Myths of the Pacific Trillium

The understory forest dweller and popular PNW native has inspired many tales—tall and otherwise.

A legend found in the tree’s cone provides lessons in shelter and community.
Maya Lin’s Confluence Project traces cultures, history, and ecology across the Columbia River basin in Washington and Oregon. Here’s what it taught me about homeland, heritage, and waterways.
A blurring of boundaries, personal and political.
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Gordon House is the architect’s only project in Oregon.
The story circles at Sacajawea Historical State Park hint at all that is, was, and could be lost—or saved—by altering a river’s path.
For Gary Koehler, a big-cat expert and retired wildlife researcher from Wenatchee, home means learning to share the land with all of its enigmatic critters.
Located near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, the Vancouver Land Bridge merges rivers, land, people, and trade.
At Chief Timothy Park in far eastern Washington, basalt benches set amid expansive earth blend pasts and possibilities.
At Cape Disappointment near the mouth of the Columbia River, Maya Lin’s walkway and boardwalk present juxtaposing journeys of discovery.
Deep in the Sandy River Delta, Maya Lin’s bird blind connects past and present through the animals found all around us.
This dog-friendly hike near Mosier in the Columbia River Gorge is best in the spring, when wildflowers cover the hills.
The creation story of Snoqualmie Falls swirls amid its cascades, mists, and deep pools—and lives on in the People of the Moon.