Help With Late October Trip (Portland, Eugene: rental, live, to move)

[BurnInTheMil]

Good Afernoon City Data Peeps,

My wife and I will be heading to the Portland area from Oct 25th-29th for quick getaway for our anniversary. We will be flying into Portland from San Francisco and will book our accommodations shortly (will also have a rental vehicle). One of the main reasons for the Portland destination, is to visit the Columbia Gorge, simply because the fall colors look to be astounding. I'm sure we will also visit the coast, spend a little time in Portland, and also Mount Hood/Hood river. We also would like to do some hiking.

The main question(s) I have is, what's the weather typically like this time of year? Obviously we expect cooler temperatures, some rain, etc... Will hikes till be accessible near Mount Hood? What hikes are the most worthwhile, etc... ? Any and all help is appreciated.

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by Greg10556

Good Afernoon City Data Peeps,

My wife and I will be heading to the Portland area from Oct 25th-29th for quick getaway for our anniversary. We will be flying into Portland from San Francisco and will book our accommodations shortly (will also have a rental vehicle). One of the main reasons for the Portland destination, is to visit the Columbia Gorge, simply because the fall colors look to be astounding. I'm sure we will also visit the coast, spend a little time in Portland, and also Mount Hood/Hood river. We also would like to do some hiking.

The main question(s) I have is, what's the weather typically like this time of year? Obviously we expect cooler temperatures, some rain, etc... Will hikes till be accessible near Mount Hood? What hikes are the most worthwhile, etc... ? Any and all help is appreciated.

We just had a huge wildfire in the Gorge in the Eagle/Indian Creek wilderness and many of those trails will be closed until next year. Our fall colors are nice out here, but it isn't like Boston. We have evergreens mixed in so it isn't the sea of color change like you would see on the east coast.

[BurnInTheMil]

Originally Posted by Silverfall

We just had a huge wildfire in the Gorge in the Eagle/Indian Creek wilderness and many of those trails will be closed until next year. Our fall colors are nice out here, but it isn't like Boston. We have evergreens mixed in so it isn't the sea of color change like you would see on the east coast.

Thanks for the heads up with the fire, that could definitely change things.

Any area in Oregon that could be recommended as an alternative? I know the colors won't be east coast worthy (we are from the east coast), but would like to see something decent!

[jjpop]

The drive up US 26 from Sandy to Mt. Hood offers some decent fall colors. The dogwoods that are mixed in among the evergreens provide a splash of color against the green background. That area wasn't affected by the fires.

Really, a lot of the city trees are more colorful/spectacular than the natural trees because they were planted with that in mind. Our natural trees are pretty, but it's not the kind of color you get back east, as Silverfall aptly stated.

[Larry Caldwell]

All I can say is keep an eye on the weather report and tripcheck.com. The weather on the coast in October is sometimes glorious, and sometimes miserable. It's the luck of the draw, but if the weather is good the coast is the place to go. Check if the McKenzie Pass is still open. It closes in the winter because it is impossible to move that much snow, but a fall drive from Eugene to Sisters is the most scenic in Oregon. It may be open, maybe not, depending on storms.

They saved the Multnomah Falls lodge during the fires. That's not far up the gorge, and worth a day trip. The falls are right on I-84, and there is easy access. The historic highway was hit hard, though. Some of the tunnels burned out.

If the weather is lousy, you may want to stick in Portland. Check what shows are playing. The Schnitzer auditorium is a great live venue. If you like blues or jazz, Portland has a vital music scene. There will be harvest festivals at most of the vineyards in the Willamette Valley, which are also day trips from Portland.

[jjpop]

Oregonlive just posted an article about fall colors in Oregon: 15 beautiful places to see fall color in Oregon | OregonLive.com