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Old 08-22-2011, 01:52 PM
 
Location: Just outside of Portland
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hamellr View Post
I'm wrong, apparently Rocky Butte in town is common for rock climbing.
It's also a pretty common place for rescuing idiots who *think* they are "rock climbing".

Firefighters rescue climber on Rocky Butte, remind others about steep dangers at the Northeast Portland park | OregonLive.com
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Old 08-23-2011, 08:38 AM
 
Location: Nutmeg State
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I'll chime in and say that Pdx isn't exactly the outdoor sport mecca it's made out to be. It's severely lacking in close in mountain biking access (like there really isn't any within 45-60 mins of town). The weather can be a big limiter for being outside for some people (compared to a dryer but cool climate like CO or UT). The skiing options are kind of limited, and rather expensive. And many of the hikes lack much of a view (I know we live in the woods, but sometimes it gets old tramping around in the same dark trees not really seeing anything but roots and mud).

Bed does have a better set up for ALL these things, but as you said it's way smaller and has an even worse job market than Portland.

I will say the kayaking options are great here, due to constant river flow and no freezing rivers. Most places can be run at almost anytime of the year.

I wonder sometimes if there is such a big climbing community because people just want to be inside in the winter?
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Old 08-23-2011, 09:13 AM
 
Location: the Beaver State
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Quote:
Originally Posted by davemess10 View Post
I'll chime in and say that Pdx isn't exactly the outdoor sport mecca it's made out to be. It's severely lacking in close in mountain biking access (like there really isn't any within 45-60 mins of town).
This page has several options: Portland Area Mountain Biking - Mountain Bike Trails

Forest Park has several, Powell Butte, Hagg Lake, University Falls. There is also a place just this side of Scappoose, the entrance is across from the weigh station on Highway 30.
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Old 08-23-2011, 04:02 PM
 
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Carpenterant has hit the point - it does take time to get to these activities if you live in PDX itself. It is a good hour to hour and a half to Hood, many gorge hikes, and the ocean, which means that most people only really get that active on weekends.

I'd take Omshanti's post with a grain of salt - no-one does all of those things each and every day. However, the access to decent entertainment and the outdoors is pretty unique here.

I'd agree about the cost of skiiing, too. Unless you intend going up to Hood most weekends in the winter it's pretty steep.

Finally, you can get great views if you hike on the gorge, but the trails in the town are mostly through covered forest.
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Old 08-23-2011, 10:34 PM
 
Location: Nutmeg State
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hamellr View Post
This page has several options: Portland Area Mountain Biking - Mountain Bike Trails

Forest Park has several, Powell Butte, Hagg Lake, University Falls. There is also a place just this side of Scappoose, the entrance is across from the weigh station on Highway 30.
Forest park has approximately 0.1 miles of single track that are legal to ride on a bike (and no all the fire roads and leif erikson are not really mountain biking). Powell Butte has about 1-2 miles of bike access trails, they're good for a "I haven't been mountain biking in months, so this will do" kind of situation, definitely not worth driving too though.
Hagg Lake I can't comment on, though I have heard from a few people it is just a flat trail around the lake.
University fall is over 40 miles away.
Scappoose is my go to spot for "in town riding" even though you still have to drive over 30 mins to get there. It's pretty solid, but not really in Portland.

With the size of Forest Park it is a travesty that a few special interest groups have been successful in preventing mountain biking more access.
Portland seems to have not really grasped the whole trail sharing thing (which happens quite peacefully pretty much everywhere in the country). Some of it stems from the image of mountain bikers as all adrenaline junkie, redbull-chugging downhill neanderthals, which is not really the case.
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Old 08-23-2011, 11:17 PM
 
Location: Portland, OR
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OmShanti View Post
Cave/underground exploring
What are the good places for this around here (within a couple hours' drive)? I'm not a big outdoor adventurer, but my boyfriend is, and he's particularly into spelunking.
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Old 08-24-2011, 01:48 AM
 
Location: Milwaukie, OR
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gma221 View Post
What are the good places for this around here (within a couple hours' drive)? I'm not a big outdoor adventurer, but my boyfriend is, and he's particularly into spelunking.
Ape Caves up by Mt St Helens is really awesome and deep enough that you can explore for days on end and not be satisfied. There's more an better stuff in Southern Oregon and more North in Washington.
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Old 08-24-2011, 01:53 AM
 
Location: Milwaukie, OR
161 posts, read 410,044 times
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Ape Caves by Mt St Helens has some pretty awesome caves. They are fairly large and really neat inside. They don't require rappelling so you can bring a flashlight and some waders and be good (it's wet in there). For really good caves though, Southern Oregon has got that. Sierra Club Portland has some great trips planned for caving coming up...http://www.meetup.com/The-Portland-V...-Club-Outings/ They are doing a Mt Hood ice cave soon and will help you get supplies (you can rent them from REI no problem and cheaply).

Quote:
Originally Posted by Charvelle View Post
I'd take Omshanti's post with a grain of salt - no-one does all of those things each and every day. However, the access to decent entertainment and the outdoors is pretty unique here.
I'm particularly rabid to do different and fun things every weekend due to previously being in a location quite lacking in outdoor activities, however I do not expect everyone else to do so. I was just giving some examples of what you can do with a reasonable budget and amount of time on a weekend.
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Old 08-25-2011, 07:31 AM
 
37 posts, read 75,091 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OmShanti View Post
Ape Caves up by Mt St Helens is really awesome and deep enough that you can explore for days on end and not be satisfied. There's more an better stuff in Southern Oregon and more North in Washington.
OmShanti, do you mean Ape Cave? I think it is misleading to say that you can explore for days. The whole thing can be walked/scrambled in 2-3 hours at a slow pace - it's actually a lava tunnel. The local tendency to overstate these resources can leave new arrivees frustrated...
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Old 08-25-2011, 07:45 AM
 
37 posts, read 75,091 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by davemess10 View Post

With the size of Forest Park it is a travesty that a few special interest groups have been successful in preventing mountain biking more access.
Portland seems to have not really grasped the whole trail sharing thing (which happens quite peacefully pretty much everywhere in the country). Some of it stems from the image of mountain bikers as all adrenaline junkie, redbull-chugging downhill neanderthals, which is not really the case.
It's interesting to hear that side. A lot of the trails there are pretty narrow and twisty, which probably makes them more fun to ride, and I have to say that I'd be uncomfortable walking them if there were bikes riding at any speed. What's your take on the damage caused to the trails? I've helped maintain them every now and then, and any sort of track/impact would take a lot of time to repair to prevent water sitting in the rut. I'm not trying to provoke - I know much less about mountain biking and trail sharing than I do hiking and trail maintenance so my interest is genuine.
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