The Avenue of the Giant Boulders

Since we probably won't be able to take a Canadian vacation this year like usual ("I wanna punch the economy in the face!"), we've finally been taking time to get to know our neighborhood. Oregon has many wonders we have yet to behold.

For Mother's Day, we went to hike an area just north of here that I'd visited once before and wanted to share with the family. It's a gorgeous and rather nerve-wracking spot called The Avenue of the Giant Boulders.

The Rogue River cuts through and around (and under, in a few spots) the mountains and at this spot, the gorge narrows and the water comes racing through. In spite of the danger signs (there's a dam upstream so you have to be aware if they let loose the river - they say there's a siren and I hope you can actually hear it over the river), its a gorgeous spot. The hike is relatively easy, you're at the elevation where poison oak isn't as happy to hang out, and it's a cool spot when the valley temps start to soar.

Here's a few photos from the hike. We started at the Avenue of the Giant Boulders and worked out way down stream to Mill Creak Falls and Barr Falls (pictured below). It's hard to tell you just how BIG these rocks are so there's a little hiker thrown in for comparison. And they are all stacked up and around and worn smooth by the force of the river running past them down out of the mountains. Some spots you only get about 18 inches between the boulders to get through. Up on the edge or the river gorge, it's much easier going but let's just say, I won't be posting photos over the edge at the falls because it's a LONG way down by the time you get there.