The Northwest has so many amazing trails I am making it my mission to explore as many of them as possible. I am so excited that I discovered the Latourell Falls Loop Trail located in the Columbia Gorge at Guy W. Talbots State Park (no fee). I think it is my new favorite trail. It is 2 miles with a 633 elevation gain. This trail has a bit of something for everyone! waterfalls, forested well maintained trail with many spots to sit and rest or enjoy the beautiful scenery. And best of all it is only 20 minutes from my house!
When I explored the trail- I decided to go entirely on my own. I love hiking with people and I often opt to skip going – it if I don’t have a friend to join me.
I actually think going out and exploring on your own is surprisingly fun! What I discovered is that funny enough- That me, myself and I go at exactly the right pace, want to look at the same things, can stop and explore everything exactly how we want to😀. I found it incredibly relaxing. I still enjoy going with other people – but I think solo hikes can be good for the soul.
I took a little time to just sit and listen to the sounds of nature and just truly be in the moment. If you have been following my blog- you know that meditation and mindfulness have become very important in how I manage my stress. I would have liked to have spent more time doing this- but I actually forgot water and it was 97 degrees out!
Speaking of the weather- it was hot outside- but I was totally comfortable the entire hike! The water from the falls and creek created the absolute perfect environment. Almost like a natural swamp cooler. A great way to escape the heat without the crowds.
One of the things that I most enjoyed about this trail was the fact that even when you couldn’t see the water you could almost always hear the sound of the lower falls, upper falls or the bubbling brook. It truly doesn’t get more relaxing than that.
I found that most of the people were around the lower falls and the viewpoint at the bottom. The lack of crowds and the spectacular scenery is why this is my new favorite hike!
If you don’t have time to do the hike or physical ability -it is worth visiting the view point and perhaps taking the trail to the bottom of the lower falls and back.
I look forward to my next adventure! Please scroll to the bottom of my blog and leave a comment!
Gotta do that one together! I absolutely love the tree trunks and rock formations that have obviously been falls at one time… maybe hundreds of thousands of years ago… yet I’m still researching the Missoula Floods, trying to determine what role they played in the formation of the gorge. I mean, the Columbia originates from a huge galcier in Canada. Many stories from our ancient planet.
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Yes- it was an amazing trail. I really enjoyed all the. Cool trees and stumps. Next time I want to bring a picnic, water shoes so I can put my feet in the water. I always love an excuse to go to the gorge- it is truly magical.
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Yup, an “Avatar” kind of world there. Thank you for sharing!
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