Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
I never planned to visit all Seven Wonders of Oregon this year. In fact, it wasn’t until I reached the end of the road, when I looked back at all the photos of my travels, that I realized I had actually done it.
The wonders are all beautiful natural attractions, but the concept is a manmade bit of marketing courtesy of Travel Oregon, which picked the wonders and released the list back in 2014. It's hard to argue with their choices. The wonders truly highlight some of the most awe-inspiring sights from almost every corner of the state, including desert, forest, mountains, ocean and one particularly deep lake.
Traveling to each one requires either a single big road trip or, in my case, many trips over every season throughout the year. I didn’t catch every wonder at its best, and didn’t explore each one to its fullest, but one of my primary philosophies in travel is to leave some unexplored parts to return to in the future – and there certainly is a lot left to explore in these places.
Here’s what Oregon’s seven wonders looked like through the lens of my camera as I traveled the state this year.
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
Charred trunks line the Pacific Crest Trail as it runs through the Columbia River Gorge.
COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE
The first wonder I visited was also the saddest. In February, reporter Jim Ryan and I shadowed trail crews as they worked to rebuild the Pacific Crest Trail in the Columbia River Gorge, which last summer was ravaged by the Eagle Creek Fire. Charred trees filled the forest, the gorge's iconic green moss alive only in patches left untouched by the flames.
As much as we mourned for the gorge during the fire, it was heartening to see much of the forest still intact, cliffs still standing tall, waterfalls still flowing into the Columbia River. In April, I went back to see the yellow and purple wildflowers spring to life, bringing color back to a landscape that sorely needed it.
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
Balsamroot flowers bloom on Mosier Plateau in the Columbia River Gorge.
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
Herman Creek runs beneath a bridge in the Columbia River Gorge.
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
A sunny spring day in June greets Smith Rock State Park in central Oregon.
SMITH ROCK
One of the bigger projects I embarked on this year was the quest to visit and rank Oregon's best state parks. That naturally led me to Smith Rock State Park (which came in at number three on the list), a gorgeous cathedral of rock in the high desert of eastern Oregon.
I visited the park in June, hiking up Misery Ridge to Monkey Face Rock and along the Crooked River. Rock climbers dotted the cliff faces and fellow hikers filled the dusty trails. The hike was steep and the day was hot, but the sheer beauty of Smith Rock erased every trace of discomfort, leaving me awestruck of this sacred place.
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
Hikers begin the descent to the trail system that snakes through Smith Rock State Park.
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
The Crooked River runs past tall cliffs on the River Trail on the southwest side of Smith Rock.
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
A cloudy sky casts gray light on the colorful Painted Hills, in the John Day Fossil Beds of central Oregon.
THE PAINTED HILLS
The morning after visiting Smith Rock, I drove northwest to explore all the units of the John Day Fossil Beds, where my first stop was the Painted Hills. This was my first time at the Fossil Beds, and although the colors of the desert landscape were muted under a gray morning sky, it was clear that this was a special place.
I pulled up to the parking area for the Painted Hills Overlook and hiked the short gravel trail to the end. Bright yellow wildflowers popped up to frame the view, where I took my time taking photos and sitting down to soak it all in. Showing up early on a weekday, I had the place to myself, and the solitude paired with the alien landscape made for a joyfully eerie experience.
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
Layers of red, yellow and black run through the Painted Hills, found in the John Day Fossil Beds.
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
The Painted Hills rise above an arid desert landscape in central Oregon.
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
The sun sets over Mount Hood and the Sandy River Valley, seen from the Jonsrud Viewpoint near downtown Sandy.
MOUNT HOOD
Mount Hood was the wonder I explored the least in 2018. After spending a week on the mountain last summer for the total solar eclipse, I opted to skip it for other adventures this year. But I did manage to get a good look at Oregon's tallest peak from two points nearby.
In January, while exploring things to do in downtown Sandy, I watched a gorgeous sunset over the mountain from the Jonsrud Viewpoint. The mountain was still covered in snow, painted glorious shades of yellow and pink. Then in August I hiked up Zigzag Mountain, collecting huckleberries by the handful as I climbed the steep trail, emerging from the forest to a great view of Hood, then bare save the glaciers.
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
Clouds hang in the Willamette Valley, seen from the southeast side of Zigzag Mountain Trail in the Mount Hood National Forest.
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
Mount Hood, seen from the ridge atop Zigzag Mountain.
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
The beach at Manzanita and Nehalem Bay, seen from a viewpoint on Neahkahnie Mountain.
OREGON COAST
The Oregon coast is my happy place. I try to get out there at least once a season, whether for work or personal travel, and this year I got out there a lot.
Some of my most memorable trips came this summer, when I traveled to nine Oregon state parks for our big ranking, and stopped at several other destinations on the way. That included a beautiful sunset at Sunset Bay, when I patiently waited for the sun to fall and frame a gull perched atop a rock. Two days earlier, I wandered through the Oregon Dunes on a gray afternoon, finding peace and confidence in aimless wandering.
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
The sun sets over a summer day at Sunset Bay State Park on the southern Oregon coast, framing a gull perched atop a rock.
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
A gray mist hangs over the Oregon Dunes on the central coast, where hikers can access the sandy expanse via the John Dellenback Dunes Trailhead.
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
The sun rises over Crater Lake, seen from a viewpoint near Rim Village.
CRATER LAKE
Crater Lake seems to be a destination a lot of us Oregonians take for granted. In my 10 years growing up here and the six years since I’ve been back, I had never made it out to the deepest lake in the country. This year I decided to remedy that oversight.
My schedule only allowed for a 24-hour whirlwind tour, but I still managed to drive to every single viewpoint, which afforded great views of Wizard Island, Phantom Ship and one particularly friendly chipmunk. I also stayed the night at the historic Crater Lake Lodge, where my small room had a great view overlooking the blue-hued volcanic lake.
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
The view from the Phantom Ship Overlook at Crater Lake.
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
Wizard Island, seen from the Watchman Overlook at Crater Lake.
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
A kayaker paddles onto Wallowa Lake with the Wallowa Mountains in the distance, on a gray day in late October.
WALLOWA MOUNTAINS
I had hoped to see the Wallowas in the summer, when clear skies allow for great hiking weather in the northeast Oregon alpine paradise. But my travel schedule forced a trip back to October, when a blanket of gray had rolled in to stay.
I longed to backpack, but instead stayed in a yurt at Wallowa Lake State Park, taking a day hike on the Hurricane Creek Trail, which was downright moody in the first weeks of fall. I always want more time in the Wallows, so I pledged to return in 2019 and spend more time exploring the vast beauty of the Eagle Cap Wilderness.
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
Sacajawea Peak rises above the trees along Hurricane Creek in the Eagle Cape Wilderness of the Wallowa Mountains.
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
Trees turn yellow and orange for the season at Falls Creek Falls, found on a short detour from the Hurricane Creek Trail in the Eagle Cap Wilderness of the Wallowa Mountains.
Torsten Kjellstrand/The Oregonia
NORTHWEST TRAVEL GUIDES
Where to play on Mt. Hood: Whether you ski, snowshoe or skijore, here's where to do it on the slopes of Mount Hood.
Holiday travel guide: Road trips aren't just for summer. Head to these Pacific Northwest destinations for the holiday season.
Deluxe cabins in Oregon: Tents aren't for everyone, so for those who want more comfort, check out these deluxe cabins in Oregon state parks.
--Jamie Hale | jhale@oregonian.com | @HaleJamesB
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