It has become my habit to take a forest hike whenever I find myself back in the Pacific Northwest. Hawaii Island offers relatively few good hiking trails, and I do miss the deep green forests of the PNW.
I spend some time researching and selecting the hike before I go. Since I dedicate one day of the trip, I do want to make the best of it.
After considering a few possible plans I selected University Falls this year. As the falls hike is pretty short, under 2 miles, the plan included the nearby Nels Rogers Trail to add some distance and additional photographic opportunities.
There was some thought to my choice… Selecting the Coast Range rather than the more heavily used Cascades or Columbia River Gorge offered less risk of a fire season restriction. And while there were other hikers about, I was generally left to my chosen solitude on the trail.
The result? Not a bad plan.
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