The Diverse Biomes of the Pacific Northwest, USA

In the sparsely populated area of Southeastern Oregon, lies the Alvord Desert in the shadow of Steens Mountain. We drove 10 hours from Portland, Oregon, and arrived at the Page Springs campsite around 8 pm, where we spent our night camping. In the early morning, we made a small breakfast, stopped briefly for gas in the quaint town of Frenchglen (population of 12), and headed out on our drive to Steens Mountain. 

The drive was absolutely gorgeous, and we stopped for a brief hike to the Steens Summit. The canyon was amazing, and we happily took in the views of the mountains beyond. On the drive to our final destination in the Alvord Desert, we stopped in the even quainter town of Fields, Oregon (population of 6) for milkshakes and some information from the locals. We next visited Borax Lake,  a dried-up lake where hot springs sometimes form. 

Finally, we headed to our final destination of the Alvord Desert, where we drove around the amazing desert before setting up camp and making some dinner. The sunset was beautiful, and we even did some yoga before bed. 

Olympic National Park is an amazing, must-see location in the Pacific Northwest. From the peaks of the mountains to the misty beaches, it is an incredible place to visit. 

We started our journey intent on camping at the base of Hurricane Hill but decided to stay at the Red Lion Lodge instead to avoid having our car snowed in. Still, we did one hike in the snow before heading to the lodge. The snow-covered trees in the forest were stunning, and it was a great way to start our adventure. After one snowy out-and-back hike, we headed to the hotel, slept off the drive, and woke up early to head back to the mountain for some tubing! At the top of Hurricane Hill, we trudged through the snow to the tubes and went down & back up again so many times that by the end we were all totally exhausted. The highlight of this day was definitely the drive up to Hurricane Hill, where you can take in the views of the massive snowfall on the mountain. 

That night we stayed in Forks, Washington, and the next day we stopped in La Push to see the amazing beaches. From the top of the beach to the water, you can see the ecological journey from boulder to sand, and the small rocks here are incredibly colorful. The next day we drove to the Hoh Rainforest, an amazing, must-see secluded area deep in the rainforest. 

Overall it was an incredible trip that I would recommend to anyone traveling through Washington State.

The Columbia River Gorge is one of my favorite parts of living in the Pacific Northwest. It is a glorious, mossy, green area with so many amazing hikes and viewpoints. On this trip, we were able to see the incredible views from the summits of the Coyote Wall trail, and from the Crawford Oaks Vista Loop. We also hiked around Horsetail Falls and Multnomah Falls, two must-see locations on the Oregon side of the Gorge. 

First, from the summit of Coyote Wall, we were able to see an amazing view of Mt. Hood, an incredible mountain nearby which you can see from the city of Portland, Oregon. It was so cool to see it so up close, with its snowy peaks and jagged edges. There were also some beautiful purple and yellow wildflowers at the high altitude where the hike concluded. It was a very difficult hike, but definitely worth the views at the end.

The Crawford Oaks Vista Loop was also great, and much less challenging. The trail did provide many Vistas, as the name claims. And the view of the Columbia River was awesome! 

Our brief stay in Stevenson was beautiful, a quiet stay in the forests and away from the city. I would definitely stay here again.