Get out of Portland

[mdvaden]

Originally Posted by John Shaft

But...to get to these areas I'd have to use a c-c-c-c-car! It would be like I took a knife and put it straight in Mother Earth's heart.

I've met several people who ride their bicycles to Multnomah Falls and Cannon Beach. Met a father and son in Manzanita who were riding from Seattle, back to San Francisco.

Seen and met countless folks in the redwoods on bicycles.

Gold Beach is pretty nice. Like this old boat near the bridge there. Brookings, Gold Beach, Cannon Beach and Manzanita are among my favorites. The aquarium in Newport was pretty good too.

[Deezus]

One of my favorite things about living in Portland is driving I-84 down the Gorge. Just a short trip out of Portland and you've got the waterfalls along Eagle Creek, hiking up Dog Mountain(especially in the spring time when the wildflowers bloom), great mountain biking around Hood River, and tons of other lesser known canyons and mountains to explore. When the weather is rainy and cold in the winter and spring I like the hike around the Oneota Gorge. Keep going and you've got skiing or climbing on Mt Hood(or just an awesome hike up Cooper Spur where you are literally above the Elliot Glacier) and the even less crowded wilderness around Mt Adams--itself an amazing destination. And on the way back I always love to stop and get beer at the Full Sail brewery, sitting on the deck watching the kiteboarders and windsurfers out on the Columbia.

I love driving to the coast too, especially the region from Oswald West through Manzanita and Nehalem Bay(great place for a relaxing day kayaking) all the way down to the Three Capes loop..When we get a rare sunny and fairly warm day in the winter, I always make a beeline for the coast..It's amazing to be out there without the crowds of summer--drinking a beer, possibly surfing in the cold Pacific, and watching the sunset at Short Sands beach.

It's what I love about Portland--when the conditions are to your liking the whole surrounding area is like one big natural playground.

[Neal2009]

I love going to Ape canyon, which is about a 90 minute drive from Portland. There are relatively few people there; the majority of the people you see are on mountain bikes. The parking lot at the trailhead is right under the base of Mt. St. Helens. Then you walk 5 miles up hill through an old growth forest, with spectacular views of Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams and Mt. Rainier on all sides. When you get to the top, out of the forest, you are pressed right against the mountain and the only direction you can from there is up the mountain towards the summit. I remember being alone there one day back in June and being a bit frightened knowing I was standing right under a mountain that produced one of the worst catastrophes in American history. On top of that, there are still numerous volcanic activity measuring devices when you get to the top, which are a sign of how active St. Helens is. Ape canyon is definetly one of the more unknown places in the Northwest. Most people think you have to drive to the crater to experience St Helens.

I second the Gorge. There is nothing like going to Eagle Creek on a summer day and sliding down the famous punchbowl falls, a 45 foot waterfall which is one of the more photographed waterfalls in the world. On top of that there is Larch Mountain, Multnomah Falls, Table Mountain. The list goes on and on. The Northwest is truly an outdoors paradise, drizzle or not.

[Barleysoda]

Originally Posted by Neal2009

I love going to Ape canyon, which is about a 90 minute drive from Portland. There are relatively few people there; the majority of the people you see are on mountain bikes. The parking lot at the trailhead is right under the base of Mt. St. Helens. Then you walk 5 miles up hill through an old growth forest, with spectacular views of Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams and Mt. Rainier on all sides. When you get to the top, out of the forest, you are pressed right against the mountain and the only direction you can from there is up the mountain towards the summit. I remember being alone there one day back in June and being a bit frightened knowing I was standing right under a mountain that produced one of the worst catastrophes in American history. On top of that, there are still numerous volcanic activity measuring devices when you get to the top, which are a sign of how active St. Helens is. Ape canyon is definetly one of the more unknown places in the Northwest. Most people think you have to drive to the crater to experience St Helens.

I second the Gorge. There is nothing like going to Eagle Creek on a summer day and sliding down the famous punchbowl falls, a 45 foot waterfall which is one of the more photographed waterfalls in the world. On top of that there is Larch Mountain, Multnomah Falls, Table Mountain. The list goes on and on. The Northwest is truly an outdoors paradise, drizzle or not.

Ape Canyon is definitely a mt bikers paradise. and so are the other trails around st helens like sheep canyon and smith canyon. (my fav) I go there every summer. and always with a group, never alone. I always take my Glock 40cal with hollow points just in case. I've never seen a mt lion up there, but I have seen black bear on two different occasions, and one had to have been about 400 to 500lbs. and elk hunters will tell you that in recent years they've seen more and more mt lions out in ape canyon, which would tell me that there is a decent population of those big cats and food would be more scarce for them. I know animal attacks aren't a problem up there (right now) but I'm not going to find out the hard way, and I would hate to see anything happen to someone who doesn't know much about that area, and go hiking alone thinking that it's like a disney movie.