Roark Nelson

This very gradual, easy trail that ends at the Lakes Basin, which is comprised of many lakes such as Mirror Lake, Sunshine Lake, and Moccasin Lake. These lakes can also be accessed by the Two Pan Trailhead, which is a shorter, but steeper hike.There is also a great side hike about a quarter of a mile in to Falls Creek, a 5-10 minute easy gradual hike to the waterfall from the main trail. The si...

The McNary Wildlife refuge is broken into multiple sub-parks as they are spread out along the Columbia River near Burbank, WA. The Burbank Slough is a bird watchers paradise, offering a photography bird blind right on the shore. The Bird blind is only about a hundred yards from the parking at the McNary Refuge headquarters, and is wheelchair accessible.  There are many species of wildlife that ...

Right off the Wawawai River Road, Granite Point is an incredibly accessible climbing spot for those in the Pullman, Washington or Moscow, Idaho area. A mere minute hike from the car to the climbing spot makes it very easy to bring all of your gear. Hiking from the bottom of the rock to the top, to set up a top rope only takes also just a few minutes.

Starting at the end of Wallowa lake, this 18 mile roundtrip hike begins at 4,520' and remains pretty mellow over the first 2.5 miles. Total elevation gain of the hike is about 3380', ending at the Ice Lake which sits at 7,900'. Following the West-Fork Wallowa river trail 1820 for about 2 miles, until you switch to the Ice Lake trail 1808 and very quickly cross the river via log bridge. From her...

From the parking lot on the far west side of Q'emiln Park, you will see a well established trail heading west. Follow the trail for just a few minutes to reach a rock climbing heaven, with many different boulders and walls. There is plenty of rock to go around, and this is a nice place for people of any skill level to get in some laps on really accessible rock.

Taking a drive off the main highway that connects Umatilla, Oregon to the popular wine town of Walla Walla can lead to some very scenic views of the Stateline Wind Farm. On Gerkling Flat Road outside of Athena, Oregon you can drive right next to these colossal towers and see how a growing renewable energy is generated. One of the best times to go is when the Walla Walla Valley fills with fog, a...

Follow the trail leading from the end of the parking lot down onto the beach. From the parking lot to the beach the walk is about a quarter of a mile, with a slight decrease in elevation as you move down to the beach.  To get to the beach, take 72B off of Highway 101 and turn west onto Main Street in Trinidad, CA. Then take a right onto Stagecoach road, and follow this for about 1/2 a mile unti...

Just a mere 15 minutes outside of Bend, Oregon the Bessie Butte Trail is a wonderfully scenic hike to overlook Bend on one side and the Deschutes National Forest on the other. The butte provides an excellent view of the surrounding mountains of which there are many: Mount Bachelor, The South Sister, The Middle Sister, The North Sister, Mount Hood, and in the distance, Mount Adams. Be aware that...

Mirror Lake, one of the most photogenic and peaceful lakes in the area, is accessible via the Two-Pan Trailhead, off of Upper Lostine Road. The hike follows the river that flows down from the Lakes Basin, so water is plentiful throughout. You will slowly move up the valley, crossing the river a couple of times, so waterproof boots are a must. There is one occasion when wading through the water...

This adventure shares the first 9 miles with the Ice Lake adventure, and only once you reach Ice Lake does the trail for the Matterhorn begin.  From Ice Lake, this hike will travel about 2.2 miles to reach the top of the Matterhorn and gain about 2,000 vertical feet to reach the summit at 9,826 feet. If you would like to do this hike in a single push from the trailhead at Wallowa Lake, then the...