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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Room for improvement ... Electric Highway aims to spark more EV use ... Rogue River man held on murder charge ... Room for improvement ... Electric Highway aims to spark more EV use ... Rogue River man held on murder charge ... OREGON FOCUS Outdoor excursions include mountain lookout, ice lake Comment By Zach Urness Statesman Journal MailTribune.com By Zach Urness Statesman Journal Posted Jan. 9, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Zach Urness Statesman Journal Posted Jan. 9, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News January is here, which means we’re at the start of a fresh season for outdoor adventure in Oregon. But before we charge forward and begin planning all the trips we'll take in 2015, it makes sense to take a step back and consider the places we've been. Here are my top 5 favorite trips of 2014. Hopefully, you will find something new here, a place you never knew existed to try out in 2015. No. 5: Willamette River Headwaters The Willamette River is a large and plodding river that doesn't seem to offer much in the way of thrills. But follow the stream all the way to its headwaters in the Cascade Mountains and it's a different story. Emerald green and frothing with whitewater, the North Fork of the Middle Fork of the Willamette River offers not only a mouthful of a name, but also one of Oregon's best kayaking adventures during the spring snowmelt season. Protected by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, this stretch of river is buffered by dense forest and features options that include everything from Class III to V rapids. It's a true Oregon classic. When open: After enough rain or during spring snowmelt season Most accessible run: Below The Gorge to Westfir Difficulty: Class III/III+ Best information: See "Soggy Sneakers: A Paddler's Guide to Oregon Rivers" Directions: Take I-5 North to Eugene, then follow Highway 58 east 40 miles. Turn left on Westfir Road and follow it into town. A good landmark for getting started is the Office Covered Bridge.   No. 4: South Sister Climb A climb up South Sister offers the perfect balance between a major challenge — you're climbing 5,000 feet over 11.6 miles round-trip — and something that doesn't require specialized skills or gear. A trail allows hikers to follow a steep and crumbly route past glacial lakes and alpine scenery all the way to the 10,358-foot volcano's top, where Middle and North Sister rise so close it feels as though you could reach out at touch them. The best time to climb is August, September and early October. Climbing midweek is advised due to heavy crowds on weekends. Many campgrounds provide a base camp along Cascade Lakes Highway. A great place to celebrate your victory is 10 Barrel Brewing in Bend. Directions: From Bend, follow Cascade Lakes Highway for 30 miles. Turn left and park at the Devil's Lake Trailhead and follow the climbers trail. No. 3: Bagby Hot Springs A-1.5 mile hike through beautiful old-growth forest would be nice enough by itself, but throw in a rustic bathhouse piping 138-degree water into private tubs hewn from cedar logs and party-style baths shaped like whiskey kegs and you have one of Oregon's great treasures. The problem for Bagby Hot Springs in Mount Hood National Forest has always been major crowds — which can require waiting in line over an hour for a soak — and rowdy behavior. The Forest Service has taken measures to address the latter by employing a vendor to clean up trash and watch for bad behavior. Avoiding crowds can be addressed by traveling midweek in spring, fall or winter. If you can make it to Bagby at a time when it's not overrun with people, it's tough to beat. Directions: Access is expected to be difficult this winter because Highway 224 from Portland is closed and the only other route requires navigating Forest Service roads potentially blocked by snow. Contact the Clackamas Ranger District at 503-630-6861 for information about the best route coming from Southern Oregon. No. 2: Ice Lake and The Matterhorn Any trip into the Eagle Cap Wilderness is going to be memorable. Located in the heart of northwest Oregon's Wallowa Mountains, the Eagle Cap is the state's largest wilderness area, home to 17 peaks that eclipse 9,000 feet along with countless lakes, rivers and meadows. The hike from Wallowa Lake Trailhead follows the West Fork Wallowa River before shooting uphill to Ice Lake on an exhausting hike of 8 miles and 3,400 feet of climb one-way. After making camp at Ice Lake — a deep alpine pool nestled in a multicolored basin at 7,800 feet — it's another 2.2 miles of alpine trekking to the white marble summit of the Matterhorn, which at 9,826 feet is Oregon's seventh-highest peak. Make sure to take a dip in "Ice Cube Lake" on the way back down. Directions: From La Grande and Interstate 84, follow Highway 82 east toward Wallowa Lake. Once you reach the entrance to the state park, veer left at the campground entrance and follow the paved road to a large parking area and trailhead. No. 1: Warner Mountain Lookout The snow blew sideways and wind howled like a deranged beast deep in the remote wilds of Oregon's Central Cascade Range last March. I watched the entire scene in pajamas while sipping hot chocolate, reading a book and occasionally updating my Facebook status. Welcome to life at Warner Mountain Lookout. My favorite trip of 2014 was a six-mile snowshoe and cross-country ski trip to this cozy glass house on stilts. No matter how bad the weather, and despite being high in the mountains and miles from any plowed road, Warner Mountain is cozy, warm and offers panoramic views stretching across half the state. A bed, stove, propane fireplace and kitchenette make this remote outpost a mountaintop Marriott. (If you consider the Marriott a place where there's no running water or electricity and using the bathroom requires freezing your buttocks off in an outhouse). A reservation for this fire lookout — which is staffed by the U.S. Forest Service in summer, but is open for rental Nov. 1 to May 15 — requires making plans up to six months in advance on recreation.gov. The journey can either be as short as four miles or as long as 12 — depending on the snow level — and you can travel via snowshoes, skis or a snowmobile. Contact the Middle Fork Ranger district for more information: 541-782-2283 Zach Urness is the author of the book "Hiking Southern Oregon." He can be reached at [email protected]. By Zach Urness Statesman Journal MailTribune.com By Zach Urness Statesman Journal Posted Jan. 9, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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