West Linn, Oregon

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...

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...

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...

After parking in the lot near the mill, walk across the bridge. This is the first good viewpoint for photography. Next, I recommend walking under the bridge, this is my favorite spot for taking photos. The whole area is free to walk around, you can even walk in the mill and then walk up stream do...

The hike along Little Zig Zag River is definitely one of Oregon's hidden gems. Although the waterfall isn't as highly rated in comparison to other impressive falls like Multnomah Falls, Abiqua Falls, or Bridal Viel Falls, it is still quite the sight to see, and most definitely worth the visit. T...

Steep Creek Falls is located about 5 miles from the small town of Stevenson. Take Highway 14 one mile west of Stevenson to Rock Creek Drive and turn north, passing the Skamania Lodge and Resort. Turn left onto Ryan Allen Road and follow it for about a mile, then turn left onto Red Bluff Road. Fo...

The 0.3 mile hike to University Falls seems longer than it is because you'll be stopping to take pictures every step of the way. No, you're not in an enchanted forest, you're in the Tillamook National Forest. The waterfall you're about to find, however, certainly is enchanting. From Portland, he...

Your day of adventure will start at the Skibowl West parking lot. Unfortunately, due to snowplowing, the roadside parking to the Mirror Lake trailhead is covered in snow. If you are doing this hike in the summer, be sure to check out this adventure: Climb Tock, Dick, and Harry Mountain!After you ...

Located about 2 hours outside of Portland, Timothy lake is a great home base to adventure from. It has many campgrounds, lots of lake access and great loop around the lake that is open to both hiking and Mt biking. While the hiking loop is 13 miles, the Mt. bike loop is 15 since you need to make ...

Park at the Herman Creek Trailhead in Cascade Locks 2 miles from the exit. Remember to bring your Northwest Forest pass or a $5 payment to park.  Start ascending on the Herman Creek trail a little over a mile until you hit a three-way junction for Gorton Creek Trail #408, Trail #400, and Herman ...

From downtown Portland follow I-84 East for about 50 miles until you reach mile marker 51. Get back on the highway but Westbound until you reach mile marker 47 pull off and take a right over the train tracks and you're there.Beautiful scenery all around and if you get there early enough, you can...

The reflection of Mt. Hood on the lake makes this trip definitely worth the visit.Try to arrive during the day so you can watch the sunset. For photographers, the south side of the lake is an amazing spot to take photos, especially on a windless day. For those looking to kayak or fish, there is a...

Starting at the parking lot for Trillium Lake located right off of Highway 26, go past the locked gate and begin walking downhill. After about a mile, you will see a fork in the road. Either way will eventually take you to the lake, but going left will be much quicker and take you to the best spo...

Timothy Lake is one very large, man-made lake in the heart of Mt. Hood National Forest, and can be considered one of the best summer camping spots in the area. With more than ten campgrounds to choose from, this area can accommodate almost every type of camping possible - everything from cabin re...

From the mount hood scenic byway in Government Camp, Oregon turn on the road that heads up to the Timberline Lodge. Follow that road to the end and park in the lot all the way at the top. In the ski season you need a pass to park there, but if you go in June, July, Or August (aka when the wildflo...

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...