Oregon newbie seeks trail advise

[Jack_6455]

Just relocated to Portland, OR and looking forward to taking the 4x5 for a spin as Spring arrives. Can anyone recommend specific hiking trails within a few hours of Portland, either in Oregon or SW Washintgon?

Looking to get away from the road and out on a trail to find good scenery. I'm a transplant from Texas and am interested in lots of different ecosystems - forest, coast, mountains, rivers, etc.

Please be specific as to the trail you recommend and why!

Thanks,
Jack

[Mike Lopez]

Where in Texas? Just curious. I did my graduate work there.

There are many, many trails accessible from Portland. Some of my favorites:

Gorge:

Eagle Creek. Just a lot of nice forest scenery throughout. Jeez, just about any Gorge trail is nice. The waterfalls all have well-maintained access trails.

Mt. St. Helens:

Any portion of the Boundary Trail. Actually, you pretty much can't go wrong with any trail up there for stunning sights, particularly coming from Texas. Try the Harmony Trail (I believe that's the name--it's been a few years) down to the shoreline of Spirit Lake. What you'll see down there is phenomenal.

You're sure to get many more recommendations on this thread. I'd recommend also picking up a copy of "Pacific Northwest Hiking," by Ron Judd. If you have yet to visit Powell's on Burnside, go check it out. It's a bookstore unlike anything else you'll see in this country.

[Christopher Perez]

Google up Silver Falls State Park. This is a great place in addition to those already mentioned.

Also take a looke around Bandon, OR for interesting rocks just off-shore. Not many trails, but loads of photo opportunities.

Welcome to Oregon. AKA: The Great Pathetic NorthWet

[Kerry L. Thalmann]

Jack,

Welcome to Oregon! The Columbia River Gorge is great for spring hiking/photography. It's close to Portland, and has everything from roadside views to 2600 mile hikes (the PCT). The Eagle Creek Trail is a classic, but can be real crowded (the parking lot and first couple miles to Punch Bowl Falls) on the weekends. Get there early, or go mid-week. There are lots of other great trails in the Gorge, including many possible loops. Another hike I like is a loop starting at Horsetail Falls with a side trip to Triple Falls. If you like waterfalls, in addition to the Gorge, Silver Falls State Park (west of Salem) has a nice loop trail that leads to about 10 falls.

The big mountains around here are typically snowed in until late June (or even later depending on elevation and winter snowfall). Great for skiing and snowshoeing, but not good for hiking. You can still visit places like Mt. Rainier, Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens, but I usually prefer to save those for the summer months when the hiking trails are snow free and the wildflowers blooming.

For coastal views, Ecola State Park at the north end of Cannon Beach is hard to beat and only about an hour and a half from Portland. The Three Capes (Meares, Lookout and Kiwana) Scenic Loop south and west of Tillamook also offers some great photographic possibilities and a few hiking trails. Of course, the entire 300+ mile Oregon Coast is open to the public. So, feel free to walk on the beach anywhere you wish between the mouth of the Columbia River and the California border.

If you ever grow tired of the waterfalls, mountains and coast, there is always the high desert of central and eastern Oregon to explore.

I have a showcase (http://www.thalmann.com/Pacific_Northwest.htm) of Pacific Northwest images on my web site, you might find interesting.

Again, welcome! You're gonna love it hear.

Kerry

P.S. Don't mind the rain. It typically ends on July 5 and doesn't come back until the day before Labor day weekend.

[Al Seyle]

I share your excitement, Jack! My wife and I just relocated to Brookings OR from S Calif 2 months ago. I am so looking forward to exploring this marvelous coast and State. Right now the honey-do list is lengthy, but that will change--along with the weather. Within 15 minutes of our house are drop-dead gorgeous vistas the equal of anywhere in the world. Like Big Sur but with forest and like the Monterey Peninsula without the people

[Emre Yildirim]

Jack,

I live in Eugene, so I'm mostly familiar with the central coast and central part of the state. If you're willing to drive a few hours, the Three Sisters Wilderness is extremely scenic. You'll never run out of stuff to shoot there. You'll probably have to wait till highway 242 opens up again in May (it's closed 250 days out of the year because of snow). Also, the Heceta Head Lighthouse is a very popular photo spot. I was there recently and took the cliche sunset photo (http://www.eyildirim.com/lighthouse45.php) that everyone and their mother has taken before, but I had to take MY version of it :)

And of course, there is also Crater Lake. If you want to stay close to Portland, you'll probably find that the Gorge, Mt. Hood, and Cannon Beach will suit most of your photographic needs. Happy shooting!

[matthew blais]

I was up that way last May and although canon beach was nice, I found sunset beach (south about 2 hrs) was exceptional. Just south of where the picnic are is there's a cove with splendid rock formations. When the tides out it is wonderful, and Beverly State Park is a very well maintained place to hang..

I'll be back up that way this May.

[Christopher Perez]

Here's a link to waterfalls in Oregon: http://www.waterfallswest.com/region_or.html

Here's a link to old growth forests in Oregon: http://www.trails.com/activity.asp?areaid=13616

There are two books, which neither names can be recalled (it's old age, really it is). One deals with waterfalls and routes to reach them. The other discusses what's left of our old growth forests and directions on how to reach them as well. Look up Powells Books and see what they might have as reference materials.

Oh, and don't forget Lost Lake up near Mt. Hood.

There are thousands of miles of hiking trails and too many photos for one person to make in a lifetime of living.

[Alan Davenport]

Christopher beat me to the first places that popped into my head. Here goes, anyway:

Silver Falls -- Try to go midweek if possible; too many people on weekends. Lots of snow in the mountains means lots of water in the streams, so this should be a good spring for photography there.

Bandon -- Not exactly a trail, but lots of room to hike on the beach. While it's good any time, low tide is best, and if you can schedule a trip for a minus tide it's that much better, IMO.

Opal Creek -- an hour or so east of Salem. Beautiful stream set among thousand-year-old trees in one of the last real old growth drainages. Site of much legal wrangling, now a designated wilderness at least for the time being. There's a small community a couple miles in from the gated trailhead (former mining camp) which is occupied. The denizens of Jawbone Flats have a reputation (understandably) for being less than thrilled with the people tramping through their town, but keep in mind that some of them were in the vanguard that got protection for Opal Creek.