Just south of Lincoln City on the Oregon coast, Highway 101 crosses the Siletz River as it flows into Siletz Bay and the Pacific Ocean. It is at this location that you will find Alder Island Nature Trail, which opened in 2017 and offers a level 0.85-mile loop hike around an island between the river and its marshes. While it might lack the ocean views of surrounding coastal hikes, Alder... Read more.

Most of the trails in Columbia River Gorge lead to big waterfalls or big views, but one of these trails is not like the others. The Pipeline Trail near downtown Hood River has a hiking experience that could very well be a one-of-a-kind. This route exchanges the average dirt trail for a catwalk built on top of a penstock pipeline. That catwalk stands a dozen feet off the ground and whisks... Read more.

Camassia Natural Area contains something special – one of the best wildflower displays in the greater Portland area. From April to May, the grassy plateaus in this 27-acre preserve boasts beautiful purples, blues, pinks and yellows created by Camas lilies, blue-eyed Mary, rosy plectritis, and buttercups (as well as other flowers). Explore this West Linn jewel on an easy 0.8-mile loop... Read more.

Searching for a short hike in the Portland area? Scouters Mountain Nature Park in Happy Valley makes a worthwhile destination for a 1.2-mile hike. Explore a forested cinder cone east of Portland, plotting your way through tall firs to a summit clearing with a direct sight of Mount Hood. If you work up an appetite, picnic under a pavilion at the top of Scouters Mountain. Abundant shade makes... Read more.

What's so appealing about Canemah Bluff Nature Park in Oregon City? Start with fields of spring wildflowers and views of Willamette Falls. Then add ferny forests and a historical cemetery to give visitors plenty of reasons to take this 1.7-mile hike. In April and early May, Camas lilies steal the show at Canemah Bluff Nature Park, providing pops of purple to a meadow on a landing above the... Read more.