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About The Bulletin. (Bend, OR) 1963-current | View Entire Issue (July 23, 2021)
B10 The BulleTin • Friday, July 23, 2021 TOP PICKS WHERE TO EXPLORE Areas south of Bend Crater Rim — The moderate 19.5-mile trail travels around the rim of the caldera of Newberry Volcano. Traveling counter clockwise from the Paulina Lake Trailhead, bikers and hikers will climb towards Paulina Peak and beyond to see stunning views of the entire national monument that the volcano is a part of. With fun downhill sections, the trail is currently clear of snow and deadfall (though that can change), so now is a great time to check it out. Big Obsidian Flow — An easy hike that is just over a half-mile can be too hot for midday walks, but during cooler days and morning explora- tion, Big Obsidian flow is an interesting bit of trail. The flow is the young- est of its kind in the state clocking in at a spritely 1300 years old, so the trail can still be a bit of a scramble and offers stunning examples of ob- sidian. Remember, foraging rocks within the Newberry National Monu- ment is illegal so take only pictures. Wake Butte — The eroded tuff ring from the Pliocene age has left Wake Butte looking more like something you’d see in the southwest than among a thick ponderosa pine forest. The moderate 0.9-mile trail trav- els steeply uphill to the top of the layered-rock butte that offers great views of the forest and hills beyond plus views of Mt. Bachelor and Broken Top to the northwest. — Makenzie Whittle, The Bulletin Eric Morton, left, and Michel Waller, both of Bend, soak in the views of East Lake and Paulina Peak while riding the Newberry Crater Rim Loop trail. Mark Morical/Bulletin file Gorge Continued from B1 Mark Morical/The Bulletin Coopey Falls is along the Angel’s Rest Trail in the Columbia River Gorge. The trail started out in the shade of a lush green forest. The bases of some large Doug- las firs showed scorch marks from the 2017 Eagle Creek fire, which burned over much of the trail’s route. Due to its proximity to Portland, Angel’s Rest is a popular trail, and on this day, a federal holiday observ- ing July 4, it was noticeably crowded. As we yielded to descending hikers and let some others by, we passed two waterfalls: 150- foot Coopey Falls and smaller Upper Coopey Falls. The trail continued along switchbacks up and up, and soon we were out of the forest canopy and feeling the heat of the sun on the exposed path. At one point, when we knew we were close to the top, Cindy looked straight up to the top of the bluff. “We’re going up there?!” she lamented. I shared some of her dis- may but kept it to myself. But the switchbacks made the climb doable and not terribly challenging. We even saw several small children making the ascent with their parents. As we neared the summit, we negotiated several rocky areas and the Columbia River appeared far below, wind- ing its way toward the Pacific Ocean. At the top, a long, rocky perch was surrounded by cliffs and offered an impressive pan- oramic view. Just across the river on the Washington side, we could see Beacon Rock, Larch Mountain and Silver Star Mountain. To the west, the river flowed impressively to Sand Island and toward Port- land. We took in the views and snapped photos along with dozens of other hikers. As we descended the trail, we were relieved to return to the shade of the forest on the hot afternoon. Predictably, the trip down was much faster than the trip up, and we com- pleted the entire trek in about three hours. It was the perfect amount of hiking on a perfect summer day in the Columbia River Gorge. Other hikes in the Columbia River Gorge Multnomah Falls: The most popular hike in the Gorge be- gins at Multnomah Falls, Or- egon’s tallest waterfall at 620 feet. The paved trail crosses a few scenic bridges then climbs to an overlook at the top of the falls. The loop, 5 miles with 1,600 feet of elevation gain, continues on Larch Mountain Trail and to Wahkeena Falls, a moss-covered 242-foot falls. Dog Mountain Trail: Lo- cated on the Washington side west of White Salmon, this hike is known for its wild- flower displays in May and June, but the views across the Gorge make it popular all year long. The Dog Moun- tain Trail climbs 2,820 feet in only 3 miles, making it quite challenging. The trail returns back down 3.8 miles on Aug- spurger Mountain Trail. The Veteran, Locally Owned & Operated total hike is 6.8 miles. Latourell Falls: Located in Guy W. Talbot State Park, this trail offers picturesque bridges, deep forest and the 249-foot Latourell Falls, as well as a second double-tiered falls. The main falls can be seen from the parking area. A short hike leads to the base of the falls and continues on a 2.4-mile loop to Upper La- tourell Falls and then back down. Cape Horn: Just east of Van- couver on the Washington side of the Gorge, this trek includes a high bluff that has stunning views and a forest of big-leaf maples. The hike is 7 miles round-trip and climbs 1,630 feet, making it difficult. The trail begins off Salmon Falls Road and leads to a forested summit area, before descend- ing to an underpass below Washington’s state Highway 14. The lower section of the trail features 2 miles of waterfalls and views of the Columbia River. e Reporter: 541-383-0318, mmorical@bendbulletin.com CCB# 133106 Since 1998 Email us for a FREE quote @ bend@lifetimewindows.net We Wholesale Windows Too! VISIT OUR NEW SHOWROOM 97 th & Reed Market Road! CALL NOW FOR A FREE ESTIMATE From Carl or Kameron al i c e p S r e Summ F F O 0 $25 d 541-633-7868 Great FINANCING AVAILBLE! 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