Mount Hood Village, Oregon

Note: this trail is closed due to fire damage. For more updates, please visit the Forest Service website.  The Opal Creek pools are a wonderful place to visit year-round, but they’re a true oasis on a hot summer day. With a variety of rock outcroppings and ledges to jump off of, and plenty of ro...

On Saturday, I slid into the backseat alongside weekend belongings crammed in the car trunk. Backpacks with patches and streaks of dust. Bags of food that could be cooked over the flames of a fire. We drove south on the 5, leaving Portland and crossing through Salem, as Lake Street Dive albums p...

While the Portland Japanese Garden is a popular place for tourists, it's also a favorite for Portland residents as it's located right in Washington Park close to trails and across from the Rose Garden. The Japanese Garden also just unveiled its Cultural Crossing expansion in April 2017, which inc...

Take the train to Washington Park and hike through Hoyt Arboretum. This will bypass a few miles of Wildwood Trail, but you won't miss much. In the arboretum, the trail twists and turns through the trees, will smaller trails jutting off to the sides, through other groups of trees (each trail is a...

With no officially marked trailhead, this hike begins slightly west of Elk Lake in Marion County. Take Highway 22 to Detroit, OR. East of the bridge over Breitenbush River, turn onto (FR) Forest Road 46, with signs pointing to Breitenbush River. After 4.5 miles turn left at a sign for Elk Lake, a...

Founded in 1928 to conserve endangered species and educate visitors, Hoyt Arboretum is a 190-acre park in the forest above Portland's NW area. It's only 15 minutes from downtown! There are 12+ miles of trails to explore, my favorite is the Redwood Trail that takes you through towering redwoods a...

Pittock Mansion via Wildwood Trail is an out-and-back trail that provides a good opportunity to view wildlife located near Portland, Oregon. Once the private home of the prominent Portland pioneer Pittock family, the Pittock Mansion is a 22-room architectural marvel designed by Edward Foulkes an...

Gold Butte Fire Lookout is a real gem in the Willamette National Forest. At 4618 feet elevation, the nearby Cascade Mountain views are nothing short of spectacular! At the summit, sits a L-4 Ground Structure Type Fire Lookout that was built in1934 to be used as a Fire Lookout. Additionally, durin...

Lower Macleay Park is one of most easily accessible trailheads in the city, especially during one of Portland’s rare snow years where even driving up to 500 feet of elevation can challenge your car. You can park within the park entrance cul-de-sac, around the intersection of Upshur St. & NW 2...

Sadly because of the devastating Eagle Creek fire on the Oregon side of the Gorge, most of the trails are closed for restoration. As a result more hikers are heading to the Washington side and heading further east for Gorge day hikes. Heading east gets you some sunnier skies and prime wildflower ...

Set out at the Lower Lake trailhead along trail #717. After only half a mile the trail opens up to Lower Lake, with views of Olallie Butte. The trail winds around the north east side of the lake and you come to a junctions with trail #706. From here take the left onto #706 and continue about .6 o...

Begin at the Lower Lake Campground and take the Lower Lake trailhead. The best direction to hike is counter clockwise, however you can do either.  Continue along Trail #717 and very shortly you come out to Lower Lake featuring Mt. Jefferson as the backdrop. From here keep hiking and you reach yo...

The Witch’s Castle in Portland, Oregon, is a site steeped in a mix of historical significance and urban legend. Originally built as a ranger station and restrooms in the 1930s, the stone ruins are now known for their eerie ambiance and storied past.  The Witch’s Castle is accessible via a modera...

The trail to Falls Creek Falls is well maintained with a few short moderately steep areas. The trail hugs the creek for the first mile, and takes you through old growth trees for the second mile. Once the falls are in sight, make sure to stop and look up to see the top tier through the trees. It'...

The trail is a washed out, old mining road making its way through a lush forest with a mix of ferns, moss covered trees, and towering Douglas Firs with trees blown over from wind storms lining both sides of the trail. I call those Big Foot traps. The trail comes to a fork, stay to the left you ar...

From Scott Mills Follow Crooked Finger RD NE for 13.3 Miles to the Upper Butte Creek Trailhead. The last 2-3 miles or so is gravel road with some potholes but most cars shouldn't have a problem. The path down to the falls starts near the bathrooms. A short .3 mile walk on a few switchbacks and...