4 great spots for fun in the sun

Don’t look directly up at it, but there’s this huge yellow thing in the sky. Have you noticed that, after a long, slow season of warming up, it’s really starting to pump out the photons?

Summery temperatures are expected on this spring day, with highs climbing into the high 70s or even the low 80s. There’ll be a little cloud cover, but those clouds are not expected to rain on anyone’s parade.

Here’s a guide to a four great spots in Clark County where you can soak up the sun and take in great sights. Don’t forget to bring sunscreen. It pains us a little to say so this early in the season — but we’ve all learned that cloudy days can be just as intense as clear ones when it comes to cell-damaging ultraviolet radiation.

And, it pains us even more to say, it would be wise to stay clear of the water. A swimmer drowned in the North Fork of the Lewis River on Friday; as near as the Clark County Sheriff’s Office can tell, it’s simply because the water was so cold. Frigid water can bring on confusion and even drowsiness within minutes.

“Rivers are often high and swift from rains and snow melt and can easily overwhelm the strongest swimmer,” the Washington State Department of Heath advises. “Even on hot spring days, lakes, ponds, and rivers are still cold and are dangerous for swimmers. Hypothermia can occur quickly in very cold water.” Our state’s rate of accidental drowning is higher than the nation’s, the health department says.

With those sobering reminders, here’s our list of places to go manufacture your own mood-enhancing vitamin D on a sunny Tuesday. Be safe and enjoy!

• Camas’ namesake is blooming at Lacamas Lake Regional Park’s lily fields. Lavender-colored Camas lilies or Camassia grow alongside rosy plectritis, also known as seablush, a bright pink flower in the honeysuckle family. You can get to the lily fields by parking at Round Lake and walking south along the lake, watching out for signs that will guide you to the lily fields. Wildflower habitats are delicate, so stay on the rocky trail winding through the meadow.

• Even farther east, marking the mouth of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, is Washougal’s Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge — more than 1,000 acres of glittering wetlands, pastures and woodlands along the Columbia River. In addition to abundant birding and wildlife viewing, the gravel Gibbons Creek Trail offers views of interpretive artworks, too. It also meets the Columbia River Dike Trail, which you can take all the way to Captain William Clark Park. The parking lot is hard to miss on the south side of state Highway 14; admission to the refuge is still free.

• If you just touched down here from Jupiter or Saturn, you may not have had time yet to learn that Vancouver walkers’ favorite sun-drenched promenade is the Waterfront Renaissance Trail. Park at or near the reconstructed Fort Vancouver site on East Fifth Street and take in a little historical context as you stroll over the Confluence Land Bridge; or, park in downtown Vancouver and walk under I-5 as Columbia Street turns into Columbia Way. Walk east along the river to sunny park benches, restaurants with outdoor seating and, ultimately, a metal rendition of “Wendy Rose,” aka Wendy the Welder, a sister of Rosie the Riveter who worked at the Kaiser shipyards here during World War II. The sculpture was created by Women Who Weld, a group of students at Clark College, and unveiled in 2007.

Or, walk west to check out the massive new The Waterfront Vancouver development that’s rising fast and looking pretty darned impressive. You’ll have to do your sidewalk superintending at a distance, as Columbia Way and its sidewalks are closed for construction from Esther Street west.

• Strong sun already too much for you? Try the East Fork of the Lewis River in north county, which is beautiful but forested and likely to stay cool. Lucia Falls Regional Park and Moulton Falls Regional Park are connected by a mostly flat, 2.5-mile gravel trail (which connects with longer, more rugged trails if you like); you’ll view waterfalls and volcanic rock formations and traverse a towering arch bridge.

Swimming is not permitted at Lucia Falls because of protected fish habitat. Swimming is permitted at Moulton Falls, but there’s no lifeguard there. There’s no lifeguard at any Clark County swimming park right now; as of July 1, Salmon Creek Regional Park/Klineline Pond becomes the only park with a lifeguard onsite daily.

Swimming is not recommended at parks along the Columbia River “because of steep currents and swift drop-offs,” Clark County says. For more information, visit www.clark.wa.gov/public-works/swimming.