or The Battle of Sand Butte – Lava Beds National Monument . . . History . . . The Park Service labels this site the Thomas-Wright Battlefield.  This, the fourth battle of the Modoc War (after the battle at the Lost River, and two battles at Captain Jack’s Stronghold) was actually fought between a U.S. […]

Like many places around the world, wetlands in the Upper Klamath Basin were drained to provide croplands for a hungry nation. Here, the United States Bureau of Reclamation began the process in 1905 with an effort called the Klamath Reclamation Project.  The needs of  waterfowl were recognized early on with the establishment of the first […]

Lava Beds National monument . . . There are literally hundreds of lava tube caves with nearly 28 miles of underground passages that we could explore at the Lava Beds National Monument.  We are NOT going to explore them all – just a few.  We already looked at some easy caves.  Here we will explore […]

Hagelstein County Park . . . Hagelstein Park is about 10 miles north of Klamath Falls, Oregon on the east side of US-97.   The 5-acre park offers modern restrooms (although they were out of order at the time of my visit), drinking water, 10 camping spots and boat access to Upper Klamath Lake, all adjacent […]

Lava Beds National Monument . . . Lava Beds National Monument is located on the California-Oregon border south of Klamath Falls, Oregon, USA. The Monument offers two, world-class exploration opportunities. The first, that we will address in other articles, is exploration of the history of the Modoc Indian War – the last Indian war fought […]

The Modoc War . . . Gillem’s Camp is an important site associated with the Modoc War of 1872 and 1873, although it was only in use for about seven weeks.  Very briefly, the war came about after members of the Modoc Tribe decided to leave the Klamath reservation, where they were confined.  They had […]

Crater Lake National Park . . . Annie Creek, in Crater Lake National Park, arises from Annie Springs, near Mazama Village at the south entry station to the Park. It flows southeasterly until it exits the park and extends into the farmland of the Upper Klamath Basin and ultimately adds its waters to the Klamath […]

Crater Lake National Park . . . Sometimes earth-laughter rings like silver bells Where brooks run crisping over glinting stone; But here the earth, remembering ancient hells, Grins at the joke she shares with death alone. Llaos Hallway by Ernest G. Moll Finding Llaos Hallway . . . Llaos Hallway provides an outstanding adventure for […]

Exploring . . . I was moved to explore the waterfalls on Sun Creek, in Crater Lake National Park, by the words of John Eliot Allen, a Ranger-Naturalist at the Park in 1935.  He said one waterfall “drops over a mossy ledge for perhaps twenty feet, the angular blocky face of the rock breaking into […]

After Crater Lake National Park was designated in 1902, better access was needed. In 1904 construction of a new road was begun to replace an “almost impassable” wagon trail to the rim. The new road passed through Munson Valley on its way to what is now Rim Village. It was completed in 1905. It wasn’t […]

Vidae Falls . . . Vidae Falls is the best known and most viewed waterfall at Crater Lake National Park.  It’s 100 foot drop is quite spectacular and it’s easy to find; just above the East Rim Drive about 3 miles east of Park Headquarters.  A large turn-out is provided.  Some folks glance at the […]

Crater Lake . . . Crater Lake was formed in the largest known eruption of a Cascade Range volcano, Mount Mazama. The peak of Mount Mazama is estimated to have been about 12,000 feet in elevation before the massive explosion 6,865 years ago (based upon carbon dating).  That explosion moved 50 cubic kilometers of material […]

New Plaikni Falls Trail . . . The news is that, as  of this moment, the new Plaikni Falls Trail in Crater Lake National Park is well underway.  A Park Service crew, shown above, is cutting and setting curbs, leveling and backfilling with gravel from a nearby quarry.  This ’causeway’ type of construction will have […]

Where is Stuart Falls? Let’s start this story with a confession . . .   Stuart Falls is not in Crater Lake National Park. It’s actually in the Sky Lakes Wilderness on the Rogue River National Forest. The title, however, highlights Crater Lake National Park because the journey is mostly within the park. It starts […]

CamelBak Mule – Hydration Pack . . . My biggest problem when on the trail is water.  If I get enough,  I feel fine – if not, I run out of energy very quickly.  Thus, I thought, a hydration pack would be the thing for me. The main function of a hydration pack is to […]

Geocaching is a great basis for your explorations. The sport gives you a goal (a known latitude and longitude) and a treasure to find (the cache). See our background article about geocaching for some history of the sport. Key to this activity is a GPS unit. It’s a tool that, like compass and sextant of […]

Overview From a distance – even a close distance, the South (or Lower) Klamath Hills don’t look like much.  Just a brown stretch of hills that rise abruptly from the floor of the Upper Klamath Basin.  Grass, sagebrush and the occasional juniper tree dot the landscape – an ecosystem the experts call “sagebrush steppe.”  On […]

The major point of interest at Crater Lake National Park is, of course, Crater Lake. Waterfalls rarely come to mind, but there are several that offer unique glimpses into the slopes of ancient Mount Mazama. In 1935, John Eliot Allen a Ranger-Naturalist at the park described a few of the waterfalls as follows: Vidae Falls […]