Waters run deep at Lake Crescent

There is plenty of fun to be had on the surface of Lake Crescent.

You can go paddling and fishing on the water, swimming and hiking along the shore -- or sit on a park bench or a rock and take it all in.

But these waters definitely run deep.

Just how deep depends on whose survey you believe.

The United States Navy couldn't find the bottom with their instruments in the early 1960s.

A 1970 survey by Peninsula College students recorded 624 feet.

When power cable was laid in the 1980s, on the other hand, the readings came out in excess of 1,000 feet.

But the thorough Lake Crescent Bathymetric Survey in 2013 and 2014 found the maximum depth to be 596 feet.

Whichever the actual case may be, it is deep, as attested to by the surrounding Olympic Mountains plunging almost straight down into the water.

Fallen trees with huge bases can be found going off into the depths with the tops not visible.

Another fact to ponder is that the surface elevation is 580 feet above sea level, meaning the bottom of the lake is below sea level.

While the lake is definitely deep, it is also long on surface area at 11.81 miles in length covering an area of 8.011 square miles. 

The bathymetric survey found the lake to contain 0.5 cubic miles of fresh water, with Barnes Creek, Smith Creek, Aurora Creek and Eagle Creek providing the primary inflow and the Lyre River the outflow.

Paddle boats are available on the beach at the Lake Crescent Lodge, which was built in 1915 and ranks as a three star hotel at an average cost of $192 per night.  There is also dock space, and benches to sit on.

The lake contains a wide variety of fish, with Beardslee trout, Lake Crescent cutthroat trout, Coastal cutthroat trout, rainbow trout and sockeye salmon.

But if you go out onto the water, wear a life jacket.  It's a long ways to the bottom.

How to get there:

Lake Crescent can be found 17 miles west of Port Angeles along U.S. Highway 101.

Lake Crescent Lodge is located at 416 Lake Crescent Rd., Port Angles, WA 98363 with a phone number of (855) 584-5293 .

The lake is entirely contained within Olympic National Park, which can be reached at (360) 565-3130, but no entrance fee is charged since it is on a major highway.

Text and photos by Tim Clinton.

Short hike leads to Sol Duc Falls

A quick stroll through a scenic woods will bring you to a spectacular waterfall.

Sol Duc Falls inside Washington's Olympic National Park is at its best in the spring as the runoff from winter turns the falls into a raging torrent.

It's a short one mile hike to the falls on a well-maintained trail with a gradual 200-foot elevation gain.

Several bridges along the way allow for great photo opportunities.  Then there is a bridge over the falls that is another great place to get epic photos of yourself and friends.

The Sol Duc River splits into as many as four small channels at the top of the falls before plunging 48 feet into a thin and rocky canyon.

If you are lucky, the sun shimmering down through a narrow opening in the woods onto the moisture rising up from the falls will even cause a rainbow to arch its way across the scene.

No, there won't be any pot of gold at either end, but the presence of the bow itself is a treasure.

How to get there:

The turn for Sol Duc Falls can be found 29 miles west of Port Angeles off U.S. Highway 101 on the northern Olympic Peninsula.

Turn on Sol Duc Road and drive 14 miles to the parking lot at its end, which is past the Sol Duc Hot Springs and Resort.

The price of entry into Olympic National Park is $25 for seven consecutive days or $50 for an annual pass.

Camping is available in the area with a permit, including 82 sites near the trailhead.  Quotas and reservations are in effect May 1 through Sept. 30 for the Sol Duc-Seven Lakes Basin area.

Call (360) 565-3130 for more information on Olympic National Park, the falls and camping or (855) 584-5293 for the resort and its cabins and pools.

Text and photos by Jeff Clinton.  Tim Clinton also contributed to this report.

 

Lighthouse awaits at the end of this hike

A hot summer day with a cool breeze blowing off the water is the perfect time to hike out to the New Dungeness Lighthouse.

It's an 11-mile round trip hike that is easiest when the tide is lowest.

Starting your hike around an hour before lowest tide will provide the best walking conditions.  The entire hike is on sand and the further out the tide, the firmer the sand will be for walking.

The Dungeness Spit is the longest natural spit in the world and at its end is the New Dungeness Lighthouse.

There are plenty of birds to see along the way, and there is a good chance you will see eagles.

In fact, your hike must be taken on the Strait of Juan de Fuca outward side of the spit because the inner side toward Dungeness Bay and the Olympic Mountains is a wildlife sanctuary.

More than 250 species of birds and 41 species of land animals call the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge home.

The lighthouse has tours available.

The 63-foot tall lighthouse made of brick, stucco and sandstone first opened in 1857 and was automated in 1976.  It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 30, 1993.

There is a beautiful green lawn at the lighthouse that provides a perfect place to rest after the long hike.  There are also a few picnic tables and a clean restroom available, plus a drinking fountain fed by an artesian well.

Allow a little over four hours to complete the round trip on top of whatever stops you make.

The spit itself grows an average of 15 feet in length per year and is fed by landslides on the lengthy bluff west of it, which is a glacial moraine left over from the last ice age.

New Dungeness was named by British explorer George Vancouver in 1792 because of its resemblance to the Dungeness headland on the British Channel in England.

How to get there:

From US Highway 101 west of Sequim, Washington turn north on Kitchen-Dick Road.

Continue three miles on Kitchen-Dick Road to the Dungeness Recreation Area.

You go through the recreation area to the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge parking lot.

The hike starts off going through a forested area on a bluff overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  You pay a $3 entrance fee at the trailhead.

Call (360) 683-6638 for more information.

Text and photos by Jeff Clinton.  Tim Clinton also contributed to this report. 

Wildlife Safari offers options

You have wonderful options when you visit Wildlife Safari near Roseburg, Ore.

You can wander around Safari Village on foot among the flamingos and under the palm trees, view exotic ducks up close, visit small zoo animals, and go into the shop.

You could also wander around in your vehicle on the Wildlife Safari Drive if you have time, through free roaming wildlife from around the world, including Africa.

Or you can do both.

A total of 600 animals roam a 610-acre park, giving them over one acre apiece.

The drive through safari is divided into four areas, with Asia getting the first section you come to, the Americas the second, wetlands the third and Africa saved for last.

Plus there are extras thrown in, such as the Australian emu.

The Asia section includes the Tibetan Yak, Sika Deer, Nilgai and Asian Elephant and the Americas have the Llama, American Bison, Brown Bear and North American Black Bear.  The wetlands include restrooms and a sheltered picnic area, and the Africa section contains the African Elephant, Hippopotamus, Rhino, Zebra and Giraffe.

The carnivores lurk in a separate area, such as the African Lion and Cheetah.

All of these can be seen from the safety of your own car on a trip that you should allow an hour and a half to complete.

The Wildlife Safari Drive costs $23.95 per adult, $17.95 for children and $20.95 for senior adults.

But don't bring your own animals to either the Safari Village or on the Wildlife Safari Drive.  A free unsupervised kennel area is available, with locks sold for $5.00.

Both areas are open year round except for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The hours for November to March are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. both for the Safari Village and with the last car admitted onto Wildlife Safari Drive.  The hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for March after Daylight Savings Time through September and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in October.

How to get there:

Take exit 120 off Interstate-5 going south or north and drive west on Highway 42, which is a right turn going south and a left turn going north.

The exit is located just south of Roseburg and Green.

Take a short drive to near the town of Winston, and follow the signs for Wildlife Safari, taking a right turn.

Wildlife Safari is located at 1790 Safari Road, Winston, OR 97496.

Call (541) 679-6761 for more information.

Text and photos by Tim Clinton.

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Oregon Trail celebrated at Center

You can really feel like you are stepping back in time at the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center near Baker City in northeast Oregon.

Wagons are circled on top of a lonesome hill surrounded by sage brush and wild flowers, and even the modern museum is full of lifelike scenes of being on the trail heading west in the 1800s.

A short distance away from it all across the desert you can see the actual ruts left over from the wagons, and you can step in display ruts inside the museum.

The 500 acre site also boasts remnants of the Flagstaff Gold Mine complete with a sluice box, plus a blacksmith shop, stamp mill, native plant garden, a picnic area and an outdoor amphitheater.

Four miles of trails loop around the site.  Plan on a two hour walk to the ruts and back from the Interpretive Center museum, but remember that the historic trail is fragile and take care not to damage it.

The trail was used from the 1840s to the 1880s and ran 2,170 miles starting in Independence, Missouri. 

The 23,000 square foot Center museum and restrooms are normally open year round but are temporarily closed for building renovations.  You can still plan your visit for this spring, summer or fall, or see the outside portions even this winter although the trails are not cleared of ice and snow.

It is well worth the side trip off Interstate 84 heading either southeast to Boise, Idaho or northeast to LaGrande, Pendleton, the Portland area or the state of Washington.

How to get there:

Take the Highway 86 exit (No. 302) off Interstate 84 just north of Baker City, Oregon and head east a few miles across the desert until you come to the signs for the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center.

When you are done you can either return to Interstate 84 and be on your way, or continue east on Highway 86 for the start of the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway and spend at least a day on that.

The Center's address is 22267 OR-86, Baker City, Ore. 97814.

Call (541) 523-1843 for more information or find oregontrail.blm.gov on the web.

Text and photos by Tim Clinton.