#hurricane-ridge

#hurricane-ridge

Abiqua Falls is a stunning 92-foot waterfall that tumbles over a wall of columnar basalt into a wide pool, perfect for swimming. The surrounding area features a pebbled beach that provides breathtaking views of the falls and lush greenery.

We run on the Tacoma and Eastern rail line. Beginning in 1906, that's what people used to take to get to the entrance of the national park at Ashford, Washington. From there, they'd take stagecoaches up to Paradise Inn.

For 2025, there was good news and bad news: overall, these areas were visited 323 million times over the course of the year. That's the good news; the bad news is that this figure was down ever so slightly - specifically, 2.7% - from a record-setting 2024.

Not only do we have an amazing trail with 10 waterfalls (four of which you can walk behind), but it's a great place to see and learn about plants and wildlife. We also have several historic buildings that are open to the public-all built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s and 1940s.

The 1993 erotic thriller Sliver should have ended differently: Zeke, played by William Baldwin, was scripted to fly a helicopter towards an active volcano, after Sharon Stone's character, Carly, reveals she's the killer. The pilot, Craig Hosking, had been tasked with flying low over Hawaii's Kilauea volcano, accompanied by the director of photography, Mike Benson, and his assistant Christopher Duddy, to film the bubbling lava and white plumes of smoke escaping from the Puu Oo vent.

The body is a shifting landscape transformed by surfaces and sensations. Each look captures a different tactile world: the heat of blood, the cool weight of metal, the yielding drift of water. The result is a sculptural study of how the elements carve, shield, and release the self. The materials we embody become the emotions we carry, and the body becomes a materialised exhibition of our emotions, from the pulse of Blood to the discipline of Metal to the surrender of Water.

Rendezvous Bowl was icy and windswept in its uppers but softer and more forgiving halfway down. I popped out of bounds, did a couple of hikes, and clicked my skis on in a face-gouging wind. When I got to my drop-in, there were a few inches of snow and a foot of wind.

Yosemite National Park is closed through Friday because of impacts from the winter storm, including heavy snowfall and heavy trees. The National Park Service announced Thursday that the park is closed and that visitors with lodging reservations may still enter the park through Highway 140 at the Arch Rock entrance. Since Monday, Yosemite Valley and the park has received about 4 feet of snow and up to 52 inches in some areas, according to the National Weather Service in Hanford.

The issue dates back to a 2014 ruling by the Oregon Supreme Court stemming from a snowboard injury case at Mt. Bachelor. In that decision, the court determined that certain liability waivers signed by recreation participants could be considered "unconscionable contracts," effectively weakening their enforceability.

Many of them were built for purposes that no longer exist - cattle drives, mining prospecting, early U.S. Forest Service fire patrols - while others were packed by the footprints of the Chumash people well before the colonization of North America. Sections of trail cling to steep slopes that seem to barely resist gravity, shedding soil and stone with each winter storm.

Mt. Baker is the PNW's snow vacuum. It's close enough to the Pacific to get storm after storm, and the North Cascades do what they do best: force moist air straight up, wring it out, and bury everything in sight. Maritime storms roll in wet and heavy, then pile up fast when they hit terrain.

We designed this new plan to ensure that the majority of parking will continue to remain free, especially for guests who carpool. What's different from the parking plan we announced last spring is the added flexibility of free reservations, released weekly ahead of weekends and holiday periods, in addition to paid reservations, released ahead of the season for those who prefer to plan further in advance.

I trekked it in December 2023 with plans and a permit to camp at Bright Angel Campground, a scenic cottonwood-shaded hideaway just near the famed Phantom Ranch (the only lodging on the world wonder's floor). Then, two days before my trip, a miracle happened: One last-minute reservation became available for Phantom Ranch. The ranch digs typically book out over a year in advance, but if you're lucky, you can either get in via the lottery or a last-minute opening. This made the grueling but gorgeous hike down and up the steep South Kaibab Trail even more memorable.

I've traveled to all 63 major US national parks, but Grand Teton stands out as my favorite.

Oregon's Hoodoo Ski Area has suspended operations indefinitely as warm weather and sunshine continue to damage their snowpack. The ski area announced the closure on their social media, explaining that after surveying the terrain many times throughout the past few days they were forced to make the call to close until more snow comes through. Those who've purchased a ticket for a day that the mountain is closed will automatically be given a credit to their account for a future visit.

The Stardust Motel launched a shuttle program over the summer to various recreation spots in the area, including the Trail of the Hiawatha, and is continuing the service over the winter with regular trips up to Lookout Pass on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. I hopped on at the Stardust after a fabulous breakfast at The Tin Snug with some freshly baked pastries to go. The ride was easy and skipping parking was an added advantage with an influx of people brought by the recent snowfall.

Mt. Hood Skibowl, Oregon, is dealing with the reality that Mother Nature has not been cooperating with Western ski resorts this season, and will suspend its ski and ride operations after Sunday night. The temperatures at Mt. Hood Skibowl on Saturday, January 31, were 33 degrees at the base area and 42 at the top. The snow depth at the top of the mountain was 14 inches.

This quaint little town, surrounded by green pastures and granite cliffs, is the northern gateway to the High Sierra. Bridgeport always evokes nostalgia and is one of my favorite views of the Eastern Sierra. In my younger years, it was all about the resorts, and Bridgeport was a place to stretch the legs on the way to Mammoth Mountain. Now, I look more to the backcountry trailheads, and Bridgeport has become an alluring area along the 395 corridor.