Help Needed with Oregon/Washington Equivalent to HikeArizona

[Dano]

Hello everyone. I have benefited from this great site for several years--it has been the BEST resource for hiking in Arizona.

I am moving to the Portland, Oregon area, and I'd love to find an equivalent to Hikearizona. An internet search led to these choices:

1) Pay for a site--AmericanTrails.org is $50 per year, and Trails.com is $75 per year.
2) Find a new site--so far, the closest thing I've found is trailsNW.com.
3) Continue to use hikearizona

Has anyone used a pay site like the two listed above, and if so, are they worth it? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Dan.

[johnlp]

Try localhikes.com. Nothing like HAZ, but it's a start.

[big_load]

Try nwhikers.net. It's not HAZ, but it's better than nothing.

[PaleoRob]

Keep using HAZ. Buy a guidebook when you get up there. Talk to people that hike up there. Post the hikes you find here so that we can all enjoy your hikes vicariously, and you'll also be helping anyone else from AZ who ends up visiting or moving up there. Especially since I get up there occasionally since I have relatives up there...

[joebartels]

February 2010 HAZ Member of the Month PageRob seems to be talking the most common sense!

I tried trails.crap to see what $50(this was a few years ago) got you. Basically they have some sort of agreement with publishers. Their listings are verbatim from books. I could write a book about what you don't get but let me tell you what you do get when you stop your membership... spam galore

If you're interested in books you can probably find plenty dirt cheap on abebooks.com

[PaleoRob]

Member of the Month?!? More like member that hasn't hiked in a month.

[big_load]

Whatever sites you pick, be sure to check out the Wallowas.

[imike]

... buy the books... entering the hikes here... build up this format for all the states! It is just the best possible and would be great to have outside of Az...

[BobP]

Talk to the locals,google stuff,library,and what people said above. Pay sites are "usually" a waste. Here is a link to some free info http://www.oregon.com/hiking with lots of embedded links.

[rushthezeppelin]

Make your own version of HAZ for the area

[Davis2001r6]

Localhikes has been helpful for me, but nothing like HAZ.

[nonot]

That's some beautiful country up there, hope to read about some of your adventures. Good luck!

Oh and you may be able to download route info from everytrail.com and trimbleoutdoors.com.

[Sredfield]

... buy the books... entering the hikes here... build up this format for all the states! It is just the best possible and would be great to have outside of Az...

HAZ goes Viral?

[SkyIslandHiker]

Dan,

Don't waste your money on a pay site when there is PortlandHikers.org:
http://www.portlandhikers.org/

Their "Field Guide" is a lot like the TrailDEX:
http://www.portlandhikersfieldguide.org/wiki/Main_Page

PortlandHikers forums are also very active like HAZ.

The most popular books for Oregon/Washington hiking are William Sullivan's 100 Hikes series:
http://web.oregon.com/hiking/sullivan.cfm#books

There are also a whole bunch of hiking clubs/groups in the Portland area. Check out the links from the PortlandHikers home page.

Enjoy the Rose City. You're a lucky man! I always wanted to live there but have had to settle for frequent visits. Infact, I'll be heading up that way at the end of the month.

Bill Bens

TucsonHikers - Southern Arizona's Hiking Network!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TucsonHikers/

[sundevilstormin]

I live in PDX for four years - lots of fishing, camping, ocean, skiing - LOVED IT and would love to go back and live there!

You gotta do Three Sisters wilderness near Bend (Pole Creek to Camp lake) and of course Mt Hood, Mt St. Helens, Adams, Canon Beach etc etc etc

oh, and get some good gore-tex gear, hahahah, your gonna NEED it!

[Dano]

Hello all, thank you so much for your help. I'll take a look at those sites tomorrow and let you know what I think.

The theme seems to be that there's nothing quite like hikeaz, and the pay sites aren't worth it.

Thanks for all the specific hiking suggestions as well--this is the biggest reason we are moving--to have a whole bunch of new places to see.

[Dano]

Hello again, all. I went to all of the suggested web sites, and each one offers a little different perspective on the local hikes. Thank you for the suggestions; they are now on my favorites list.

I will stay away from the pay sites, based on your comments, and buy the guidebooks. I plan to join a local hiking club, especially for the more remote or difficult hikes. I have a new co-worker who hikes everywhere up there, and I plan to discuss things with him. And yes, I will definitely need a new hiking wardrobe--the cotton pants just won't cut it.

I love hikearizona so much, that I promise I will post some hikes and triplogs.

[sneakySASQUATCH]

You will love it up there if you can deal with the rain from Nov.-Feb. When I moved there it rained 93 out of the first 95 days I was there, but was one of the best ski years they had. I lived in Alder Creek about 20 miles from Mt. Hood for 8 years and taught snow safety/ and Mountain travel and rescue for the Mt.Hood Ski Patrol before moving back to Az. The guidebook series 100 hikes is good, but the key is planning hikes for example to waterfalls when there is good flow or hiking in Washington when the huckleberries are ripe. Hikes in Hood River/Columbia during the times of the year when your favorite fruit is in season. Also, you might want to get a guide on plants of the Northwest as there are numerous varieties of berries that are edible to be found along hikes in the area.
You are correct cotton will not work. You might check out Next Adventure when you get to Portland. They carry everything and is my favorite outdoor gear store ever. They also buy and sell used gear and have a pretty good outdoor
community. Anyway, hope that helps. I will look through my Oregon hikes when I get back to Az. and give you a couple suggestions of hikes to try and directions if you like. Then you can post triplogs and pictures so I can vicariously be transported to Oregon.

[Dano]

Thanks bart! I will definitely take your advice. The great outdoors is the main reason I'm moving up there. And the good season is starting soon!

[sneakySASQUATCH]

Back in town for a couple of days. The books I would suggest are Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, and Alaska Pojar and Mackinnon. The Hiking book I would recommend to get a start is Portland Hikes whatever edition mine is 2 by Art Bernstein and Andrew Jackman. It has the best day hikes in Oregon and Washington within 100 miles of Portland. Ramona Falls and Tamanawas falls are both nice destinations and if you hit them during the wet season the falls can be stunning. Coopers Spur is a good hike above the tree line on Mt. Hood and could be done on the same day as Tamanawas if you wanted a good long day of hiking (The turn off for Coopers Spur is only approx. 1-3 miles beyond Tamanawas trailhead parking). Watch the weather and be prepared on Coopers Spur. Pack warm clothes on this one even if you do it in the summer as weather comes in fast. There is little or no cover above the treeline except a stone climbers shelter. It has a fireplace that works I know 'cause I spent a couple hours in it weathering a blizzard on a day that started out as a nice 60 degree day. Anyway, the above mentioned book has all the hikes i've mentioned as well as numerous others broken into coastal hikes, Columbia Gorge, Washington, and Oregon Cascades so it has a nice variety and is a good start. I lived in the Cascades and did most of my hiking in the Mt. Hood area. Good luck hope it helps don't forget to post the pictures.