pacific wonderland
Pacific Northwest’s stunning nature has something to offer for every season! This summer we decided to go on a little road trip to Portland and these were our favorite spots on this adventure!
witch’s castle
The two story moss and graffiti covered stone building is located on a well maintained beautiful trail in Portland Forest Park. The most interesting part of witch’s castle is the history - starting off as a love story and ending as the first legal hanging in Oregon.
The tragic story started with Danford Balch moving his wife and 9 children via Oregon trail to this plot of land. He hired a young man named Mortimer Stump to help with the property and building a home for his family. Then the unexpected happened - his oldest daughter Anna fell in love with Mortimer. They asked for Danfords blessing to get married which he did not give and threatened to kill Mortimer if they didn’t end the relationship. The couple didn’t take the threat seriously and traveled to Vancouver to elope anyway in 1858. When Anna and Mortimer came back to Portland to get their things, Danford followed through with the threat and shot Mortimer on the spot. To make things even worse for his family, Danford attempted to pass the blame of the murder to his wife by pleading that he had been bewitched by her. Thankfully the police didn’t believe him, Danford was arrested and hung for his crime. Danford Balchs execution was the first legal hanging in Oregon.
However, the moss covered building on the trail is not the actual house of this story. The stone building was built in 1930 to be used as a bathroom and park ranger station that was maintained by the Portland Parks and Recreation until 1962 when a storm destroyed the building. The building stayed abandoned and hidden until the 1980s when it was rediscovered by local students who nicknamed it the witch’s castle.
grotto
The Grotto was established by a Canadian pastor named Friar Ambrose Mayer in 1924. The Union Pacific Railroad Company was selling the property to be developed into residential area, but when Friar saw the acreage he envisioned it as a natural cathedral with a shallow cave carved into the the 110ft cliff showcasing a statue of Mary holding Jesus’ crucified body and a beautiful botanical garden surrounding it. The first mass at the Grotto was held on May 29th 1924 and had an audience of 3000 people.
ape caves
Ape caves are about 2.4 miles long which makes them the 3rd longest lava tube in North America. It’s technically one cave but is referred as plural because the main entrance is between the lower and upper caves. The lower caves are easier to walk through and very spacious with mostly a flat floor covered by sand in some areas from a mudflow that happened centuries ago. This part is popular for families with young children as it’s much easier to walk through and only 1.5 mile round trip. The upper caves are also only 1.5 miles long but require much more time and caution to climb through. This part is filled with multiple large rock formations in the cave that require physical agility to climb and squeeze around. Even though the upper caves are less popular for families because of the abrasive rock formations I took my boys through the entire cave system and they loved the adventure!
The caves were formed by a stream of lava coming down from Mount St. Helens almost 2000 years ago. The smooth walls are the outer edges of the lava flow that hardened as the molten lava inside kept flowing through which eventually created a tube. The caves were discovered by a logger in the 1950s who shared the location with his friend that started to explore the caves with his sons and friends. The group called themselves the Mount St. Helens Apes hence the name of the lava tubes.
With the temperature inside the caves staying at 42f year round and the difficulty of climbing through the large rock formations, warm clothing and supportive shoes are a must. As there is no natural light in the caves at least two light sources is recommended (phone flashlight is not enough). It’s also important to know that the slime covering the walls inside the lava tube is part of the cave eco system and touching it kills it which will disrupt the food chain of the little creatures living there.
panther creek falls
Panther creek falls are one of the most beautiful and complex waterfalls in Washington! It’s only a short 5 minute walk to the upper viewpoint which makes it easily accessible for families with small children or a perfect quick detour after another hike in the area. The trail to the viewpoint isn’t well marked - it’s about 20ft across the street from the parking area and drops straight down from the road.
If you are planning a trip to this area I strongly recommend checking out these locations, especially the Ape Caves and Panther Creek Falls. I promise you won’t regret making the drive!