Ring in the Fourth at Liberty Bell

 

What comes to mind when you hear the phrase Liberty Bell?

This time of year especially the chances are you think of a cracked patriotic bell in Philadelphia.

But in Washington State it takes on a different meaning as a jagged mountain on the North Cascades Highway.

The northern portion of the Liberty Bell Massif series of peaks is bell shaped with a giant crack in it and thus earns the name Liberty Bell Mountain.

The massif as a whole resembles a cathedral or castle, and it towers above Washington Pass on Highway 20, with the best place to view it being the Washington Pass Overlook.

It is part way up the massif but out a ways, presenting a view of the east side of the mostly north-south running ridgeline.

Liberty Bell is the tallest point on the right as viewed from the overlook, standing at 7,720 feet above sea level.

The Early Winters Spires South stands out like a lookout tower on the left side, with the Concord Buttress in between.

The Liberty Bell Massif can be seen from miles away at the head of the Methow Valley, with the overlook also offering a view down toward Mazama and Winthrop.

It can also be seen from the west including from places in the Skagit Valley, but the best way to see it -- and all of the North Cascades for that matter -- is from the east going west.

The Washington Pass Overlook is at the end of a short pull off road and features a wide parking area and a short walk through alpine firs to the viewpoint.

The granite massif also stands like a lure for adventurous climbers, with the top of the Liberty Bell portion not reached until 1946.

How to get there:

Liberty Bell and Washington Pass are located just east of North Cascades National Park on Highway 20.

They can be accessed from the east from the Methow Valley.  To get to Highway 20 and the valley take Highway 2 from Snohomish and Monroe just north of Seattle and head east, or take Highway 2 heading west out of Spokane.

Turn north on Highway 97 or 97A at Wenatchee until they converge in Chelan and keep going north to Highway 153, turning left onto it near Pateros.  This cutoff takes you to Highway 20 at Twisp, where you turn left to head west.

There are two more options from west to east off I-5.  You can take Highway 530 near Arlington and join Highway 20 in Rockport, where you take a right.

You can also hop directly onto Highway 20 further north at the Burlington exit, turning right.

Text and photos by Tim Clinton.

You can get married at Rocky Reach

The assignment seemed simple enough:  Take a picture of yourself in front of a dry Central Washington hill to prove you were over there.

But finding an interesting one is hard, and then it has to be in a place you can stop.

You can find both at Rocky Reach Dam Park just north of Wenatchee.

Huge basaltic rocks stick out among the dry grass on the hills overlooking the park that also features green grass, trees, Columbia River beachfront and the dam itself.

You can even get married under the wedding pergola if you so desire, but you have to bring your own minister or Justice of the Peace.

Use of the 17-acre park, and even the pergola, is free.

You can get out and visit the Rocky Reach Dam Discovery Center museum, and stroll onto the dam -- or into it on a tour.

If you are there at the right time fish can be observed working their way up the ladder that accompanies the dam run by the Chelan County Public Utility District, which also owns and operates the park.

Restrooms are available as are two picnic shelters with barbecue grills, a playground and horseshoe pits.

Rocky Reach Dam Park is open from March 1 through October 31 and has normal operating hours of 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., while the Discovery Center is open year round the same hours but only from Tuesday through Sunday.

Picnic shelter reservations are accepted beginning the first Monday of January each year by calling (509) 663-7522.

And what about the wedding pergola?

Reservations are accepted year round at (509) 661-4960.

How to get there:

Rocky Reach Dam Park is located seven miles north of Wenatchee on Highway 97A.

The address is 6151 SR97A (Mile post 203.71), Wenatchee, WA 98801.

The exit for Highway 97A off of U.S. Highway 2 is located just west of the Columbia River in the northern part of Wenatchee.  It is just before the Frances Farmer Bridge going east and just after it going west.

Text and photos by Tim Clinton.

Wallowa Lake has Swiss look

They don't call the Wallowa Lake area the Switzerland of the United States for nothing.

Mountains tower above and drop steeply into the large Northeast Oregon tarn, looking much like the Alps in the scenic European nation.

Wallowa Lake is hemmed in on three sides by the Wallowa Mountains, with the fourth side to the north of the glacial cirque valley dammed up by an ancient moraine of epic proportions.

The formation created by rocks and dirt falling off the end of a Pleistocene Age glacier stands at 1,210 feet high from the bottom of the lake to the top above it.

A small human made dam from 1917 helped increase the maximum depth of the lake some 30 feet to its current 299 feet with the average depth set at 161 feet.

The elongated 2.347 square mile lake boasts a length of 3.48 miles and it is 5,280 feet wide.

It is made up of almost pristine fresh and clear water, with some locals still drinking directly from it.

Recreational opportunities abound in the setting, with the easiest being a quick stop at Wallowa Lake County Park on the north end one mile south of the town of Joseph, which was named after the famed Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce tribe.

From here you can look across to the mountains, with the grassy and rocky moraine standing out to the left.

The park is for day use only and includes a few picnic tables and a boat ramp, from which anglers can set out in pursuit of sockeye salmon, Rainbow Trout, bull trout and lake trout.

Wallowa Lake County Park is also the launching point for a large annual fireworks show on the Fourth of July.

Among the mountains at the southern end of the lake that has a surface elevation of 4,372 feet is Wallowa Lake State Park.

Aside from a view looking back toward the north end of the lake and up at the mountains, this park has 121 full hookup camp sites and 88 tent sites from which you can get an even grander view at night.

Because of its elevation and its great distance from any light producing large cities, the sky is extra dark and brings out a countless array of the Milky Way Galaxy's stars as well as the visible planets of our solar system and other astronomical features.

Also available at the state park are a marina, a beach, two yurts to stay in, three group tent areas, hiker/biker camping, hot showers, toilets and a play area.

It also has picnic tables, including two group areas that can be reserved with one covered.

The state park runs one mile up the Wallowa River to the Little Alps day use area with one more group picnic setting nestled between the Wallowa's east and west forks.

Hikes into the Wallowa Mountains of the Eagle Cap Wilderness Area abound.

The state park is open all year, including for day use and camping.

In between the state and county parks on the east side of the lake you can find the start of a tram ride to the top of 8,150 foot Mount Howard with a stunning view well worth the extra time it takes -- plus a restaurant.

How to get there:

Take Highway 82 off of Interstate 84 in La Grande and head east on what is also known as the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway to the town of Joseph.  Take a right and head south on the Wallowa Lake Highway to the county park and on to the tramway base and the state park.

Call (800) 551-6949 for information on the state park with reservations available at (800) 452-5687.

For tram information, call (541) 432-5331 or look up info@wallowalaketramway.com.

The tram address is 59919 Wallowa Lake Highway, Joseph, OR 97846.

Text and photos by Tim Clinton.

Hells Canyon better than its name

What is the deepest canyon in North America?

Most people would say the Grand Canyon in Arizona, but actually it is Hells Canyon on the border between Oregon and Idaho -- by almost 2,000 feet.

Hells Canyon boasts a maximum depth of 7,913 feet to the maximum depth of 6,093 feet for the Grand Canyon.

Yet it is the Grand Canyon that is well traveled and in a national park, while Hells Canyon is little known, seldom visited and remote.

Grand Canyon is wider at 18 miles to the 10-mile width of Hells Canyon, and longer at a whopping 278 miles to the 125 miles of Hells Canyon.

But give Hells Canyon its due.

The Hells Canyon National Recreation Area has plenty of boating and rafting opportunities on the Snake River below, plus hiking and outstanding views from such places as the Hells Canyon Overlook on the Oregon side.

Hells Canyon is more tree and grass covered with rolling hills as viewed from the top, while the Grand Canyon has more exposed rock and a more dramatic drop.

How to get there:

The Hells Canyon Overlook can best be accessed on the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway, a group of roads in northeast Oregon that form a loop that can be made in less than a day.  Or, if you prefer, the loop can be broken up by either camping or staying in one of the small towns along the way.

Both ends of the loop start on Interstate 84 going southeast bound out of the Portland area (and Interstate 82 from Washington) or northwest bound out of Idaho.

Highway 82 starting in La Grande, Ore. makes up the northern portion of the loop and Highway 86 from just above Baker City, Ore. makes up the southern portion.

Follow the signs for the Hells Canyon Overlook off of Forest Service roads 39 and 3365 near Hells Canyon to make the connection between the two portions.

The closest sizeable towns are Enterprise, Ore. at 52 miles away in the north and Halfway, Ore. at 33 miles away in the south.

The address is NF-490, Imnaha, OR 97842.

The entire loop is 218.4 miles long.

Boat trips are accessed out of Lewiston, Idaho.

Text and photos by Tim Clinton.