Welcome to The Washington State hiking podcast. I'm your host, Jennie Thwing Flaming. Along with my part time co host guidebook, author Craig Romano. We provide practical and timely seasonal hiking advice for hikers, trail runners and potential hikers and trail runners of all skill and ability levels. That is helpful, accurate, fun and inclusive. We would love to hear from you our listeners. The second link in the show notes right below the tip jar. Hint Hint, is our voice
memo link. Please leave us a voice memo with your question, and we will answer it in a future episode. All right, Craig, this is our first episode together.
Exciting.
This is so fun. So today we're talking about spring because it's March and that's a spring month here not a winter perfect
in as you're saying this Jenny. It is actually beautiful outside right now. I don't know why we're not out there hiking while we're doing this podcast. I
really picked the wrong day to be recording in my parents basement. Thanks, Mom and Dad. Okay, so yeah, so let's talk a little bit about, like kind of the types of hikes that are really good and spring and then we can talk about some specifics. So why don't you share some of yours and then I'll add in any of mine that you don't mention. Well, first
of all, there is no such thing as hiking season all year is hiking season, so I want to get that clear. Totally Exactly. But love for perfect example about what I like to do this time of year, just this weekend, I was over in the Anacortes community forest lands with so right Next, mount Erie, Sugarloaf, there's a whole but 80 miles of trails, around Anacortes. I mean, it's wonderful to do anytime of year but springs springs an absolute great time to be there. So, you know,
totally, totally agree. Okay. So, yeah, one would be those kind of lowland hikes that have like cool views or forests or things like that. What other places around Washington are extra good? Yes, maybe
it's a spring of course, you know, the high country is buried in snow so I'm not even looking at that as a possible unless I'm gonna go cross country skiing or backcountry skiing or snowshoeing but if I'm just looking for hiking trail running, I'm gonna look at those low low lying areas outside of Bellingham the chuckanut mountains always a good choice. Of course the Issaquah alps are outside of Seattle is a good area outside of Olympia cap the capital cap forest capitals stay
forest is great. And then the islands a lot of times we people tend to forget that they're there the San Juan Islands are wonderful in spring summertime, it it can be downright busy there take forever to get there more expensive, but but this is a great time to get there. You can just hop on the ferry trails or trails are gonna have very few people there the weather because it's in a rain shadow area that even if the weather is kind of iffy in Seattle, it might be sunny over in, in the
San Juan Islands. So a lot of the islands and then the Olympic Coast again, you know, you can hike the Olympic Coast year round. Yeah, but it's very very rainy and cold in the wintertime, summer temperatures you foggy, that's the thing could be 80 degrees in Seattle, but it's foggy on that coast because of that temperature
differential. So I find the best times to be on the coast is usually March April and then in September, October, those those shoulder seasons when you when the temperature the air and the temperature the water pretty equal. And you have these gorgeous, beautiful days. And again, the crowds are down because the summer National Park people you know, traveling hitting all the parks, they're there in the summertime. Now you can I've gone out to Ozette in
March and April. And it's been very, very quiet and there's usually bird migrations. Well, migrations, Woodland flowers, you know, it's just a great time to be out there. Matter of fact, in two weeks, I'm going to be out on the peninsula. So I'm getting excited. Oh, that's
so fun. Yeah, I totally agree with you about that. And I also feel like the sunsets out there are really great in the spring and fall. Like, I think for the same reasons you mentioned there are some sunny days.
Well actually, you know, it was funny because I'm talking out of going in the wintertime, some of the most spectacular sunsets or winter sunsets out there. And you know, we do get these dry, cooled cool periods during the winter, particularly, you know, February, February, we'll get a couple of weeks and that that is a really good time to get out there and by February to the days are a little bit longer than than December in January. But yes, sunsets are spectacular
and the Olympics year round. So when it's out there, of course, the coast is definitely a wetter place then then Port Angeles that's more swim, you know, it's more of the rain shadow, which again, it's another great area to go in the spring during during rainy periods. You have that rain shadow effect. Yeah,
totally. Um, you know, it's funny because I confession time, so I don't really like spring. It's kind of funny, because I guess I kind of feel like it's winter, but with flowers, which is lovely. But there, there's not really snow sports anymore. So it's like, it's not my favorite. And, um, when I lived in Alaska, spring lasted for like, a week. And I liked it a lot more than also after it was really cold in the
winter. But since I lived in Alaska, I've really been working on trying to appreciate spring more. And so one of the things I think is cool for, and I know most people love Spring, so it's not an issue for other people. But thinking about those things that are kind of unique to this time of year that maybe aren't as available in the summer, either because of crowds or it's too hot or whatever, is kind of
cool. I think one of the things that I really love about spring hiking is that Eastern Washington trails, especially the wildflowers are just amazing. And it tends to be warmer, you know, you were talking about parts of Western Washington that are range shadowed. It can be really windy in eastern Washington, but it's also often sunny or not always, but often. And that's kind of
fun. Yeah, and then I think the other thing that comes to my mind with spring is just waterfalls, and how much you know, unless they have too much water, you can't get to them, or there's snow covered. But
yeah, that's a good point. It's fishy after these heavy rain periods. waterfalls are absolutely spectacular this time of year. I was down in Silver Falls in Oregon. In April, one year, it was incredibly wet, the Willamette was flooded and everything. And it did the it's just an amazing loop hike there the seven falls, it's one of the most spectacular state parks in the country. And I The falls are just unbelievable the force and and if you're gonna go back and do that in August or September,
it's just a fraction. So So actually, this is a nice segue to to a book I just just completed. If you're into waterfalls, the Columbia River Gorge, just and the other thing about Columbia River Gorge too.
It's well known for its waterfalls, and this is a great time of year, too, but you go into the eastern side of the gorge, and again, it's gonna be warmer out in the dowels and out around Lyle on the Washington side Klickitat all that area of the flowers, you know, the flowers are amazing, and it's happening now. That's the thing. So even here, it's still taking, you know, the daffodils things like that are coming up here but a lot of the woodland flowers we're still still a ways away
over over in eastern gorge. It's already happening. It's a great great time of year to be there.
Yeah. And if you get there early enough now you know that's the other thing there's there's that fine transition early spring where the flowers are out but the Rattlesnakes haven't come out yet and the ticks Yeah, so that's kind of a magic I always do so I always so maybe like you know, this is what you have to pay for those flowers because you've got three horrible things on the Gorge in the spring you have poison oak, rattlesnakes and ticks but you can't enjoy those flowers without those
three night go back in the fall without those three awful things but the flowers aren't going to be there
right yep, yep, totally true. Yeah, um yeah, I've got it's kind of perfect timing that your book is coming out like right as spring is kind of kicking off and yeah, we'll talk we'll we will be talking more about the gorge because I think we're gonna do an episode about that. Yeah, in
a q&a I mean, the gorge for a lot of people. I mean, of course, you know, unless you live in the Vancouver or Portland area, it's your backyard but people who don't live in the area go there it's I know so many people it's a pilgrimage it's a spring pilgrimage to go down here yeah, this time of year for the flowers particularly in the waterfalls are amazing. So so if you've never been in the gorge, we'll definitely talk about because this is the time of year you want to check it out.
Totally. Are there any other like specific areas of Washington or types of hikes that we haven't talked about yet that you feel like are particularly good during the spring? When
we talk you know, a lot of the Foothill areas I always like you know, places like the Issaquah Alps. The alcohol burn which is outside of Vancouver cap forests outside let me I mean obviously we can hike in run those places anytime a year. But springs again a great time the weather's getting better. We can get up to a little bit of altitude, we can get up to two 3000 feet, lots of times without snow. We're starting to get those woodland flowers. Yeah, in those places.
We're getting some good views we can get that workout if we're training for something this is you know, we can't go out to to some of the higher peaks. So if we need some elevation, these guys will offer us that. And then of course again, they're not as crowded as the summertime because Because being so close to major metropolitan areas they It can be just downright crowded in the summertime so, so spring could be a good time to go there. The other thing to discover some of your your rail
trails are a lot of fun too. And we talked about Eastern Washington. There's some great trails out there. Summer is just downright hot out there. I mean, really, it's crazy. Yeah, and there's no shade. A winter can be windy we talked about in cooler, so be prepared for that. But you get a nice 6570 degree day without a wind. It's incredible. It's so you look at look at some of those areas around the Yakima Canyon. Yeah, another great area to go in the springtime and the flowers are
starting to come out. Gorgeous areas also green. That's the other thing. You're out there. No offense, Eastern Washington love it out there but you Brown when you know, part of the year but yeah, but we get after the spring rains, everything is green. You know, the even those, those shrubs, saplings that are just, they're coming alive with flowers and greenery. Great time
to be there. And if there's some little lakes or creeks, they're usually flowing this time of year to know so great time to be there.
Yeah. Cool. Okay, we're gonna take a short break. And when we come back, we're going to talk about a few specific places that kind of fall into these areas that Craig and I have been talking about. Hi, everyone, Jennie here. Hope you're enjoying this episode. So far. We would love to have you contribute to our tip jar. This will help keep our podcast going and bringing you lots of great information from both Craig and I about Washington hikes. So you'll find that the first link
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show. All right, we are back. So Craig and I have been talking about some of our favorite places in Washington to go during the spring. And I realized that we didn't really define spring. Like when it is I feel like spring starts sometime in February most of the time and goes until like the Fourth of July. What do you what do you think
that's funny? Because I grew up in New Hampshire. And you're talking about Alaska. And the joke there we used to say that we had one month of summer and 11 months of damn poor sledding. So but it here's this is kind of sobering we can turn it into a positive with climate change. Of course, we are definitely seeing more of a definitive spring in both the Northeast and the northwest. So spring is definitely coming earlier. And it's yeah, it's kind of blend when the spring
and when the summer. But I think most of us we look at you know, by the middle of March, certainly April 1 It's spring, though we've had years here in the Northwest where it's been questionable whether April 1 to start. But um, yeah, these are gonna be hikes that generally we're going to talk about in April, what you can do in April yeah, there's always a chance that that freak snow you know, we're going through a little of
a cold period right now. So snow levels are kind of low, but more than likely within a couple of weeks. That's not going to be the case. Yep. So for the most part, these are these are tried and true what we can do in April.
Yes, yes. And then yeah, and then another way that I think of it is like the time of year where it can be 55 and raining or 72 and sunny and either of those are possible. And you know that kind of lasts a long time but by June hopefully you're having
that can be summertime also. Summer Yes. Some some years. It
is summer. You're right. Um, okay, so we talked about we talked about Eastern Washington, we talked about the islands. We talked about waterfalls, we talked about the gorge. So Craig What are a couple of your favorite waterfall hikes specifically for first spring and watching Yeah, and
that's you know, it's funny because always so difficult for me to answer these questions because I There's so many great ones. Yeah, but since we've talked about the gorge, I knew gorge book coming out and this is absolute best time to be at the gorge I'll throw three great waterfalls and there's so many and and you know everyone has their favorite fall. Of course, one of the and sorry, we're going to actually go into Oregon. This one you can see Washington from the trailer.
Washingtonians love Oregon. So I think I think Oregon is fair game. Okay,
great. So I'm going to tie in and this this Heike. have not been on it. You're probably one of the few or you're new to the area because it's one of the most absolute classic hikes not only in the Northwest but in the country. Eagle Creek, Eagle Creek.
I have done Eagle Creek. It's awesome. And
if you've never done Eagle Creek, you're in for a real treat. And I remember for years I read about Eagle Creek and couldn't understand how people got hurt there. Or worse. I think well it's it's a hike up of creek wrapping well you're going on this gourds it's been blasted into basalt rock that if you're in news cables, and if you're not paying attention, yeah. So with that said, right now there's still ice and snow.
In a lot of the gorge. I would not venture up Eagle Creek right now very far because there are areas where there's there's ice and snow. Give it another month or so. And I'd had the following April, April's usually good. I'm trying to think last year I was in there I believe. Yeah, late March, early April. And it was a tiny bit of snow at the very, very end, but the trails were fine. But again, the creek itself the waterfalls, there are over a half dozen major falls. I
mean, incredible falls. Yeah, lots of minor falls. You get about five and a half six miles in where most people turn around. You have tunnel falls, which is unbelievable and Twister falls within each other and you've got this incredible stretch between them. That is not for the vertically challenged because yeah, you're on a cable. Yeah, sorry. Most people steep.
Yeah, yeah, trail isn't steep. But the drop off,
you don't want to look off the right you want to hold that cable and go because it's incredible. It's all exposed. I wouldn't bring children or hyperactive dogs up there. I mean, dogs should be on a leash anyways in there because dogs have died there. But even you can avoid that last section by just going to tunnel falls and tunnel falls. Would you know this trail was built in 1915. It was amazing. It's one of the oldest trails in the country.
It's fascinating when the gorge was being the road highways being developed with the gorge it was you know, tourism was definitely on their mind. The campground near is one of the very first National Forest Service campgrounds in the country. So a lot of history in the area. And when they're building the trail to gorge course they were blasting it through the through the the cliffs and everything would never do that now. They blast a
tunnel behind the creek. You know, this is one of the forks Eagle Creek where the tunnel tunnel falls again, this would never be done now. It's unbelievable. You walk right behind the falls. There's maidenhair ferns growing all over it. It is unbelievable. If you've ever done in the power that water going behind. So if you've done this, like at Niagara Falls or somebody's plays, it's on that kind of scale. It's amazing. So it's
incredible. And there's a fire that burned there a few years back and to help people concern. The good news is that it didn't affect the kingdom. There's definitely some areas that that were hit. There's still a lot of green timber a lot of little growth forest did not get get burned in narrows mostly a mosaic burn. So don't think it's not going to be a burnt landscape. The campsites that were back there there was some say had been obliterated. So don't you know it's gonna be
gone beyond Eagle Creek. It didn't burn in there and you can still camp in those areas. And you know, you don't want to camp those first. Those first few areas anyways, because there's so many people coming through it. This is this is not a hike you go to for solitude. So yeah, to get used to it, meet some new friends have fun. It's a very, very social trail. Yeah. But this is the time of year again, you want to go and it. It truly is one of the classic hikes. If
that's too much. You don't want to see all these people and everything. Well, I'll send you just a little farther outside and you're Cascade Locks. I'm gonna send you to another Oregon waterfall called Dry Creek, which I've been in there. I know three or four times and I think I've encountered a couple of people. At most, the only time that would change is you actually you follow the Pacific Crest Trail to get here. So when the through hikers are coming in the end of summer is gonna be a
lot of people. But you don't want to do dry creek at the end of summer because it's not going to be much of a waterfall right? Despite a slight cold dry no no despite its name. It's funny. It was called Dry Creek because the water used to be diverted from the creek for for Cascade Locks is part of the watershed. It's anything but dry this time of year it's actually a really nice waterfall. And you'll get you'll see the drain the old irrigation below where they used to divert
the water and all that. So it's no longer use but yeah, maybe the name kind of discourages people. It's one it's a short hike to it's only about four and a half mile round trip. Not very difficult. You can get in there you know anything at the heart of winter you can get in there. So it's a really nice hike. Cool. And then the other classic waterfall. It's made it's on the
Washington side. You know usually when we look at the gorge and kind of the way I look at it, you know we go to or Oregon for the waterfalls we go to Washington for the wildflowers but but don't let that confuse this there's good flowers on the Oregon side and good waterfalls in the Washington so yeah, so Falls Creek falls, which is actually a little bit outside of the gorge it's near Carson you just drive up into the Wind River Valley.
Mean It blows away anything you've seen in the gorge it's it's it's probably the most spectacular single waterfall though. It's tiered. But like Eagle Creek, it's a series of falls you go through but this you're going to one main waterfall that is just unbelievable. It's double tiered. You hike up this, you crossed the creek, there's some beautiful trees into this narrow valley and this thing just comes out of nowhere and you will be mesmerized. It is unbelievable.
The road to get there right now might be closed, which is actually take that as a silver lining. Because this is a popular hike. It's short, it's only about four miles round trip. If the road is closed, it makes it into you know, maybe an eight or nine mile hike. Perfect that weeds out a lot of people. You can you can run the road, you can get the mountain bike the road or just Yeah, it's a nice walk. It's a nice forest walk. So get to that gate. Don't
let that turn you around. Keep going just planning to spend more time out there.
Sweet. Cool. Yeah, those are those are awesome ones. I was thinking to just to kind of think about a different part of Washington, compared to the waterfalls. You called out. Um, you know, super crazy popular waterfall hikes like Wallace. Oh,
wonderful. Yeah.
In the spring. I mean, they're busy. You're not gonna find solitude, like Eagle Creek, but they're, they're not as completely bananas as they are in the summer. It's water is just amazing. It's
funny you mentioned well, because I think a lot of people do overlook because it's so close in. But you know, when I moved first moved to Washington, many, many years ago, I had a summer I went out there it was one of the first hikes I did in the areas close. And it was incredible.
And I last time I went there was in the heart of winners, I think it was a year or two ago, in February, with a lot of rain in the falls or just under the middle falls 265 feet, that thing just and it wasn't crowded, because on a rainy day in February a weekday. Yeah, you do have a lot. You know, a lot of trails yourself. And again, you get there after you see the falls, you want a little solitude, you had to Wallace
Lake. Yep. So there's even within a real popular state park, you can do this nice 10 mile loop. And after the first couple of miles in the falls, you're gonna have a lot of solitude the rest of the hike. Totally.
I also, you know, I always struggle with police falls a little bit because it's so famous. And it's not really a height. Really, if you're looking for a hike. You're not going to love going there. But it is a wonderful place in Washington to go in the spring. Spectacular.
And yet most people you get their adult, they'll just go to the front part and it's kind of fenced in, you can hike down into the canyon, I want to I don't advise it, the basalt and it's one of the sneakiest places on the planet. But there's a nice hike you can do that goes behind it goes behind the police falls, there's an upper Palouse falls to it's not as dramatic, but it's a really nice area you get right down on the river. In that area. Again, it's short, it's not a place I would make as a
destination. But if I was heading across, you know, going out to the Blue Mountains or to Pullman or whatever you put it if you've never seen police falls in there definitely. It's definitely one of the prettiest waterfalls in the state. And I do believe if I'm not correct me if I'm wrong, believe the state legislature years ago made it the official state waterfall i Oh, I don't know. I gotta look that up.
That sounds like That sounds great. But I don't know for sure.
Yeah. That something was actually done in Olympia. You know, we had a state waterfall.
We we do get hung up on some things, but some things are easy. Yes. Like having the state waterfall. Oh, gosh. Okay, well, so while we're in eastern Washington, um, any favorite like specific favorite, like wildflower Eastern Washington hikes that you want to call out for spring? I have a couple that I can mention also. Well,
the Wenatchee foothills absolutely love so the sage hills outside of Wenatchee. And sending spring wintertime a lot. There's parts of it are closed for the close off for the deer the deer populations wintering there, but the CheMin Douglas Land Trust has been instrumental in protecting a lot of the foothills outside of Wenatchee, and very large trail systems being built they're
absolutely incredible. So some of the best wildflowers the Lupin excuse me the looping balsamroot Yeah, just yellow purple just fields of yellow and purple. Or red outside of Wenatchee. So yeah, definitely check that out. There's some amazing may late April early May, it's usually peak. Yeah, at area, the weather's usually divine. Again, it's a pretty, pretty crowded area a lot of people is open to mountain biking is gonna be everyone's gonna be running out there and
biking and walking. But it's for large trail system and has a lot of room to roam and just absolutely if you've never been there putting Annachi on your on your must do list for the spring. Totally.
And another another hike that is in a different area, but very close. Is showlion. Butte. That one is another great wildfire one that I have seen be a lot less crowded, maybe then Sage Hill, because a lot steeper it is. It's tough. But you know, you also don't have to go all the way to the right. You don't see really cool wildfires all open halfway there. And they'll be like, Okay, that was enough.
Here's another bonus for Sholom Butte, too. And you're absolutely right, Jenny, I was just out there. In the spring, the flowers are incredible, you get a great view of the lake. If you do make it all the way to the top, you're looking straight down on the Columbia River. It also has a very large population of bighorn sheep. So you more than likely will see the Bighorn there.
Yeah, that's pretty cool. And you'll see Chuckers there too, you know, those are no they are they there are a type of grouse that's from Pakistan, the Himalayas. They were introduced in this country many many years ago. So they're pretty. They're pretty naturalized here now. for hunting. It's a game bird. They make the craziest sounds. And they're all over Shambu Oh, that is so cool. I
must have not been there at the right time to see them because I didn't see them when I was there. But it was a little like the flowers were definitely past their peak. They were still there. But it was like late May. It was definitely getting hot and more summer. Like she
also mentioned some of the biggest snakes I've seen in there too. But kingsnakes Yeah, they look like rattlesnakes, but they're not they that's their stick. They want you to think they're a rattlesnake. Just startled, but they won't they won't harm you.
Another another, like absolute favorite of mine for Eastern Washington is Hanford Reach. I know, I know you've written about that. And it's
one of my, one of your exits in two of them. Actually, it's one of my 100 classic hikes. Yeah,
it's such a fantastic. It's one of the most I mean, one of the things that's so cool about Washington hiking is all the different landscapes and climates and things that we have. And you know, out there between that being one stretch of the Columbia that doesn't have dams, so it looks really different.
The only it's the largest undammed, nontidal stretch of the Columbia River. That's all from the Rocky Mountains in BC all the way out. 53 miles, I actually got to kayak it. Yeah, it's it's amazing. And you've got 300 foot dunes or so they're unbelievable. The cliffs the the swallows just Yep. Hundreds of 1000s of swallows there. Yeah. You think it's desolate, but there's elk there. There's several species of smaller rodents. It is one of the most biologically important areas.
Yeah. And it's rare. It's one of the last stretches of an farmed uncultivated sage step left in the state. Yep. Yeah. It's a national monument. It was it was declared. President Clinton made it a national monument over 20 years ago. Pretty cool. It's special place.
Yeah. And it's it's way too hot there in the summer. Crazy.
There's no reasonable summer, you would just Oh, yeah. So spring
is great. And there are some wildflowers there. It's not as good. It's not let me rephrase that. It's not as dense of wildflowers, especially the balsamroot lupine, as some of the others you were mentioning, but But
isn't that flower. Hey, yeah, it isn't good. In April in May, again, it's a good time to be there. I've been out there makes her skin a little bit warm. But it's still it's nice. And again, it depends on your tolerance level for me, maybe you know, 80 is good, but yeah, so yeah, I'm
good. Although if I'm doing something that hike isn't super steep, but a steep hike with no shade in the 80s is rough for me. But that one, yeah, that one. Spring is perfect. It's usually
a breeze out there, too. Yep. Cool. Okay, so
let's move over to the islands because that was another area that we talked about what are your favorite? And you know, we're, we're talking here about the islands in Washington. A lot, a lot. A lot of America. What are what are some of your, your favorites for spring? Well,
first of all, you know, it's funny, we talk about the islands lots of times we tend to forget about some of the islands in greater Puget Sound in places like Vashon and Hartstine and Anderson they all have great great hikes. But the San Juan's when we think of the island, the the major archipelago there again, as I've seen, really the sad ones, spring is one of the best times to be there. It's in the rain shadow first of all, so the weather it really is the weather, usually agreeable, a
lot there. And same with flowers. So I wrote a whole book on this in one go of violence who says so many hikes? I think people don't realize that too because less than they think, ah, there's there's been constitution Moran Yeah, that's a great place. But yeah, all those islands have so many places in the main reason I think a lot of people when they look at a map, and they don't see because so many of the hiking destinations are not state parks are not nashbar.
They're, they're part of land trusts or land bank, they're there. They're open. So a lot of those don't don't appear on on a lot of the maps, but they're open to the public and they have great hikes. And with that said, one of the best is Turtleback Turtleback mountain on Orcas Island. It's
my favorite hike in islands. It's so one of my 100
classic hikes as well. Yeah, and it's the second largest area of protected land on and in the San Juan's orchesis Moran has the first turtle backs the second turtle backs one of the higher higher peaks there and if you see it, it's particularly from the north if you're in BC looking at you can really see how it got its name, you'll see the turtle head the back the whole thing it looks like a turtle very brown. It looks like a turtle that says this is incredible and talking
about conservation. Conservation success to them the millions of dollars that were raised to protect this when this went out when this went on the market in the early part of the 2000s this could have been changed into developed and everything so it's protected top of the public. There's lots of great trails you can think the San Juan preservation Land Trust and the the the San Juan County Land Bank for that. Get up on that trail back. It is a great far
hike. It's amazing far hike. And the views are unbelievable into Vancouver Island and into the into the Gulf Islands. And then looking south into the Olympic Peninsula. It's an amazing hike. And
it's never crowded. I don't think Have you ever seen it crowded? I
know it's popular again. It's there, but it's not crowded. First of all it takes it takes some effort to get there. Locals like to use it but we're talking about the San Juan Islands are not that populated. And there's lots of ways to get you you can do several ways to get up to the tour on turtle vectors. It's got a large network of trails up there. Yep. So you know summer is going to be more popular. Of course we're springs a great time to be there.
Cool. Okay, anything else on the island? Yeah,
I love iceberg iceberg point. A Lopez Island. It's another one. It's one of my 100 classic hikes. Where do you get its name? It was scoured from the glaciers and all that unit Cassini icebergs there if you are new, it's not Newfoundland. But um it's me. Oh, see. See the straight I know I always wait for iceberg where did it get its name? Right, because we don't have the icebergs coming up the Strait of Juan de Fuca. So I believe it was the Wilkes expedition that
name that. So it's an amazing year you'll see the striations from the glaciers that period with the flowers are incredible. They're including there's endemics, you know from the islands that grow there. So a lot of rare, rare flowers and rare insects. It's not a very large area. It's part of the San Juan Island National Monument now, but I'll tell you hike a couple miles out to that point, the view south across the strait of Juan de Fuca to the Olympic Mountains will blow your way.
It's just incredible. It's an amazing hike. And then the other one that's a little bit more popular. If you want incredible views again at the San Juan of the Olympic over on, on San Juan Island, the San Juan, National Historic Site. There's the two camps American Camp and English camp. They both have great trails, but the American Cantor's mount Finlayson was just going over these prairie you're hiking across the prairie, it's only a couple 100
feet high. And just constant view, you're just looking south across the strait, and it's definitely a flower hike to
this time. Lighthouse. Yeah, but
like the cattle points been used in car commercials and you'll recognize it from I can't afford or something like that. But and you can hike out to that too. That's part of the night it's very short walk, but the cattle point, that lighthouse very, very popular. And there's a lot of history again, and this point to and also should know to a oh, how nature has been changed a
lot. It's open because the the settlers in that area I think the British were might have been Americans who brought over rabbits in that area and this is rabbits are all over the place. Rabbits kind of so we need to bring bring some coyotes and wolves back over there. Right.
Yeah, yeah, there are a lot of money. And
they and they make burrows that you can trip in on those trails. So yeah.
So watch out for bunting. Okay, any other specific hikes in general for spring?
Yeah, I want to talk about yet one of my other favorite plays, it's because I live close by so I'm there all the time, but spring is one of the chuckanut Mountains are great too. And again, if you want a little bit of a workout, everybody goes to the to the oyster dome questions real popular hike, but yeah, but just on the backside oyster dome is Lilian lizard lakes. I'm Blanchard mountain. There's a whole network of trails there.
Again, there's a large trail network, lots of room because everybody's on oyster oyster dome. So you've At the rest of the place to explore chucking out Ridge is wonderful. And then even in that same region there's Lookout Mountain which is across I five that's all been protected by Whatcom County and on the
other side of Lake Whatcom. You again there's all this this this county parkland, you can get up on the Shanter Rail Trail, which is really really wonderful, great views of Lake Wacom out to Lummi island out to the VC North Shore peaks. Wonderful, wonderful area to springs a great time to be there.
Yeah, for sure. Cool. Okay, so before we wrap up this episode, Craig, I'm in spring, what are some particular hazards or things people need to watch out for that, um, you might not during other seasons and the main one that I think of is like unexpected snow. Um, so talk a little more about
floods in flood damage and that's you know, the waters flowing right now. So in this is funny, I was I was just in Arizona a couple of weeks ago, and I did this amazing hike down there is this this is outside of Tucson in the desert. It's seven falls. It's great hike. And you have to cross Bear Creek seven times to get there. I was crossing Bear Creek up to my shins. This is an Arizona. Oh, wow. So I love the I love sport. But for a lot of people it's like it was a game changer.
They got to the first Fort Benning going so another month or so you're gonna be hopping on rocks across this creek. So what happened lots lots of these creek crossings this time of year are going to be it could be treacherous. They could they could be wasted forwards. Yeah. So you need to be aware of that if it's not bridged, what what's the water situation? And same thing to pass flow we have these these these heavy rain periods. Did it take out part of the
trail with it? Sometimes, you know it's safe to get around. But if it's an area like Eagle Creek and there's a wash it there's no way to get around. Yeah, so those are hazards down trees. And again, these little you know, these these little windfalls no problem, but we have some big trees here. And when those things come down, again, if it's on a cliff ledge or something, there might not be a way to get around that 200
foot Douglas fir. The other thing too, even before we even get to the trail, same thing, everything I talked about the trails goes for the roads. Yep. So if you're looking at a lot of early spring hikes, I would stick to main roads, paved park roads, things that are getting maintained getting off in those forest service roads that haven't been maintained for months. You don't know what the conditions are, you know? Yeah,
in my truck. I have a saw. You know, I did see most and I think a lot of experience you do you? You you're prepared for it. A cable saw things like that, because I've had points to where I've been hiking, we've come back and a tree has been down on the trail. Yeah. And if you're out there by yourself, you gotta you gotta figure that out. Right? You know, there's there's electric charge chainsaws, you can have now to there one of the little portables all kinds of
stuff thrown in your truck. So so you've got to be thinking about these these things. Daylight is getting longer now too. But But still, you know, you're out there for a while temperature can drop rapidly at night. So you want to be prepared. So if it's, you know, it's a beautiful spring day, you still want to throw those extra layers in that pack, because you make maybe coming out a little
bit later. So that those types of things are 10 Essentials, they're you know, I don't want to say they're more important spring, but there's a better chance you may be using some of those things that extra layer that that headlamp. Yeah, so definitely, definitely have that. But But conditions can still be rough out there. trails can tend to be really muddy. And that can create hazards too, especially in steep areas. So those are things to be looking
at. And then again, the gorge what's going to be happening in another month or so this is actually true throughout most Eastern Washington, ticks. Ticks don't hibernate throughout all year round. But during the winter, they're not that active. They're most during the hatch. During the hatch. They're all over the place. They are so you constantly got to be checking, checking yourself in that in Lyme, Lyme disease is here. It means it's not just an East Coast thing. It's here. And it's
nasty. And you don't want to get it. No, no,
definitely not. Yeah. And I would just put give a shout out to you in our last episode that was with IANA from WTA. The WTA trip reports are always extremely valuable. But like one of the things Anna and I talked about was how in the spring that can be especially helpful if you're trying to understand is there a tree down on this road? Or where is the
snow? That kind of thing. And, you know, if you're hiking and you encounter things like that, leaving a trip report yourself to sort of share that with other hikers and land managers is also super helpful. Yeah,
absolutely. You want to check. Check this out. And again, my caution to with with when you're looking at crowdsource trip reports, always take it you know, a grain of salt for everybody. For me a shin Deep Creek Crossing is not a big deal. For some people it could be a harrowing crossing. Yeah,
I'm sure I'm not wild.
But it's always interesting when I read some news reports degree what some people consider difficult. So always take that into consideration. I've read reports or no way around something you get there and like what? But but definitely there's a lot of value in there. So read several reports and see what the consensus consensus on this but you can definitely then judge again through your own comfort levels, your own abilities, and
be safe, be smart. And again, if something looks kind of difficult and tough, it's going to be there again next year, don't don't risk getting to that area by doing something risky.
I along those lines, I feel like spring not only spring, but in spring, it's really important to kind of have a backup plan if you're like, Okay, unless it's a hike that is, you know, on a access road all the time, you know, a main road that's less of a concern, but, um, you know, if you're going someplace where you can't really get information, having like, Oh, if that doesn't work out, I can go over here instead. That really helps me if I don't feel like freaking out a chainsaw. That's
a great point, especially if you're doing a destiny, right if you're just doing something local or area. But if you've planned I've got this trip. I'm going to travel a couple hours for Yeah, yeah, have a backup because you you might be really disappointed to get there in the roads washed out and you just drove two hours to get there. Totally.
All right. Well, Happy Spring hiking, everybody. We in the next couple of months. We'll have lots more episodes digging into some of these specifics for spring hikes. So have fun out there, everybody.
Happy Trails.
Thank you for joining me for this episode of The Washington State hiking podcast. Don't forget to check out the notes the show notes for our tip jar link to leave a voice memo question and details about hikes and resources discussed in this episode. See you next week.