washington and oregon

[gary_conrad1]

i am a landscape photographer headed to washington and oregon in mid june. seascapes, waterfalls, and

other landscapes will be my primary focus. the columbia river gorge area looks incredible, and so far i

have gotten lots of information on oregon, but not too much on washington. any suggestions for places i

should not miss in washington would be greatly appreciated.

[kevin conville]

I'm no expert on Washington but I've been along the NW coast (Olympic Nat park area)

from Aberdeen to Port Angeles, and it has many dramatic photo opportunities. My only

suggestion is take your time as the weather and light can change quickly and often.

[jeff_white3]

Hello Gary,<br><br>

I would definitely spend some time in/around Columbia River Gorge as you mentioned - lots of beautiful waterfalls there. There is also a couple of nice lighthouses near the mouth of the river: North Head lighthouse and Cape Disappointment lighthouse. Two places that I can personally recommend you visit in Washington State (assuming you won't be staying on/near the coast the whole trip): Mt. Adams and Mt. Rainier. Mt. Rainier is a sight to behold and should not be missed during a trip to Washington. It will be a bit early for the most spectacular wildflower displays (alpine meadow locations like Paradise), but Rainier has something to offer all through the year. Have a great trip - I'm jealous! ;-)<br><br>

Jeff White<br>

<a href="http://www.highlandgallery.com">www.highlandgallery.com</a>

[damian_torres1]

Gary,

 

Would recomend the below sites for possible locations. Also the Mountaineers have photo trips regularly and great books for hikes/locations. Also recommend checking out the Seattle Post Intelligencer (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com) for recommendations in their lifestyle/outdoor sections.

 

http://www.parks.wa.gov/

http://www1.co.snohomish.wa.us/Departments/Parks

http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/mbs/

http://www.mountaineers.org/

[akajohndoe]

Silver Falls State Park in Oregon and Martha Falls, Spray Falls, and Narada Falls on Mt. Rainier.

[dellana]

In the Olympic National Park I would suggest Hoh River Valley, this area has whats called the "Hall of Moss" and it is amazing for forrest/valley pictures.

 

The Ozette Loop Trail has both forrest and beach views that are great. Its one of my favorite places. http://www.cooltrails.com/ozette.htm

 

On the east side I would suggest Kendall Katwalk, it is a mile-long segment that crosses a knife ridge just below Kendall Peak. Because of the steep slope near the crest, the valley floor is about 1000' below, on a nice day it would offer nice views.

 

Just check out http://www.cooltrails.com/ for more places for landscapes.

 

Dellana

[andrew robertson]

I would also go up on top the plateau south of the gorge and take photos there too. There

are a lot of places that seem like ghost towns up around there, like Grass Valley and Morrow

Oregon. White River Falls State Park is great, and you can hike down and photograph the

disused hydroelectric plant that has been mouldering for about 50 years at the bottom.

[ketchemr]

North Cascades National Park is a highly overlooked region and is stunningly beautiful.

http://www.nps.gov/noca/

[rick_wong]

If you plan on going through the Gorge anyways.. head east into eastern washington. right about the middle of june and into july the Palouse in washington should be getting close to having the wheat fields changing from green to gold. The early fields will be a golden color while some of the fields will still be a dark green and everything in between. Steptoe Butte State Park is where most shots are taken at first light and last light. http://www.parks.wa.gov/parkpage.asp?selectedpark=Steptoe%20Butte

here is a link for a sample of what I mean.

http://riwong.smugmug.com/gallery/600798

You can then catch I-90 and come back through the back side of Rainier through Yakima or do the grand circle and come across highway 20 through the north cascades. head down I-5 back to Portland

[jim_gifford]

Gary, if you have not spent much time in the Western United States, you might not be aware of how big Washington and Oregon are. One person suggested a LOVELY trip from the eastern side of Washington almost at the Idaho line...

 

<<or do the grand circle and come across highway 20 through the north cascades. head down I-5 back to Portland>>

 

In East Coast terms, this is like saying "Take the turnpike west out of Boston, cross the Hudson and head south to Richmond."

 

It's not something you do between lunch and dinner. But given enough time for the journey, it's a terrific route.

 

Yakima to Mount Rainier to Olympia is mesmerizing because you go from desert to scrub to pines to alpine meadows to flatlands full of drizzly firs, all in four hours or so of road time. No towns between Yakima and Olympia bigger than the proverbial wide spot in the road.

 

The suggestion to see the more northern attractions would add at least a full day's fun: Yakima north to Ellensburg is a breathtaking road through a winding river canyon. Then you can loop up to Grand Coulee, maybe Chelan... and see the North Cascades area near Mount Baker... and eventually pop out of the mountains and woods on the western side of the state, picking up I-5 near Bellingham.

 

... but the miles do add up, hundreds at a time.

 

You'll want multiple days so you can stop and SEE stuff.

 

Be well,