Читать книгу Afoot and Afield: Portland/Vancouver. A Comprehensive Hiking Guide онлайн

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Many hikers prefer loop trips because they allow one to sample a greater variety of scenery on the hike. All hikes that are recommended as loop trips are so named.

Every hike in this book follows either established trails or unmaintained hiking routes that are easy to navigate. The forests and thick undergrowth that cover virtually all of the Portland/Vancouver area make cross-country travel somewhere between very difficult and impossible. In general, off-trail routes should be left exclusively for very experienced travelers. The Portland/Vancouver area has more than enough worthwhile destinations that can be reached by trail. There is no need to resort to bushwhacking.

Until recently, one joyful aspect of hiking was that it was an outdoor activity you could do for free: You didn’t have to buy a fishing license, pay for a lift ticket, or even get expensive lessons. You could just drive or hitch a ride to the nearest trailhead and take off. Most public land agencies now, however, require that you pay a fee of some kind to use their trails. In national forests, all cars parked with 0.25 mile of major developed trailheads must display a trailhead parking pass. In 2007, daily permits cost $5, and an annual pass, good in all the forests of Washington and Oregon, was $30. The permits can be purchased at all ranger stations and many sporting goods stores in the Portland area. Many, but not all, state parks also require that visitors pay an entrance fee, whether or not they are hiking. Finally, on Sauvie Island, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife requires a day-use pass for hikers, birdwatchers, and all other users.