Deschutes Falls Park

 

This gem is Thurston County’s newest park and it is absolutely beautiful. While it can be a drive considering the back roads necessary to get there, it’s still fairly local in view of its location to Yelm and is definitely worth visiting for a day trip.*

While the park is over 150 acres, it’s not necessarily a place to visit if you’re looking for miles of hiking trails. This park is more for those who enjoy river walks, waterfalls and photography. There is a long road you will walk to access the forested area and once there, you can explore to your heart’s content.

When you enter the forested area, look to the right where a quick jaunt on a short trail will bring you to a fenced area overlooking a large waterfall. It’s not the best view of a large waterfall I’ve ever seen, but it was still nice since there aren’t many large waterfalls in Thurston County. Finding an access for a better view is not an option considering the dangerous and slick rocky gorge below the fence and surrounding area. 

The best views are upriver if you're into a short river walk.

As you make your way, you can walk along the water on the rocks while scouting for crawdads. Jozee didn’t know what to think of this crawdad but she enjoyed dipping her feet in the nice cool water.

Your next option is to follow the trail to the left of the forested entrance and after a bit of a walk you’ll discover a PNW treasure you’ll have a difficult time leaving. Once you make your way down to the river, you’ll find yourself moving over natural rock monoliths. These rocks are fun to move along as you explore the river, the pools of water and small waterfalls along the way. Here the river flows through a long beautiful gorge and the whole area is just a stunning area to explore. The gorge is also where you’ll find swimmers enjoying the natural lazy river. Except for die-hard hikers, there’s something for everyone.

And while this park doesn’t offer hiking trails like other parks, be sure to keep track of your personal items as you move around the park or you will get more than your fair share of steps in. We found that out the hard way when we had to retrace our steps and walk the road and trails multiple times looking for my driver’s license after it fell out of a pocket. We were fortunate that a family spending time at the gorge happened to find it and held on to it until they spotted me and recognized it was my ID. This setback could have put a damper on our trip to the park but we were thankful it ended on a positive note!

Jozee would have loved to explore the fields outside the park, but leashes are required so this was as far as she got. Even so, she enjoyed herself and had fun hiding in the long grass as she sniffed out critters.

* As with all parks, especially during the time of Covid restrictions, please check the park website before your planned visit to verify it is open and accessible to visitors.

 

Rainbow Falls, Long Beach & Cape Disappointment State Park

Some days we visit just one park, other days we cram a whole bunch into one day. On this particular trip, we ventured to three different areas and made it one long fun-filled day.

Our first stop was at Rainbow Falls State Park. It had been years since I’d visited this park, long before the original bridge over the river had been washed out, so that finding the park entrance took a little more time. Once we parked and began to explore the park’s day use area, memories flooded back to me of my visits there as a kid when we would stay in the campground. We quickly made our way to the river, after first stopping to get a look at a relic…a phone booth. The phone is missing and I don't believe the paper phone book was in the binder, but the booth was such an odd sight in the middle of the greenery at the park and seeing it just made me smile. 

The river walk was fun and the river was beautiful. We made our way down to the water to walk along the rocks and in the water and we also moved along the trail for more views of the river. Jozee enjoyed both the trail and a walk in the shallow areas of the river. The trail was easy and just enough for what we were looking for as a way to stretch our legs before hitting the road again. 

Our next stop was Long Beach, another area I hadn’t visited for quite some time. The beach is like any other Washington beach and this day was like many…cloudy and cool. But we enjoyed a walk along the boardwalk and in the sand and also had fun watching some pretty spectacular kites being flown by beachgoers that day. 

         

When we were ready to head indoors, we visited Marsh’s Free Museum, a tourist trap of the best kind. I’ve never been to Long Beach without also visiting this store. The museum is filled to the brim with your beach-related gift and souvenir items and so much more. It’s full of funky antiques and curios, to include antique arcade games and photo viewing machines, and oddities like Jake the alligator Man. It is a full-fledged curiosity shop and worth a visit. Jozee waited outside while we took turns exploring the store…I don’t think dogs were allowed inside but I also don’t know what she would have thought about some of the stuffed animals they have inside the store! 

After Long Beach we took a trip to Cape Disappointment State Park. Again, this is a park I’ve been to before but it’s been awhile and this was our first time with a pup tagging along. The park is very dog friendly and we enjoyed hiking up the trailhead past the lighthouse keeper's residence, Deadmans Hollow and an old bunker before we arrived at the North Head Lighthouse. Jozee met another pup along the way and they became fast friends. 

   

    

The weather was still cloudy when we arrived at the lighthouse but it began to clear up so that we were able to enjoy the surrounding views before we ventured back down the hill. The views from above by the lighthouse are truly beautiful on a clear day.

One note I should make is that this visit to Cape Disappointment was pre-Covid…I believe some of the park and access to the lighthouse is closed until further notice. However, when it opens up again, it’s definitely worth the visit if you haven’t had the chance yet.

We thought we were done for the day when we found another beach area nearby we’d never visited before. It’s called Waikiki Beach and it was a fun find. We had a different view of the lighthouse from across the water, rocks to explore, beach to access and it’s a beautiful beach cove with cliffs on one side and regular waves I imagine surfers often enjoy. We didn’t venture any further in to check out any trails the park might offer since it was so late in the day, which only means we have a reason to go back to this park someday.

Washington State has a beautiful coastline and while a visit to the beach is often cloudy and windy, you might get lucky with blue skies and sunshine to match the wonderful views. Since the weather can vary, it just gives you a reason to go back for another visit.