 Idaho Geography of ID, nice maps 10 Highest Mountains in ID Top Mtn Ranges in IDIdaho Climbing Guide The Tetons The Rocky Mtns make an effective barrier between the Pacific Northwest and the plains states to the east. Idaho is often classified as part of the PNW, even though much of its southern geography is more Basin & Range (like Nevada, parts of UT, etc.), as is SE Oregon. Nevertheless, I'm including the Tetons, because they are very much a part of the scenery of eastern Idaho, though actually located in Wyoming. Lost River Range & Mt. Borah Although I lived and had connections for several years in Idaho, it was long before now, so I can't access as many pictures from those years as I wish. But, such as I have, I offer. The Sawtooths & Custer ID Custer ID (to be part of a my intended "Gold and Ghosts" post)
Lewis & Clark traveled through mid ID, as did Chief Joseph's band of Nez Perce (a future post will address that) Scroll down to the Idaho portion of Boise ID & 3 Island Crossing Three Island Crossing State Park (on the Snake River)--south of US Hwy 84 near Glenns Ferry ID For more info about the Snake River, see Idaho State Capitol--700 W Jefferson St, Boise ID 83702 Idaho State Museum--610 Julia Davis Dr, Boise ID 83702 For more about Boise, Idaho State Capitol, and Idaho State Museum, see Hells Canyon of the Snake River runs through mountainous lands, but . . . It’s hard to see just how deep this canyon is when boating it, as the walls are not vertical. Though it looks narrow on the map, the canyon is fairly wide, so you can’t see the top from the bottom. The satellitie view shows the mountains impressively. Washington Washington’s diverse climate & geography—precipitation map is a great clue to where the mountains are Regional maps of Washington & a 13.5 min video about the Great Floods of the Ice Age 10 Tallest Peaks in Washington State  The Evergreen State wall hanging I made in 1989  Mt Adams from Hillsboro Station Food Carts, Hillsboro OR Mount Adams Council Crest Park--1120 SW Council Crest Dr, Portland OR 97239; 75 mi south of Mt Adams Elev: 12,276' Yakima Indian name: patu = "snowy peak" Powell Butte Nature Park--16160 SE Powell Blvd, Portland OR 97236; 70 mi south of Mt Adams Mt Adams info: Although it last erupted over 1000 years ago, Mt Adams is still considered an active volcano. Hogan Butte Nature Park--757 SE Gabbert Road, Gresham OR; 68 mi SW of Mt Adams Mt Adams marker: elevation 12,281', "Cascade Range, up to 520,000 yrs old. Last lava flow 950AD, 18 mi diameter base makes it the 2nd largest by volume in the Cascades, behind Mt Shasta." Some links relating to Mt Adams; the third is our day trip to Mt. Adams. Mt Adams from Toppenish WA Toppenish has several murals with Mt Adams in them, but not all showed up well in my photos. I've tried to include the best ones. Mt Adams from Goldendale WA  Informative map sign abt Klickitat Co, inclu Mt Adams & Simcoe Mts, junction of Hwy 14 and 197 from The Dalles  Mt Adams from Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum (WAAAM), Hood River OR Mt Adams from Hogan Butte, Gresham OR More mountain views from Hogan Butte and Powell Butte at Mt Adams from Powell Butte, Portland OR For mountain views from Powell Butte, see link above. Mt Adams from Council Crest Park, Portland OR  Mt St Helens eruption about 1803--Columbia Gorge Discover Center, The Dalles OR Mt St Helens from Portland & Hillsboro OR Hogan Butte Nature Park--757 SE Gabbert Road, Gresham OR; 51 mi south of Mt St Helens Marker for Mt St Helens shows as it was and is now, elev 8363', part of the Cascade Range. Less than 40,000 yrs old. Last major eruption 1980. Deadliest, most destructive volcanic event in the history of the US. Had an elev of 9677' prior to the 1980 eruption. St Helens (and Mt Adams & Mt Hood) from Hogan Butte Nature Park, Gresham OR St Helens (and Mt Adams) from Powell Butte Nature Park, Portland OR, near Gresham St Helens (and Mt Rainier) from Council Crest Park, Portland OR St Helens from Vancouver WA St Helens from Cowlitz County WA St Helens from Hwy 30 between Longview WA and Clatskanie OR  Mt St Helens courtesy Barbara Rogers Johnston Ridge Observatory, Mt St Helens WA Although Mt St Helens is located in Skamania county WA, to get to the main attraction, drive to the end of State Highway 504 (52 miles east of Castle Rock WA). Due to a landslide, this center is closed 'til 2027. Take a look at Mt St Helens books. Mt Rainier Mt Rainier from the Portland OR area Hogan Butte Nature Park--757 SE Gabbert Road, Gresham OR I couldn't make out the mountain, bring binoculars or small telescope. from the marker: Elev 14,411', 100 mi north, in the Cascade Range. 500,000 yrs old; last eruptions 1820-1854. Highest mtn of the Cascades & tallest of continental US. 26 major glaciers (the most of any peak in the lower 48 states). Council Crest Park--1120 SW Council Crest Dr, Portland OR 97239 Mt Rainier from here is beyond Mt St Helens, and difficult to make out in the hazy distance. The plaque says: elev. 14,410’, 104 mi distant. An Upper Cowlitz Indian name for Mt Rainier is taxuma, from which the city of Tacoma is thought to take its name. Mt Rainier from Hwy 30 viewpoint--across from Longview WA On the way to Northwest Trek Wildlife Park--11610 Trek Drive East, Eatonville WA 98328 Northwest Trek is midway between Tacoma WA and Mt Rainier: 35 mi/1 hour each way. Ft Lewis, Tacoma & Tumwater WA Seattle & Maury Island WA I saw the distant Mt Rainier from the Bremerton area trip I took as well, but I was driving on a hwy, so I couldn't get a good shot. I'm sure that there are places in the vicinity from which one could get good views. Ft Flagler, Marrowstone Island WA I got these views on my trip to the North Cascades via Port Townsend & the San Juan Islands, I'll link that post under Mt Baker & the North Cascades, below. On the Mountain--Mt Rainier WA For more photos and info, see the first link above, under "Mt Rainier". Book & Brochures Glacier Peak, WA There's not an easy way to get a photograph of Glacier Peak without more of a hike than I can do
 Head in the clouds, and sigts set on the stars? "Walking on Stars", Cannon Beach OR; "Layer Cake--Glacier Peak WA", photos by John Byron; on display at Pacific House at Union Station--315 NE 192nd Ave suite 301, Vancouver WA 98684 Mt Baker & the North Cascades I took a week long trip to Port Townsend, the San Juan Islands, and the North Cascades (in order to see Mt Baker), and was delighted to capture some views of the Olympics and Mt Rainier, as well as Mt Baker and the North Cascades. The best views of mountains are often from afar, but not too far. Sample pages from The Wild Cascades: Forgotten Parkland by Harvey Manning; various photographers Mt Shuksan The following photos appear to be from a trip my mom & her siblings took about 2010 or 2011 The Olympics My big trip to explore the Olympics in person is the first link below. But I was delighted to see them while on other trips, for instance my trip to Mt Baker and the North Cascades linked above. I saw them from Port Angeles and Sequim WA, and from trips to Seattle (though at the time they were not my main focus, and the weather didn't always cooperate).
The Olympics from Olympia WA The Olympics from Tacoma WA The Olympics from Seattle WA  The Olympics from Hood Canal Bridge, west of Port Gamble WA The Olympics from Port Townsend WA The Olympics from Sequim WA The Olympics from Port Angeles WA Alaska I haven't made it to Alaska yet, but my mom went 2-3 times, and I happened to come across some postcards she got there, with pics of Mt McKinley/Denali. Love them! Alaska has 3 main mountain ranges: The Brooks Range (entirely inside the Arctic Circle, yet they are an extension of the Rocky Mtns), the Alaska Range, and the Aleutian Range (volcanic islands that rise 11,000’ above the sea floor). Intriguingly, the Aleuts consist of more than 80 volcanoes, with half of them having been active in the last 300-400 years. More fascinating info (and map) about them at “The crest of most of the [Alaska] range averages between 7,000 and 9,000 feet (2,100 to 2,700 meters) in elevation, with a number of peaks exceeding 10,000 feet (1,600 km). The heavily glaciated massif of McKinley—Denali, its Native American name, means “The High One” or “The Great One”—at 20,310 feet (6,190 meters) is the highest point in North America; a spectacular companion peak is Mount Foraker (17,400 feet [5,304 meters]), just to the southwest.”  Ready to travel with Bigfoot trapsing the mtns of the Pacific Northwest Oregon
Eastern OR--the Wallowas and the Blues Wallowa Mtns I saw a lot of the Wallowas on my Alpenfest trip The Blue Mtns Blue Mtn Pass 5285’, Blue Mtn Summit 5105’ (not sure that makes sense) Emigrants traveled through the Blue Mtns on the Oregon Trail
 Mt Hood photo mural at Gresham Toyota--950 NE Hogan Dr, Gresham OR 97030 Mt Hood Since Mt Hood is the mountain closest to me, it's such an iconic mountain shape, it looks so lovely from every side (especially when its slopes are covered in snow, and especially in the alpenglow), I have a lot of pictures of it. Every gorgeous day I can hardly resist taking more. I've included those below, but Mt Hood has shown up, to my delight, in so many of my trips (check out the following links) . . .
Mt Jefferson
Three SistersEngaging map of mtns near Bend OR My photos come mainly from my trip to Bend & Beyond, linked above Mt Bachelor Mt Washington Again, my photos of Mt Washington are from my trip to Bend and Beyond in July of 2024, when the haze from wildfires in the west masked the mountains in smoke. So, I had to do some tweaking to try to bring out the best I could from the situation. There are 2 or 3 places you can pull over to get photos of Mt Washington on Santiam Pass, Hwy 20. See link to "Bend and Beyond" above. There was a painting in Brownsville OR the guide thought was of Mt Jefferson, but the shape of it reminded me more of Mt Washington.
Newberry Volcano I didn't try to hike, or even drive clear over to the caldera or lakes in it, but got a few pics and some info on my "Bend and Beyond" trip. Here are some links for those wishing more info, maps, pics from above, etc.
Diamond Peak I was traveling down to Klamath Falls OR from Portland via I-5 to Eugene, the Hwy 58 to Hwy 97 and south from there. I was delighted to see Diamon Peak by fortunate accident. How grateful I was for viewpoint pull-outs with signs directing my sight. It's a pretty drive in summer, and in the heart of ski country in the winter. Mt Thielson, Mt Bailey, Mt Scott I was delighted to encounter Mt Thielson & Mt Bailiey on my “Return to Roseburg, Hwy 138, and Klamath Falls” trip. I captured a view of Mt Scott (which is on the east side of Crater Lake) on my trip to “Bend & Beyond”.
Mt Scott is rather inconspicuous, the east side of Crater Lake. I took photos of it from a little dirt road west off Hwy 97 just north of the road to Klamath Marsh Natl Wildlife Refuge, which is north of Chiloquin OR (north of Klamath Falls OR}. Crater Lake--the caldera left from the explosion of Mount Mazama On our way to a guided fishing experience on the Rogue River near Shady Cove OR, we drove through Crater Lake National Park. It was during COVID 19, so no crowds, but not everything was open, either. We entered the park from the north, off Hwy 138. The speed limit in the entire park is 45 mph. At first this seems rather conservative for the summer, as you drive through dry forests and past flat or rolling snowmobile areas. But as you climb the mountain, the road gets steep, winding, narrow, and lacking guards against the precipitous drop-off on the right. I wouldn’t feel comfortable in an RV, nor driving at 45 mph. If I ever make it again, I'll come up from the south. More info about the park with links for visiting at the 1st link below, more about the history of Mazama at the 2nd link. A few years later my brother and his wife visited, and shared some photos with me.  Crater Lake National Park interpretive sign about volcano row, 2020 Mt McLoughlin I got some pretty good shots of Mt McLoughlin from Hwy 97 on a couple trips I took. I hoped to get some from the other side, but maybe another day.
Coastal Range--between the Willamette Valley and the coast in the north; connected to the Cascade Range by the Klamath/Siskiyou Mtns in the south Tallest peaks: Marys Peak, 4,101 feet Rogers Peak, 3,706 feet Grass Mountain, 3,615 feet Laurel Mountain, 3,592 feet Bone Mountain, 3,547 feet Rivers through the Coastal Range: Nehalem, Coquille, Rogue, Umpqua
Seaside post (travel through the N OR coast range; Elsie OR elev 610', Hwy 26) Photos fromTillamook, around Nehalem, and on the way to Cannon Beach
SW Oregon I traveled down I-5, then Hwy 199, to get to the Redwoods. Here's the portion in SW Oregon:Calapooya Mtns—Eugene to Roseburg Eugene elev 419’ (nearby Spencer Butte 2054’) Roseburg 479’ (nearby Mt. Nebo 1200’) Cottage Grove elev 430’-643’ Canyonville OR elev minimum 673’, avg 892’ Manzanita Rest Area on I-5 just north of Grants Pass OR, elev 1246’ Grants Pass 960’ 9 min video Grants Pass north to Canyonville (4 passes through mtns) on I-5
Summit on I-5 is 12 mi south of Ashland, 25 mi north of Yreka (Sisiyou Summit 4300’) California
I traveled northern California to see the Redwoods a couple times since I started this site. It's kind of hard to picture the mountains, because you are right in them. Howland Hill Rd—might be part of the Coastal Range, at least gives the idea Sometimes the road is wide enough for vehicles to pass. I counted myself fortunate not to have met many as I drove this road. There were plenty of vehicles parked at trailheads, though. It's not a road for RVs.
Heading north on Hwy 199 (from Crescent City)—2020 I saw 1st hand fire damage crossing the border with OR Hwy 199 Collier Tunnel through Oregon Mountain, abt 2000’ elev; rest area just south COLLIER TUNNEL REST AREA - Northbound & Southbound, Hwy 199, 19 mi north of Gasquet, 3 mi south of OR Handicapped access, pet area, picnic tables, phone, restrooms, water; 10 auto parking spaces, 4 for trucks. Mt Shasta While I was visiting Klamath Falls OR, it was so close to just drive down Hwy 97 to Mt Shasta, I took a chance and went. Unfortunately, it was fire season, so there was a smoke screen. I determined to return before the summer fires, so went early June the next year, to include the Shakespeare festival in Ashland OR.
Mt Lassen--photos courtesy Stevan Shaw Rocks and Gems  A few treasures from a rock hound's collection--who had his own rock pollisher This "Third Rock from the Sun" is made up mostly of rocks--some yours, some from mines, some ours in public places--and some of them are true gems. I love looking at them. In my travels I have sometimes come upon some surprising discoveries. I'll post some various odd pictures I found of interest, then a treasury of rocks on display in Baker City OR, OMSI in Portland, and at last the place to go if you have a real rock lover in your midst: Rice Museum of Rocks & Minerals in Hillsboro OR. Idaho State Museum--610 Julia Davis Dr, Boise ID 83702 Washington State History Museum--1911 Pacific Ave, Tacoma WA 98402 Various rockin' sites to see in OR Beside the photos below, I was also delighted and intrigued by Crystal Power & Light in historic downtown Salem (wasn't open when I was there, so I pictured what I could through the windows) Klamath County Museum—Klamath Falls OR; the Rock Room and Fossil Exhibits (Excellent! even though modest)
Some displays I happened upon in Vancouver WA, north across the Columbia River from Portland OR Castro's Minerals stores in Vancouver WA; dream 'n drool, browse 'n buy Union County Museum--331 S Main St, Union OR 97883 Baker Heritage Museum--2480 Grove St, Baker City, OR 97814 OMSI--Portland OR Rice Museum of Rocks & Minerals--26385 NW Groveland Dr, Hillsboro OR 97124 It's a little bit "out there", but well worth it to spend half a day (more if hiking). I took well over 100 photos, and it was very hard to limit what I'm posting here. Activity Kits Generalized Books about Mountains & Rocks  Books about the Earth, part of my gem collection, my own Rocky Road Ice Cream and Cookies. Hello, World Rocks & Minerals by Jill McDonald; boardbook (sample pages) Earth--DK Findout series, fun facts, amazing pictures, quizzes; grade 2+ reading; also sharing, browsing (sample pages) More books to explore Earth by Frank Press & Raymond Siever; great college freshman text but perhaps of interest to others or as a reference; 945pp, 24ch, maps, diagrams. appendices, glossary, index
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Wheelchair WomanI've been in a wheelchair for 30+ years. It poses some challenges for traveling. Maybe others can benefit from my experiences. Archives
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