- Lacamas_Trail_Map.pdf (clark.wa.gov)
Lacamas Lake Park hosts a 6-mile network of scenic hiking and cycling trails, passing dense forest, spectacular waterfalls, Round Lake and Lacamas Creek. Many areas are excellent for bird-watching, and the April blooming of the Camas Lilies are an annual feature. Upland forests support a variety of wildlife, including deer, raccoon, beaver, osprey, bald eagles and many others. Round Lake is an attraction for shing, and is stocked with a mixture of bass, bluegill and perch. Non-motorized boating only is allowed on Round Lake.
- Lacamas Creek Loop Hike (OregonHikers.org)
A forest oasis in a rapidly developing suburban setting, Lacamas Regional Park offers a fascinating sampling of landforms and habitats. At the end of the last Ice Age, over 12,000 years ago, a series of massive floods (the Missoula or Bretz Floods) swept down the Columbia River and scoured the landscape, creating exposed rock scablands and shallow depressions. This small park boasts no fewer than three waterfalls, including the pockmarked bench at the Potholes, a couple of lakes, scablands supporting oaks and camas lilies, and a deep forest dominated by maple and Douglas-fir. This loop begins on 3rd Avenue, but you can also start at Round Lake and include the Round Lake Loop Hike in the excursion. The itinerary includes a diversion to seasonal Woodburn Falls, which becomes dry during the summer but which is also best avoided when trails are extremely muddy.
- Lacamas Park Lily Field (OregonHikers.org)
The city of Camas, Washington, was named for the camas plant. Camas was a very important crop in Native American traditional life. The roots were dug up, dried or cooked, and saved for food use and as sweeteners. The bulbs were usually harvested in summer, but the plants were sometimes marked during the spring bloom to avoid confusion (and possible fatalities) with a plant with very similar looking leaves, the highly toxic death camas. Every year, the people gathered in the meadows to harvest the larger bulbs only. Woodlands and brush were burned to create more expansive camas meadows, and camas plots, often assigned to particular families, were harvested on a rotational basis to allow plants to produce more bulbs.
- World Report 2024: Russia (hrw.org)
In the second year of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian authorities have further intensified efforts at home to eradicate any dissent about the war or the Kremlin’s domestic policies. They adopted and enforced new, repressive legislation, issued punitively long prison sentences for peaceful anti-war speech, and forcibly closed several prominent human rights groups.
Washington Trails Association
- Lacamas Park - Round Lake to Lower Falls (wta.org)
Lacamas Park is a surprising swatch of forest between Camas and Washougal where you can easily take time out to relax and enjoy nature. The park has over six miles of trails, with both wide-hard surfaced paths and more primitive dirt tracks. This loop hike combines both types to give you the optimum experience while exploring a lake, creek, and two waterfalls. There is also an optional side trip to visit the Lily Fields, which are infused with purple camas blossoms from mid-April to mid-May. Although there are some heart-thumping uphill sections, the hike is generally easy and appropriate for reasonably fit people of all ages.