One thing to mention, that falls shown isn't Panther Creek Falls. The falls can be viewed from a wooden deck over the falls, and there is an official hiking trail down. The sign is often missing but it is an official trail, and the falls is significantly large and one of the most photogenic falls in the whole Columbia River Gorge region.
You're right! We must not have realized that was there a little further down. The part shown in the video is a little north of that where the switchback turns south again. We thought that was the falls, itself. Thanks for catching that. 👍🏻 Now we need to go back and see what we missed.
Worth the drive. So scenic and refreshing. 🙂 Sounds like you had some great road trips. 🚙 Similarly, taking SR 410 to Yakima and the Tri-Cities, US 2 to Spokane, US 101 to anywhere along the Oregon coast, and many more that aren't I-5 or I-90 when possible.
I'm guessing you guys all made it out of there safe. There's been many people gone missing in this area. For many different reasons. Some exploring the lava caves. Maybe some getting brave with the beauty. But you saw what the area has to offer, and you're out safe. Congratulations!
Right?! It's kind of crazy that an entire mountain just right there. We need to take another trip through there and take more time to explore things we missed. Thanks for pointing out that lake.
Love it! My wife and I go looking for just such adventures driving our '67 Datsun 2000 convertible. Only issue is that this car has low ground clearance and a stiff suspension so roads must be passable for such a ride. We have explored many such places but not sure we've done 23. The back side of St Helens is awesome, however with some "frame breaking" pot holes you need to watch for! Thanks for posting, and if you ever can, drive a convertible... nothing beats an open roof car in the mountains or the woods. We'll explore 23 next spring!
Have an awesome trip! We can't speak for *all* the roads in that area...yet 😀, but we're trying to get out where we can and provide more information for people to know what to expect and plan their own trips. A convertible would be amazing to take any drive through the mountains. As a kid, my own family would drive in the summer heat with the windows down (no A/C 😵), but every time we passed a waterfall along the side of the road, we felt that amazing cool air. 😌 A convertible must be even better. 😎 Plus, the open, panoramic view. 😀
@northwestexplorers Well, I might have an open seat some time next summer if my wife is busy! The drive up 410 to Mt. Rainier is a totally different experience in a classic open top sports car, or blasting up 12 through the pass. We are so fortunate to live in such a beautiful area. We often have places almost, if not actually "all to ourselves" on week days. We have wanted to explore more towards Mt. Adams but I'm unsure of the roads for a Datsun Roadster. We have gone to Packwood on skate creek road and there are places where I have to be careful, but it's a beautiful drive as well. Keep up the good work! Maybe we'll see you next summer!
I wouldn't turn down a ride like that! 😀 And, Skate Creek is on the list to make a video of between Ashford and Packwood. We grew up not far from there and have been on it many times, including camping along it. We think others might be interested in seeing what it's like, too, but with doing a better job providing visuals on the areas to watch out for, in addition to the scenic parts. 👍🏻
Just a heads up, this is the Forest Rd 23 at Gifford Pinchot National Forest. A ton of national forests have FR23s. Some weird rhing avout road naming conventions that ive never understood. For example, the Olympic Nationa Forest also has a FR23. It start right off HWY 101 as Donkey Creek Road and will take tou all the wat to Shelti at the Skocomish River ( I think its the Skocomish). Its a beautiful day trip through some lovely areas, but honestly, 23 in Gifford Pinchot stilenmy heart the first time I rode it. Back go the video!!!! ❤
Holy cow! You're right! I never realized that. 😲 I see it as NF-22 more on the west side of the peninsula, but then closer to Shelton, like you said, it's NF-23. 😵 Looks like another great road to go explore! Thanks!
@northwestexplorers Yeah, I think you're right. It starts off as 22 and then I think it connects to 23 near the Wynooche Lake turnout. Anyway, it's a great day trip. And... There's also another round the peninsula trip that's great if you have a few days and want to camp through. In any case, GPNF and ONF are only 2 of the many gems in Washington. Safe and Happy Travels!
@MrKobayashi Absolutely! We do need to hit the peninsula again soon. We did a loop trip a few years ago that I'll need to see if we have any footage worthy of making a video out of. 🤔 If not...time for another trip! 😀 We do have a backpacking trip we've been wanting to do. Perhaps in 2025. 🤞🏻Not the out-n-back like this one, but continue to Staircase. Six Ridge Trail on AllTrails www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/six-ridge-trail?sh=g6gjjy
Sunrise. Mount Rainier. Yeah it's crazy busy but it's the sht. Same with Chinook Pass/Sourdough Pass/Naches Loop. 102 miles to Ellensburg WA from Pass. There you have a ton of hiking. Esmeralda Basin. Ingalls Creek. Off US Hwy 2 you can drive up to Pass to Valhalla Lake TH. There you are 1 mile from PCT. Bam. On I90 Snoqualmie exit 47. Day use area. The A Curtis trail 👣 goes under freeway to Annette Lake TH. The old growth loop there is awesome. You can drive out up Denny Creek. Franklin Falls crazy busy. Or get back on the freeway Sammamish Lake SP in Issaquah is okay stop. Sunny day. The PCT TH at Snoqualmie Pass is great 2 miles up back down. Snow Lake is overrun but there. There IS NO LAS VEGAS SEATTLE FOLKS ALL GO TO THESE ON WEEKEND. Mount David killer view. White River. Falls. End of the road.
There really is no shortage of great places here in the northwest to drive, hike, camp, or just see. We're going back to many of those places. We've explored them while growing up, but long before we ever thought of making videos here on UA-cam about them. Great list of places you have there! 👍🏻
The last comment is crucial, perhaps stick at the front of the video? Many thanks for this great information but its good to know whether you need anything special (ground clearance, 4WD, off road tires etc.)...
Great point! We'll make sure to put important information like that towards the beginning of these kinds videos. Thanks for watching that far into the video and for your suggestion. 🙂 Our goal is to help people plan and prepare better to go on these adventures, themselves, so we'll improve on that. 👍🏻
@mikebeardy5590 For the most part, NF-23 between Randle and Trout Lake is paved. However, there are several miles of unpaved road. It's well groomed, so any car ought to be able to drive it just fine, but it's compact dirt and gravel that can still make it a bit less than a smooth drive. A Miata should make it okay, but I'll provide a link below for an idea of what it looks like to help you better decide. Getting to Trout Lake from the south, you'd probably want to come up 141 from the Columbia River near Hood River. That's paved. The route we took from Trout Lake over to Sweeney Falls (past Goose Lake and Big Lava Bed) had roads that a little Subaru Impreza in our group made, but it was sloooowwww getting around some larger potholes. Still doable, but I wouldn't suggest a Miata for those roads. I definitely should have pointed that out when I said in the video that almost any car could make the drive. A bit more caution is needed. I hope that helps, and here's a Street View link to part of NF-23 a little way north of Trout Lake: www.google.com/maps/@46.2585558,-121.609514,3a,75y,144.82h,61.66t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipOC-eSuqMqzVVxyeB1K_EZPsLEubPUX-C8-Su51!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipOC-eSuqMqzVVxyeB1K_EZPsLEubPUX-C8-Su51%3Dw900-h600-k-no-pi28.340040949688117-ya259.5011004886888-ro0-fo100!7i5504!8i2752!5m1!1e4?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTExOS4yIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D
We drove home on the 23. From 141 in white salmon. I thought, halfway thru Seeing 1 set of headlights only, not a beginner drive zone ... be well maintained over there 😂 no triple a.
You people on the coast aren't even aware there is an East side to the State and I know this because you call that area in the video as "South Central" . The central area of WA State is much further to the East than that.
Fair point. Even though we spend a bit of time just on the other side of the mountains, we do tend to think of that as "Eastern Washington", when really it's still "Central Washington". A couple of our earlier videos covered a little bit about Stonehenge and a view of the Columbia River Gorge down there, as well as The Dalles area of Oregon. Great places!
@@northwestexplorers I would still consider the GPNF south central or just southwest, to be more general. IMO, eastern and western and other terms like that should be divided among geographical boundaries, and the Cascades divide that. The GPNF sits at the crest of the Cascades, but there is a good amount of mountains still further to the east. And even though Mt Adams sits east of the Cascade Crest, the rain shadow boundary in the Cascades is right along Mt Adams. Therefore, everything east of Adams and the GPNF is eastern Washington. And if you want to figure out what is south central, I think the best geographical boundaries are the valley lowlands along I5 and the Cascade crest. There isn't all that much east of the Cascades that stands out as different enough to be used as a dividing line, whereas west of the Cascades you have the lowlands and then the coastal ranges.
Mt Adams and Klickitat county are on the eastern slope of the cascades. Yes.. it’s more central WA but in general just like in Oregon anything east of the cascades is basically considered the east side of the state.
@@northwestexplorers im talking about this one A Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist drowned Wednesday while conducting a summer steelhead survey in the Wind River north of Carson.
Beautiful country, been there many times
One thing to mention, that falls shown isn't Panther Creek Falls. The falls can be viewed from a wooden deck over the falls, and there is an official hiking trail down. The sign is often missing but it is an official trail, and the falls is significantly large and one of the most photogenic falls in the whole Columbia River Gorge region.
You're right! We must not have realized that was there a little further down. The part shown in the video is a little north of that where the switchback turns south again. We thought that was the falls, itself.
Thanks for catching that. 👍🏻 Now we need to go back and see what we missed.
As a kid, our family would take this path on our way to hike and camp around Mt. Adams. Loved the trip and many fond memories
Worth the drive. So scenic and refreshing. 🙂 Sounds like you had some great road trips. 🚙
Similarly, taking SR 410 to Yakima and the Tri-Cities, US 2 to Spokane, US 101 to anywhere along the Oregon coast, and many more that aren't I-5 or I-90 when possible.
I'm guessing you guys all made it out of there safe. There's been many people gone missing in this area. For many different reasons. Some exploring the lava caves. Maybe some getting brave with the beauty. But you saw what the area has to offer, and you're out safe. Congratulations!
Yep! All safe and sound.
Too bad you missed Tahklak Lake. Mt Adam's so close you feel like you can reach out and touch it.
Right?! It's kind of crazy that an entire mountain just right there.
We need to take another trip through there and take more time to explore things we missed. Thanks for pointing out that lake.
Love it! My wife and I go looking for just such adventures driving our '67 Datsun 2000 convertible. Only issue is that this car has low ground clearance and a stiff suspension so roads must be passable for such a ride. We have explored many such places but not sure we've done 23. The back side of St Helens is awesome, however with some "frame breaking" pot holes you need to watch for! Thanks for posting, and if you ever can, drive a convertible... nothing beats an open roof car in the mountains or the woods. We'll explore 23 next spring!
Have an awesome trip! We can't speak for *all* the roads in that area...yet 😀, but we're trying to get out where we can and provide more information for people to know what to expect and plan their own trips.
A convertible would be amazing to take any drive through the mountains. As a kid, my own family would drive in the summer heat with the windows down (no A/C 😵), but every time we passed a waterfall along the side of the road, we felt that amazing cool air. 😌 A convertible must be even better. 😎 Plus, the open, panoramic view. 😀
@northwestexplorers Well, I might have an open seat some time next summer if my wife is busy! The drive up 410 to Mt. Rainier is a totally different experience in a classic open top sports car, or blasting up 12 through the pass. We are so fortunate to live in such a beautiful area. We often have places almost, if not actually "all to ourselves" on week days. We have wanted to explore more towards Mt. Adams but I'm unsure of the roads for a Datsun Roadster. We have gone to Packwood on skate creek road and there are places where I have to be careful, but it's a beautiful drive as well.
Keep up the good work! Maybe we'll see you next summer!
I wouldn't turn down a ride like that! 😀
And, Skate Creek is on the list to make a video of between Ashford and Packwood. We grew up not far from there and have been on it many times, including camping along it. We think others might be interested in seeing what it's like, too, but with doing a better job providing visuals on the areas to watch out for, in addition to the scenic parts. 👍🏻
Done that route quite a few times. A couple times on my motorcycle. Neat road!
Great informative video! Have you ever been to steep creek falls? It's a good one I like.
Haven't yet, but it's on the list now. Thanks!
Just a heads up, this is the Forest Rd 23 at Gifford Pinchot National Forest. A ton of national forests have FR23s. Some weird rhing avout road naming conventions that ive never understood. For example, the Olympic Nationa Forest also has a FR23. It start right off HWY 101 as Donkey Creek Road and will take tou all the wat to Shelti at the Skocomish River ( I think its the Skocomish). Its a beautiful day trip through some lovely areas, but honestly, 23 in Gifford Pinchot stilenmy heart the first time I rode it. Back go the video!!!! ❤
Holy cow! You're right! I never realized that. 😲 I see it as NF-22 more on the west side of the peninsula, but then closer to Shelton, like you said, it's NF-23. 😵
Looks like another great road to go explore! Thanks!
@northwestexplorers Yeah, I think you're right. It starts off as 22 and then I think it connects to 23 near the Wynooche Lake turnout. Anyway, it's a great day trip. And... There's also another round the peninsula trip that's great if you have a few days and want to camp through. In any case, GPNF and ONF are only 2 of the many gems in Washington. Safe and Happy Travels!
South Fork Skokomish.
@@jaymontgomery3330 thanks Jay!
@MrKobayashi Absolutely! We do need to hit the peninsula again soon. We did a loop trip a few years ago that I'll need to see if we have any footage worthy of making a video out of. 🤔 If not...time for another trip! 😀
We do have a backpacking trip we've been wanting to do. Perhaps in 2025. 🤞🏻Not the out-n-back like this one, but continue to Staircase.
Six Ridge Trail on AllTrails
www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/six-ridge-trail?sh=g6gjjy
The road for this is Naciemento Road CA.
Obviously Beartooth. In Oregon I am all about from Florence to Yachats.
Agreed! 101 along the Oregon coast is one of the most beautiful drives! So many great places to stop and explore.
If going up Columbia River go up North Side if sunny. Clear.
Sunrise. Mount Rainier. Yeah it's crazy busy but it's the sht.
Same with Chinook Pass/Sourdough Pass/Naches Loop.
102 miles to Ellensburg WA from Pass.
There you have a ton of hiking. Esmeralda Basin. Ingalls Creek. Off US Hwy 2 you can drive up to Pass to Valhalla Lake TH. There you are 1 mile from PCT. Bam.
On I90 Snoqualmie exit 47. Day use area. The A Curtis trail 👣 goes under freeway to Annette Lake TH. The old growth loop there is awesome. You can drive out up Denny Creek. Franklin Falls crazy busy. Or get back on the freeway Sammamish Lake SP in Issaquah is okay stop. Sunny day.
The PCT TH at Snoqualmie Pass is great 2 miles up back down. Snow Lake is overrun but there.
There IS NO LAS VEGAS SEATTLE FOLKS ALL GO TO THESE ON WEEKEND.
Mount David killer view. White River. Falls. End of the road.
There really is no shortage of great places here in the northwest to drive, hike, camp, or just see.
We're going back to many of those places. We've explored them while growing up, but long before we ever thought of making videos here on UA-cam about them.
Great list of places you have there! 👍🏻
The last comment is crucial, perhaps stick at the front of the video? Many thanks for this great information but its good to know whether you need anything special (ground clearance, 4WD, off road tires etc.)...
Great point! We'll make sure to put important information like that towards the beginning of these kinds videos.
Thanks for watching that far into the video and for your suggestion. 🙂 Our goal is to help people plan and prepare better to go on these adventures, themselves, so we'll improve on that. 👍🏻
@@northwestexplorers We are a little to the south, but it looks well worth visiting. can I get down it in a Miata NA or similar?
@mikebeardy5590 For the most part, NF-23 between Randle and Trout Lake is paved. However, there are several miles of unpaved road. It's well groomed, so any car ought to be able to drive it just fine, but it's compact dirt and gravel that can still make it a bit less than a smooth drive. A Miata should make it okay, but I'll provide a link below for an idea of what it looks like to help you better decide.
Getting to Trout Lake from the south, you'd probably want to come up 141 from the Columbia River near Hood River. That's paved. The route we took from Trout Lake over to Sweeney Falls (past Goose Lake and Big Lava Bed) had roads that a little Subaru Impreza in our group made, but it was sloooowwww getting around some larger potholes. Still doable, but I wouldn't suggest a Miata for those roads. I definitely should have pointed that out when I said in the video that almost any car could make the drive. A bit more caution is needed.
I hope that helps, and here's a Street View link to part of NF-23 a little way north of Trout Lake:
www.google.com/maps/@46.2585558,-121.609514,3a,75y,144.82h,61.66t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipOC-eSuqMqzVVxyeB1K_EZPsLEubPUX-C8-Su51!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipOC-eSuqMqzVVxyeB1K_EZPsLEubPUX-C8-Su51%3Dw900-h600-k-no-pi28.340040949688117-ya259.5011004886888-ro0-fo100!7i5504!8i2752!5m1!1e4?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTExOS4yIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D
@@northwestexplorers thx!
We drove home on the 23. From 141 in white salmon. I thought, halfway thru Seeing 1 set of headlights only, not a beginner drive zone ... be well maintained over there 😂 no triple a.
Shhhhhhhh…. This area is a secret!
You people on the coast aren't even aware there is an East side to the State and I know this because you call that area in the video as "South Central" . The central area of WA State is much further to the East than that.
Fair point. Even though we spend a bit of time just on the other side of the mountains, we do tend to think of that as "Eastern Washington", when really it's still "Central Washington".
A couple of our earlier videos covered a little bit about Stonehenge and a view of the Columbia River Gorge down there, as well as The Dalles area of Oregon. Great places!
@@northwestexplorers I would still consider the GPNF south central or just southwest, to be more general. IMO, eastern and western and other terms like that should be divided among geographical boundaries, and the Cascades divide that. The GPNF sits at the crest of the Cascades, but there is a good amount of mountains still further to the east. And even though Mt Adams sits east of the Cascade Crest, the rain shadow boundary in the Cascades is right along Mt Adams. Therefore, everything east of Adams and the GPNF is eastern Washington.
And if you want to figure out what is south central, I think the best geographical boundaries are the valley lowlands along I5 and the Cascade crest. There isn't all that much east of the Cascades that stands out as different enough to be used as a dividing line, whereas west of the Cascades you have the lowlands and then the coastal ranges.
You people 😂😂
Mt Adams and Klickitat county are on the eastern slope of the cascades. Yes.. it’s more central WA but in general just like in Oregon anything east of the cascades is basically considered the east side of the state.
panther creek falls is where that fish and wildlife lady died of a cardiac arrest while looking at fish a few months after her moderna booster
I found one that happened in 2018, but tragedies like that suck, in any case. 🙁
@@northwestexplorers the drunk guy that poassed out in the fire ?
@@northwestexplorers im talking about this one A Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist drowned Wednesday while conducting a summer steelhead survey in the Wind River north of Carson.
@@northwestexplorers Wildlife biologist drowns in Wind River north of Carson
@@northwestexplorers look up Erin Peterson and Mary Valentine 2 hot ladies that dropped dead in the river