The invasion is set! I'm coming to Wa for a visit.
Discussion
5 replies
Posted by Jack Garrett on March 21, 2011 at 12:52 AM
Rocky Mountain is invading your territory in May. I am coming out from May 18-25 with 3 or 4 of my photographer buddies. We will be spending 5 days in the coastal/Columbia Gorge areas and 2 days in Palouse....so, I need your help and expertise. I'm familiar with Palouse but never been to these other areas. We want to get some awesome coastal areas and some good moss covered waterfall areas. I spoke with Chip Phillips and I'm thinking Elowah Falls, Oneonta falls, Metlako Falls. We were also thinking about maybe some large redwood forests if there are any around. And maybe a lighthouse or 2.
Will we be able to access these waterfalls in May and any directions to best shot locations of the above mentioned falls would be much appreciated. Will we see the neat mosses?
Any chance we can get a decent Rainer shot while we are at it.
Finally am I asking too much for 5 days? We plan on being on the go most of the time.
Thanks!!!
Posted by David Bostock on March 21, 2011 at 10:04 AM
Jack, welcome to the NW. For the Oregon coast, check out an old itinerary for a PNWNP event:
http://pacificnw.naturephotographers.net/events/oregoncoast2003.htm
For the falls, you'll have no problems getting to most of the falls...the one's Chip mentions involve hiking in...not too far...but there are also numerous falls by the road. It should be an excellent time...Feel free to ping me if you have any specific questions...
Posted by Dennis Plank on March 21, 2011 at 1:02 PM
Jack:
We don't have redwoods this far north, though the Douglas Firs and Western Hemlock can get pretty impressive. So far as I know, the best Old Growth that's easily accessible is the Olympic Peninsula, which is quite a side trip. The Hoh rainforest is awesome.
Probably worth pointing out that Falls requires crossing a log jam and some amount of wading through the creek. insure some of the folks visiting those fallsand the ask ca give you up to date information about the current state of things there.
Enjoy the beautiful PNW! I'm hoping to head out to the Palouse in May too. It's one of my favorite regions of the state. Don't forget some of the barns etc on the Idaho side too.
Posted by Greg Vaughn on March 24, 2011 at 1:14 PM
Jack,
May is a great time to photograph in the Gorge. Waterfalls have good flow and the foliage is in good shape. Moss is so vibrant green that people not familiar with it will look at your photos and think you overdid it with the Saturation slider. : ) The visitor center at Multnomah Falls has a really good, detailed map of the Columbia Gorge that shows the location of many of the waterfalls. End of May is a little late for the best wildflowers in the Gorge, but if it is a late season, you might still find some nice lupine et al at the higher elevations of Dog Mountain and Dalles Mountain Road on the Washington side.
From Hood River Valley and across the river from the city of Hood River, you'll find some great views of Mount Hood. The road to Lost Lake from Hood River might be open by then, for another classic Hood view.
Not sure from your post what part of the coast you're planning on visiting. Cannon Beach area is a photographer's favorite. Except for the Cape Meares light near Tillamook, you'll have to go quite a bit further south for lighthouses (but you'll also get a lot of dramatic coast).
If you're thinking of Washington coast, their are two lighthouses at Cape Disappointment State Park, one right at the mouth of the Columbia River. Best Washington coast otherwise is definitely the Olympic National Park area - Ruby, Rialto and Second Beaches are all great. As Dennis mentioned, Hoh Rainforest at ONP is excellent for old-growth forest. Lake Quinault area also. May is a good time for old-growth forests, but keep in mind these are temperate rainforests, so you're likely to get wet.
With a lot of driving for limited views, you could get some shots of Mount Rainier, although it's not the best time to visit there - too early for flowers and some of the roads still closed by snow. On the southeast side near Ohanapecosh you could do old-growth forests at Grove of the Patriarchs, some nearby waterfalls, and up to Chinook Pass for a great view of The Mountain from Tipsoo Lake. On the southwest side, the road is open up to Paradise and there are a few nice views from Longmire and a couple of lookout points further up.
En route between the Palouse and the Gorge, you might want to check out Palouse Falls.
You're going to see some nice stuff!
Posted by Jack Garrett on March 25, 2011 at 4:35 PM
Thanks for the input everyone. We just decided to extend our trip to 9 days so we can have more flexibility.
Greg: We shot Palouse falls last fall and it was a great place, although I was too chicken to go to the edge and get the classic shot like Chip Phillips has. I'm gonna try to muster up the courage this spring!
Graham: any ideas on what roads to take for the barns? Does this log jam block the way to most of the falls I listed in my post?
Discussion
5 repliesWill we be able to access these waterfalls in May and any directions to best shot locations of the above mentioned falls would be much appreciated. Will we see the neat mosses?
Any chance we can get a decent Rainer shot while we are at it.
Finally am I asking too much for 5 days? We plan on being on the go most of the time.
Thanks!!!
http://pacificnw.naturephotographers.net/events/oregoncoast2003.htm
For the falls, you'll have no problems getting to most of the falls...the one's Chip mentions involve hiking in...not too far...but there are also numerous falls by the road. It should be an excellent time...Feel free to ping me if you have any specific questions...
We don't have redwoods this far north, though the Douglas Firs and Western Hemlock can get pretty impressive. So far as I know, the best Old Growth that's easily accessible is the Olympic Peninsula, which is quite a side trip. The Hoh rainforest is awesome.
Enjoy the beautiful PNW! I'm hoping to head out to the Palouse in May too. It's one of my favorite regions of the state. Don't forget some of the barns etc on the Idaho side too.
May is a great time to photograph in the Gorge. Waterfalls have good flow and the foliage is in good shape. Moss is so vibrant green that people not familiar with it will look at your photos and think you overdid it with the Saturation slider. : ) The visitor center at Multnomah Falls has a really good, detailed map of the Columbia Gorge that shows the location of many of the waterfalls. End of May is a little late for the best wildflowers in the Gorge, but if it is a late season, you might still find some nice lupine et al at the higher elevations of Dog Mountain and Dalles Mountain Road on the Washington side.
From Hood River Valley and across the river from the city of Hood River, you'll find some great views of Mount Hood. The road to Lost Lake from Hood River might be open by then, for another classic Hood view.
Not sure from your post what part of the coast you're planning on visiting. Cannon Beach area is a photographer's favorite. Except for the Cape Meares light near Tillamook, you'll have to go quite a bit further south for lighthouses (but you'll also get a lot of dramatic coast).
If you're thinking of Washington coast, their are two lighthouses at Cape Disappointment State Park, one right at the mouth of the Columbia River. Best Washington coast otherwise is definitely the Olympic National Park area - Ruby, Rialto and Second Beaches are all great. As Dennis mentioned, Hoh Rainforest at ONP is excellent for old-growth forest. Lake Quinault area also. May is a good time for old-growth forests, but keep in mind these are temperate rainforests, so you're likely to get wet.
With a lot of driving for limited views, you could get some shots of Mount Rainier, although it's not the best time to visit there - too early for flowers and some of the roads still closed by snow. On the southeast side near Ohanapecosh you could do old-growth forests at Grove of the Patriarchs, some nearby waterfalls, and up to Chinook Pass for a great view of The Mountain from Tipsoo Lake. On the southwest side, the road is open up to Paradise and there are a few nice views from Longmire and a couple of lookout points further up.
En route between the Palouse and the Gorge, you might want to check out Palouse Falls.
You're going to see some nice stuff!
Greg: We shot Palouse falls last fall and it was a great place, although I was too chicken to go to the edge and get the classic shot like Chip Phillips has. I'm gonna try to muster up the courage this spring!
Graham: any ideas on what roads to take for the barns? Does this log jam block the way to most of the falls I listed in my post?