Portland, Oregon
May 19 - June 19, 2025
My first month-long stay was in Portland, Oregon where I rented a lovely furnished apartment in the Alberta Arts District. The month was filled with incredible hikes, drives to the coast as well as the forest, and bunch of Bikram yoga.
Land Acknowledgement: Portland rests on the traditional village sites of the Multnomah (a band of Chinooks that lived in the area), Kathlamet, Clackamas, Tualatin, Kalapuya, Molalla, bands of the Chinook, and many other Tribes who made their homes along the Columbia River.
Along the Way …
Weekday Shoutout: I loved living in the Alberta Arts District neighborhood for so many reasons including the walkability, excellent food and coffee, but most importantly thanks to classes at Forge Hot Yoga. I love doing hot yoga but never had I consistently practiced Bikram until joining Forge. It was the perfect post-work activity for me during the week when getting out of the city for an evening hike was tricky.
Trail Log:
Tom McCall Preserve — Managed by The Nature Conservancy
McCall Point Trail — 4.8 miles ; out & back photos
Silver Falls State Park — Oregon’s largest state park spanning over 9,000 acres!
Trail of Ten Falls — 7.4 miles ; loop — takes you around to literally ten waterfalls photos
Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
Dog Mountain Trail — 5.8 miles ; loop — climbs almost 3,000 ft. in less than 3 miles, woof photos one of the top wildflower hikes in the area!
Wahclella Falls Trail — 1.9 miles ; out & back
Latourell Falls Loop — 2.1 miles ; loop
Willamette National Forest
Cone Peak Trail — 6.2 miles ; loop photos Most of the 300+ species of wildflowers in the western Cascades are found on Cone Peak and Iron Mountain and at 17, there are more species of trees here than anywhere else in Oregon!
Mt. Hood National Forest
Tom, Dick and Harry Mountain via Mirror Lake Trail #664 — 8 miles ; out & back photos On a clear day at the summit, you can see Mount Hood and Mount Jefferson in Oregon and Mount Adams, Mount Rainier, and Mount St. Helens in Washington.
Bald Mountain from Lolo Pass Trail — 7.3 miles ; out & back — spectacular view of Mt. Hood photos
Tamanawas Falls Trail — 3.3 miles ; out & back
Lost Lake Butte Trail — 3.8 miles ; out & back — summit was completely socked in for me
Oregon Coast
Oswald West State Park
Cape Falcon Trail — 4.5 miles ; out & back photos
Ecola State Park — some scenes from the movie The Goonies were filmed here!
Indian Beach Trail — 3.9 miles ; out & back
Crescent Beach Trail from Tillamook Rock Lighthouse — 2.2 miles ; out & back photos
Cascade Head Preserve — Managed by The Nature Conservancy
Lower Cascade Head Trail — 4.7 miles ; out & back photos
Not a trail but a notable stop: Haystack Rock — a unique geological fixture of 235-foot basalt formed millions of years ago photos
Mount Saint Helens National Volcanic Monument — only about 2 hours from Portland!
South Coldwater Trail to Lakes Trail Loop — 11.3 miles ; loop — an excellent way to see the area in a full day trip photos
Notable Eats & Drinks …
Caffeine
Proud Mary Cafe — an Australia-based coffee company with an amazing cafe in the Alberta Arts District
Just Bob — fun coffee shop in Alberta Arts District
Roseline Coffee — great Portland chain
Guilder Coffee Company
Bison Coffeehouse — Native American owned and operated
Great Notion Brewing - Alberta — food from Matt's BBQ Tacos
Baerlic Brewing Alberta — grab food from next door at Mole Mole Mexican Cuisine
Tin Shed Garden Cafe — dog-friendly with a dog menu!
Paladin Pie — amazing pizza!
Either/Or — coffee in the AM / cocktails in the PM
On the Road:
Wraptitude Gourmet Wraps, Burgers & Beers — near Mt. Hood
Silver Falls Brewery — near Silver Falls State Park
Public Coast Brewing Co — in Canon Beach
Bill's Tavern & Brewhouse — excellent fish sandwich in Canon Beach
Tom McCall Preserve
While in exploring the landscape of the Columbia River Gorge, I took the opportunity to visit a preserve managed by my employer, The Nature Conservancy. The Tom McCall Preserve at Rowena is located in the transition zone between the moist, heavily-forested west side of the Cascades and the drier bunch grass prairies of the east — making it an incredible place to view wildflowers in the spring. Learn more about this preserve that is open to the public from March 1 to October 31: LINK
Cascade Head Preserve
Another preserve managed by The Nature Conservancy in Oregon is a spectacular coastal headland. The Cascade Head Preserve is home to the Oregon silverspot butterfly (federally listed as a threatened species and is known to only four other locations in the world) and several rare plants, including the Cascade Head catchfly (99% of the catchfly’s world population found on this preserve). Learn more about this preserve that is open to the public: LINK