We began our hike at Wilderness Park. There were 2 trailheads to choose from so we chose the one on the left side of the parking lot heading up into the forest.
Immediately, we found ourselves walking among the fir giants.
About 1/2 mile in we came to a large clearing where obvious logging happened. The kids enjoyed jumping from tree to tree.
Stairs are neatly carved into the trail for ascents and descents.
After a 2 mile loop in Wilderness Park, we entered Camassia Nature Preserve. It's one of my new favorite spots. It's like stepping into another world. I'll be returning with a wine and cheese basket for a sunset picnic in the spring. The wooden boardwalk begins in a hardwood forest of Oregon white oaks.
We ventured onto an offshoot trail in search of the pond and frogs.
Unfortunately, the pond was completely dried up so we made use of the clearing for a quiet lunch spot. I was surprised there no funky smells from where a pond used to be.
Although we decided to drive from Wilderness Park to Camassia due to time constraints, there is a connecting trail between the two.
When continuing on the boardwalk trail loop you are suddenly thrust into a savanna complete with large rock formations. It is a most beautiful and unique spot.
The savanna was alive with the chorus of thousands of crickets. We stopped for a good 10 minutes just to listen to their chirping.
Mt. Hood as seen from the top of Camassia.
Probably the most unique and delightful find was the madrone forest. It's a native tree although I've rarely seen them on my Oregon hikes. I grew up hiking among them in the Lake Tahoe area. They have a peely bark revealing the smoothest cinnamon interior layer.
No comments:
Post a Comment