Hiking Beacon Rock State Park
Sep. 11th, 2022 10:32 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerPacific Northwest September Travelog #14
Stevenson, WA - Mon, 5 Sep 2022, 12pm
My plan for Monday was a simple two-fer before having to head to the airport and home. After hiking Panther Creek Falls (previous blog) we'd stop by Beacon Rock State Park on the way back west, where there are a few nice waterfalls. When we got to the park, though, we found there are more than a couple of waterfalls to see.
We set out on the trail to Hamilton Mountain. The falls are closer than the summit of the mountain, so we won't be going all the way up there today. We don't have time. But even hiking to the falls we've climbed pretty far above the Columbia River.
This photo (above) is a distance view of the Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River. Mountains on the Oregon side of the river are in the background. The color tone is weird because I took this photo at some distance— the dam is literally miles away— on a warm day. Warm air distorts colors.
After walking a ways on the exposed flank of the mountain we darted into a ravine where there are a few falls.
The first falls we saw was Hardy Falls. ...Yeah, I guess it's hardy for flowing at all in September. It doesn't have glacial melt from 13,000' to feed it like Panther Creek Falls. I'll bet this one is way more substantial in April.
So far so good, but there's plenty more to come! Update: Keep reading for Rodney Falls and The Pool of the Winds!
Stevenson, WA - Mon, 5 Sep 2022, 12pm
My plan for Monday was a simple two-fer before having to head to the airport and home. After hiking Panther Creek Falls (previous blog) we'd stop by Beacon Rock State Park on the way back west, where there are a few nice waterfalls. When we got to the park, though, we found there are more than a couple of waterfalls to see.
We set out on the trail to Hamilton Mountain. The falls are closer than the summit of the mountain, so we won't be going all the way up there today. We don't have time. But even hiking to the falls we've climbed pretty far above the Columbia River.
This photo (above) is a distance view of the Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River. Mountains on the Oregon side of the river are in the background. The color tone is weird because I took this photo at some distance— the dam is literally miles away— on a warm day. Warm air distorts colors.
After walking a ways on the exposed flank of the mountain we darted into a ravine where there are a few falls.
The first falls we saw was Hardy Falls. ...Yeah, I guess it's hardy for flowing at all in September. It doesn't have glacial melt from 13,000' to feed it like Panther Creek Falls. I'll bet this one is way more substantial in April.
So far so good, but there's plenty more to come! Update: Keep reading for Rodney Falls and The Pool of the Winds!
