Need some help planning a trip to the west coast!!

comfortablycurt

Hey Polkie's,

I'm planning a trip to the west coast for this September, and was hoping I could get some advice on some good parks/hiking to hit up.

I'm following Furthur on their whole west coast tour, so I will be on somewhat of a schedule...but there are some off days too. It starts off in Eugene, OR with two shows on 9/16 and 9/17, then goes up to Redmond, WA for a show on 9/18. Then it goes down to Santa Barbara, CA for a show on 9/20...then it goes to Los Angeles and Las Vegas on the 21/22...though I'll probably skip both of those shows. After that, out to Red Rocks in Colorado for three shows on the 24/25/26.

I'm planning on taking highway 101 basically all the way down the coast from WA to Santa Barbara, as that seems like the most scenic route for the most part. I'm also probably going to jump onto highway 1 once I get farther south. I've heard wonderful things about that whole drive.:)

So, what I need some advice on, is mainly some good camping/hiking areas.

I'm gonna be in the Eugene area for a couple days...so any good spots within a reasonable distance from there would be great.

9/19 is an off day on the tour...and I'll basically be driving down the coast the whole day...but it won't be a breakneck schedule. There will definitely be ample time to stop for a good hike or two. Any suggestions?

Since I'm skipping LA and LV, the 21-23 will be free days. I'll be coming from Santa Barbara. I'm trying to decide whether I want to head straight towards Colorado and stop in southern Utah for a couple days, or migrate back up towards the redwoods for a day or two, then head out to Colorado. That parts kinda up in the air yet...

I'll update with some more info as I lay some more groundwork...but any suggestions would be appreciated!!

skipf

Take Hwy 58 East out of Eugene to the Willamette Pass. The hwy follows the Willamette for much of the way to the pass. Stop and see Salt Creek Falls about 5-10 miles before you get to the pass and just after the tunnel. The parking area will be on your right.



After the falls a few miles, take the road on the left to Davis Lake, one of the deepest natural lakes in the country. There are many back roads in that area worth exploring. Just past the Davis Lake road right before the top of the pass take the road on the left to Gold Lake. It has one of my favorite Oregon campgrounds and the head of the lake is one of the few remaining alpine bogs. Really interesting plants like sundews. Here is a shot of Gold Lake from the campground.



On the other side of the pass the terrain changes from fir forest to high desert. The Cascade Lakes Highway will take off on your left and is worth the drive. Many alpine lakes and glaciated mountains along that route. If you camp at Gold Lake, it's a good day trip. Gold Beach just above the Calif border is a really nice town. It's at the mouth of the Rogue River and right on hwy 101. Many sea stacks along that part of the coast. Hope you enjoy your trip. Feel free to contact me if you need any further info.

comfortablycurt

skipf wrote: »

Take Hwy 58 East out of Eugene to the Willamette Pass. The hwy follows the Willamette for much of the way to the pass. Stop and see Salt Creek Falls about 5-10 miles before you get to the pass and just after the tunnel. The parking area will be on your right.



After the falls a few miles, take the road on the left to Davis Lake, one of the deepest natural lakes in the country. There are many back roads in that area worth exploring. Just past the Davis Lake road right before the top of the pass take the road on the left to Gold Lake. It has one of my favorite Oregon campgrounds and the head of the lake is one of the few remaining alpine bogs. Really interesting plants like sundews. Here is a shot of Gold Lake from the campground.



On the other side of the pass the terrain changes from fir forest to high desert. The Cascade Lakes Highway will take off on your left and is worth the drive. Many alpine lakes and glaciated mountains along that route. If you camp at Gold Lake, it's a good day trip. Gold Beach just above the Calif border is a really nice town. It's at the mouth of the Rogue River and right on hwy 101. Many sea stacks along that part of the coast. Hope you enjoy your trip. Feel free to contact me if you need any further info.

Some great advice...I'm looking into those suggestions. Looks like there's some great scenery around there. I'll definitely be keeping that in mind as a possibility.

One concern though...how "touristy" are those places? I try to stay off the beaten trail somewhat. I am a pretty experienced hiker/backpacker, and I can do without a lot of the extra luxuries that bigger campgrounds have...but I don't necessarily need to be 300 miles from nowhere either...lol

I won't be staying in any one campground for more than a night or two, for the record.

Keiko wrote: »

Some good advice; don't mess with Sasquatch, LoCurtico. :eek:

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Oh don't worry, I fully intend on finding Sasquatch while I'm out there. We should get along real well...I'm gonna take him to a Furthur show with me and feed him some mind altering drugs.:p

That's all he really needs. He's just poorly misunderstood.;)

TORI3

Since I grew up in Seattle, I may have some suggestions for the 19th of September:

Are you looking for hardcore hiking? If so, you could probably hit up the Olympic National Forest on your way to the coast. Actually, that might be too far north for you, especially if you're planning on going south. Scratch that.

For Seattle (20-45 minutes from Redmond via 520 or I-90 West), I'd recommend Discovery or Volunteer Park in Seattle. Alki is another one that has a nice waterfront that gives a good scenic view of Seattle. Just remember, if it's nice, expect everybody and their mother to be soaking up the sun at a park in Seattle -- 90% of the time it's cloudy up there! Here are their links:
http://www.chinatownconnection.com/seattle-parks-recreation.htm

Near Redmond, and if you've got a girlfriend or wife, they might enjoy a tour around the Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville (roughly 10 minutes away from Redmond). Here's the link:
http://www.ste-michelle.com/

For hiking near Redmond, this is a great link that will give you an overview of the trails in the Seattle Metropolitan area. Here's the link:
http://www.trails.com/activity.aspx?area=13624

More specifically, and further east of Redmond, are Tiger Mountain, Little Si, and Mt. Si, which offer moderate to difficult hiking opportunities.

In regards to the California 101, I'd highly recommend the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Hope this helps (and isn't too much information).

comfortablycurt

I was actually just looking at Olympic National Forest. I'm considering that as a strong possibility.

Hardcore hiking is what I love.

The 20th is a day off on the tour, so I'll probably stick around in WA for a lot of the day.

Is there a lot of good day hiking to hit up at Olympic?

Thanks a lot for the suggestions...I'll check out your links too.:)





As far as the Eugene area...anyone have any thoughts on Fall Creek State Recreation area for camping? It's only about 30 miles from Eugene, which would be ideal.

I'm also looking at hitting up the Trail of Ten Falls, at Silver Falls State Park, in between the Eugene and Redmond shows. It's a roughly 9 mile trail, that takes you past 10 waterfalls on the way. Sounds great to me.:)

TORI3

Here's a good map for some day hikes:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/olympic/recreation-nu/maps/poiday-map_1.shtml

If you look at the map, I'd suggest staying on the HWY 8 and then going north on the 101 from Aberdeen (Kurt Cobain's hometown). Quinault Rain Forest is pretty nice; here's the link:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/olympic/recreation-nu/maps/poiday-map_1.shtml

skipf

The Willamette Pass area is one of the less used areas in Oregon, especially in September. You could spend the rest of your life hiking the area and never run out of trails or places to bushwhack. Hiking into the Green Lakes basin off of the Cascade Lakes highway would be right up your alley. The campgrounds in the area are all primitive camps. Only amenities are water pumps and outhouses. You can camp almost anywhere in the forest though if you want to avoid campgrounds. There are some restrictions on campfires and how close you can camp to water. There are lots of more remote areas, but you won't have time to get to them if the schedule you posted is firm. That's why I only listed areas near Eugene that you could get to in the allotted time frame. Forget Fall Creek Rec area if you don't like crowds or "touristy" areas. The Willamette Pass is only about 1 - 1 1/2 hrs from Eugene, around 60 miles. The Santiam Pass East of Salem is also a great area and connects to the Willamette Pass by taking the Cascade Lakes Hwy out of Bend.

cheddar

More convenient for you might be Big Sur, south of Monterey. Not only is the whole area beautiful California coastline with a visit to Monterey and Carmel worthwhile, but it's right on highway 1 and a short drive further to Santa Barbara. So you're not so rushed on your off day trying to make it to Santa Barbara with most of your drive still ahead of you.

It's far less touristy than say Yosemite Valley. Though, after Santa Barbara, you may want to head over there anyways. Just avoid the valley and stay up in the higher elevations away from the main trails, and you might like Yosemite as well. For redwoods, there are two kinds. The coastal are found all over the west coast. These are the really tall thin ones. However, the giant sequoias are the tall fat ones people used to carve out and drive through. These are rare and found only in places like Mariposa Grove in Yosemite.

comfortablycurt

skipf wrote: »

The Willamette Pass area is one of the less used areas in Oregon, especially in September. You could spend the rest of your life hiking the area and never run out of trails or places to bushwhack. Hiking into the Green Lakes basin off of the Cascade Lakes highway would be right up your alley. The campgrounds in the area are all primitive camps. Only amenities are water pumps and outhouses. You can camp almost anywhere in the forest though if you want to avoid campgrounds. There are some restrictions on campfires and how close you can camp to water. There are lots of more remote areas, but you won't have time to get to them if the schedule you posted is firm. That's why I only listed areas near Eugene that you could get to in the allotted time frame. Forget Fall Creek Rec area if you don't like crowds or "touristy" areas. The Willamette Pass is only about 1 - 1 1/2 hrs from Eugene, around 60 miles. The Santiam Pass East of Salem is also a great area and connects to the Willamette Pass by taking the Cascade Lakes Hwy out of Bend.

Thanks for the info!! Sounds like the Willamette Pass is just what I'm looking for. I'm thinking that's probably where I'll end up staying when I'm in the Eugene area.:)

I had a suspicion that Fall Creek would be a bit too touristy for me.

cheddar wrote: »

More convenient for you might be Big Sur, south of Monterey. Not only is the whole area beautiful California coastline with a visit to Monterey and Carmel worthwhile, but it's right on highway 1 and a short drive further to Santa Barbara. So you're not so rushed on your off day trying to make it to Santa Barbara with most of your drive still ahead of you.

It's far less touristy than say Yosemite Valley. Though, after Santa Barbara, you may want to head over there anyways. Just avoid the valley and stay up in the higher elevations away from the main trails, and you might like Yosemite as well. For redwoods, there are two kinds. The coastal are found all over the west coast. These are the really tall thin ones. However, the giant sequoias are the tall fat ones people used to carve out and drive through. These are rare and found only in places like Mariposa Grove in Yosemite.

Thanks a lot for the info. I'll have a few days to explore northern California, so I'm planning on checking out several areas. I'll make it a point to check out Mariposa Grove. I definitely want to see the giant Seqouias. I'll probably plan on that for the 21st or 22nd...and head farther north after words.

skipf

One thing to keep in mind in the Cascades in September if you are allergic to bees. The yellow jackets are everywhere and out in force that time of year. Fry a pan of bacon and it will contain 15-20 fried yellow flies by the time it's done. They are very agressive in the fall.

cheddar

If you are going to the Mariposa Grove, you really should see the Yosemite Valley further north as well. If you've never been there before, I'd say it's an absolute must see for you. Probably the exact type of heavy duty hiking you're interested in. And by September, the crowds in the valley start dropping off from the summer. El Capitan is a sheer granite cliff rising 2000ft off the valley floor, and Half Dome is the half mountain iconic symbol of the area. Both are favorites for extreme mountain climbers. Yosemite Falls is a 2000ft drop waterfall. But unfortunately, the snow runoff is gone by September with waterfalls either gone or in trickle mode.

The valley is very small and compact and can be driven around to get your bearings very quickly. However, floor to top of mountain hikes are full day treks. And you can hike in the back country behind places like El Cap for solitude, camping, and stunning vistas of the valley and surrounding mountains. You can drive up to the upper elevation trail heads to save time too (and a lot of sore legs gaining altitude). There are also plenty of camps at various points leading up to major landmarks.

comfortablycurt

skipf wrote: »

One thing to keep in mind in the Cascades in September if you are allergic to bees. The yellow jackets are everywhere and out in force that time of year. Fry a pan of bacon and it will contain 15-20 fried yellow flies by the time it's done. They are very agressive in the fall.

Duly noted. Bees don't really bug me, fortunately.

cheddar wrote: »

If you are going to the Mariposa Grove, you really should see the Yosemite Valley further north as well. If you've never been there before, I'd say it's an absolute must see for you. Probably the exact type of heavy duty hiking you're interested in. And by September, the crowds in the valley start dropping off from the summer. El Capitan is a sheer granite cliff rising 2000ft off the valley floor, and Half Dome is the half mountain iconic symbol of the area. Both are favorites for extreme mountain climbers. Yosemite Falls is a 2000ft drop waterfall. But unfortunately, the snow runoff is gone by September with waterfalls either gone or in trickle mode.

The valley is very small and compact and can be driven around to get your bearings very quickly. However, floor to top of mountain hikes are full day treks. And you can hike in the back country behind places like El Cap for solitude, camping, and stunning vistas of the valley and surrounding mountains. You can drive up to the upper elevation trail heads to save time too (and a lot of sore legs gaining altitude). There are also plenty of camps at various points leading up to major landmarks.

I was looking at the proximity of Mariposa to the Yosemite Valley just last night, and thinking of making that one of my stops. Sounds like there's some cool stuff to see there...that'll probably be one of my stops.

comfortablycurt

Alright...I think Gold Lake has been finalized as my campground for the Eugene area. Salt Creek Falls and Davis Lake both look like some awesome places to check out...so I think that's been added to the "itinerary"!!

Thanks for the advice Skipf!! I can't wait to see the view from that picture, in person.:D

I may end up getting to Gold Lake a couple days before the first Eugene show, so I've got a couple days to explore the area, and stretch out from the drive.



Now, I need a campground for the Redmond area. Though I'm considering just staying in a hotel up there, since I'm only going to be in the area for one day...and I'll probably be kinda burnt out from seeing 3 shows in 3 days...lol

skipf

Make sure you see the bog at the head of the lake. The trail to the head of the lake is on the left side of the lake if you are looking upstream from the outlet. There is a nice spring below the trail about halfway up the lake with great water. A filter pump is recommended for any water due to girardia though. Lots of beavers, deer and elk in the area that aren't particular where they take a dump. One of the things I enjoyed most about Gold Lake is the wildlife. The Gray "camp robber" Jays will sit on your hand to eat. The ducks will waddle right into camp for a handout, and the chipmonks will sit on your knee for a peanut. Critters up there have little to no fear of people. Get a forest service map of the Willamette National Forest for good info on back country roads and the trail systems. I promise you will like your stay in that area. It is second only to the Eagle Cap Wilderness in Northeast Oregon for beauty and solitude. I went to Eagle Cap for a three day camp trip just to see what it was like and stayed three weeks.

danger boy

Oregon coastline on highway 101 stunningly beautiful. be sure to be on the Oregon coast for a least part of your trip.

cheddar

comfortablycurt wrote: »

I was looking at the proximity of Mariposa to the Yosemite Valley just last night, and thinking of making that one of my stops. Sounds like there's some cool stuff to see there...that'll probably be one of my stops.

A little more than some cool stuff IMO. It's one of the often overlooked gems of the national park system. It was actually so unique and worthy of preservation that Lincoln made it the first federal land set aside solely for this purpose. While not technically the first national park, it was the blue print that led to the eventual designation of Yellowstone as one.

Eventually, California ceded land like the valley to the federal government for the formation of Yosemite National Park. Ignoring the valley when you'll be so close would be like not going to see Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon if you were in the area and had a couple of days...

cheddar

Don't you want to be this guy?



http://www.nps.gov/yose/

comfortablycurt

skipf wrote: »

Make sure you see the bog at the head of the lake. The trail to the head of the lake is on the left side of the lake if you are looking upstream from the outlet. There is a nice spring below the trail about halfway up the lake with great water. A filter pump is recommended for any water due to girardia though. Lots of beavers, deer and elk in the area that aren't particular where they take a dump. One of the things I enjoyed most about Gold Lake is the wildlife. The Gray "camp robber" Jays will sit on your hand to eat. The ducks will waddle right into camp for a handout, and the chipmonks will sit on your knee for a peanut. Critters up there have little to no fear of people. Get a forest service map of the Willamette National Forest for good info on back country roads and the trail systems. I promise you will like your stay in that area. It is second only to the Eagle Cap Wilderness in Northeast Oregon for beauty and solitude. I went to Eagle Cap for a three day camp trip just to see what it was like and stayed three weeks.

Duly noted. I can't wait!!

danger boy wrote: »

Oregon coastline on highway 101 stunningly beautiful. be sure to be on the Oregon coast for a least part of your trip.

Wow! That looks incredible. I'll be taking 101 basically down the entire coast after in between Redmond and Santa Barbara...can't wait to see some of the scenery along there.

cheddar wrote: »

A little more than some cool stuff IMO. It's one of the often overlooked gems of the national park system. It was actually so unique and worthy of preservation that Lincoln made it the first federal land set aside solely for this purpose. While not technically the first national park, it was the blue print that led to the eventual designation of Yellowstone as one.

Eventually, California ceded land like the valley to the federal government for the formation of Yosemite National Park. Ignoring the valley when you'll be so close would be like not going to see Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon if you were in the area and had a couple of days...

I'll have to make a point of going to the Yosemite Valley. I'll have a few free days when I'm in that area, so it's on the itinerary.:)

cheddar wrote: »

Don't you want to be this guy?



http://www.nps.gov/yose/

I would absolutely love to be that guy!!

cambir

TORI3 wrote: »

...hit up the Olympic National Forest on your way to the coast.

More specifically, and further east of Redmond, are Tiger Mountain, Little Si, and Mt. Si, which offer moderate to difficult hiking opportunities.

comfortablycurt wrote: »

Is there a lot of good day hiking to hit up at Olympic?

As far as the Eugene area...

In WA
Tiger Mtn (NW Trail and Poo Poo Point)...Cougar Mtn...Iron Horse Trail (old Snoqualamie railroad)...Rattlesnake Ridge.

Absolutely hit the Olympic Nat Forest. There are tons of day hikes in the Olympics and most are low use.

If you've got time you could head a little farther east to Leavenworth.

Eugene area
Not sure about hiking, but Mckenzie River area is real nice for mtn biking.