Lake 22 - Perfect Reflection

Lake 22, located on Mt. Pilchuck east of Everett, is a truly fantastic day hike. The trail head has a small parking lot. We reached around 12 and the parking was full. The cars were parked even on the main road. We waited for some time and got a parking. The trail head also has rest rooms just in case you wanna start fresh (as there are no restroom, water source on the trail). This hike is around 5 .5 miles round trip. As the WTA site says it good for kids, so i brought my 3.5 year son too. 

The trail starts flat and seems good. The trail winds gradually uphill most of the way. There's a nice variety of landscapes too in the shady pine forests. The trail most of the time follows the course of a river (you will come across many beautiful waterfalls, and even a beaver dam when we were there). After a mile or so you will come across the rocky part of the trip which spans for around quarter mile (my son had a hard time crossing it). 

Once you cross the rocky part, you will cross a little wooden bridge and everything opens up to the lake. It's BEAUTIFUL and the water is surprisingly warm. An ultimate Gods creation - crystal clear Lake 22 surrounded by mountains. The water is so clear and still, you will have the perfect reflection. Nice photographic place with the backdrop of mountains having multiple waterfalls (6). Though there was lot of snow on the board walk, but you can still walk and reach out to the far end points of the boardwalk towards the foothill. 

It took us about 3 hours to hike up to the lake and about half the time to get back down. We took our time and stopped a lot for pictures. So, I would think it may take about an hour less for faster hikers to get to the top. 

Definitely a place I would love to go back to again.

Notes: 

- Bugs are there so Bugspray is recommended

- No water source in the trail so carry water.

- Will not recommend for small kids, they can be at backpack.

- Carry a Forest Pass (you can buy the pass from the Verlot Public Service Center or any REI)

- The final 100 yards was all snow even in July so poles will be nice to carry along.

Driving Directions: 

From Granite Falls follow the Mountain Loop Highway east for 11 miles to the Verlot Public Service Center, Proceed 2 more miles to the trailhead, on your right (elev. 1050ft)

Bridal Veil Falls, WA

Nice hike to a amazing falls.

We started around 12 PM, the parking lot was all full. As per WTA this is a kids friendly hike, so i bought my little one who is three and half too. The hike starts in shade and climbs very fast to around 2000+ft. I heard there were around 23 switchbacks, so was sort of prepared for them. 


As the trail starts there are a lot of stairs, uneven ground but not too bad that it cant be hiked. 


The hike is 5.2 miles round trip, which was bit long for my son. The hike has something for everyone. You can go to the falls and the lake. After around 2 miles you will see a directions board, you will have to decide if you want to see the Lake Serene or the Falls. We went only to the falls, but like I said its really worth it. If you chose one or the other (I can't say anything about the Lake) but go to the falls.The falls are pretty, the views across the valley are pretty, and the stairs will put you just below the falls which is awesome.

As such there is not many places to sit and relax or have food near the falls. But we somehow crossed the water stream to the other side to the dry rock and had our lunch enjoying the valley view. If you have trekking poles they'll come in handy but they're totally not necessary. This hike requires a NW Forest Pass.


Driving Directions:
To get to the trailhead, travel east on Highway 2 (paved) from Monroe, WA. At milepost 35.2, about 21 miles east of Monroe, turn right onto Mount Index Road (Forest Road 6020 - gravel). Travel 0.3 mile on Forest Road 6020 and branch right onto Forest Road 6020-109 (gravel). The trailhead parking is just ahead. The junction is signed. Forest roads 6020 and 6020-109 are both passable to any passenger vehicle. A Northwest Forest Pass is required to park at the trailhead. There are two outhouses in the parking area, elevation: 600 feet.

Palouse Falls, WA

If you're in Walla Walla for a Balloon Stampede weekend, please take the time to drive to Palouse Falls. It's totally worth it!

Its around 1 hour drive from Walla Walla to Palouse Falls State Park and around 4hrs east of Seattle, driving pass through Snowqualmie Pass mountains. The drive towards the state park is very beautiful.The drive is stunning, especially in spring, when you'll drive through emerald green onion fields that look exactly like a real life version of Microsoft's XP's default wallpaper.

The falls are surrounded by grassy Palouse hills for miles. You will not be able to see the falls or the Canyons till you actually reach the State Park.  Out in the middle of no where, really no where, there is a waterfall you can see! You park your car and walk down a few step and there it is, in all it's beauty. It was really busy the day we visited, and hot too. We walked some of the upper trails, took some pics and left. I'd love to hike down to the river bank and check out the water some time. We did see few people swimming and enjoying the sun on the bank of the accumulated water just near the mouth off the falls - Scary but amazing.There are picnic tables and outbuildings, no plumbing, no sinks. This park is truly a hidden gem of Eastern Washington!!

Note: 

- If traveling with small children, be careful of the cliffsides since most of the area is not fenced and you can fall over the edge down to the riverbank.

- you will need a Washington state Discovery pass. If you forgot, font worry Rangers will help you on that 10$ CASH ONLY

-Wear a hat and sunscreen; we found the sun to be relentless, even though the temperature was a mere 73 degree

- For any of you interested in Camping, this place does have camping sites. Camps here cannot be booked online and need to be booked in Person.

Walla Walla Balloon Stampede

One of the best trips we made this summer is to the Walla Walla Baloon Stampede. The festival happens once a year in May. The festival is a 3 day event. We made it on the Saturday afternoon after a 4hr long drive from Seattle.

We planned to see the night glow event which happens on all the event nights. When we reached around 5.30, the carnival was in full swing, live bands were playing continuous music on the main stage and loads of people trying to secure the place on the stadium benches. After the dust the show started and it was spectacular. I counted and there were at least 10+ balloons that started getting bigger and began to glow. The stadium lights were switched off and the balloons were like big lanterns. That's what they call as Night Glow event. After a nice dinner at the event place we stayed at a hotel for that night. 

Next event was to see the balloon launch in the morning. I will say that the website is completely honest when they say launch is at 6:30 A.M. I would even say, get there well before that time. It's probably more busy during the first two days so the parking lots are probably more crowded. The last day, they only due the balloon launch and then a huge pancake breakfast for all the guests and volunteers. Guests are encouraged to leave a small donation for the pancake breakfast. Honestly, where can you go to such a super event that is practically all free. Free parking, Free admission. 

I know....I know....you're probably saying 6:30 A.M. Be serious! But, I believe that time is the best time to launch the balloons as it's not too hot and the winds aren't normally too high. There were a few balloons that were unable to launch due to the winds picking up a little. I drove all the way from Lacey too see this and it was well worth the trip. It took about 45 mins to launch all the balloons. It probably takes a little bit longer during the first two days. 

Once they get full of hot air, those balloons are up up and away very quickly. I like that you can walk right out onto the field and get super close to the balloons, even touch them. There are huge fueled flame blowers that shoot out flames at least 15 ft long into the bellies of the air balloon beasts. But wow! is the whole process spectacular. It's so beautiful to watch the whole process of taking the balloon out of the bag, the rolled them out carefully, then turn on the fan and fill them with regular air, then turn on the gas and fire up the torch, then stand the basket upright based on the hot air pulling the balloon upright in to place, then air a little more hot are and up up and awayyyyy! 

Check out the official site http://www.wwvchamber.com/pages/WallaWallaBalloonStampede for details.

Breathtaking, stunning, natural - a real treat Ruby Beach!

If you want to take your family to a beach this is one the good options. Checkout the Ruby beach, Olympic National Park, Washington. This is an very nice place to visit. You can spend hours of your day just walking the beach viewing the amazing view of the ocean. Planning is suggested, as tides can be dangerous and you don't want to hike out further than you can return before the tides trap you.

Ruby Beach is not the place to find bikini beauties and tons of sun block nor the beach to find vendors hawking everything from hotdogs to sandals. It is truly an inspirational mecca where you find yourself alone with your most innermost thoughts - regardless of how many people you may be with. It surely is a must visit for you when you are anywhere in the area.  There are restroom facilities. .

We went down the trail that leads to the beach. You have to climb over driftwood to get to the beach. Cedar creek opens into the ocean as you come out of the trail. It isn't that deep, but the current was rather swift until it spread out across the beach. We made our way out onto the beach after observing the creek.
 

While my son frolicked in the water and sand, I took the opportunity to snap some pictures of the sun, Abbey Island and the surrounding area. This beach has many different sized cobbles. I didn't see any wildlife.

There is also a lighthouse in the distance. I could barely make it out, but I'm certain that is what it was. The tide came in rather fast. It had covered the beach about 20 minutes after the sun had set. We had a wonderful time exploring and wandering around. Beautiful sunset and beach.

Unique, calming, and scenic place - Hoh Rainforest, Forks

Unique, calming, and scenic place - excellent for a short day trip! It's about two hours from Port Angeles.

We came during the summer and there wasn't any rain, just some clouds. There are two main trails, Hall of Mosses and the Spruce Nature Trail (empty, very little people). We hiked the Spruce Nature Trail first and had lunch next to the Hoh River on some fallen trees, a nice and memorable experience! After lunch, we walked the Hall of Mosses, where you can spot trees and organisms that are literally covered in mosses, nice for photos.

I guess for us, it was a lot more fun hiking and walking through the temperate rain forest than taking photos - everything starts looking the same (green) after a few photos. Hall of Moss area of this park was a easy hike which is kids friendly . It took about an hour, but my kid age 3.5 was able to do it without problem. 

Kudos as well to the staff in the visitor center -- they were friendly, informative, and helpful. Even more informative was the antiquated display/exhibit on the history of the area, which also explained how and why the total rainfall was near 6 feet (who knew climatology and meteorology could be so much fun?).

Special note: the road from 101 into Hoh is about 17-18 miles of beautiful scenery -- be sure to stop along the Hoh River and check out the steel-gray waters as the waterway cuts through the Hoh valley

Be warned, Highway 101 is where the Police Academy trains their rookies - the speed limit is strictly enforced and we almost got a ticket.... we were warned by our hotel staff as well. 

Snowlake Trail, Northbend

Snow lake was a beautiful 2.5 mile hike,we went for a nice hike to snow lake today. Its about 40 miles east on i90. take exit 53 and hang a right and another right. then drive down a little bit and you'll see a small group of service stations, ski lodges, etc. you should be able to find the visitor center on your right. you have to go there no matter what, b/c you need to buy a parking pass for $5. from there they can tell you exactly how to get to the snow creek trail.

we started the hike at 11:10am and it was already crowded.The parking lot was jam packed with around 100+ cars. Lots of passing and being passed, but then also the sign of a nice trail.  I saw lots of families with kids of all ages and dogs too, so it seems pretty friendly for families.

We spent a wonderful afternoon at this place, beautiful sunny mid 70 degree weather and a wonderful hike up to snow lake. The trail is well maintained but it's still relatively rocky and uneven so hiking shoes are helpful. sunblock/hat/glasses are helpful especially on a sunny day because this trail has lots of unshaded portions. near the lake the temperature is noticeably cooler, so i was glad we wore layers and brought track jackets.

the trail winds its way up several switchbacks of the crest of a ridge and then down into the snow lake basin. It took around 2.5 hours to reach the lake. We did saw iceberg on the other side of the shore, left over from the previous winter. The lake is beautiful and once you get down into the basin there are lots of little trails to go exploring on. The lake has a big shoreline so every one can get their own space. If somebody is intrested in bird watching this is a very nice place too. We had our lunch there. Be carefull of eating the food in open as birds might fly over and snatch the food as it did for us :)

Mailbox Peak Trail - BE PREPARED

As all reviews say, Mailbox Peak is really no joke. It is a 2.5 mile Death March for the unprepared, and an ass kicking workout for the prepared. Don't let the mere 2.5 miles fool you.

You walk up the forest service road about 1/2 mile until you get to the official entrance to Mailbox Peak trail head next to the notice board. Be very carefull to take the entry immediately from the notice board, as once i(and many others) went straight and wondered in the forest for 1.5 hrs trying to find the trail head.  The first 1/4 mile of trail you are meandering in a forested area with a few nice cold creeks running through. You will find these useful to soak your tired feet when you get back down. This little jaunt doesn't last long as the trail goes into full business mode with the quickness. No transition, no feeling out process, just you looking at this straight up, root stepped, steep as hell thing saying "DAMN!"

Welcome to Mailbox Peak.

This part of the trail you are under the tree canopy and more often than not you will run into some serious mud, roots, logs and assorted things you have to climb over or around. The switchbacks are more like s-turns as they seem to not want to give you much of a break and just push you up up up the hill. If anyone says "it gets easier" or "you're almost there"...they are lying :)

After what seems to be an eternity, eventually you will break out of the tree line and will finally have some nice scenery with lots of flowers and big views, but the most apparent view will be the huge boulder field in front of you. If you are not up to the scramble challenge, just follow the left edge of it, the trail will be apparent. Plenty of false summits, but I do think once you are out of the tree canopy, the going gets much easier and even if it is muddy, it seems there is more rock mixed in for better grip. Eventually you will reach the mailbox.

Twin Falls, Northbend

From where I live in Tukwilla, it took less than 45min to travel from the 'hood to the trailhead...pretty quick!  Twin Falls by itself is nothing to write home about.  This was a fun, easy hike with family with a nice water feature! It's a quick, cute hike and there are nice views of the river and waterfalls. There's even a "secret" path where you can climb all the way down to the banks, where you can make your way to the boulder in the middle of the river. It's a great place to break, sunbathe, snack, enjoy the rush of the water around you. 

The natural beauty in the Cascades is lush, wet and green: it is impressive to see fallen trees on the forest floor, almost completely grown over by moss and new plants.  There are some old growth trees which tower above everything else and their trunks provide excellent perspective on what it takes to hold up a huge-ass tree for hundreds of years.  In the forest, moss and vines are everywhere and lend a creepy quality to some of the dark scenery seen beyond the trail. If you go past the falls all the way to the top you just reach a gravel road and a dead tree.Kind of anti-cilmactic.

The trail itself is excellent: I saw people with strollers and a few frail-looking elderly folks moving along with no problem even my son of 2.5yr old didnt have much problem.  The trail is mostly packed dirt and there are a few places with wooden steps.  If you don't get out much, the trail might be tiresome; but if you are at all physically active the trail is very easy. 

It's not a steep hike, but it is uphill on the way back, which is always a little masochistic for me. If you want something with more distance, you can always park away from the traditional parking lot for Twin Falls (exit 34??) and instead east from Rattlesnake Lake on the Iron Horse Trail. Easy hiking warmup and a decent enough view.

I recommend Twin Falls to anybody who lives in Seattle...it is so close, so pretty and so fun to romp around a forest for exercise.

Rattlesnake Ridge Trail - WOW

One word -  WOW !! One of the closest and most easily accessible trails you could possibly get to offers the biggest pay-off at summit-  stunning 360 degree VIEWS!!This is one easy-to-reach destination trail on the east side of this city, and a lot more convenient if you come earlier during the weekends, because parking can get hectic in a hurry. 

A leisurely two-mile hike with some gradual slope brings you up to the top, where you get the prize: an open 360-degree view of the surrounding mountains, and an awesome lake backdrop at the bottom, a Kodak moment for all of us to pose to and enjoy. Score! Once you come down, the trail takes you from Rattlesnake Lake to a perfect picnic rock with the most amazing view of the Cascades.

Hiked with 3 year old son and a lovely wife so can say its very family friendly. Bring some drinks and something light to eat, because you'll be hungry by the time you get up to the summit. Most of all, bring yourself. You don't want to miss this date with nature, because this is one easy date, but is guaranteed to satisfy you for a while, will leave you tired and happy, but will also make you think about coming back again... and again.

Good for Every age, novice hiker or experienced...Rattlesnake is still one of the best around.

Here are directions from wikipedia:
To get to the more popular eastern entrance to the park (the one closest to Rattlesnake Ledge), take I-90 to Exit 32, labeled 436the Ave. Go South on 436th Ave, which passes RiverBend and Wilderness Rim subdivisions. 436th Ave becomes Cedar Falls Road. Around 2.85 miles you come to Rattlesnake Lake parking lot on the right. The road continues for a short distance where it ends at the Cedar River Watershed Education Center. The western entrance is near Exit 27 on I-90.

The below one is one of my new shots from the same place at sunset.

 

Franklin Falls, WA - Lets Hike..

Franklin Falls Trail No. 1036 begins on Denny Creek Road on the west side of Denny Creek, elevation 2,300 feet. Franklin Falls is by no means one of the tallest waterfalls I’ve come across. It sits in a canyon directly in between the east and westbound lanes of I-90 near Snoqualmie Pass. The surreal experience of standing just beneath one of the nation’s most important freeways and staring at a beautiful sight like these falls is certainly something worth the short hike required to get to them (only about 2 mile returntrip). It does, however, for all its benefits have one major downfall. It is fairly popular and you will likely be accompanied by several people while enjoying this scenic sight.

As per the recommendations from several sites, I visited this place in May with my 2.5 year old son. Park at the bridge if there is room otherwise continue a short distance to the Denny Creek/Melakwa Lake trailhead at the end of the road. Though my son very active in hiking but we carried him over as the the path was full of snow. The overall trip was about 3 hours. On the way you can see several ancient trees grace the trail, and spur trails lead to better views of Denny Creek.

I do not recommend for children, because the terrain is steep and there are no guardrails.

Official Site: http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/franklin-falls

Glacier National Park, Montana

I used to always tell people that the most beautiful place that I'd been to was Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Well, after a long awaited trip to Glacier National Park in Montana, I've changed my tune. I will still tell people that they must go to Yellowstone before they die but I'll also add Glacier to that list. Without actually seeing it with one's own eyes, it's hard to simply read a description of the majestic peaks and valleys carved out by glaciers during two ice ages and understand the magnitude of the natural beauty there.

Open June through October, the spectacular Going-to-the-Sun Road winds 52 miles through stunning glacial scenery, crossing the Continental Divide at Logan Pass. Hiking trails allow those who venture on them to steal glimpses of the heart of this majestic wilderness and its abundant wildlife, including bears, elk, moose and bighorn sheep. Highline Trail offers opportunities to explore deep into the park during summer.

 There are so many places to stop and get out of your car (or the red bus) to snap a photo, take a walk, or simply be overwhelmed at the spectacle before your eyes. Beautiful views although once you hit the pass, the driver cannot look at anything but the road as it is winding with construction and sheer drop-offs.Sun Point is a short walk to a fantastic view. At Hidden Lake Overlook, a short walk up wooden steps from the Logan Point parking lot leads to a gorgeous view. A bit farther on you reach snow

St. Mary Lake: On our last day in Glacier, we drove the entire Going to the Sun Road, stopping at every sight along the way. Our first stop was St. Mary Lake from the Sunrift Gorge parking lot. The lighting in the early morning produced beautiful reflections of the mountains surrounding St. Mary Lake. I must say that some of our best photographs.

Some of the most beautiful waterfalls you'll ever see can be found on the eastern side of Glacier National Park, just a short walk from Going to the Sun Road.  As you drive east across the park, the first waterfall trail you reach leads to St. Mary Falls. The picturesque trail to St. Mary Falls is very worthwhile, and the falls are beautiful. Instead of returning to the trailhead after reaching St. Mary Falls, I'd recommend going on to Virginia Falls; it has more elevation gain, but it's worth it to see both falls. Be sure to take drinking water.

Tulip Festival - Skagit Valley , Mt Vernon

When Seattle finally comes out of the rainy (and sometimes ) snowy winter, it's time to check out one of the prettiest flower festivals around: the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.

The festival is held every year around March/April but as can be expected, it very much depends on the weather. If the weather is colder, it might take a little longer for the flowers to come out and bloom. However, if it's warmer, you'll have to go earlier and not wait until the end because by then the flowers will be cut and there will be less flower fields to see.
  

Flowers, duh!!! Well, the cool thing is that there are more than just tulips at the tulip festival. In addition, there are roses and perennials, for example, but of course the main attraction are the tulips that come in all sorts of colors.

Mount Vernon is the main location where the flower farms are located, and it is a great drive out there from Seattle. It's a chance to get out of the city for a little bit and see some of the cool scenery. There are a bunch of different farms out there and you can visit any of them that you like. It costs some money to get into the farms but there are some great scenes where you can take awesome pictures.

There should be one more good weekend of blooms. Go mid week, if you can. We arrived at the fields by 9am, wandered the fields for an hour, continued to the Roozengaarde display garden, and finished up by 11:30am. We were moving along ahead of the crest of the crowds. Then we got out of the area and visited Deception Pass (also amazing).

Festival info:

http://www.tulipfestival.org/

Alki Beach - Seattle



 Day View to Downtown Seattle



If you are on a visit to seattle I would highly recommend that you spend your lunch time here at Alki beach. Alki Beach is one of the best secrets of Seattle. Its not really a sand beach but its nice spending time here. Lots of locals

know the area but not many tourists.  Alki Beach is located in a neighborhood called "West Seattle," and faces west to the Olympic Mountains.   There are several restaurants here from coffeehouses (Tully's) to cheap eats (Alki Bakery) to more expensive seafood. 





The water is too chilly to swim in, but there in the summer there are hoards of people roller blading, walking their dogs and trying to soak up as much Seattle sun as possible.  Logs and fire pits complete a 'Pacific Northwest' version of a beach.  At the north end of the strip, turning around the point yields a fantastic view of downtown Seattle and sparkles at night. There are tons of shops and miles of beach. All have magnificent views of downtown Seattle. You can also stop by the Statue of liberty and have some nice shots.

Another interesting place nearby should be seeing is the Alki Point Light house. Just walking distance from Alki Beach. Its a nice calm place away from crowds.

There is one slight downside to getting there. In order to get to Alki from downtown Seattle , you must ride the West Seattle Freeway, a freeway notoriously known for is traffic problems. Once you get there though, you won't regret it. If you would like a restaurant pick, it's Salty's. Great dinning with amazing views. This place can get quite crowded and is expensive, but worth it. Great food.

Some of my shots at Alki



Night View to Seattle Downtown













My sons first Sand Castle