Wallowa Lake and the Wallowa mountains!

If you're looking for the best place to take photos in Oregon, Wallowa lake and the Wallowa mountains are my favorite place in Oregon to visit.  This area is completely out of the way for most city folks no matter what direction you may be coming from.  I drive over 370 miles and 7 hours when driving from Portland but it's more than worth it.  This area is one of the most amazing places on the planet.  There are over 500 miles of hiking trails, meadows, mountain peaks covered in white marble, one of the largest roadless wildernesses in the lower 48 as well as hundreds of alpine lakes and dozens of mountains over 9,000 feet.  I could go on forever with the amenities that this part of Oregon has to offer and it's surprising to me that it hasn't been listed as a National Park.  If you like to photograph wildlife you will also love this area since the are wolves, deer, mountain goats, coyotes, black bear, eagles, osprey, hawks as well as several cattle and horse ranches.  The small towns that dot the mountains are also fun to explore since it will send you back into the old west days with thousands of acres of ranches and rolling hills as well as box canyons.  Wallowa lake campground is a great place to stay since it's right at the base of the mountains but if you prefer a comfortable bed there are several lodges, motels or cabins available to rent adjacent to the campsite.  Joseph is also right next to the lake and there are several motels and restaurants to choose from.  If you do decide to make the long drive, plan on bringing all of your lenses since you will probably end up using all of them unless you plan on making a long hike up the mountains, then you will want to choose one lens and leave your tripod and the rest of your lenses back at base camp.  The mountains are unrelenting and the hikes can cover over 12-15 miles with well over 2500 feet of elevation gain. 

Wallowa Mountains and Aneroid Lake, Oregon

The hike to Aneroid Lake is one that you can do as a day hike but you will be submitting yourself to a 12 mile round trip hike with almost 3,000 feet of elevation gain.  I chose to make this hike since I wanted to hike far into the Wallowa wilderness in order to get some photos of the mountains hiding deep in the park.  The hike itself starts at the Wallowa lake campground and it's easy to find and get to.  However, several horse tours take the exact same route so you will encounter a lot of horse manure along the trail.  The trail itself is very rugged with lots of rocks and several switchbacks.  The hike offers almost everything that you would expect when visiting the Wallowa mountains.  Roger lake and Aneroid lake is your main destination and the best spot to return to the main trailhead.  There are several meadows with dozens of wildflowers dotting the landscape with the rugged mountains as a backdrop.  There are endless amounts of creeks and raging rivers that thunder through the wilderness with several creeks passing over the trail.  There is no shortage of water and you will not ever have to worry about becoming dehydrated.  The elevation at Aneroid lake is 7,560 feet but the lake itself is fairly warm and offers a great spot to go swimming.  There are a few campgrounds along both lakes and I would highly recommend staying the night.  The views are absolutely awesome and I was overwhelmed with the beauty of the area.  The entire hike took me about 9 hours but I did stop numerous times to take photos as well as gawk at the views.  You will want to be sure to pack lots of snacks and maybe some survival gear in case you get into trouble.  Thunder storms can pop out of nowhere so you may want to bring along some rain gear, just in case. 

Burnt Lake is located within the Mt. Hood National Forest and offers great photo opportunities.  The entire 6.8 mile round trip hike to Burnt Lake offers spectacular views throughout the entire hike.  Plan on keeping your camera close at hand since the forest is teeming with great opportunities to capture an amazing forest scene with the fast moving Burnt Lake Creek following you almost the entire way.  You many want to bring your tripod and photograph Lost Creek Falls as well.  views of Mt. Hood are at about the 3 mile mark, with the forest surrounding the entire area.  Burnt Lake is truly a photographers dream, with Mt. Hood seeming within touching distance and wild trout fishing for insects.  There isn't a beach to set up for your shots but there are some spots along the lakes edge that offer great opportunities.  I took this particular shot near one of the few campsites that dot the lake.  Mt. Hood is directly east of the lake so you want to be on the west side of the lake.  The trail takes you around the small lake but parts of the trail are either too muddy or boggy if the water level is too high.  The quickest way to get to the trailhead is by turning left, from Portland, at East Lolo Pass Road and then turning right at FS 1825. Take a right to cross the Sandy River bridge and then follow the signs to the Lost Creek campground.  The trail then heads left on a 1.4 mile gravel road to the end.  The hike is 6.8 miles roundtrip and the elevation gain is 1500 feet.  It's actually a pretty easy hike with hundreds of places to rest in the forest or along the creek.  The quick hike to Lost Creek Falls is worth the extra 10 minute hike in the opposite direction of the trail. 

One of my favorite places to photograph fast moving water is standing on a bridge that passes over a creek or river. This gives you endless amounts of photographic opportunities since you can either take pictures looking up the river or down river. Having access below the bridge also lets you use the bridge as a barrier from the glare from the sun. However, it’s important that the bridge is in a primitive area that doesn’t destroy the feel that you’re in the forest. The creek in this photo is Herman Creek which cuts through the gorge. The Herman Creek bridge trail is easy to find and is seldom used since the main trail forks away and the more popular PCT trail is just to the south. However, the trail will meet up with the PCT within just about a mile after you cross the bridge. The bridge is only about 1 mile from the Herman Creek campsite and is an easy hike that is teaming with views of the cliffs as well as the dense forest.  To find the Herman Creek trail head and the Herman Creek campground, take exit 44 when driving on Interstate 84 heading east.  After taking the exit drive straight through the town of Cascade Locks and drive 2 miles.  Just as you reach the on-ramp for Interstate 84, go straight onto a paved road marked "To Oxbow Fish Hatchery."  The campground is about 2 miles and you will take a right.  There are several hiking trails at this spot so there are several different options but the hike to Herman Creek is easy and well marked. 

One of the most scenic and awe inspiring views of the Columbia River Gorge is from the summit of Mitchell Point.  The last few hundred feet of the trail takes you to a very steep and narrow vantage point that can experience 50mph winds with nothing to hold on to but the edge of the cliff.  If you're afraid of heights or of tumbling over 500 feet to the bottom of the gorge, you may want to stop when you start to feel a little dizzy or unbalanced.  However, if you decide to hike to the vantage point you will be rewarded with a fantastic view and you will feel like you're soaring with eagles.  The hike starts at Lausman Rest Area, which is about 2 miles west of Hood River.  If traveling east, take exit 58 and the rest area is just a few hundred feet from the Freeway.  There is plenty of parking and you can hear the roar of the cars as well as the wind howling through the gorge.  The trail itself is very dry with no water and the only views are of the Columbia River and the mountains. Parts of the trail are pretty dusty and parts of the switchbacks traverse through very loose rock so you can encounter some rock washout.  The trail is also very steep with limited even parts so plan on hiking the 1200 foot of elevation gain within the 1 mile hike.  I normally start to take my photos as soon as I get towards the opening of the cliff.  There are several great spots to set up your camera but the best spot is at the end of the trail, which pretty much drops completely off with only the river and the freeway below.  It can get very windy so plan on finding a safe spot to sit and you may not be able to set up a tripod to take photos due to the high winds.  I highly recommend this hiking trail if you really want to see how east meets west.  Looking east is Hood River and the climate is much drier and you can literally see how dry it is.  However, when looking west, you can see how dense and lush the forest is.  This photo is looking west and the water below is the Columbia River.  Since the hike is fairly short, you can set out on another hiking trail that takes you near some waterfalls. 

If you're looking for one of the best spots in Oregon to hike, take pictures and enjoy one of the most spectacular places in the state, Jefferson Park is surely able to fit the category.  The hike is about 10.2 mile round trip and the elevation gain is about 1800 feet.  The trail usually opens around mid July but if the snow pack is heavy you may have to wait until late July or even August to have a snow free trail to the park.  In fact, I just returned from a hike in late June and found myself with a snow covered trail at the 1/2 mile mark.  I was fortunate to bring along my poles and hiking tracking but unfortunately it wasn't able to continue past the three mile mark.  My two previous trips to the park were in September and the photo shown was taken in late September last year.  To reach the trail head you need to drive about 11 miles east of Detroit and look for the Whitewater road 2243.  It's located between mile post 60 and 61.  You will want to take a left and the road is very easy to find since the actual name of the road is posted and it's just before you cross over the Whitewater river.  You then drive about 7.6 miles on a well traveled gravel road.  The road is well maintained so you can drive on it with a passenger car but there are a few rough spots so be sure to drive carefully.  The trail starts at the end of the road so you can't miss it.  Just keep driving until the road comes to an end.  The hiking trail is very well maintained and since it's so popular during summer weekends you may have to contact the forest service to get a permit.  the Detroit Ranger number is 503-854-3366.  I've always gone on a weekday in order to avoid any restrictions as well as major crowds so I'm not sure if they still require a permit.  The hike is pretty steep but it's an amazing hike with even more amazing views for the entire hike.  Plan on getting an early start since you won't want to leave anytime soon.  Early Fall at Jefferson Park is sure to provide the best photography opportunities since the late Summer wildflowers are still in bloom as well as the red huckleberry leaves blanketing the alpine carpet. Since many of the trails have been closed in order to try and restore the park, you have to really look for opportunities to photograph Mt. Jefferson with the foliage in the foreground. There are still dozens of trails to suite your needs but you do want to stay focused since its easy to miss a terrific photo opportunity. It’s especially true since you will find yourself immersed in the sheer beauty of the area. I almost missed the opportunity to take this photo since I was heading towards the opposite part of the park in order to hike above the alpine lakes and I was worrying about running out of daylight. This photo was taken between Russell Lake and the mountain and I really liked the view of Mt. Jefferson with the foliage, trees and rocks in the foreground. I was using my tripod, bubble level and remote switch but placed it low to the ground in order to get as much foliage in the photo without reducing the field of view. I was using my Sigma 17-70mm lens and had the focal length at 17mm in order to get a panoramic shot so I could include as much of the mountain and foliage as I could. Since I had attached my CIR-PL and warming filter as well as set the ISO to 100 and the white balance at -1.3 the aperture was at F-5.7 and the shutter speed at 1/128 second since the camera mode was in Program/Normal. The photo was taken at about 1:20pm and the sun was at about a 90 degree angle above the mountain so the saturation was nice.