Vacation Ideas Sought for Eastern WA and/or north Eastern Oregon

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Leia

Leia

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Staff member
We will be out exploring eastern Washington and/or north eastern Oregon in August. (I miss my prior native wide open desert so George is humoring me).

Things we enjoy are:
  • railfanning (which we will be doing on several days up/down the gorge)
  • camping in not so crowded camping areas
  • hiking
  • scenic photography
  • fossil/gem/mineral collecting
  • wildlife photography

If you can suggest any places that you know of that might interest us, please share. I have not yet been east more than maybe 30-45 minutes east from Maryhill yet.

If there is somewhere in southwestern Idaho that is a must see, please share that as well.

Does anyone know of the eastern sides get august monsoon activity like the California deserts?
 
NE Oregon

Enterprise, Wallowa Lake and Eagle Cap Wilderness - Hike up the Lostine Valley to Mirror Lake (a very long day hike or camp there with a permit) Great photos in the general area and on the way from farms to mountains. You also can go to Imnaha and Medicine Hat to overlook the Snake River. There is also plenty to see and photograph on the way to the Wallowas.

While visiting there last year I heard about the Nature Conservancy's Zumwalt Prairie but did not get a chance to visit

John Day Fossil Beds which include the Painted Hills, may a bit hot that time of the year but that is nice too.

Eastern Oregon does not get a "monsoon" season like the SW desert but it can have thunderstorms and flash flooding in August with a risk of forest fires.
 
Almost forgot the Palouse country in Eastern WA

This is a beautiful area for rolling fields of wheat, farm houses and blue sky. You might try googling or check flickr.com for images.
 
YAY!!!

I don't mind hot. In fact, I still haven't acclimated from the California desert I moved from where shade temps are over 110 and I would be found hiking hills looking for rocks fossils. I took a friend out once and the night temp was 118 when we stopped for gas in Baker after a day collecting opals just south of Death Valley in direct sunlight.

Here in East Washington, I am wearing sweaters, sleeping with an electric blanket (still on levels 2 through 4), while everyone else is kicking off covers and wearing shorts and tanks. I MISS Hot.

Those sites all sound great....I will start mapping out and researching those.

Thanks SO much Janice and Jake. :D:p:)
 
East WA ideas...

The dry falls/soap lake area is gorgeous (Grant County)...If you are headed way east and south the Palouse is great and Palouse falls can be breath-taking!!!
 
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Jake, we were looking at maps and it seems that area is HUGE. Which area is that scene from? It is out of this world and I want to see it when we are out.

Mike, I have two of those links at work...(as a wa.gov employee) and to be honest, hadn't really looked into either for the east side. I will tomorrow.

Barb, we will look into that as well. Breath taking is good. :)
 
Thank you Jake. We ARE including that for our vacation. Brilliant idea and I can't wait.
 
I just returned from Painted Hills yesterday and had a great time. Sunset is best. They did not have any gates that I saw and I left at dusk. Here's a few pics. I took so many pics. In the Fossil Hills Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds Nat. Mon. that I have not had a chance to process all my favorites yet.

The trip from the Dalles is made of ever changing scenery too. If you decide to go there and take that right route you can have photo ops all along the way of farms and ranches. Also there is Sherers Bridge where the Indains have fishing platforms over the Deschutes, Shaniko and the Clarno Unit of the monument too. Clarno and the Painted Hills units by themselves are pretty small. I did not make it to the Sheeprock unit since it was limited to just an overnighter for me.

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JaniceL said:
I'd love to. I'll do it sometime this weekend.
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Thanks...

Feel free to pretty much just say what you did here, the only difference will be that with the thread titled for the Painted Mountains, then folks will find it easier in the future. Also, that will encourage folks to add on their shots. My hope is that in a year or so we'll have a lot of those type threads, with good samples of what images you can get there.
 
YAY!!!!

Based soley on images we saw here in the PNW galleries, recommendations from this PNW thread, and our railfanning experiences, our reservations are made.

Thank you to all who share here!

1: East through the Gorge - Louterall Falls
2: South to John Day / Painted Hills /Prineville
3: South to Newbury National Volcanic Monunment cinder cone just because it is near
4: West to Oak Ridge for 2 nights (railfanning)
5: North up the Willamette Valley.

A lot squeezed into a few days. I can't wait. If anyone is familiar with our intended loop and knows of other must see's along the way. HOLLER! :)
 
Sounds like you have a great trip planned. If you stop in Portland and find time, check out Forest Park and the International Rose Gardens, Japanese Gardens and Pittock Mansion.

Can't wait to see photos.
 
"Mist" ified...

Leia said:
YAY!!!!

Based soley on images we saw here in the PNW galleries, recommendations from this PNW thread, and our railfanning experiences, our reservations are made.

Thank you to all who share here!

1: East through the Gorge - Louterall Falls
2: South to John Day / Painted Hills /Prineville
3: South to Newbury National Volcanic Monunment cinder cone just because it is near
4: West to Oak Ridge for 2 nights (railfanning)
5: North up the Willamette Valley.

A lot squeezed into a few days. I can't wait. If anyone is familiar with our intended loop and knows of other must see's along the way. HOLLER! :)
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Leia, about number 1, Louterall Falls? Is that a keyword for seeing them all? Whatever, don't miss Multnomah Falls on the Portland side of the River or the lesser known Oneonta Gorge and Falls a little further beyond on the old scenic road. Both are well worth your trouble. Course, they are close enough that you could save them for another time, too.

I see you will be coming North from Salem. Have you been to Silverton? Or Silver Falls? Those are East of Salem. Not far. Silverton is a quaint little town on the way to Silver Falls, a lovely State Park with ten falls in seven (walking) miles, the prime one being a beautiful curved fall right at the park entrance. If you have the time and energy left, this would be a nice side trip. Beautiful country. C.

P.S. I agree with Janice, don't miss the Japanese Gardens. But once again, they are closer. (Amtrak? ;) ) I would love to have your problem. :p
 
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It is a falls not far from Multnomah (which I have photographed). I got the idea from this lovely photo that Barbara Sharts took. it popped up in the random photo thumbs the other day and I fell in love with the scene. I like the rock formations behind the falls and I am assuming the water will be low enough in August to see a lot of the rock facing then.

Silver Falls sounds wonderful!!! I will look those up and see if we can fit that in too.


Janice, I live across the bridge from Portland and all I have seen so far is the Union Station, the Llyod Center Mall, and the book store/Jakes area of the Pearl District. I will have to see those parks and gardens some day. Maybe even before vacation since I am so close. ;)
 
Leia said:
Janice, I live across the bridge from Portland and all I have seen so far is the Union Station, the Llyod Center Mall, and the book store/Jakes area of the Pearl District. I will have to see those parks and gardens some day. Maybe even before vacation since I am so close. ;)
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Then save the Japanese Gardens for fall. It's beautiful all the time but I think fall is best. And there is just so many places to visit in PDX one thing at a time.

Have a great trip.
 
I know you said NE Oregon, but if you head south just a bit to Malheur NWR http://www.fws.gov/malheur/ and Steens Mountain Loop ... IT IS SOOOO WORTH THE TRIP

I only allowed a day from noon to sunset for this visit ... big mistake, I need to allow 2-3 nights there to fully explore & appreciate this area.

I've never been a lover of high desert, sagebrush etc ... but this place just changed my mind (pics when I get thru them)

let's just say I narrowly missed totalling my truck on a herd of antelope, saw bears, dear, and just about every bird you can imagine, including cranes & ibis, plus the sunset was absolutelly amazing from the 9500+ ft level !!!
 
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