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Thread: Portland Over Memorial Day Weekend...

  1. #1
    Scott Rosenberg's Avatar
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    Portland Over Memorial Day Weekend...

    i'll be in portland, oregon over memorial day weekend and will have time for one full day of hiking and shooting... any suggestions? i'm trying to sell my wife on the idea of moving out there, so a knock-your-socks-off hike/shoot would help my case a lot! columbia river gorge? proxy falls? ramona falls?

    thanks,
    scott
    Last edited by Scott Rosenberg; 19-May-2006 at 15:48.

  2. #2

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    Re: Portland Over Memorial Day Weekend...

    The easiest might be the Columbia Gorge area. Many waterfalls, nice hiking trails, loads of beautiful things to view. It'll take a normal person's breath away.

    Cannon Beach/Haystack Rock are also interesting and sometimes fun places to visit on the coast. If you like the beach, this is nicer than Seaside, which lay just to the north. Just head down hwy26.

    Mt. St. Helens is a full day's haul to drive around. But the scenery is very spectacular as long as the cloud cover is up above the top of the mountain.

    If you like waterfalls and have already been up the Gorge, try Silver Falls State Park. It's about an hour and a half south of Portland outside of the Salem area.

    If you like city scapes, there are miles of nice walking/biking trails all around the city and along the water front. For in-town walking, try picking up a Powells Books walking map. Look for the Chinese Gardens, as they are quite good. The city is clean and accessible. One of the things that makes Portland so much like a nice European city is that the "rich folk" live in town. This is reversed from many US cities.

    While you're in town, take a day and head up to Washingon Park. The Rose Garden is the finest I've ever seen and comes with a beautiful view of Mt. Hood. The Japanese Garden is reputedly one of the finest outside of Japan. And there are miles of hiking trails that lead from here up through the park that runs nearly to St. Helens out hwy30.

    I hope this helps.

  3. #3

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    Re: Portland Over Memorial Day Weekend...

    Proxy Falls is in central Oregon, about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Portland so you'd be spending about five hours of your one day just driving (plus if your wife ever sees central Oregon you'll never get her to Portland) : - ) I'm also not sure the road to Proxy Falls is open yet though I've been told it is (coincidentally, I'm driving out there this afternoon to check). Ramona Falls is much closer to Portland, it's in Zig Zag which is just outside of Sandy, which is just outside of Portland. It's about a 7 mile round trip hike but I'm told it's easy with some interesting things along the way. When I was in the area a couple weeks ago it too was inaccessible because a bridge to it was flooded but that may have changed by now, you could call a ranger station to find out. If you Google on Ramona Falls you'll see some sites that have photographs of it and some of the things along the way. Other than that I guess the Columbia River gorge is the obvious choice for something near Portland. I'm in the central part of Oregon and only recently moved here so I'm not yet very familiar with the Portland area. Kirk Keyes who participates here occasionally lives in Portland and if he's in the data base you might send him an email and ask.

  4. #4

    Re: Portland Over Memorial Day Weekend...

    Quote Originally Posted by Scott Rosenberg
    i'll be in portland, oregon over memorial day weekend and will have time for one full day of hiking and shooting... any suggestions? i'm trying to sell my wife on the idea of moving out there, so a knock-your-socks-off hike/shoot would help my case a lot! columbia river gorge? proxy falls?
    Scott,

    Lots of great possibilites this time of year. If it's overcast or lightly raining, I'd recommend the Gorge. Eagle Creek is a classic. It will be crowded that weekend, especially if the weather is nice. Get an early start if you plan to do this one. That will also leave you time to do one or two more short hikes in the Gorge the same day. Another favorite of mine is to start at the Horsetail Falls trailhead hike up and behind Ponytail Falls (rates high on the coolness factor) cross the foorbridge over Oneonta Creek and then take a left for a short side trip to Triple Falls. For a short, easy hike, try the hike to Elowah Falls and Upper McCord Creek Falls. There are a lot more, such as the Multnomah/Wahkeena loop, but it will be very crowded, at least as far as the top of Multnomah Falls, and while it's an impressive hike, the photographic potential is higher on the other ones I mentioned. Forget Proxy Falls on this trip. It's a very long drive from Portland and a short boring trail (other than the falls). The Gorge or Silver Falls will give you a lot more waterfall bang for your hiking/driving buck.

    If it's sunny, I'd recommend either Mt. Hood or the Northern Oregon Coast - both less than a two hour drive from Portland. I haven't been up to Hood lately, so you'll want to check the snow levels with the Forest Service before planning a hike. Last year on Father's Day, the whole family did the short hike up the Top Spur Trail and then made a short loop around Bald Mountain on the PCT and Timberline Trails. If this trail is snow free, it gives you a great view of Mt. Hood from the shoulder of Bald Mountain (I can email you a jpeg from last year's hike if you like). Time and trail conditions permitting, you can also follow the Timberline Trail as far as Cairn Basin for some more nice views of Mt. Hood. Again, check with the Forest Service for up-to-date trail conditions and snow levels. It varies considerably from year-to-year. Another option that should be snow free is Lost Lake. The hike around the lake is very easy and practically level. The best views are from the north end of the lake looking south to Mt. Hood. It will likely be crowded and lots of boaters out on the lake on Memorial Day weekend. There is a popular Forest Service campground on the east shore of the lake that will likely be packed over the holiday weekend.

    For the North Coast, the area around Cannon Beach is hard to beat, but again expect crowds on Memorial Day weekend. There is a trail down to Crescent Beach in Ecola State Park that is nice and the trail is hard enough to find and long enough (but not too long) to thin the crowds quite a bit. The Three Capes Scenic Loop south of Tillamook is also a nice drive with many scenic spots for photography. It leaves the main highway (101). So, will be less crowded than places like Cannon Beach.

    Hope that helps. We moved here over 17 years ago and have no plans to leave.

    Kerry

  5. #5

    Re: Portland Over Memorial Day Weekend...

    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Ellis
    Proxy Falls is in central Oregon, about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Portland so you'd be spending about five hours of your one day just driving.
    Actually, Proxy Falls is closer to a 3 1/2 hour drive from Portland. There are some other nice falls (Sahalie, Koosah, etc.) along Hwy. 126 on the way, but unless you want to spend most of the day driving there and back, I wouldn't recommend it as a day trip from Portland. By comparison, Multnomah Falls is only 1/2 hour drive from Portland and you can be at the Eagle Creek trailhead in less than 45 minutes.

    Central Oregon is great. We usually spend two or three long weekends there every summer. The outdoor recreation opportunities are second to none, and the scenery is spectacular. I prefer the mountains and my wife loves the high desert. With Central Oregon, we get both.

    But, for a first time visitor, there's plenty to see, do and photograph closer to Portland. We really are spolied out here in Oregon. Shhhh! Don't tell anyone. They'll ALL want to move here (many of them already have).

    Kerry

  6. #6
    Scott Rosenberg's Avatar
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    Re: Portland Over Memorial Day Weekend...

    thanks for all the suggestions, fellas. we'll be out there for five days - two of which i'll be interviewing on, one will be spent in the wine country for the memorial day festivities, one checking out the city, and one hiking. you guys have given me a lot of research to do!

    many thanks,
    scott

  7. #7

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    Re: Portland Over Memorial Day Weekend...

    Scott - Definitely do the Gorge. Head east on 84 from Portland, take the exit to Corbett. At the top on the hill, turn left and that puts you on the Old Columbia Gorge Hwy. Stop at Sheppards Dell Bridge and then at every waterfall turnout you see. There's several before you hit I-84 again. Elowah Falls is cool - climb up on the rock slope on the west side of the canyon just before the bridge at the falls.

    I'd suggest after you've had enough falls to continue on to Hood River and then take the highway south that goes up and around Mt Hood. Stop at Timberline for dinner.

    Kirk

  8. #8
    Scott Rosenberg's Avatar
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    Re: Portland Over Memorial Day Weekend...

    it just occurred to me that it's going to be my anniversary while the wife and i are out in portland... any suggestion for place we can have a nice dinner? someplace with a great view... maybe on the coast. help me out here fellas!!

  9. #9

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    Re: Portland Over Memorial Day Weekend...

    Scott,

    You should just continue driving up to our neck of the woods... Vancouver, British Columbia in Canuckland!

    I could direct you to some GREAT restaurants here!

    Congrats on the anniversary!

    Cheers
    Life in the fast lane!

  10. #10
    Scott Rosenberg's Avatar
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    Re: Portland Over Memorial Day Weekend...

    hey henry! great suggestion, but i don't think we're going to have time to get all the way up to your part of the world - on this trip at least. so, i was hoping one of the locals could give me an inside tip on a nice place with a great view of either some green stuff or a rocky coastline.

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