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Old 08-22-2011, 11:10 AM
pth pth started this thread
 
274 posts, read 459,353 times
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yes mt hood is nearby, and so is the columbia river gorge, and there are lots of great parks in the city, but how accessible is the outdoor recreation really? I've done copious amounts of research on bend, but because of the work opportunities (outdoor industry and finance are the two im experienced in..ironically. HA), the gf and I are looking at portland more seriously (even though I looooveeeeddd the idea of bend, heh.). In other words, portland doesnt have to be as accessible as bend because its a bigger city and we understand that isnt possible..haha.

So how accessible is portland to the outdoor rec scene?
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Old 08-22-2011, 11:20 AM
 
Location: Milwaukie, OR
161 posts, read 411,125 times
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So, pretty much EVERY DAY I...

Kayak (river and ocean). I rent them usually, but I want to get one soon.
Windsurf (again, rent)
Hike
Boating on all of these rivers

On weekends, I...

Snowboard (during winter)
Ski/Cross country ski (during winter)
Backpack
Rock climb
Cave/underground exploring
Camp
Sky dive
Bungee jump
ATV riding in the dunes
General mountaineering on Mt Hood
White Water rafting

This is just what I have time to do. If I had more time, I'd be getting out a lot more.

Portland is THE BEST place that you could go for outdoor recreation. Check out Afoot and Afield in Portland/Vancouver to just get an idea of what there is in terms of hiking, backpacking and camping around here. Also check out the REI in downtown, they are a pretty good resource and often have great outings planned. Also, the Portland Sierra Club do a lot of caving, rock climbing and backpacking expeditions that is open to anyone. I'm about an hour and 15 minutes away from Mt Hood, about 45 minutes from good hiking in the gorge. We're about an hour and a half from Mt St Helens that has rock climbing and caving, so it's easy to go on the weekends of even sometimes after work.

I don't know where you can get more variety then that.
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Old 08-22-2011, 11:23 AM
pth pth started this thread
 
274 posts, read 459,353 times
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How far to decent rock climbing? You've gotten me all excited. I've already strapped on my rope and have my beer in hand.
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Old 08-22-2011, 11:27 AM
 
Location: the Beaver State
6,464 posts, read 13,445,053 times
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There are several gyms with rock climbing in PDX. I think Table Rock is the closest place for the public:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_Rock_Wilderness

Last edited by hamellr; 08-22-2011 at 11:28 AM.. Reason: Better link added
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Old 08-22-2011, 11:28 AM
 
Location: Milwaukie, OR
161 posts, read 411,125 times
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Oh man there's rock climbing ALL over the gorge and on Mt Hood. Less then an hour drive from downtown.

Portland Rock Gym

Talk to these guys. I climb here and they are really knowledgeable and will point you in the right direction for your skill level.

http://www.amazon.com/Weekend-Rock-O...4034191&sr=8-2

This is a great book if you're not looking for anything too advanced...

http://www.amazon.com/Rock-Climbing-...4034191&sr=8-3

This is a series of books by region. They have some harder stuff in there, but a lot of novice/intermediate stuff too.
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Old 08-22-2011, 11:31 AM
 
Location: the Beaver State
6,464 posts, read 13,445,053 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hamellr View Post
There are several gyms with rock climbing in PDX. I think Table Rock is the closest place for the public:

Table Rock Wilderness - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I'm wrong, apparently Rocky Butte in town is common for rock climbing.

Full list of locations near Portland is here:

Rock Climbing Routes in Portland Metro Area, Oregon | Rockclimbing.com
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Old 08-22-2011, 11:33 AM
pth pth started this thread
 
274 posts, read 459,353 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hamellr View Post
There are several gyms with rock climbing in PDX. I think Table Rock is the closest place for the public:

Table Rock Wilderness - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Quote:
Originally Posted by OmShanti View Post
Oh man there's rock climbing ALL over the gorge and on Mt Hood. Less then an hour drive from downtown.

Portland Rock Gym

Talk to these guys. I climb here and they are really knowledgeable and will point you in the right direction for your skill level.

Amazon.com: Weekend Rock Oregon (9780898867176): Ron Horton: Books

This is a great book if you're not looking for anything too advanced...

Amazon.com: Rock Climbing Western Oregon: The Willamette (9781879415430): Greg Orton: Books

This is a series of books by region. They have some harder stuff in there, but a lot of novice/intermediate stuff too.
Awesome. We'd definitely look at joining a rock gym as SOON as we got there..especially for those rainy days (apparently there are alot. haha.)

We lived in burlington, vt previously and there was some good climbing there..we're hoping there is even better stuff around portland to go along with the great beer/night life
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Old 08-22-2011, 11:47 AM
 
Location: Sometimes Portland, other times LA
600 posts, read 1,469,140 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pth View Post
How far to decent rock climbing? You've gotten me all excited. I've already strapped on my rope and have my beer in hand.
If you want decent rock climbing check out Smith Rock right outside of Redmond/Terrebonne. Its about a 2 hour drive from Portland but great climbing and absolutely beautiful country
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Old 08-22-2011, 11:48 AM
pth pth started this thread
 
274 posts, read 459,353 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Daisy32673 View Post
If you want decent rock climbing check out Smith Rock right outside of Redmond/Terrebonne. Its about a 2 hour drive from Portland but great climbing and absolutely beautiful country
Yes! That was one of the main reasons we were looking at bend as an option..but there are more opportunities in portland, so we had to cross it off our list
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Old 08-22-2011, 12:49 PM
 
Location: Portland, Oregon
73 posts, read 183,574 times
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Bend is really where you want to be if quick recreation access is your main priority. But if you choose your location in Portland carefully, you still might find that Portland area recreation is easy enough to come by. Thing is though, Portland is surrounded by bedroom communities and farmland, so to get to TRUE wilderness, expect a bit of a drive. Nonetheless, there's some pretty good urban adventuring to be had, too. Many parks that are great for trail running, and the rivers and sloughs near where the Columbia and the Willamette meet are good for paddling.

I live in North Portland and it takes about an hour and a half (sometimes two hours if traffic is bad) to get to Mt Hood, in 45 minutes to an hour I can be at some pretty sweet places in the Gorge, and the coast is about an hour and a half away. If you choose a location on the east side of town, you can cut your trip to Hood down to about an hour, and have even easier access to the Gorge.

This is opposed to Bend, where Bachelor is a 20 minute drive from town, and with Smith Rock just half an hour away. Basically Portland is just larger with more surrounding it, and more traffic, so getting to where you want to go just takes longer - but it's there.

Edited to add: If you work a regular 9-5 type job, getting out of town quickly on weekdays for climbing/hiking/whatever is going to be super slow due to traffic. I'm lucky enough to have a flexi work schedule and I try to do most of my outdoor stuff during the week, and I avoid getting in or out of Portland during rush hour. I stay home on the weekends and work or do yard work.

Last edited by carpenterant; 08-22-2011 at 12:59 PM..
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