Ariel, Washington

Pittock Mansion offers a one of kind view of downtown Portland. This is a historic site that allows public access throughout the day and night. Parking is available at Pittock until 9pm but if you wish to visit the grounds after hours you can park at the bottom of the driveway, walk around the ga...

From Interstate 5 in Kelso, exit onto Highway 4 and follow it west towards Cathlamet and Long Beach for about 11.3 miles. A quarter mile east of the town of Stella is Fall Creek, with Fall Creek Falls, or Stella Falls as it is sometimes called, visible from the highway. Watch for the falls throug...

Sitting 400 feet above the city with views of Mt. Hood and Portland doesn't sound to bad right?? Mount Tabor is located in Southeast Portland and is a once active volcano. There are 196 acres of park for you to explore. In order to photograph the best pictures of Mt. Hood I highly suggest gettin...

Mill Ends Park in Portland, Oregon, holds the unique distinction of being the world's smallest city park, a title it earned in 1971 from the Guinness Book of World Records. Measuring just two feet in diameter, this tiny park is located in the median of Naito Parkway, and it’s easy for passersby t...

Portlandia, the iconic sculpture by Raymond Kaskey positioned above the entrance of the Portland Building in downtown Portland, Oregon, is the second-largest copper repoussé statue in the United States after the Statue of Liberty. This striking figure was designed to reflect the city’s seal, depi...

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...

The International Rose Garden located in Washington Park near downtown Portland is a must stop on your visit to the Rose City. The City of Roses, as Portland is known, won't let you down. Portland is host to the largest Rose Test Garden in the U.S. The 5 acre park, with over 7,000 rose bushes, an...

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...

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...

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...

Leach Botanical Garden is a 17-acre urban sanctuary located in outer Southeast Portland, OR, offering visitors a serene escape into nature.  Established over 40 years ago, the garden is often a surprising discovery for locals and tourists alike. It features a diverse landscape, including a four-...

This is an awesome place to escape to for a workout, or just a walk through the forest! You can make it a short walk, or turn it in to 6+ miles of loops! The one main trail is paved, but it’s not hard to find some single dirt track trails branching off and wandering through the trees, it can make...

At the parking lot for Angel's Rest, turn left uphill on to Palmer Mill Road. Drive for about a mile, and park right past a tributary stream/small waterfall (pictured above) on your left that flows through a small pipe under the road. You will see a small space to park on the right. Park here and...

Starting at the John B Yeon Trailhead parking lot, begin to walk into the forest. After a little more than a quarter mile, you will see a fork in the road, with one way leading to Elowah Falls, and the other way leading to Upper McCord Creek Falls. Take the trail leading to Upper McCord Creek. Th...

Technically this trail stretches from the Tualatin Hills Nature Park, down through the west Beaverton/ Sexton Mountain area and can comfortably get you to Barrow’s park near Big Al’s. The trail from end to end comes in at just over 8 miles, so a down and back by bike can make for a good workout a...

This is a somewhat incomplete report because we did not venture too far into the Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness. The sky had been threatening us with rain for the duration of our hike along Eagle Creek and we did not want to push our luck too far since we were hoping for an early start on our drive ...