Help! Need a Plan B for a trip out of Portland next week.

[John Brown]

Had been planning to spend next week in the Eagle Cap Wilderness in eastern Oregon. Just got a report on local conditions, between snow, bugs and high water sounds miserable. So scratch that. Olympics high country appears to be snowed in from what I could glean from the Park's trail reports.

Any great ideas? Don't know the area very well, meeting a friend there who's new in town. Have 5 days or so, willing to drive up to 6 hours, prefer less if possible. A lake to paddle around in my new used packraft would be awesome, but not mandatory…

Thanks!

[Mary D]

The Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness in SE Washington has melted out–just a few patches in higher areas. Best hiked now before the springs dry up.

There are some low elevation trails in the Olympics–Hoh Valley, Enchanted Valley and, of course, the wilderness coast. You could do a combination of these.

Have you tried posting on http://www.portlandhikers.org/ ? Post your query in the Q&A section and read through recent trip reports. Edit; you may have been there already; the forum has been getting so many almost identical posts on this very subject!

If it's any comfort, you are not alone! The late-melting snow is a problem all over the western US!

[Richard Scruggs]

Six hours of drive time from Portland could get you to the Rogue River.

The trail along the Rogue is supposed to be great. Haven't ever hiked that trail, but have floated the river. A real hoot — but probably not in a packraft, altho my first trip down the Rogue was in a little two-man inflatable. Ended every single day upside down in a pool below rapids, and early enough to dry stuff out in the afternoon sun. Actually that was a "half trip" because we decided not to try going thru Mule Creek Canyon due to the wisdom of experience.

Googling Rogue River Trail Oregon would produce some trip descriptions and reports.

[David K]

You have the opposite problem with the Lower Rogue Trail at this time– HEAT! There is a reason the outfitters quit guiding hikes in the months of July and August. It can feel like you are baking in a solar oven.

For a possible hike in Southern Oregon consider the PCT southeast of Ashland. Low enough there are only small isolated patches of snow and high enough to be reasonable cool. The wildflowers were in perfuse bloom over the Fourth.

[Jason Brinkman]

I would second the Lower Rogue heat concern! We rented a beach house on the Pacific near Gold Beach over the July 4th week. It was glorious on the coast – 65 degrees and sunny every day. Drove up the west bank road along the Rogue one day to do a little hiking, and discovered that just a few miles upriver it was 95 degrees!!! Yup, a 30 degree temperature swing in just a few miles! How is that even possible!?! The wind should have be whipping up the canyon at full gale, right? But it wasn't. It was dead calm down there, and there were sunbathers camped out all along the river banks. Twas a very short hike! Went back to the house the took a dip in the Pacific. Which brings up another point – there must be some really cool hikes along the beach and around the headlands over there somewhere. Check that out maybe?

[John Brown]

Nice kid shot. Took mine for a backpack hike this morning. Yeah, Rogue is hot this time I know that area a tiny bit. Will check out strawberry's. Leaning toward Olympic Coast or long drive down to Lost Coast.

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