eastern idaho – NATIVE LENS

Palisades Creek Trail To Upper Palisades Lake

May 23, 2017June 18, 2017Tagged backcountry camping, backpacking, camping, eastern idaho, hiking, horseback riding, landscape photography, moose, mountain biking, mountain lake, mule deer, nature photography, photography, snow, trails, wildlife1 Comment

By: Marc Bowen

Two weeks ago I hiked Palisades Creek Trail into Lower Palisades Lake. To read more about that hike please click the link Late Spring Hike To Lower Palisades Lake. That post has a lot of photos I shot along the four miles of trail between the trailhead and lower lake.

This morning I arrived at the Palisades Creek trailhead at about 7:30 am and then hiked at a steady pace stopping only once during the first four miles to lower my pack to the ground, grab a snack and a photo.

UpperPalisadesCreek — Photo by: Marc Bowen – Palisades Creek

Last time I hiked this stretch it took me almost four hours to reach the lower lake because I stopped many times along the way to shoot the scenery and glass the cliffs for mountain goats. This time it took me two hours less because I took just this one shot of the creek from one of the five bridges along the way. Two weeks ago the water was brown with runoff but now it has cleared up quite a bit. Still a little water on the trail in some places but much less then last time.

LowerPalisades2wkstweek — Photo by: Marc Bowen – Lower Palisades Lake (today)

The photo above shows what the lower lake looks like today. The photo below shows what the same lake looked like two weeks ago. Big difference in two weeks. Much greener now. More leaves on the trees/brush and the lake water is green instead of brown. Also there is less snow on the mountain.

LowerPalisadesLake — Photo by: Marc Bowen – Lower Palisades Lake (2 weeks ago)

The trail continues along the waters edge at the left side of the lake and then on up the canyon about another three miles to Upper Palisades Lake.

BridgeAboveLowerPalisades — Photo by: Marc Bowen

This (above) is the bridge that crosses the lower lake outlet.

LowerPalisadesabovelake — Photo by: Marc Bowen – Lower Palisades Lake

(above photo) Looking back across Lower Palisades Lake towards the canyon and the trail that leads back down the four miles to the trailhead.

About one hour of hiking past the lower lake I took a break in this nice shady area. There are a few campsites near by and a hitching post for horses.

Also in this area is this forest service cabin (above photo) which hasn’t been used in awhile other then by the local wildlife. Door was unlocked and ajar but wouldn’t open very far because the floor has buckled.

UpperPalisadesLakeBasin — Photo by: Marc Bowen

The trail climbs up a ridge overlooking Palisades Creek and I could look across to the ridge on the other side and just over that ridge in an upper valley (see above photo) is where Upper Palisades Lake is located.

To get there the trail descends back down into the canyon and crosses over another bridge there.

Pretty nice bridge for back country stream crossing. Makes me wonder how the people at the forest service got it there.

About one hundred yards past the bridge I spotted a cow moose grazing the grass from the bottom of the marsh. I watched her for awhile and thought about getting closer but when she wasn’t looking at me she was looking at something in the willows to my left and I suspect she had a calf or two hidden in there somewhere. If my suspicions were correct and I had moved in for a closer shot she would have been on me in no time. Not wanting a mama moose mad at me I moved on up the trail.

Not far up the trail I looked up to see a young mule deer watching me from a bend in the trail. This little guy gave me just enough time to snap a shot and then disappeared.

(above photo) View from the top of the trail looking back down the canyon I just climbed out of.

UpperPalisadesLake2 — Photo by: Marc Bowen – Upper Palisades Lake

Upper Palisades Lake sits at an elevation of just over 6700 feet and is about two miles long. The water is a blue-green color (more green then blue) and is quite striking where the water covers the sand around the submerged portions of the island.

UpperLakeCampground — Photo by: Marc Bowen – Upper Palisades Lake camp site

There are several decent campsites around this end of the lake. I hiked part way up the trail on the left side of the lake, rested, ate my lunch and then headed back. I saw several mountain bikers ride into this lake while I was there and am extremely impressed that anybody could make it this far on a bike.

I had originally planned to hike past the upper lake and into Waterfall Canyon where a 90 foot waterfall is probably gushing water this time of the year. But that would have added another five miles of hiking for a grand total of nineteen miles. I didn’t feel I had it in me and wasn’t sure I had enough daylight left either. So I headed back happy I had made the effort to see this beautiful lake but already a little tired and honestly not looking forward to the seven mile hike back. It took me about four hours to reach the parking area and although exhausted and hurting, I am already looking forward to my next hike.

Upper & Lower Mesa Falls

September 20, 2016February 10, 2017Tagged birding, camping, day hike, eastern idaho, henry's fork, hiking, landscape photography, lower mesa falls, Mesa Falls, mesa falls scenic by way, nature hike, nature photography, photography, snake river, state park, trailhead, trails, upper mesa falls, water fallLeave a comment

By: Marc Bowen

A couple of weeks ago I drove up to Mesa Falls, about a 45 minute drive from where I live. This area is located just north of Ashton Idaho on the Mesa Falls Scenic By Way. What a beautiful drive, most of it along the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River. After you pass the Bear Gulch area one of the first turnouts you come to is the Lower Mesa Falls parking lot. If you walk over to the viewing area you can see the lower falls down in the canyon. Personally I have not shot a photo of the lower falls from this viewing area because I haven’t found an angle that I like. You really need a long lens to get a decent shot from this vantage point. Less then a mile up the road is the turn off to Upper Mesa Falls. This is a fee area and there is a visitor center there that is worth checking out.

HIKING MESA FALLS NATURE TRAIL

As I parked my car in the parking lot I put my backpack on with the intention of hiking the Mesa Falls Nature Trail. The trail head is at the south end of the parking lot and is an easy 2.2 mile in and out hike that takes you to a plateau just above the lower falls. My plan was to hike this trail, get some shots of Lower Mesa Falls and then shoot the upper falls. It’s a pretty hike through fairly thick forest. I saw and heard plenty of birds during this first part of the hike. About half way down the trail I decided to leave the trail and hike over to the edge of the canyon for some photos but also to see if there was a way down into the canyon. I wanted, if possible, to find a way down and then hike up river to get a shot of the upper falls from a different vantage point.

There are steep cliffs pretty much all along the canyon below the upper falls. I searched at great length for a way down and found a few places where I MIGHT have been able to descend safely but I probably wouldn’t have been able to climb back out so I gave up.

At that point I discovered that I had lost my water bottle somewhere so I searched for a while but didn’t find it. I decided not to hike the rest of the way down to the lower falls and back without water. So I hiked back to the upper falls to get a few shots.

uppermesa1 — Upper Mesa Falls – Photo by: Marc Bowen

Upper Mesa Falls is about 114 feet high and 200 feet wide. You can hear the roar of the falls from the parking lot. There is a half mile of boardwalk and viewing platforms between the falls and the visitor center. After exploring some of the paths and enjoying the view from some of the platforms I headed home, did some research and and found out that there is indeed a way down into the canyon.

DESCENDING INTO THE CANYON

So… today’s trip to the falls was for the purpose of getting some shots from down in the canyon. I arrived just before sunrise before anyone else was there, loaded my camera gear, water and snacks into my backpack and headed down to the southern most viewing platform. I then carefully climbed over the guard rail onto a rocky outcropping and then down a very steep mostly unused trail.

In the above photo (upper right corner) you can see the stairs down to one of several viewing platforms. To the right of the platform is where the trail begins. I doubt very much that the park staff want visitors climbing over the rail. That’s why I went early before the visitor center opened or any other visitors arrived. I didn’t want anybody else following me over the rail and down the steep dangerous trail. If you are not a photographer I would not recommend doing this. Its just not worth it considering there are better views of the falls from above.

mesafallslowview1colorfx — Photo by: Marc Bowen

ON THE RIVER BELOW THE FALLS

It took me about 20 minutes to reach the river. One thing not real noticeable until you see the falls from this perspective is that Upper Mesa Falls is actually a series of two falls with a smaller water fall just below the big one.

mesafallslowview2 — Photo by: Marc Bowen

The hike back out with 25-30 lbs on my back was definitely more challenging then the hike down. After climbing back out and over the rail, the bench in the viewing area was a welcome sight and sorely needed until I got my breathing under control and some water down me. No regrets though. Another little adventure checked off my list. I still want to finish the Mesa Falls Nature Trail hike and explore the Lower Mesa Falls area and will do so in the near future.

Why I Created This Blog

July 29, 2016March 29, 2020Tagged eastern idaho, hiking, hiking blog, landscape photography, nature photography, outdoor blog, photographyLeave a comment

By: Marc Bowen

This is fairly new territory for me. I’ve never done much in the way of writing other then in a journal years ago. I have created and published a number of photo journal books over the years though so am not totally unfamiliar with the mechanics of publishing. But this is a learning curve for me and I hope to get better at it as I move forward.

I love the outdoors! Getting up early enough in the morning to be on a mountain trail by daylight has become a passion for me. I grew up on a farm and arose early most days to milk the cow or feed the livestock before school. Didn’t necessarily enjoy it but learned that much can be accomplished arising early and you get to see those awesome sunrises. I also grew up hunting and fishing and grew to appreciate nature and all it’s beauty. I still love to fish but haven’t hunted in several years. The last few times I hunted I carried a rifle on one shoulder and a camera on the other. Now as I hike up a mountain trail I carry bear spray and a backpack with camera gear and some bare necessities for when it may be necessary to spend a night on the mountain. Sometimes these outings may be a short walk from the car. Some can be several miles. My longest this past season was nearly 20 miles. Some outings are experienced with family members or friends and some because of my work schedule are done alone.

I decided to create this blog in order to share my experiences with others who love the outdoors. I have tried to capture some of the stunning vistas and scenery I have seen by using photography. Sometimes photos do not do an outdoor scene justice but combined with verbal descriptions I hope to be able to describe to the reader in great enough detail that they might vicariously enjoy the experience as if they were there. I turn 60 years old next month and want to encourage other people young or old to get outside and enjoy the great outdoors. For those who may not be able to because of poor health or physical limitations I hope you might enjoy the journey through my eyes.