Washington

Palouse Falls appears like magic. The drive into Palouse Falls State Park crosses a broad grassy plain where you would never expect to find a waterfall. At the end of the dusty road, the land opens up to reveal a beautiful scene. A 180-foot waterfall plunges from the basalt wall of a gouged-out canyon. A short, 0.15-mile round trip walk explores a clifftop viewpoint with great perspectives of Palouse Falls and the canyon framing the Palouse River. ...Read more.

Catherine Creek Arch is a surprising creation - a bridge-like span of rock along a ledge of basalt. A 1-mile round trip hike leads to the foot of Catherine Creek Arch (and longer loops in the area are also possible). This short and sweet outing entertains hikers of all ages. Part of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, Catherine Creek is located on the Washington side of the west end of the gorge, where lovely views are easy to find. ...Read more.

Hikers pack the slopes of Dog Mountain to see spring wildflowers, but tackling a lot of elevation is not required to see one of the best blooms in Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. Instead, visit Catherine Creek, where an easy, paved 0.9-mile loop (with just 100 feet of elevation change) floods with wildflowers in the spring and early summer. ...Read more.

Potholes aren't always bad. The creatively carved-out bedrock at Pothole Falls adds to the allure of the cascades. Pothole Falls is just a stone's throw from Round Lake, a 26-acre body in Lacamas Lake Regional Park in Camas, Washington. Round Lake Loop Trail offers a relaxing nature trail through lake-edge forest. Circle Round Lake and check out Pothole Falls on a 1. ...Read more.

It isn't pack mentality that makes Dog Mountain one of the most popular hikes on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge. The grassy slopes near the summit put on a winning display of spring wildflowers, enhancing year-round views over the gorge's beautiful surroundings. Dog Mountain Trail is steep and largely forested, ascending 2,825 feet in 3 1/3 miles. ...Read more.

Take a drive through the Columbia River Gorge and you're sure to be impressed by a diagonal band of cliffs on the Washington side of the gorge that rise from the river toward the mountains above. These grand and daunting cliffs are called Coyote Wall or the Syncline. A network of single-track trails and old jeep roads extend up alongside the columnar basalt ledge. ...Read more.

Tucked into the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge, Beacon Rock State Park has great places camp and kick back after a day of traveling in the gorge or hiking Hamilton Mountain and Beacon Rock. Main Campground In the forest up the road from Hamilton Mountain Trailhead, you'll find the park's main campground spread around a single loop. A mossy ledge of basalt rises over one side of the campground. ...Read more.

Only hike Hamilton Mountain Trail if you like charming forests, bold waterfalls, and awesome cliff-top views. Hamilton Mountain Trail passes a viewpoint for the Pool of the Winds, where Rodney Falls plunges into a rock-wrapped punchbowl. The trail rises to a summit along the Columbia River Gorge, ascending 2,025 feet on a 7.75-mile lollipop loop. Some of Hamilton Mountain's best views come from a perch below the summit and a saddle after the summit. ...Read more.

Beacon Rock rises like a stone tower with sheer cliffs dropping to the Columbia River. Beacon Rock Trail could be the Columbia River Gorge relative of Moro Rock Trail in Sequoia National Park. The trail is built right up the side of the basalt monolith, using over fifty switchbacks and at least a dozen cliff-straddling bridges to reach a pointed summit. ...Read more.

The Cascade Range is home to many caves including volcanic lava tubes and glacier ice caves. The Guler Ice Cave south of Mount Adams offers a sample of both. Through the early summer this cave contains impressive ice features like frozen stalactites and stalagmites. You will see the most ice if you visit in April and May. As the season warms the cave loses its ice, but remains fun to explore throughout the year. ...Read more.