The fall colors were out! Seeing Marion Falls and Marion Lake were spectacular
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This is my idea of a perfect dayhike - a beautiful drive well off the highway along lonely backroads, ample parking at the trailhead, followed by a reasonably challenging trail, ending at an astonishingly scenic special place that only a few people know about. The only way it could have been any better for this geocacher is if I could have placed a new cache there… but I completely understand why that should not happen. I highly recommend this hike, but just not too publicly.
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Waldo 100k ultramarathon - great runnable trails with some very challenging climbs along the way and scenic lookouts.
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Awesome view from old fire lookout location. Can see most peaks in Oregon on a clear day. Wildflowers along a good majority of the trail.
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First backpacking trip with kids, ages 15, 12, 9, & 7. Moderately difficult for a short portion of the trail, basically going into and out of the lake basin. Stunning setting with nearby waterfalls to hike to. Great camping sites at Obsidian Creek and Linton Creek, however the site at Obsidian Creek is the nicer of the sites. Great Lake for swimming and fishing-bring a pole or a floatie. Extra bonus sighting cougar prints along the lakeshore.
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Trail across lava flows is rugged - be sure to wear good hiking shoes -- and not recommended for pets. We hiked both to the Little Belknap overlook and the Belknap Crater overlook and clocked 7.3 mi round trip; we took a leisurely 3:55 moving. Beautiful day with some wildflowers blooming on the non-lava sections. Note that the trail to Little Belknap is well marked, but no marking for the Belknap Crater turnoff. It is on the left, just after you leave the lava (past the trail to Little Belknap). Last mile or so is sandy scree, so slow going, but worth it. Views from the top are very nice - North & Middle Sister to the south (South Sister is behind them) and Mt. Washington, Three-Fingered Jack, a peek at Mt Jefferson to the north. Windy on the top and can be a bit cool, even on a hot day in Sisters.
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Great swimming holes; plenty of campsites if you want to boondock. Opal pool was amazing, with a nice little 30-35’ jump. Water was plenty deep for jumping; enjoy!!
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Fairly steep ascent (15%) over dusty/rocky terrain with plenty of slippage. The bear grass was in exceptional bloom at higher elevations but expended at lower ones. Cloud cover obscured the high peaks nearby that would have been exceptional in a clear day. No mosquitoes!
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Not as good as coffin mountain when you factor in the flowers but easier. Great views. Drive to it is fine, roads not too bad,
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The best place to clear your head and take in how gorgeous the Pacific Northwest is.
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Great wildflower trip. The Beargrass was in varying stages of bloom depending on the sun exposure. The Rhododendrons were blooming as well as Indian Paint Brush and Trillium. Well worth the drive and hike.
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Visited 4/29/19 first and only hikers on the trail from 5:30am on a Monday to 2:30pm same day. Small parking area with a porta pottie right now for construction workers. Hiked 9.3 miles in 9.19hrs. 6.5hrs moving time. 3094ft elevation gain. Hiked from Detroit Lake to the base of Dome rock (the snow was too steep and icy for me to continue on with just microspikes and trekking poles). Trail is in good condition with some blow downs on the trail. Before the tumble ridge trail junction is where the snow starts sporadically at first and didn't need microspikes till tumble ridge or the ridge part of the hike covered in icy deep snow. After the ridge make sure you have a map of the area especially when it is covered in snow. We followed boot prints and our maps in the densely forested areas. To the base of dome rock we followed others steps and the map to the ridge right before the base of Dome Rock. There were a couple of cornices at the edge. Snow was nice in the more sunnier areas (a little slippery and slushy, but in the forrests the snow was Icy.) Till the snow is gone you will need ice climbing gear to summit Dome Rock or be more experienced in climbing in this terrain. I would only recommend this hike for experienced children hikers at this time. On the way out we postholed and slipped a couple times in the softening snow. At the trailhead parking area at Detroit lake they were doing road construction right in front of the parking area. Not much room for other cars in the lot with all the construction vehicles in there. This was a great hike and I always love a hike the pushes my comfort zones a bit more.
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