{"id":475,"date":"2020-03-15T21:44:04","date_gmt":"2020-03-15T18:44:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/100steps.info\/?p=475"},"modified":"2020-03-15T21:44:04","modified_gmt":"2020-03-15T18:44:04","slug":"devils-lake-state-recreation-area","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thisamericandream.com\/devils-lake-state-recreation-area\/","title":{"rendered":"Devil\u2019s Lake State Recreation Area"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Years before \u201cbinge-watching<\/a>\u201d was added to dictionaries and\u00a0Black Friday<\/a>\u00a0was such a wildly popular phenomenon, several hours of each Thanksgiving weekend in my youth were spent sitting directly in front of our 14-inch TV, my elbows resting on the small hand-caned footstool my dad built (decorated with a dart hole I inadvertently contributed during its construction). The goal: consume as many episodes of\u00a0The Twilight Zone<\/a>\u00a0as my parents would allow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So it\u2019s no wonder that as I read,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re standing above a wetland that is 14,000 years old.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

emblazoned on an interpretive sign positioned along the boardwalk at Devil\u2019s Lake State Recreation Area, the words entered my head intoned in a melodramatic voice reminiscent of Rod Serling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sign text makes a bold, impactful statement, lending perspective to our place in nature, a small drop in the bucket of the history of this planet. The Twilight Zone was intended to be thought provoking, so perhaps hearing Mr. Serling\u2019s voice was more fitting than its initial apparent oddity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"devils-lake-state-recreation-area-2068251\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Even so, when reading the interpretive sign in person, you have not woken to an alternate reality or crossed over to another dimension. The only twists you\u2019ll find are bends in the boardwalk navigating through the tranquil wetland between campground and waterfront. The marsh\u2019s creatures are not airplane goblins, snout-nosed humans, or creepy talking dolls, but instead the antithesis of these macabre players: feathered songbirds, swimming newts, and long-billed herons among other peaceful beasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the park\u2019s eerie name, twilight, at Devil\u2019s Lake State Recreation Area, is not a zone but simply a time of day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wetland trail<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

200+ Steps<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Camping and lake activities are popular at Devil\u2019s Lake State Recreation Area and many other Oregon state parks, but the nature trail through a wetland thousands of years in the making is unique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The trail, partially boardwalk, meanders through lush, boggy greenery. To those patient and sharp-eyed, it is also teeming with wildlife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Longer than most\u00a0100 Steps\u00a0<\/em>walks, about 550 steps in total, en route you pass several educational signs. In addition to triggering recall of disturbing 1960s TV episodes syndicated in the \u201880s, the signs\u2019 content expanded my botanical vocabulary. I learned a\u00a0fen<\/a>\u00a0is similar to a bog or marsh, and\u00a0sedge<\/a>\u00a0refers to what in simplistic terms is called swamp grass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the trail\u2019s end, you\u2019ll find a gravel lot, three picnic tables, and a view of Devil\u2019s Lake as it melds into the diminutive D River.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Terrain:\u00a0Gravel and then boardwalk, all nearly flat and wide enough to walk side-by-side. More gravel when the boardwalk ends.<\/td><\/tr>
Seating: Three picnic tables at the end, but no seating along the way.<\/td><\/tr>
Fee: No fee<\/td><\/tr>
Restrooms: No<\/td><\/tr>
Directions: Devil\u2019s Lake State Recreation Area is accessed from Highway 101 in Lincoln City. Parking for the wetland trail is just before pay booth. The trail start is marked on the right not far from the stop sign.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n