Kaleberg Archive for Keyword: elwha, Page: 1

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flowers
winter
food
kale
spring
seattle
port angeles
high country
hurricane hill
farmers' market
elwha
lake angeles
christmas
autumn
trails
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All Keywords

Upcoming Hiking Tides

These are low tides of under three feet at least two hours after sunrise or before sunset.

Next tides for La Push
6/5/23 8:16 AM -2.53 ft
6/6/23 9:03 AM -2.52 ft
6/7/23 9:52 AM -2.25 ft
6/8/23 10:43 AM -1.77 ft
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6/10/23 12:32 PM -0.35 ft
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Next tides for Dungeness
6/5/23 10:49 AM -3.07 ft
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6/10/23 3:09 PM 0.02 ft
6/11/23 4:06 PM 1.36 ft

Next tides for Cape Alava
6/5/23 8:52 AM -2.58 ft
6/6/23 9:39 AM -2.59 ft
6/7/23 10:27 AM -2.34 ft
6/8/23 11:17 AM -1.85 ft
6/9/23 12:08 PM -1.19 ft
6/10/23 12:59 PM -0.38 ft
6/11/23 1:51 PM 0.49 ft

For more on the Elwha River and Whiskey Bend Trails, visit our Elwha River website.

05/03/23 - Elwha Spring We were back along the Elwha. The river is fuller and wilder, and the spring flowers have been progressing. There were lots of trilliums and lots of water.	The trail
A local snake	A local orchid
It turns out these are fawn lilies, not columbines, but we're not going to correct all our old posts.	More fawn lilies
A trillium - We're pretty sure of this one.	The Elwha
Trilliums and tiarella not yet in bloom	Red winged insect - click for a better look
Another trillium	Dicentra - probably
Violets	Another bit of the trail
Another bit of the river	The old pavilion at the old campground
High water	High snow
More high water	And more high water

Keywords: elwha, flowers, spring, trillium

04/21/23 - Spring Progress Update, Elwha Edition We walked from the parking area at Madison Falls, up along the Elwha, to a bit past the Altair Bridge. We were pleased to see more trilliums and a few columbines in bloom. We're a month into spring, but it still feels like we are behind. Still, it's nice to see a few of our favorites return.	Forest
A trillium	Another trillium
A columbine leaf	Even better, a columbine
The trail, perhaps a bit greener	Another trillium
The Elwha River	Another sign of spring, a mushroom
Back along the road	More forest
A country road	The Elwha from the Altair Bridge
A view of the misty mountains	Maple branches
Along the Elwha	Yet another trillium
More of the trail - Is it greener?	A mossy rock
Along the trail	Another columbine
Yet another columbine far from the main cluster	More misty mountains

Keywords: elwha, flowers, spring, trillium

04/14/23 - Elwha Flower Followup We took a short walk south along the Elwha from Madison Falls to check out the slow progress of this years spring. We didn't get all the way to the Altair Bridge, but we did see some emerging columbine leaves, a few trilliums, a few flowers and an interesting bird.	A toad lily
Columbine leaves	The Elwha
An interesting bird	Another look at the Elwha
Flooding along the trail	The road otherwise
Still lots of snow in the mountains	More flowers - violets
Yay, a trillium	And another
And another, not yet in bloom	A young trillium
Another columbine leaf	And another
Those little yellow flowers we never look up in our plant book	The mules are back in town!

Keywords: elwha, flowers, spring, trillium

04/05/23 - Signs of Spring - Elwha to Altair - Trilliums and Columbines Our search for signs of spring took us to the Elwha River. We parked near Madison Falls and followed the road past the mule camp where we saw our first sign of spring: the mules were back. That was promising. We headed onto the detour trail and saw our first yellow violets of the season along with some of those pale pink flowers that bloom so early. Then we saw our first trillium. It was the only one we saw, but we're pretty sure more will follow. Further down the trail, we saw the skunk cabbage with its faint smell of sulphur. We checked out the river from the Altair Bridge. It was relatively low. The snows have not yet begun to melt. We could see snow on the peaks, some of it fresh. On our way back, we spotted another sign of spring. We saw our first columbines. To be fair, we saw their leopard spotted leaves. They weren't ready to bloom, but when you are desperate for signs of spring, that's close enough.	Yellow violets
Little pink flowers	The harbinger trillium
The trail	The river
The road	Skunk cabbage
The river from the Altair Bridge
Currant flowers	Snow covered hill across the river
Snow

	Flowing water
Columbine leaves
Another columbine leaf	Another leaf
White flowers and	blue flowers along the road

Keywords: elwha, flowers, spring, trillium

11/16/22 - Sunny Day Elwha We weren't up to much, so we took a short walk from the Madison Falls parking lot along the Elwha to where the road washed out and admired the fall foliage, the rushing river and the brilliant day. The mules were gone for the season. Then, we took the little trail to Madison Falls.	Olympic Hot Springs Road past Madison Falls
Across the Elwha	Late fall foliage
The Elwha	The gap where the road was cut
Another view across the river	And another
Yet another	The tree of gold
The road again	Madison Falls
Almost bare trees near Madison Falls	More of such

Keywords: elwha

10/24/22 - Elwha to Altair - After the Rain At long last, it has rained. We had a long dry stretch, all of September and most of October. Hurricane Ridge Road was closed for repairs, but they promised to re-open it on the 21st. Naturally, we expected the rains to come on that date and the road to the Ridge to be closed due to snow. Our forecast was accurate. On the 21st, the rains came. It snowed on the Ridge. Hurricane Ridge Road did not reopen, but we, down near sea level, had lots of long awaited rain. We decided to head out from Madison Falls and check out the Elwha River as far as the Altair Bridge. There were wonderful puddles, wet dirt and wet pavement. We weren't the only ones enjoying the puddles. We spotted a frog beside one. Even the park service mules looked happier, though we can't be sure. The river looked a lot less tired. It seemed like the foliage was waiting for the rains to change to its autumn colors, and now that the rain had come there were browns and reds and golds. The colors were muted by the drought, but they were there.	At the start of the trail
Autumn color	A glimpse of the river
A proper view of the Elwha	Wet pavement never looked this good.
Still plenty of green	Park service buildings
The Elwha from the Altair Bridge	Another view from the bridge
A log caught below the Altair Bridge	More of Olympic Hot Springs Road
Another view of the river	Autumn color and misty mountains
Autumn fields	Mist and color
More of the wet road	The green forest thinning
A bit of trail	A dramatic bit of trail
That frog by the puddle	Another view, same frog
Mules in the field	The river at the parking lot

Keywords: autumn, elwha, hurricane ridge

09/09/22 - Salmon in the Elwha The salmon are heading upriver to spawn. We took a walk along the Elwha starting at Madison Falls and kept an eye on the river when we could. Once again, we spotted some fish in a quiet stretch. This is great since one of the big goals of taking down the old dam was to encourage fish, particularly salmon, to return to the river. We also checked out the elderberries and said hello to the mules.	The Elwha River
Elderberries	Elderberries up close
Found on the trail	The Elwha seen from the Altair Bridge
A sunny field	Some salmon
A closer look	And another
Back on the trail	Saying hello to the mules

Keywords: elwha, salmon

08/03/22 - Elwha to Altair We hadn't hiked along the Elwha River for a few weeks, so we parked near Madison Falls and made our way up the road, past the mule camp, around behind the old campground via the detour, then along the old road past the ranger station to the Altair Bridge. That was far enough for us. The scenery was summery. The spring flowers were gone. Now was the time of leafy green trees, berries and drying grasses. The river is still running briskly. We may or may not have seen fish in the water from the bridge, but we definitely had a wonderful view. We tasted a few thimbleberries, checked out the elderberry blossoms and said hello to the mules.	The Elwha River near the old campground
The summer trail	Summer forest
The trail in the summer	Trail through summer foliage
A forest bird	Enhanced and enlarged
That bird again	A better bird image
An elderberry tree	Some elderberry flowers
The blue Elwha	The Elwha downstream from the bridge
Thimbleberry bushes	Thimbleberries
The summer road	Dry grass - The green stuff is horestail.
More summer forest	More summer forest trail
The forest again, and some trees	The Elwha near Madison Falls

Keywords: elwha, summer

04/02/22 - Elwha to Altair - Spring Is Here We were absolutely exhausted but really wanted to take another good hike before the rainy days come, so we headed out from the Madison Falls parking lot and followed the trail. It's a good winter trail, but it's an even better spring trail. We hadn't gone very far before our first trillium, and then came the columbines. Trilliums like sloping ground, usually near water, so they'll grow on hillsides above streams. Columbines like a sunny spot on crumbling rocky soil, and there are only a few places like that on this trail. That's where we found them. We headed on past other signs of spring. Skunk cabbage filled the boggy fields further up towards the bridge. There were currant blossoms, and there were a lot of new leaves and leaf buds. Even the larger trees were showing touches of green. Columbine season is short, so we'll have to come back soon, but we'll be back again and again as the season progresses. It's a pretty good summer trail too.	Our first trillium on the trail
Yellow violets	More yellow violets
One of the columbines	Another columbine
Another trillium	Some little white flowers that we see every year and never bother to look up in the wildflower book
The Elwha	Another view of the Elwha
Fern forest	The skunk cabbage bog
The Elwha from the Altair bridge	Wild currant
A touch of green in the trees	Most of the snow melted
Yet another trillium	Yet another columbine
A columbine in its place	The mules are back!

Keywords: elwha, spring, trillium

03/19/22 - Elwha to Altair Again We took another hike up to the Altair Bridge. It is getting even more spring-like. This time, there was serious skunk cabbage and a few currants were in bloom. It's a slow spring, but it's starting.	The Elwha River
Another view of the Elwha	More Elwha
Overgrown logs	This used to be an easy way to get down to the river, but those logs washed ashore.
The trail	The road
A maple	View of the river
Skunk cabbage	and more skunk cabbage
Snow lingers on the mountains	Snow again
Currant blossoms	Even more skunk cabbage

Keywords: elwha, spring

02/18/22 - Elwha to Altair - Signs of Spring We took a walk from the Elwha parking lot at Madison Falls and kept our eyes open for signs of spring. As it turned out, it wasn't our eyes that noticed the first hint, it was our nose. Between the ranger station and the Altair bridge, we picked up a faint whiff of sulfur like a leaky sewage pipe. In March, that could only mean one thing, skunk cabbage! (To be honest, it could have been a leaky sewage pipe, but come on.)	The forest
More green woods	A cluster of logs washed ashore and now blocking our usual path down to the river
The Elwha	More green
The Elwha from the Altair bridge	Skunk cabbage
and more skunk cabbage	Snowdrops, also a sign of spring

Keywords: elwha, spring

10/12/21 - A Side Trip to Madison Falls After heading up to the Elwha Gap, we took the short side spur to Madison Falls. It's a short, easy, paved path to a pleasant little waterfall just minutes from the parking area. There was plenty of autumn color too.	Along the trail
A first peek at the waterfall	Madison Falls
Some autumn color	More color
That color again	Misty skies and mountains

Keywords: autumn, elwha, waterfall

10/11/21 - A Short Autumn Walk to the Elwha Gap We took a short walk along the Elwha River starting at Madison Falls where the road ends. The mountains were misty and topped with early season snow. The autumn foliage was near its peak. We walked past the mule camp and around the bend for some good views of the river recently nourished by the seasonal rain. We stopped at the gap in the road cut by a hearty new Elwha tributary.	Misty, snowy mountains
Some fall foliage	Foliage hidden in the forest
Bright yellow and bright green	The river
Another view of the river	More color change
Autumn is here.	Further up the river
The might Elwha	The gap
Downriver at the gap	Upriver at the gap
A vertical view, even more dramatic	The road showing its age
Bright red	Bright yellow
The mules - We always say hello.	The Elwha from the parking area

Keywords: autumn, elwha

06/23/21 - Hurricane Hill We've been getting an early start on the hiking trail and heading out along the Hurricane Hill Trail. The snow along the trail has melted, but the climb is as steep as ever. The rewards are the wildflowers, the marmots and the amazing views.	The view of the mountains, as spectacular as ever
Morning clouds over the Elwha	One of the marmots
Another marmot	Yet another golden marmot
Melting snow	The start of the little lake
Pask flowers	Other flowers
Across the high country	Another mountain view
Glacier lilies	Avalanche lilies
Mountains and mountains	Western wallflower
More glacier lilies	More avalanche lilies
Lots of larkspur	Early lupines

Keywords: elwha, flowers, high country, hurricane hill, marmots

06/16/21 - Summer Along the Elwha It's summer along the Elwha River. The river is milky with snow melt and the water is running high. The foliage just about everywhere is green and thick, and we even saw a young fawn. We took our usual walk starting at Madison Falls and heading along the closed portion of Olympic Hot Springs Road. We took the detour around the old campground through the high ground and forest and emerged again on the road to the Altair bridge. As usual, we went a bit beyond the road gate and looked for the waterfall across the river. We saw it, but, as usual this time of year, this meant a glimpse now and then revealed through the foliage. Eventually, we'll head on and check out the old dam overlook, but it's a two hour hike for us just to cross the bridge. Next time maybe.	The Elwha now running through the old campground
The Elwha as seen from the Altair bridge	Roses in bloom near the bridge
A doe and fawn, still speckled	The green wall
Elderberry buds	Milky blue water
Another look at the Elwha	And another
Green trail on the detour	A turk's cap lily

Keywords: elwha, summer, waterfall

04/13/21 - Up The Elwha To Altair We've been getting out more thanks to the warming weather and our COVID vaccinations. We've been wandering up Olympic Hot Springs Road along the Elwha starting at Madison Falls where the road closes to traffic and up to the Altair Bridge. There's a detour through the hills behind the old Elwha Campground which was washed out along with the road. All along the way we've been spotting signs of spring. Already, the columbines and trilliums are coming out, and the skunk cabbage is nearing its peak. The river is still calm before the spring melt, but with ten plus feet of snow at Hurricane Ridge, we expect an impressive flow when the melting begins in earnest. We'll keep coming back to see how things progress.	A columbine bud
A columbine flower	Another columbine
Trilliums	Another trillium
The Elwha	Fiddleheads
Ferns, also known as grown up fiddleheads	Skunk cabbage
The view from the Altair Bridge	A swamp marigold blossom

Keywords: elwha, spring, trillium, weather

02/05/20 - To The Altair Bridge and Beyond We took advantage of a relatively sunny day to head up along the Elwha, starting at Madison Falls and past the Altair Bridge. The Elwha was the big attraction. With the recent rains, it was in full flood. We took the detour, climbing up past the water tank. As we approached the river, we could see it had overflowed its banks. Trees were standing in rushing water. A part of the trail was flooded, so we took the little wooden foot bridge for a dry passage. As we approached the road again, we could see water rushing by. The side channel that destroyed the old Elwha campground was borrowing a bit of the road. The detour took us out dry shod, and we continued along the road towards the bridge. There were signs of wind damage with twigs and branches on the ground, all the little streams were full of racing water, and here and there, in shady places, there were patches of snow and ice. We crossed the bridge and walked a few minutes farther along the road, past the gate, for a view of our favorite little waterfall across the river. It was easy to spot even with the trees along the road blocking it. We headed back with our eyes open and were rewarded with the first skunk cabbage shoots of the year. It was not a particularly spring-like walk. It was a winter walk, but we could tell spring would be coming sooner or later.	A fallen branch
Olympic Hot Springs Road	A view of the Elwha
The little waterfall	A close up of the waterfall
The Elwha seen from the bridge	The view downstream
Another downstream view with snowy mountains	Snowy mountain closeup
Snow and frost - still winter	The mossy forest
Skunk cabbage	The flooded road near the old campground
The little foot bridge	An old log
Flooded river	Trees standing in running water
Water over a tree trunk	Another view of the flooded river

Keywords: elwha, waterfall, winter