Sometimes instead of driving for hours upon hours and hiking up a mountain, you just want to simply chillax outdoors in a beautiful location. Queue Trillium Lake! If you grew up anywhere near Portland, you're probably familiar with this location. It's not exactly a secluded location, so if you're looking for privacy, keep driving. But if strolling and picnicking are your jam, read on my friends.
Long weekends call for long hikes! At least, for me they do. Considering we saw NO other hikers on our 8 mile trek at Gales Creek on Memorial Day, I can only assume most people chose to eat and drink all day instead. Their loss! We loved having the forest to ourselves.
The hike to Warrior Point Lighthouse on Sauvie Island is a beautiful, dog-friendly flat trail with views of Mt. St. Helens and the mighty Columbia River. Here's everything you need to know about parking, permits, what to pack, and what to expect on this 7-mile roundtrip hiking trail just a few minutes outside of downtown Portland.
My mother in law recently asked me to come up with some easy, senior friendly walks that she could take with her visiting sister. The first thing I thought of was Latourelle Falls. It has hardly any elevation gain, it's practically paved, and you can see the waterfall without even leaving the parking lot. Nailed it.
Hiking the Wapato Greenway Loop at Sauvie Island is a great experience. It's an easy, dog-friendly hike with a covered area for picnicking and a 2.2-mile rountrip loop trail that's perfect for families. Enjoy the sounds of birds and frogs and bees as you stroll through one of the prettiest places in Oregon.
