Santiam
Pass area, near Clear Lake or
Marion Forks, get the job done.
8. Oregon Coast Railriders
It’s not quite a bike, and it’s
not quite a railroad car.
The only thing certain about
the wheeled contraptions that
allow visitors to pedal down de-
funct railroad track between
Bay City and Tillamook is that
they are a lot of fun.
Oregon Coast Railriders take
visitors on a two-hour tour
along the northern Oregon
Coast, featuring views of Till-
amook Bay, coastal forest, estu-
aries, dairies and a series of cool
bridges that cross the Kilchis
and Wilson rivers.
The vehicles seat four people
and cost $20 per person (12
years and older) or $10 (11 years
and younger when accompa-
nied by an adult). The railriders
all depart together in a pod,
starting at 9 a.m., noon and 3
p.m. each day Thursdays
through Sundays. Reservations
are recommended by calling
541-519-3891 or emailing in-
fo@ocrailriders.com.
7. Steens Mountain
Of all the mountains in East-
ern Oregon, this gigantic fault
block in the state’s southeastern
corner probably offers the most
options to families.
Oregon’s
eighth-tallest
mountain is accessible via a 52-
mile road that loops past camp-
sites, above canyons and almost
all the way to the 9,733-foot
summit. The road makes it pos-
sible to enjoy some of Oregon’s
most dramatic scenery without
a major expedition, yet also pro-
vides access to beautiful and
wild canyons that offer fantas-
tic hiking.
Check online for my break-
down of the best hikes here and
a guide to all the best campsites
and stopping points.
There are multiple options
for a base camp. The nearby
town of Burns features modern
amenities, the hamlet of
Frenchglen has a hotel formally
used as a stagecoach stop and
there are plenty of campsites. A
favorite time to visit Steens is
autumn, when the mountain’s
Wildhorse Lake is seen near the summit of Steens Mountain.
famous aspen trees turn bril-
liant shades of gold, red and or-
ange.
6. Tumble and Opal Lakes
These two lakes north of De-
troit are pretty, quiet and only
about a 90-minute drive from
Salem.
If you’re looking for a place
to spend a hot summertime day
picnicking and swimming — or
even taking your kids on their
first backpacking trip — both
are worthy of consideration.
Reaching both lakes does re-
quire navigating rough Forest
Service Roads, and then hiking
a steep and horribly maintained
trail. But then again, that’s why
the two lakes are less crowded.
Tumble Lake is the more
spectacular of the duo, but also
requires a longer hike — a 3.5-
mile round-trip trek that drops
1,100 feet. This hike is classified
moderately difficult. There are
only a few campsites, so plan on
getting there early (or on Fri-
day) if you want to stay over the
weekend. Make sure to hike to
the lake’s outlet to view the top
of a huge waterfall and consider
the side trip hike up to the stun-
ning viewpoint of Dome Rock.
Opal Lake is a shorter hike,
just 1 mile round-trip with 350
feet of drop/climb but requires
a longer and rougher drive. The
trail, last time I was there, was
in truly awful shape.
A few campsites stand out in
old-growth forest. The lake is
pretty and clear and great for
swimming. The same recom-
mendation applies for camping
here on weekends.
5. Scott And Benson Lakes
Put down a tent at Scott Lake
Campground, and prepare for
some of the best views in West-
ern Oregon.
Scott Lake itself is spectacu-
lar — especially if you’re camp-
ing at the walk-in sites on the
lake’s northern shoreline — and
bringing a canoe or kayak is en-
couraged. However, to find the
best views, hike less than a mile
to clear and beautiful Benson
Lake and follow a “user trail” up
to the lake’s overhead cliffs.
Here you’ll find the Three Sis-
ters rising in dramatic splendor
at one of Western Oregon’s best
viewpoints.
Once you’ve had enough,
continue on the trail and follow
signs up Scott Mountain, a mod-
erately difficult hike of 8.8
miles round-trip. The summit
offers views of every Cascade
peak from Hood to the Sisters.
McKenzie Pass has plenty of
other highlights as well, and a
short drive will take you down
to Proxy Falls Trailhead and up
to Dee Wright Observatory.
4. Rogue River
I’ve written more than once
about the famous 36-mile “wild”
section of the Rogue River, a
wilderness stream that re-
quires a permit, camping and
the ability to navigate Class IV
and V rapids. Most people, un-
less seasoned river runners, go
with a guided outfit that can
cost a family of four upwards of
$4,000.
A great option for families
that still want to experience the
glories of the Rogue — but don’t
have the funds or ability to run
the wild section — is to consider
the “recreation” stretch of the
river northwest of Grants Pass.
Filled with smaller rapids
but scenery that’s almost as dra-
matic, the recreation section of
the Rogue River is centered
around the town of Merlin and
Glaice. The area features two
wonderful campgrounds — In-
dian Mary and Almeda — along
with nice lodging at Morrison’s
and Doubletree. Stop by Galice
Store, and they’ll set you up with
rafts or inflatable kayaks, along
with the information you need
to spend a day splashing
through mostly Class I and II
rapids on days that often reach
100 degrees.
3. Elkhorn Mountains
The Elkhorn Mountains
might be the best-kept secret in
Oregon.
The range of craggy peaks in
Eastern Oregon, outside La
Grande and Baker City, feature
one of the best backpacking and
mountain biking destinations in
the Pacific Northwest, along
with an excellent family-friend-
ly base camp.
The backpacking and moun-
tain biking route is the Elkhorn
Crest Trail, one of the highest
and most unique trails in Ore-
gon.
The 23-mile national recrea-
tion trail tightropes across the
granite spine of the Elkhorn
Range, where mountain goats
roam sheer peaks and alpine
lakes dapple multicolored val-
leys. Since the trail stretches
from pass to pass, there is lim-
ited elevation gain, making for
an easier backpacking experi-
ence than you’d expect given
the sweeping, high-elevation
views.
The Elkhorn Crest also is
among the very few alpine
trails in Oregon open at least in
part to mountain bikers. To
learn more about mountain bik-
ing tours and backpacking shut-
tles on the trail, see this story
online.
The family-friendly destina-
tion is Anthony Lake, an alpine
pool home to a campground,
good fishing, easy trails and a
historic cabin you can rent. An-
thony Lake makes a great base
camp for adventure in this rec-
reation-rich area.
2. Cascade Climbing
(without ropes)
The Cascade Range defines
Oregon in so many ways, we al-
most take it for granted. Wheth-
er exploded or intact, shaped
like a lightning rod or an ice
cream cone, this string of volca-
noes are the most iconic land-
marks in a state defined by dra-
matic geography.
Given that prominence, it
makes sense the adventurous
among us want to scale these
white beacons in the sky for a
view that often takes in half the
state.
But many of the peaks re-
quire technical ability, using
ropes or snow mountaineering,
for example.
But not all of them. There are
a handful of spectacular Cas-
cade peaks that can be reached
by simply following a trail — as
long as you’re in good shape.
Most of these mountains are
best climbed in late August,
September and early October.
My favorites include, from
easiest to most difficult, Mount
Scott (Crater Lake National
Park), Mount McLoughlin
(Southern Oregon), South Sister
(Central Oregon) and Mount St.
Helens (Washington, permit re-
quired). See the online version
of this story for more details.
1. Wallowa Mountains
What makes the Wallowa
Mountains the best adventure
in Oregon, especially for fam-
ilies, is that it has something for
everybody.
For families, there is fantas-
tic “soft adventures.” Centered
around Wallowa Lake State
Park and the town of Joseph,
families can enjoy fishing, boat-
ing, putt-putt golf, railriding,
ice cream and a tram that
brings you to the top of 8,255-
foot Mount Howard. The food is
likewise excellent, with down-
town Joseph stocked with local
cafes and art galleries.
Two favorites are Red Horse
Café for breakfast and Termi-
nal Gravity Brew Pub for
drinks and dinner.
Of course, what really makes
the Wallowas great is the back-
country. The Eagle Cap Wilder-
ness is the largest roadless area
in the state, home to dozens of
peaks above 8,000 feet.
My favorite multi-day trip
includes backpacking to Ice
Lake and then climbing the
9,826-foot Matterhorn, the sec-
ond-tallest peak in the range.
The entire trip is exhausting, at
20.4 miles round-trip and 5,517
feet of climb, but it’s worth ev-
ery step.
Zach Urness has been an out-
doors writer, photographer and
videographer in Oregon for eight
years. He is the author of the
book “Hiking Southern Oregon”
and can be reached at zurness@
StatesmanJournal.com or (503)
399-6801. Find him on Zach Ur-
ness
or
@Zachs
ORoutdoors on Twitter.