going to oregon

[kkottemann]

I will be heading up to Oregon for a few days at the end of November. I fly into Portland. I need some advice on some good things to go and see. I am very interested in coastal forests, logging/forestry museums ect.... Point me in the right direction.

 

[Blinky]

If you like books, Powell's Books in Portland is without a doubt the best book store in the US... It's tremendous, you can get practically any book you want there. Not as cheap as Amazon but you can browse for hours.

Rainforests are all around... pretty big trees... trees growing on trees, 6" bannana slugs, full canopy... Olympic Range up North has a good park.

 

[Doctor Dave]

A couple days...

Drive in to the Columbia River Gorge:

get off I-84 at Bonneville dam, an turn right for the Wahclella Falls (Tanner Creek) trailhead. 1 mi hike through an amazing gorge with cliffs and big trees to a big waterfall. Check out the fish hatchery on the north side of the highway; there's a pool with 6 ft. sturgeon in it.

get off I-84 at the next exit (41) for Eagle-Creek trail; this trail goes in a gorge with big trees as well, but with multiple big waterfalls; the trail is also much longer, and you can go all the way to Whatum Lake on the Pacific CrestTrail (14 mi).

drive by Multnomah falls unless you like crowds and over-priced ice cream.

get off I-84 in Hood River:

Full-Sail Brewery (free tastes in the bar and discount cases)

Panzanilla Italian bakery (downtown, one block off of Oak St. to the north from Mike's ice cream) for authentic pizza and bread.

drive south on highway 35 from Hood River to Mt. Hood; there's a CCC lodge at 6000 ft. made out of giant logs, timber, and stone, really cool, grab an Ice Axe ale after going for a hike nearby. The drive through the upper Hood River valley goes through some impressive old-growth: big yellow-belly ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, and noble fir stand out. There's another brew-pub in Parkdale on the way if you get thirsty or want a bowl of good chile.

You can also drive farther east past The Dalles to the Deschutes River; get off I-84 at Celillo and continue on a side road for a few miles to the state park at the mouth and turn in there; you can hike up along the river and watch people pull out 8-25 pound steelhead. you will also get a taste of what the sagebrush covered hills look like (lots of sagebrush on hills).


I'd have you over sight unseen, but that would probably P.O. my wife!

You can always go west to the coast, but if you go east, you can be hiking in old-growth and/or Federal Wilderness in an hour.

 

[kkottemann]

Thanks Doctor Dave. Sounds like good advice. I will get a map and check it all out. I'll send you some pics so you know what I look like.

 

[M.D. Vaden]

Sneak 15 miles over the border to see the big redwoods near Hiouchi, CA.

This album (check the small video at the end - I slapped that together after being there Tuesday)...

http://www.mdvaden.com/album_Redwoods.shtml

Time to camp at the south coast 1/2 hour from the redwoods?

http://www.mdvaden.com/harris_beach_state_park.shtml

Harris Beach State Park and Brookings are tossed in this album...

http://www.mdvaden.com/album_OregonCoast.shtml

If you only spend time in the north of Oregon - here's a page...

http://www.mdvaden.com/oregon_tour.shtml

I'd say, hike Eagle Creek. Not massive trees, but one of the best hikes in the gorge.

http://www.mdvaden.com/eagle_creek.shtml

If you head to the coast, use Hy. 26 to Seaside. Not 30; it's boring.

At mile marker 2 or 3, just 6 miles before Seaside, is the largest Sitka Spruce in the USA. It's the tree here...

http://www.mdvaden.com/gallery1.shtml

1 hour east of the redwoods, is Oregon Caves.

If you aim for the Redwoods, don't burn yourself out passing Crescent City. Just cross the border, check out Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. Stout Grove is nice. And east of Crescent City, on Hy. 199, go east a few miles, and look for the Simpson Reed Grove sign

With notice, maybe I can hike with you for a few miles.

Have fun sorting and picking.