Hikers pack the slopes of Dog Mountain to see spring wildflowers, but tackling a lot of elevation is not required to see one of the best blooms in Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. Instead, visit Catherine Creek, where an easy, paved 0.9-mile loop (with just 100 feet of elevation change) floods with wildflowers in the spring and early summer. Catherine Creek Interpretive Trail... Read more.

One hike in Northwest Oregon really rises above the rest. Saddle Mountain is the highest point in the northern half of the Coast Range with sweeping 360-degree from a 3,283-foot summit that look out over the Pacific Ocean, the Columbia River, and inland toward the Cascade Range. The hike up Saddle Mountain Trail is 5 miles round trip with 1,635 feet of elevation change (including steep... Read more.

Forest Park is a wonderful place to take a short hike in Portland. For a 5-trail, four-season outing, check out Dogwood Trail – Alder Trail Loop, which actually uses Keil Trail, Dogwood Trail, Leif Erikson Drive, Alder Trail, and Wildwood Trail to form a 2.8-mile circuit with just over 400 feet of elevation change. In the summer, these Forest Park trails offer cooling shade. In the fall,... Read more.

The pristine Cascadian jewel called Clear Lake, was forged in the fires of a volcanic eruption, 3,000 years ago. The lave flow that dammed the lake still occupies stretches of the shoreline. A loop trail around Clear Lake weaves through resilient old growth forests and fields of volcanic rock, offering beautiful lake views around almost every turn. The 5-mile loop hike combines Clear Lake... Read more.

Just off Route 30 between Portland and Astoria, travelers can gush over a short hike to a lovely waterfall. Beaver Falls (a.k.a. Beaver Creek Falls) takes a single-drop plunge off a basalt ledge. The waterfall is nearly 50 feet tall and swells to 40 feet wide. This quick delight of a hike descends 100 feet through forest for a 0.7-mile round trip outing. Add this Columbia County waterfall... Read more.