Ancient Lakes
Recently I was watching a gear review video on YouTube. I don’t remember what they were reviewing but I remember where they were doing their review; Ancient Lakes. I had never seen or even heard about this area of Washington, and did some quick calling to my buddies. They weren’t familiar with the area either. That’s all it took for me to pull maps and start making plans to visit the area.
Ancient Lakes is a cluster of three small lakes nestled at the head of a flat bottomed, cliff ringed valley called a coulee in these parts of Washington. The Ancient Lakes coulee is carved into the orchard-covered Quincy plateau and faces west, toward the Columbia River. This area is a great example of a recessional-cataract canyon. Potholes Coulee caught the attention of J Harlen Bretz in the early 20th century, which led to his “outrageous hypothesis” of Ice Age flooding; a very controversial theory during his time, but one that proved to be correct!
Wild and scenic rivers
We’re proud to announce we’ve been selected to participate in collecting data for this new science project. Watch for more information to follow soon.
Framed by the five-year window between the 50th anniversary of the WSR Act and the federal Clean Water Act, the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and National Park Service have partnered with Adventure Scientists to survey water quality on protected rivers across the country, providing needed data at an unprecedented scale.
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Ancient Lakes is a cluster of three small lakes nestled at the head of Potholes Coulee; a flat bottomed, cliff ringed valley.
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We had spent the day in the field collecting data enduring heavy rains. Towards sunset, the sky turned dark and ominous but then, the mountain behind camp lit up with sunshine. Great ending to a great day.⠀ ⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ #pnw #washington #washingtonstate #pacificnorthwest #pnwonderland #nature #optoutside #washingtonexplored #science #upperleftusa #olympicpeninsula #beach #cascadiaexplored #wildlife #explorewashington #conservation #pnwlife #washingtonweed #wacoast #washingtonstatefair #naturephotography #washingtonnationals #washingtontrails #wander #hiking #olympicnationalpark @washingtondiscovered #WildOlympics @nextstop24 #nextstop24traveler #getwildandscenic @adventurescientists
Wild and Scenic Rivers Project - I just published an article over on the website outlining our latest citizen-science project. You can find the link in my bio. ⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ #pnw #washington #washingtonstate #pacificnorthwest #pnwonderland #nature #optoutside #washingtonexplored #science #upperleftusa #olympicpeninsula #beach #cascadiaexplored #wildlife #explorewashington #conservation #pnwlife #washingtonweed #wacoast #washingtonstatefair #naturephotography #washingtonnationals #washingtontrails #wander #hiking #olympicnationalpark @washingtondiscovered #WildOlympics @nextstop24 #nextstop24traveler
I just published an article detailing our latest adventure which describes our explorations through Ancient Lakes. You can find the link in my bio up top.
Super moon over Point of Arches on Washington’s Outer Coast.⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ #pnwonderland #pnw #thenwadventure #upperleftusa #pnwdiscovered #cascadiaexplored #pnwparadise #optoutside #wildernessculture #wanderwashington #pacificnorthwest #pnwlife #YourShotPhotographer #keepitwild #pnwphotographer #lifeofadventure #exploretocreate #beautifuldestinations #hikingadventures #wanderlust #thatpnwlife #explorewashington #roamtheplanet #thegreatpnw #photooftheday #washingtonexplored @washingtondiscovered @nextstop24 #nextstop24traveler #WildOlympics
Looking down at Dusty Lake from the north rim of the coulee. Our recent trip to central Washington was a fun break from our usual. Already planning our next trip back.⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ ⠀ #desert #desertvibes #desertphotography #desertlife🌵 #deserthotsprings #highdesert #desertplants #desertlandscape #desertflower #thedesertisbeautifultoo
Looking south into the heart of the Giants Graveyard from Toleak Beach. There's a beauty here that excites the soul every time I visit.⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ #pnwonderland #pnw #thenwadventure #upperleftusa #pnwdiscovered #cascadiaexplored #pnwparadise #optoutside #wildernessculture #wanderwashington #pacificnorthwest #pnwlife #YourShotPhotographer #keepitwild #pnwphotographer #lifeofadventure #exploretocreate #beautifuldestinations #hikingadventures #wanderlust #thatpnwlife #explorewashington #roamtheplanet #thegreatpnw #photooftheday #washingtonexplored @washingtondiscovered @nextstop24 #nextstop24traveler #WildOlympics
Hamma Hamma Since the Record Fires - I just published an article over on the website including photographs from our latest field outing. https://buff.ly/2RUMeDG
The high desert of Central Washington near the Columbia River Gorge. This environment is 180 degrees from what you would find west of the Cascades. ⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ #desertvibes #deserttrip #naturephotography #meditation #breathe #travel #photography #yoga #ig #desertsunset #cactus #desert #desertlove #earth #sky #yogi #desertlandscape #beauty #arizona #travelphotography #desertscape #nature #deserts #desertliving #landscapephotography #landscape #desertlife #desertphotography #healing #selfcare
Made it out to Ancient Lakes today. This is a view of the lake from a top of the coulee on the south side. We then dropped down to Dusty Lake. Great hike!⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ #pnwonderland #pnw #thenwadventure #upperleftusa #pnwdiscovered #cascadiaexplored #pnwparadise #optoutside #wildernessculture #wanderwashington #pacificnorthwest #pnwlife #nature #keepitwild #pnwphotographer #lifeofadventure #exploretocreate #beautifuldestinations #hikingadventures #wanderlust #thatpnwlife #explorewashington #roamtheplanet #thegreatpnw #photooftheday #washingtonexplored @washingtondiscovered @nextstop24 #nextstop24traveler
Sunset over the cool waters of the Gulf of Mexico and sugar white sands of Panama City Beach. It was nice visiting Florida for a change of pace.⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ #sky #clouds #skyporn #skylovers #watercolorpainting #cloudporn #water #cloud #florida #sunset
A change of pace from the Pacific Northwest; down in the panhandle of Florida visiting family and went out to photograph some American Alligators. ⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ #photography #floridawildlife #alligators #aquascapeindonesia #alligatorsofinstagram #handmade #reptile #crocodiles #gatorboys #everglades #bhfyp #croc #animals #reptilesofinstagram #caiman #crocodile #rescue #naturephotography #florida #nature #reptiles #wildlife #gator #love #reptileawarenessday #wildlifephotography #swamp #southflorida #ikanlouhan #gators
Somewhere in the Hamma Hamma region of the Olympic National Forest. This might just be one of the most scenic areas of Washington. A photographers paradise for sure!⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ #pnwonderland #pnw #thenwadventure #upperleftusa #pnwdiscovered #cascadiaexplored #pnwparadise #optoutside #wildernessculture #wanderwashington #pacificnorthwest #pnwlife #nature #keepitwild #pnwphotographer #lifeofadventure #exploretocreate #beautifuldestinations #hikingadventures #wanderlust #thatpnwlife #explorewashington #roamtheplanet #thegreatpnw #photooftheday #washingtonexplored @washingtondiscovered @nextstop24 #nextstop24traveler #WildOlympics #wastateparks
Man's, and woman's, best friend on the beach of Crescent Bay.⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ #pnwonderland #pnw #thenwadventure #upperleftusa #pnwdiscovered #cascadiaexplored #pnwparadise #optoutside #wildernessculture #wanderwashington #pacificnorthwest #pnwlife #YourShotPhotographer #keepitwild #pnwphotographer #lifeofadventure #exploretocreate #beautifuldestinations #hikingadventures #wanderlust #thatpnwlife #explorewashington #roamtheplanet #thegreatpnw #photooftheday #washingtonexplored @washingtondiscovered @nextstop24 #nextstop24traveler #WildOlympics
Last nights sunset over Crescent Bay were my camp was located. I just pulled this off my phone. I’ll have the shots from the Sony on the website soon. I love volunteering for the #COASST program.
Sunrise over Crescent Bay. Great way to start the day. Weather should hold for tomorrow's #COASST bird survey as well. The hike always seems a bit easier when the weather's nice.
Jefferson Lake is located within the Olympic National Forest. This area was subject to record wildfires last year but has managed to retain its beauty. It's yet to be seen how long the area will take to recover. ⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ #pnwonderland #pnw #thenwadventure #upperleftusa #pnwdiscovered #cascadiaexplored #pnwparadise #optoutside #wildernessculture #wanderwashington #pacificnorthwest #pnwlife #YourShotPhotographer #keepitwild #pnwphotographer #lifeofadventure #exploretocreate #beautifuldestinations #hikingadventures #wanderlust #thatpnwlife #explorewashington #roamtheplanet #thegreatpnw #photooftheday #washingtonexplored @washingtondiscovered @nextstop24 #nextstop24traveler #WildOlympics
Potholes State Park
This year it’s hard to get short notice camping reservations as I’m sure everyone has noticed, but we did luck out and found a spot over at Potholes State Park which is only about a 45-minute drive from Ancient Lakes. We camped here once before when the temperatures had been a blistering 105 in the shade. Can’t say we enjoyed it much that time, but this time of year we had cold nights, and pleasant day temps this go-around and did enjoy the campsite.
We left early in the morning for Ancient Lakes and as we pulled in the parking lot it looked like we were going to have the place much to ourselves. However, before we could even gear up the parking lot started filling up with arrivals. There are so many trails that spider web off the parking area that we rarely saw but a handful of fellow hikers once on the trail.
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The only exception to this was the waterfall at the head of Ancient Lakes. This seemed to be the main attraction and it looked like a tour bus had ejected its payload at its base. As such we contented ourselves with the view from across the lake.
The real treat and view were when we decided to hike up to the south rim of the coulee. The topo map should have a saddle that would give us a view of the neighboring Dusty Lake. Not only did that prove to be the case but the views from the rim top back over Ancient Lake were spectacular.
We did get lucky with our timing. The desert flowers were in bloom, and there was an incredible number of birds in the area. And I’m happy to say that the one animal that I kept seeing a warning about — rattlesnakes, didn’t make an appearance at all. We’re already making plans for a return visit in the fall.
