Multnomah County, Oregon

Monitor Ridge is the "easiest" of the routes one can take in order to claim that they have stood on top of the sleeping giant better known as Mount St. Helens. This route is heavily favored over Worm Flows as the starting elevation is not only an additional 1,000 feet higher but the overall asce...

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...

Lavender Valley is a beautiful 6 acre hidden gem just 30 minutes south of Hood River, Oregon. Drive south on Hwy 35 for 12.6 miles to Woodworth Rd. Turn right/west onto Woodworth Rd. Take Woodworth Rd for 1.5 miles to Alexander Rd. Turn right/north onto Alexander Rd. Take Alexander Rd for 1 mile ...

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...

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...

With easy parking right off Hwy 35 on the east side of Mt Hood, Bennett Pass is a perfect destination for a straightforward lap on cross country skis, snowshoes or accessing easy backcountry terrain for skiers and boarders.  Bennett Pass Road is a well-graded 5.1 mile out-and-back with several tr...

This is a great trip for those who are new to backpacking. The hike to the quiet, peaceful Elk Meadows is relatively short, but the Newton Creek crossing presents enough difficulty to make this a fun and challenging adventure.Start at the Hood River Meadows Trailhead parking lot. Though there are...

Little Crater Lake to Timothy Lake Campground is an out-and-back trail that takes you by a lake located near Government Camp, Oregon.

NOTE: Access to this hike is currently closed. A Part of this hike goes through private land. At this time, the landowner is not granting access to hikers. There are no signs or trail head for the falls, but it's a popular spot for kayakers and photographers, so look for a faint boot path direct...

Built in the 1930's, the Tilly Jane A-Frame sits on the North side of Mount Hood at around 6,000ft. The cabin is very popular during winter months as it is located only 1,000ft below the tree line and offers beautiful snowshoeing, hiking, skiing and snowboarding opportunities, yet is also a popul...

Located just 1.5 Hours from Portland and on the east side of clear lake, this campground offers multiple water activities such as Kayaking, SUP, Fishing, and Swimming. What's great about this campground is that the sites are large and are shaded by the old growth trees which makes it feel more s...

…Beaver Falls is one of those spots where if you’re looking to avoid the crowd of the Columbia River Gorge, this is another good alternative on where you could go. Not only is that a huge plus, but it’s not often you get to experience a scenic waterfall that you don’t have to put in a ton of effo...

The trail begins at the parking for McClellan Overlook. Head out of the parking area and cross over the highway before heading onto a faint, unmarked trail. You may have to do a little routefinding, so it's best to download this map before heading out so you can make sure you stay on path.  This...

To get there from Salem, Follow Hwy. 22 east to Mehama. Turn on Little North Santiam Road (FS 2209) and proceed for 12 miles to Three Pools Day Use Area. Three Pools is by far one of the most popular swimming holes in the Northwest. With multiple swimming holes within just feet from one another i...

This hike is currently closed due to fire damage. Please check the Oregon.gov website or the call the Oregon Department of Forestry (503-859-4344) for updates.  The hike, including the initial 1.25 mile gravel road to the trailhead, is easy to complete within 1-2 hours and only requires a modera...

Crowds and mosquitoes were nonexistent as we went a bit early in the season. The trails were all covered in snow, but we were able to do some way finding with a GPS and topo map. 3.5 miles in we found a dry spot next to Blue Lake and set up shop. After dropping off our gear we climbed up Gifford...