Kati Explores

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Kati Explores

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Follow me at kati-explores.com for curated travel and exploration guides!

Helping you experience the PNW (and beyond!) like a local - I've spent most of my life exploring, now I want to help you make the most of your outdoor adventures.

10/13/2026

I've driven past the sign for the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge on countless trips up and down I-5. Curiosity finally got the best of me, and I stopped to stretch my legs on my last trip to Seattle. Wow! I was sleeping on such a gem! For being right next to the highway, the Nisqually Refuge exceeds expectations. There are almost 5 miles of trails, including a mile-long wooden boardwalk over tidal flats. Bring your binoculars and cameras, and look for bald eagles, waterfowl, nutria, and even seals and otters.

Here's the full trip report with all the info you need to plan your visit: https://www.kati-explores.com/post/nisqually-wildlife-refuge

09/29/2026

Six years ago today, I had no idea that my life was about to change forever. I was given Mount St. Helens summit permits for a random date: September 29.

A chance encounter at the trailhead catapulted me into a yearlong adventure across 45 states. I grew up in the shadow of Mount St. Helens, so it feels especially serendipitous that this mountain would eventually guide my life path.

I originally wanted to share this on the 5-year anniversary last year, but I was still carrying someone else's shame. There is enormous pressure on women to hide our experiences both for the comfort of both the men who hurt us and the women who still yearn to please them at any cost.

It took me 5 years of my self-imposed gag order to realize I'm not crazy or vindictive by speaking of my own lived experiences. And once I began to speak, the burden finally started to lift.

But this story isn't about someone else's sins. Mount St. Helens taught me that I could cross the country, travel alone, make a home out of an unfamiliar and scary place, and build a life that was mine. Climb the mountain. Make the scary decision. Take risks. Don't live with regrets. One day could change your life.

09/17/2026

Ape Canyon (at Mount St. Helens) was named after a sasquatch sighting, and while we did not see any bigfoots, we did see A BEAR!! 🐻 And many mountain goats!! 🐐 It's a gently graded 11-mile round-trip with spectacular views, especially in the fall.

Mount St. Helens is the most special place on earth to me. I grew up watching it from my backyard and taking field trips to the observatories, and I summitted it almost 6 years ago with my best friend (a hike that literally changed the course of my entire life and who I am - more on that later...😉). I've only seen 3 bears in the PNW (out of hundreds of hikes), so a very rare bear sighting on my beloved Mount St. Helens felt especially magical.

Read more here - https://www.kati-explores.com/post/ape-canyon

09/04/2026

The only thing better than hiking to an alpine lake is hiking through a ghost town to get there.👻 Last week I shared our trip to the Monte Cristo ghost town, in the Mt. Baker Snoqualmie National Forest.

If you continue past Monte Cristo and up Poodle Dog Pass, you'll reach Silver Lake. It's a steep 2 miles past the ghost town over the mountain pass, but you'll be rewarded with views of the Cascades and a stunning alpine basin.

Mosquitoes are hopefully much better now than when I visited in early July - sounds like a perfect Labor Day weekend trip to me 👀

Visit https://www.kati-explores.com/post/monte-cristo-to-silver-lake for the full write-up!

08/29/2026

Excited for fall, but not quite ready to let go of summer? Celebrate "Summerween" with a hike to Monte Cristo Ghost Town, an abandoned mining town deep in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in Washington. 🌲👻

Read more here - https://www.kati-explores.com/post/hike-monte-cristo

Perhaps the scariest part is the river crossing (no bridge!), but you'll also come across abandoned cabins, cars, and old mining equipment. The trail itself is easy - 9 miles roundtrip on an old railroad route.

Hike beyond the ghost town, over Poodle Dog Pass, to Silver Lake, if you dare... more on that next week! 🥾

08/27/2026

10 of my favorite places to trail run in the Willamette Valley 🌲

Visit https://www.kati-explores.com/trail-running to find an interactive map with all of these parks, plus full write-ups for each (including my favorite nearby local activities so you can easily plan your weekend around your run)!

If you are on a trail, and you run, you're a trail runner! I've considered myself a serious runner for about 6 years now, but "trail running" used to conjure up images of rolled ankles and steep inclines. Over the past few years, I've eased into it and built my confidence at these local nature parks all within an hour of Portland.

I'm also not much of a drinker, but I LOVE the aesthetic of w**e country. 🍷 So, I enjoy driving through vineyards on my way to the trails, and get a local coffee afterwards. ☕

A nice woodsy trail run in w**e country, followed by a relaxing coffee shop, and maybe an antique store is my favorite way to spend a chill weekend - I hope this inspires you to create your own trail-running adventure!

(Have you been to any of these? Did I miss your favorite?)

08/12/2026

Hi, I’m Kati 👋🏻 and it took me two months of this sitting in my drafts to work up the courage to re-introduce myself this way.

In a world that pressures us to be perfect, that wants to replace our human voices with synthetic slop, I strongly believe in radical vulnerability and honesty (thanks to my soul sister Sarah Clare Dale for inspiring me here).

I started Kati Explores in college simply to share my joy of the outdoors with people I loved. I treasured every request I received from my friends - especially the most common question from young women, “how did you get so confident doing things alone?”

Life has taken some unexpected twists and turns since then. I lost parts of myself and rebuilt them into something better. The only constants have been the outdoors, and my own inner strength.

I realized as I began writing my Pacific Northwest travel blog, Kati-explores.com, that I can no longer separate my personal story from my current work. I have mixed emotions around social media, but want to believe it can still be used as a tool for connection in an age when so many people are isolated. I want to inspire, not influence.

So here’s my re-introduction, a window into the mistakes I’ve worked hard to hide, the “missing year” in my life that I am finally allowing myself to talk about, five years later. I feel incredibly blessed that my life story has so clearly shown me my purpose and my passion. It’s the same as it ever was, to share the joy of the outdoors with people I love.

(And I will guarantee you plenty of typos, pronunciation mistakes, possible oversharing, dumb jokes, and all other imperfect human behaviors that AI cannot replace)

06/18/2026

Spring trip to Moab and Arches 🏜️ My 30th National Park!

I’m a little delayed here due to even more travel, but back in April, Jorge and I ended our Utah trip with a quick visit to Arches National Park and Moab. I definitely wouldn’t want to be in the desert sun right now, but I love shoulder seasons in the southwest. Delicate Arch was the highlight of our visit, since we kept it chill after a few days of hiking in Canyonlands. Two of the mighty five Utah parks down, three more to go!

You can read my full trip report at https://www.kati-explores.com/post/arches-national-park (link is also in bio)!

05/17/2026

29th National Park for my 29th birthday!

Canyonlands National Park is often overlooked when compared to nearby Arches. This is actually one of the main reasons I visited - I HATE crowds. We spent 2 days in Canyonlands: one scenic drive and easy hike day, and then a longer all-day hike in Chesler Park the next day.

I was born and raised in the PNW, so desert biomes are new to me and can feel desolate. I was struck by the absence of all wildlife in Canyonlands (besides lizards)! The rock formations were incredible, but my favorite part was the cowboy and indigenous history. Petroglyphs are my new obsession and I will travel far and wide to see more.

You can ready my full itinerary at kati-explores.com/post/canyonlands-national-park (link in bio) for more details. We combined our Canyonlands trip with a day in Salt Lake City, a day in Arches, and an eastern Oregon pioneer history day on the drive back home. You can check out my SLC guide now, and “one day in Arches” is coming soon!

05/08/2026

We definitely earned our visit to Goldmyer Hot Springs - one of the most remote Pacific Northwest hot springs, deep in the central Cascades.

Not only does it require a lottery reservation to visit, you also need to brave the most horrific forest road I’ve ever encountered. We took my Crosstrek for the majority, but gave up at the sight of a massive washout and started biking a little early. We biked about 7 miles (each way!) on the most bone rattling gravel trail to finally reach the springs.

It was so worth it! Goldmyer only allows 20 visitors per day and keeps the facilities pristine. It truly felt whimsical and enchanted, like stepping into Lord of the Rings. This would be a great first backpacking or bikepacking trip, just make sure you have AWD/4WD and good clearance! And be prepared for a 14 mile round trip, plus the most insane drive of your life. Read more at kati-explores.com/post/goldmyer-hot-springs

🌲 ♨️ 🚴🏼‍♀️

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Salem, MA

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