The mailbox was there and full of alien mail as of Sept. 2019. A very very fun stop to leave the aliens a gift and love letter, and read what others have left!!!
I didn't think I would be interested in this at all, but we ended up whipping in a few minutes before everything closed and wow!!!! The view is just amazing and the enormity is mind blowing. A good place to stop and look, even if it's just to say you've been there.
This is not part of the Grand Canyon NP. This is private land, and they have tight control on it. You are able to drive as far as a parking lot, then there are guards and gates that require you to buy a $100 ticket to get past. We turned right around and wasted several hours of our day, because I didn't know better. If you want to zip line and do the walkway, and pay exorbitantly for it, then this is the place, but if that's not what you're looking for, beware!
So fun for adults too! Sledding is a must here! FYI the park opens at 7, but the gift shop doesn't open until 8 or 9. 2 adults spent a little over an hour here at 7 am, and honestly I could've stayed longer. There are some nice picnic areas available, and the roads are well maintained.
The most exciting memory from my 2 week long roadtrip around Oregon and Washington! Every stunning picture you've ever seen of this place is real! It looks exactly like that in real life!
The last 13 miles to Takhlakh Lake from Trout Lake are unpaved, dirt roads, and I think 15-20 miles of dirt roads from the lake to Randle as well. It wasn't too rough, but it is a very small, quite isolated dirt road going up a mountain, so it is a little nerve wracking. Have a safe car with good tires, and plenty of confidence, and you'll do fine!! Have a decent GPS or download offline maps from Google or Maps.me, because there are a few turns you'll need to take. Fill up your gas tank before you leave civilization!
Almost as soon as you turn onto 141 in White Salmon, you get an unobstructed view of Mt. Adams, with Mt. Hood in your rearview mirror. I couldn't believe how gorgeous the lake was, once I arrived. I figured all the pictures on Google were shot with professional cameras or tweaked on Photoshop, but no. You will be astounded that this place is real. I visited in September, and there was a couple in a boat, and two couples came and went without disturbing me There are sweet little ducks and very mischievous birds and chipmunks!!! I was having a picnic, and a huge black bird literally flew down and took a piece of my sandwich off of my plate. I dropped a piece of chicken on the ground, and 3 or 4 chipmunks came out of nowhere and fought over it, and then they didn't leave me alone the rest of the time I was there, going as far as to climb on my lap and try to get into my bags. There was a very loud hum of mosquitos, but I was not too bothered by them. They were not a problem at the picnic area, but once I started walking around the lake, they started to come out and buzz me.
If you're not planning on camping, I highly recommend carving out an entire day to drive there, stay there for a LONG time, and get back to civilization before it gets too dark. I only had 2 hours at the lake, and it was the most heartbreaking thing to have leave this wonderful place.
Check
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/giffordpinchot/recarea/?recid=31432
for road conditions and status of campground before you go. Also check weather conditions before going. I would not want to be on that dirt road in the rain!!
Wonderful place to be. I initially planned to hike every trail and see every waterfall here, but after sitting down and having a picnic on the shores of Lake Quinault, I just didn't want to leave! I laid on my blanket for 2 hours just being in silence and solitude. I was there Labor Day weekend and only saw 2 or 3 people there.
Visited again, 4 years after my first 3 star review of this place. Parking was nuts. People were throwing their 40 foot rvs into reverse on the interstate access road like that is a thing normal people do, kids were running out in the street, cars were parked along both sides of the road. Once we finally got parked, we opened the car doors and the smell of cow manure was so strong, we didn't dare even get out of the car.
Fun little trail. You get to see lots of very cool stages of life and death in nature. Quite crowded! Well maintained roads leading into the park, and its a very busy area! I was hoping to find a quiet secluded area off the trail to be alone, but had no luck here. I was also quite concerned about facing a bumpy dirt road in the middle of nowhere, but was very pleasantly surprised! Would recommend this area!
BEAUTIFUL AND FASCINATING!!!! It is literally unbelievable how clear and blue the water is. There are a few pull outs for you to park and take pictures along the highway, but I would highly recommend stopping and spending some time at the Lake Crescent pier near the Storm King Ranger station.
Submitting an honest review for all of the people who are in less than perfect health and fitness or differently abled. I've got a bad hip and knees, and am a little heavy, but can crush a 6 mile hike on flat ground. This hike is TOUGH. It's a little over a mile and a half round trip, but there are lots of big steep steps and small hills, as well as big tree roots and rocks you have to be careful not to trip on. I wanted to stop and cry like 6 times on this walk. About a third of the way in, I was cursing my friend who described it as easy. After all of that, the waterfall was hard to care about it. It's a cool looking waterfall. Just like every other cool looking waterfall in the world.
There is a stop on Sol Duc Hot Springs Road called Salmon Cascades. It is just as beautiful and just as fun, and is easily accessible from the parking lot. If I could do it all over again, I would skip the hike to the falls, and just have fun at the Salmon Cascades and save myself the pain and trouble!