Hikes

A last-minute early summer adventure to one of the most popular hiking areas in Washington – The Enchantments

I met up with friends and explored the beaches and state parks of the Oregon Coast around Cannon Beach.

Ask nearly anyone in the northwest corner of Washington about Yellow Aster Butte and you’ll hear about how incredible, beautiful, and amazing the trail is. It seemed that everyone but me had visited this trail. With another day of amazing fall weather predicted, I decided to check off this trail and find out exactly what was so amazing about it. 

I’d hiked lots of trails in Mount Seymour Provincial Park but I’d never made it all the way to the summit of Mount Seymour itself. I decided to finally summit the highest peak in the park during some amazing October weather.

Most people here in the Pacific Northwest are in agreement about one important thing – our autumn weather has been fantastic! October was especially amazing and I took full advantage to check some hikes off of my list. First up – Frosty Mountain in Manning Provincial Park.

Glacier-carved valleys, soaring peaks, ancient volcanoes and ice fields. Just a taste of what I encountered following the Opal Cone trail beyond Elfin Lakes in Garibaldi Provincial Park.

A lot of trails near Vancouver are very popular. A lot of them are Instagram famous. Some of these trails are good to do once. Experience it, enjoy it, and then find the less beaten path. Elfin Lakes is worthy of the hype and fame. However those who only visit for a day are missing out on the real wonder of this place.

My first backpacking trip this year revealed that I’m not in the same shape I was last year by this time, mentally or physically. Read on to find out what I learned from this shakedown hike.

A visit to Mount St Helens Volcanic Monument has been on my PNW bucket list for a while. I had the opportunity to visit and hike in the area on the 38th anniversary since the explosion.

On the second day of my visit to Mountain Loop Highway I hiked to Heather Lake. The 2.2 mile trail climbs about 1000 feet to reach an alpine lake nestled below the north flank of Mt Pilchuk.