Natural Bridges (Explored)
This is one location I have been wanting to photograph now for over a few years. The Samuel H Boardman Scenic Corridor is located in Southern Oregon. There are miles of rugged coastline, pullouts, hiking trails, and really just jaw dropping vistas.
This area is called the Natural Bridges location. There is a scenic overlook to the left of the very small parking lot and then there is a "trail" (not really a trail so much) to the right.
The hike down the cliff is filled with trees, tree roots, loose dirt, sand, and cliff edges. The first few steps are pretty easy down the hill. Then it becomes much more difficult and dangerous. Large steps straight down. There is at one point a rope to help rappel yourself down even further. There were moments where I had to rely on trees to make my next stop. There were times I was scooting on my butt to make sure I didn't make any false moves over the cliff's edge. Once you get to the bottom you come upon this scene. You can keep going forward past where this young lady was onto the "Natural Bridge" but one would really be risking it to exposed cliff edges on both sides. I've seen many sunset and night images from this point but I really can't see someone making this hike without careful planning and some headlights and tons of patience. There is no way I would go down at night. I will tell you might heart was racing when I got to the bottom.
As I was researching the hike I came upon this info which I think describes it pretty well:
"This trail is not for the faint of heart and should be rated as DIFFICULT. Mostly because it’s incredibly steep and the terrain is just loose sand and dirt with a few shrubs and tree roots sticking out here and there.
The trail is downhill toward the Natural bridges, and if you don’t have a sound footing while coming down, there IS a chance of continuing off the cliff. This is not a joke nor a trail to be taken lightly. It’s short but steep, and there’s not much to hold on to so please hike this section of Samual H. Boardman carefully."
I was shooting from this location and the Secret Beach area (just a few miles up the road) for this evening shoot. It was such a rush. Luckily another couple was hiking this trail just a few steps ahead of me. I caught this young lady taking a selfie.
Mike D.
Natural Bridges (Explored)
This is one location I have been wanting to photograph now for over a few years. The Samuel H Boardman Scenic Corridor is located in Southern Oregon. There are miles of rugged coastline, pullouts, hiking trails, and really just jaw dropping vistas.
This area is called the Natural Bridges location. There is a scenic overlook to the left of the very small parking lot and then there is a "trail" (not really a trail so much) to the right.
The hike down the cliff is filled with trees, tree roots, loose dirt, sand, and cliff edges. The first few steps are pretty easy down the hill. Then it becomes much more difficult and dangerous. Large steps straight down. There is at one point a rope to help rappel yourself down even further. There were moments where I had to rely on trees to make my next stop. There were times I was scooting on my butt to make sure I didn't make any false moves over the cliff's edge. Once you get to the bottom you come upon this scene. You can keep going forward past where this young lady was onto the "Natural Bridge" but one would really be risking it to exposed cliff edges on both sides. I've seen many sunset and night images from this point but I really can't see someone making this hike without careful planning and some headlights and tons of patience. There is no way I would go down at night. I will tell you might heart was racing when I got to the bottom.
As I was researching the hike I came upon this info which I think describes it pretty well:
"This trail is not for the faint of heart and should be rated as DIFFICULT. Mostly because it’s incredibly steep and the terrain is just loose sand and dirt with a few shrubs and tree roots sticking out here and there.
The trail is downhill toward the Natural bridges, and if you don’t have a sound footing while coming down, there IS a chance of continuing off the cliff. This is not a joke nor a trail to be taken lightly. It’s short but steep, and there’s not much to hold on to so please hike this section of Samual H. Boardman carefully."
I was shooting from this location and the Secret Beach area (just a few miles up the road) for this evening shoot. It was such a rush. Luckily another couple was hiking this trail just a few steps ahead of me. I caught this young lady taking a selfie.
Mike D.