Riverside Park runs alongside the Wenatchee River in Cashmere. A paved walking path extends along…read morethe river and is beautiful to walk in the autumn. I recently walked this trail with my uncle and my aunt the three mornings I was in Cashmere visiting them (the 10th, 11th, and 12th of November 2020). The leaves were various colors and had started falling over the path, the branches of the trees filtered in the sunlight in patches providing a very autumn feel while walking. Along the river the wind can be strong so if walking in cooler temperatures it is a good idea to wear multiple layers. My uncle and I walked down one of the slopes by the walking trail to the river's edge. Across the river Highway 2 was rumbling with cars and trucks on their way to somewhere. In addition to the walking trail there is a large field area, multiple playgrounds one of which in primarily devoted to swings, a paved skate park and a dirt skate park, and a large picnic area where one can sit and relax. I spotted a couple of restroom buildings but did not go over to check if they were open or closed (due to COVID-19). A cement ramp leads into the river and provides a place one could launch or remove a river rafting boat from the water. On each of our visits, the park was calm and not too busy with people.

What an absolutely wonderful Park for kids and adults both!…read more Very well maintained, loaded with amenities for everyone, this park offers something for everyone. Paved walk ways all through the park, covered benches for catching that lunchtime crowd who enjoy eating out doors, water works for the kids, a large covered eating area suitable for very large groups, extreme Frisbee golf, and lots and lots of open grassy area for running and playing, makes this one of the nicest parks in Wenatchee.

I don't know about you, but I'm a fan of dam overlooks. They're a nice way to safely view a marvel…read moreof civil and structural engineering, but from a safe distance. And this dam overlook is no exception. With sweeping views up and down the Columbia River, a trail, interpretive signage, a display of ancient hieroglyphs and even a ginormous dam turbine there is literally something for every dam visitor. With plenty of dam parking, a large dam restroom facility and several lovely places for a dam picnic the Wells overlook is more than just an interesting dam stop - it doubles as a rest area and a place to stretch the ol' legs while driving through the Okanagan.

Wells Dam is an impressive presence in Douglas County in Washington and tourists as well as locals…read moreuse the Wells Reservoir for fishing, hiking, boating and camping. This review is for the recreation area just off SR 20 as I desperately needed a place to use the bathroom after a very long drive. The Wells Dam serves a source of hydroelectric energy and can pass a flood of over 8,800,000 gallons of water per second! It is also an important project that ensures the safe passage of migrating Salmon and Steelhead through the dams and has a fish ladder that allows them to get to the other side. It also allows scientists to catch some for studying (and maybe eating as well). The Wells Dam project also dedicates its time to hatching/breeding a variety of fish such as land-locked Chinook, White Sturgeon, Trout and Kokanee. It was deserted when we got there on a weekday around noon and there was a nice parking lot, a clean bathroom (hooray!), donated doggie bags for scooping your dog's poop, an impressive view of the dam and the surroundings and lots of signage. A lot of money and thought went into this rest stop for tourists and/or locals frequenting the area. It would be a nice place for a picnic under their pavilions for a quick lunch, a bathroom break in clean non-porta potty toilet, a photo op and a bit of history to help fill your afternoon with memories.

My friend and I had so much fun walking around Blackbird Island (Waterfront Park)! It's such a…read morebeautiful little park with amazing views and a river running through it. We learned that the main loop trail there is about 1.9 miles round-trip. As you cross the bridge onto the island, trails crisscross through a peaceful, natural area with interpretive signs, and you get to hear birds calling and see fish jumping in the water. Fun fact: Blackbird Island was formed from silt left by the old Lamb-Davis Lumber Mill, making it part of the reclaimed land that now hosts this lovely park. It's a great place to stretch your legs, get fresh air, enjoy nature, and just take in the views. I highly recommend stopping here if you're in Leavenworth!

Came in March and aalll the trees were leaf-less along the trail, however it was still a pretty…read morewalk along the water. It balanced out all the eating (and/or drinking) that is done in town!

We have hiked this trail many times. This last weekend we enjoyed warm weather with a cool breeze,…read moretalk about perfection! The views from the top are gorgeous, it's such a rewarding climb. Straight up on an incline, rough on the knees coming back down. Just take your time and BRING WATER! Great workout with a beautiful view. My family of 4 (2 adults 2 kids 6/8yo) hiked the entire thing in 1 hour and 10 minutes. We did NOT take any side trails and stayed on the main trail to preserve the natural habitat. Dog friendly, wear appropriate shoes for when you get to the top it's rocky in the area where the saddle rock is. Continue on past that area for a great viewing area with benches and safer photo opp areas.

It's not the landscape, the wildlife, the trails or the views. It's the people. Most are…read moreperfectly fine and are out there to camp, hike, and fish for the sake of the activities. However, there is a percentage that is there because it's free and remote while still being accessible to a town where they can get their drug of choice. You'll recognize them by the ancient, filthy, motorhomes. My son was hiking with his girlfriend when they were approached by one of these "campers" who asked if they had any fentanyl to sell! Wow! Is there no where to escape this scrounge? Anywhere?

Mileage: estimated about 10 miles total (2 miles to where we set up our tents, then we hiked a loop…read moreof about 6 miles, then 2 miles back to the car the next day) Backpacked: April 16-17, 2016 This past weekend a group of us did an overnight backpack trek to Ancient Lakes. 3 first timers backpacking and it turned out to be an awesome trip! We had some problems trying to find directions out to the place, so here's directions from my personal experience. Directions: we stayed in Quincy the night before, so we took the 28 to Whitetail Road. Made a left on Whitetail from the 28, then a right on road 9 NW. follow road 9 NW and it turns into Ancient Lakes Rd NW. At the end of the road, you'll find the west parking lot. I am not sure how to get to the east parking lot. There's a lot of parking here, when we got there by 11 am, it was really crowded but we still found a spot. (When you are on Whitetail Rd, it might look like you are just driving through farms, but buried in there, there's Ancient Lakes!) There is a port-o-potty at the trail head on the west side. Trail head: is well marked, we hiked in about 2 miles and got to the lakes and the rolling grass area where you can set up tent where ever. There are some man made fire rings scattered through out the area. Hiking: After we picked a spot and set up camp, we hiked a loop around the lakes. We started towards the waterfall. It was a scramble up the side of the waterfall, like a class 4 rock scramble lol. Loose rocks, loose footing. From there, we went pass that waterfall and onto the backside where the east parking lot is. Which there's another waterfall there, and there's also camp spots there too. We looped around, it wasn't too hard. We estimated this part of the hike to be around 6 miles round trip back to our tents. Lots of people camping, we counted about 50 tents, then you estimate about 2/per tent, so like 100 people were out here! But you still are able to find solitude. We came across 3 snakes, an owl, and a marmot. Easy trek, not very hilly at all. Good for first time backpackers. The area can be explored in a day. I found this site useful: https://www.theoutbound.com/washington/backpacking/ancient-lakes-day-hike-or-backpack

This is an amazing lake in the National Forest near Leavenworth Washington. You have to take a 9…read moremile trail out and back, but it's worth the view if you're physically able.

Colchuck Lake has been on my list for YEARS and one I definitely considered a bucket list trail. I…read morefinally got the chance to do it this past weekend and it was 100% warranted as as bucket list destination. Doing some research before the hike we learned that the parking lot is pretty much full before 7am. We reached there by around 6:45am and it was entirely full and people were parking down the road. We were even as far as at least half a mile away from the actual trailhead when we actually parked, but luckily the walk is pretty flat. The beginning of the trailhead has a bathroom that will have a lengthy line in the morning, and it is gross. Just be prepared! In total, we clocked almost 9 miles round trip and it took us just shy of 7 hours. That said, we did spend about an hour at the top to take in all of the views and the experience as a whole. I knew this trail would be challenging and I'd say it was probably the second hardest I've ever done (maybe the third), with the first being Mailbox Peak. There are some incredibly tough stretches with steep rock stairs and areas where it feels like you're scrambling a ton. There are moderate breaks where the trail flattens, but it's pretty challenging the entire length of the hike. The end point, the actual lake, is entirely worth the pain and "I don't know if I can do this" moments along the way. Absolutely STUNNING. Probably the most unreal colored water I've ever seen with the shade of blue that it was. The mountains encompassing the lake look fake - literally like AI in real life or something. Truly is a great spot to find a nice rock to sit and relax to enjoy lunch and reenergize for the trek down the trail. After hitting the bottom, it was a loooong walk back to the car with us being so wiped. Much to our disappoint we also discovered that ALL of the cars parked along the road received $100 tickets from the Chelan PD, despite there being no signs that said we couldn't park along the road (just on the bridge, which we weren't on). Overall Colchuck Lake was worth the wait and I'm so glad to have seen it finally - I just don't think I'll ever do it again LOL.

We got a deluxe cabin at Lincoln Rock State Park and it was so nice and had all of the basics. We…read moremade sure to check first and brought our own pillows, linens, towels, etc. But the deluxe cabins have bunk beds, a queen futon, full bath (shower), kitchen sink, and mini fridge. There are lots of nice places to walk around, too.

What a well maintained facility. This was our 2nd time tent camping at Lincoln Rock…read more A real nice treat to camp on grass and not dirt. Be aware that this beautiful grass is beautiful beautiful it is watered daily. Best to review the sprinkler watering table on the community billboard...you don't want to be surprised when your section sprinkler's turn on. Bathrooms are clean, showers are clean. The showers take a special token...get them at the token machine ... main entry and also at the group campground. The lake is remarkable. It's popular so it can get busy at the swim area. Have fun...!!!