I need to go somewhere this weekend. Probably can't leave until Saturday afternoon but will probably take Monday off.

Looking for either a good place to fly to in the oregon/washington area, preferably oregon, and enjoy hot springs or a good place for some good hiking (both even better), possibly a backpack and return the next day. Now, I know a lot of you pilot guys are quite content to fly in and munch donuts at the side of the strip all weekend long. I'm looking for a few more calorie burners than that. 10-15 miles RT or one way with a backpack would be great.

I've thought about the alvord but a good bike would make the steens more accessible and it might still be wet there.
Paddling around the Owyhee could be fun. Hot springs are a bit far by inflatable kayak.
Little Goose dam for paddling, perhaps would be okay. Could try visiting the farm but I don't think the wheat has been harvested yet.
Anything good around Tokatee? McKenzie?

Leaving from the PDX area. Suggestions?

Schafer Meadows. Hike to Scott and/or Flotilla Lakes. 5.5 miles to Scott and another 1/2 mile to Flotilla. Well marked trails.

Bonanza Man wrote:Schafer Meadows. Hike to Scott and/or Flotilla Lakes. 5.5 miles to Scott and another 1/2 mile to Flotilla. Well marked trails.

Thanks. May be a little farther than I want to go for a weekend but I'll keep that in mind.

There's a trail easily accesible from Ranger Creek called Skookum Flats, you could hike or mountain bike. Its not too far from Vancouver either.

I think Toketee would be a good bet. I stopped in there on July 3rd. Nice strip, with lots of nearby trails. I believe there is a short hike to Toketee Falls and hot springs, with lots of decent longer hikes in the area. Call the diamond lake ranger station and ask to talk to the guy who manages the airstrip. I forget his name but he is a wealth of information and good point you in the right direction. There is a campground on the strip. plus Crater Lake is nearby to fly over. Columbia Helicopters was heli logging nearby when I was there, not sure if thats still the case.

Diamond Lake Ranger District
2020 Toketee Ranger Station Road
Idleyld Park, OR 97447
(541) 498-2531


http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/umpqua/index.shtml

GroundLooper, Little Goose will be scorching hot this time of year, plus it's humid by the river. I'd head for the high ground.

If you're looking for a strenuous hike, here's one I've wanted to try. Fly in to Joseph, OR, and hike up into the Eagle Cap Wilderness in the Wallowas. I've flown over it many times, and I think there is no finer alpine wilderness in Oregon. Ideally, you would find someone in Joseph to take you up to one of the trailheads. The closest one is Hurricane Creek trailhead, and it's about four or five miles from the airport.

Excellent suggestions.

I'll give the Ranger a call.

Anyone know if Minam or Reds has dried out enough yet?

Ranger creek wins this time.

Talked to the ranger about tokatee. Not much for hiking in the area. Probably good hunting place.

Eagle caps are a must sometime. Lost river (mazama) has some good potential too.

Have fun and let us know how it goes.

I know some people who've done some hiking after flying in to Stehekin. If nothing else, head up-river toward Cascade Pass.

I was discussing this topic with someone else, and he suggested a place that I had forgotten about, due to the fact that I only pay attention to the more primitive sites.

If you fly into McKenzie Bridge, there is a hot springs resort about a mile and a half up the road.
http://www.belknaphotsprings.com/

Then, you can get someone there to drive you up to the Three Sisters Wilderness about 20 miles away to go hiking.

I thought about Stehekin but, having just been there, I was reluctant to go back just yet. Good place though.

Rides from Belknap would be pretty nice. I really need to get that bike though. It'll make a lot more place accessible without having to rely on transportation being available.
Dang airplanes. It's not the cost of the mistress but all the accessories that go with her!

I noticed quite a few more TFR's popping up. Airshows, fires, etc. TFR season is here. Be sure to be more diligent and check those and other NOTAMS.

Fly safe and fly fun... at least fly fun.

GroundLooper wrote:Excellent suggestions.

I'll give the Ranger a call.

Anyone know if Minam or Reds has dried out enough yet?

Yes they are both good to go. I was into the Minam last Sunday, and when I left I hopped the fence over to Reds and took off there. Someone has mowed the strip at Reds. and the strip is not to bad. There is a grove in the middle if you have a trike like I do. ( I know all about that part, so I don't need further scolding about not flying a real airplane). I have 835 hours in a tail dragger as my first plane was a 170B.

Every time I check this thread I'm struck by the beauty of the photo (of Eagle Cap?) -- just awesome.

Ranger Creek was fantastic. I'll get some photos posted soon. Marine layer not so fantastic, particularly getting back.

Flew out to Willapa for the Oyster Feed and tried them for the first time. Glad they were cooked! They're a lot like clams. Then off to Copalis. Tide was up but enough beach to land. Whoop! Had to go around twice before I could land as people decided to wander out onto the runway and hang around in the zone. I wasn't aggressive chasing them off as I've heard others have done but they did finally move. A Luscombe came in behind.

Wasn't until 6 that we were finally able to head to Ranger. It worked out well, the winds were mostly calm and it was good smooth air by the time we arrived. The Claw tie downs worked really well. Much better than the screw in type I tried last year which didn't work at all. Saw a green and white stol kit 150 when we landed. Same one I saw last year. What a coincidence, I thought until a ranger told me he comes in every weekend, picks up trash, and hauls it out.

Tons of people but the noise level was fine. Much different than Tieton. If it was a grass strip, it would be an excellent place for a BCP fly-out instead of just a darned good place. The hiking and scenery were top notch, around 14 miles with about 4000' of gain. Most of the people had left by the time we got back. Naches tavern in Greenwater is a good place to refill. It helps to have someone along who drives in. It's only about a 15 minute drive at 55 but the hiking time might take smidge longer.

It was clear as a bell at Ranger in the morning. I was able to barely get cell service. WX-Brief reported marine layer not likely to break up until after 1:00 (was about 2). We boogied it out of ranger before it got hot and headed down to hood river hoping to sneak through the gorge. Winds were 16 gusting to 24, much higher than I wanted for flying low through the gorge. Cascade locks also reporting strong winds. TTD reporting relatively calm. We had lunch at Twin Peaks cafe near the airport then sat around waiting for the clouds to break. Finally Scappoose reported clear and the Sat images showed progressive clearing so off we went. I climbed high, over the layer, then dropped into Scappoose. Just needed to load up the car and shuttle my buddy back to Chehalis then home. Long day, left at 9am and got home at 7pm.

Copalis. First landing


Rainier


Valley to Ranger Creek


Happy Camp




Naked Swimmer Lake


Scrambling bro.






Noble Knob summit the easy way.


Clouds fill valley to the west


Ranger Creek Airstrip





Mt. Adams Eagle


Mt. Adams South Ridge Route


Sea of clouds


Hike Route

Nice! Looks like you guys had a good time.

robw56 wrote:Nice! Looks like you guys had a good time.

Had a great time. Took my old friend and hiking buddy, Curtis, up for his first plane ride. While I was tying down he was chatting with one of the campers. "Yeah, I could see the passenger had this really huge smile on his face and the pilot looked really serious."

hotrod150 wrote:Every time I check this thread I'm struck by the beauty of the photo (of Eagle Cap?) -- just awesome.

That's the aptly named Mirror Lake, one of over 50 alpine lakes in the Eagle Cap Wilderness. It must be incredibly sheltered from the wind. I haven't been to it yet, but it looks pretty much like a mirror in many of the photos I've seen of it.
45.178, -117.310

Mt. Adams Eagle


I grew up in Yakima. People always said that was a horse on the east flank of Mt. Adams. I think I like the Eagle better.

We drove in to yakima from the north today. Coming down the hill into East Selah we got a good view of Mt. Adams. Definetly an Eagle.