We woke up to a wet morning in the beautiful rain forest of Ohanapecosh. These ancient trees kept us as dry as they could, but the rain and low fog continued throughout the morning. We packed up camp and headed for the Paradise Loop, but unfortunately it was too foggy to see most of the stunning views ahead of us!
We made our way out of Paradise Loop and started driving the winding roads towards Cougar Rock. On the way we stopped at Narada Falls..make sure you go to the lower viewpoint of the falls because it was breathtaking! On clear days you can see a rainbow in the falls and there’s even a further trail to take you lower if you’re feeling adventurous!
We headed back on the road towards Christine Falls, which was a smaller volume waterfall, but was still able to create a beautiful cylindrical pool at the base of its falls. The lower viewpoint with the bridge in frame was picture-perfect!
We wanted to do more in Mt. Rainier, but the frigid and wet weather was not cooperating. Luckily throughout this entire trip, we’ve only had poor weather at nights, but today was our first rainy day. We have been hearing people say amazing things about Crater Lake National Park in southern Oregon, so we decided to move Portland a day forward, so that we could add Crater Lake to our itinerary!
It was only a 3-hour drive to Portland, OR and we’re staying with my family for two nights. We really wanted to stop by Rogue Brewery in Portland, because we’re a big fan of their unique beers!
After Rogue, we went to Lightning Wil to see Joey’s friend Greg from back home. It’s been so great seeing so many of our family and friends throughout this trip! Afterwards, we went to my aunt’s house where we’re staying for the night. Tomorrow we’ll see the Columbia River Gorge’s natural wonders, so stay posted!