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Mt. St. Helens, Mt Hood, Columbia River Gorge, waterfalls, the Oregon coast and more sightseeing in and around Portland, Oregon.

Sightseeing in and Around Portland
Mount St. Helens, Mt. Hood, Columbia River Gorge, waterfalls, the Oregon Coast and Oregon Outdoor Activities

Mount St. Helens is one of many spectacular places near Portland.

Outdoor enthusiasts will love Portland and its surrounding areas.

Within two hours of the city, one can see Mount St. Helens, visit Mt. Hood, windsurf in the Columbia River Gorge or go to the spectacular Oregon coast. Hiking, fishing, camping, year-round snow skiing and river rafting are all available here. And they call Louisiana the Sportsman's Paradise!

Such activities are not necessary to enjoy the trip. It's a spectacular day drive around "The Loop," which goes from Mt. Hood and the Gorge (see directions at right). One can enjoy beer at the Mt. Hood Brew Pub in Government Camp or at the Timberline Lodge where the movie "The Shining" was filmed. From there, head to the Gorge and take a break at the Full Sail Brewing Company, home of one of Portland's finest beer companies. There are daily tours and a tasting room that sells pints at the tempting price of $2.50. Careful, though, or it will turn into one of those "gee where did the time go" stops.

On the way back to Portland, detour off Interstate 84 to the Scenic Highway to see spectacular waterfalls. At 725 feet, Multnomah Falls is one of the world's tallest. Recommended music for this 5- to 8-hour trip: Jimmy Buffett's Floridays.

That is all if one wants to leave town. One of the most enjoyable ways to spent time in Portland is to browse through Powell's Books (Burnside and 10th). This is the nation's premier local book store, with floor after floor of mostly used books on every subject imaginable. The wood floors creek, the knowledgeable staff can help find obscure titles and there is a cafe to enjoy reading the many great discoveries located within its walls.

With Nike just down the road, running is big here, too. A running trail runs riverside and over the bridges in the Tom McCall Waterfront Park. Forest Park is the largest forested municipal park located completely within city limits in the U.S., and while that's a mouthful, it is 7.5 miles long and is a favorite after-work spot. Both places make for a scenic and invigorating way to work off all that good beer from the night before (and the night to come).

Bicycling is another favorite pastime, through town, in the running areas or surrounding mountains.

For those who like to watch their sporting activities, the Portland Trail Blazers (224-4400) are historically one of the National Basketball Association's top teams. They play in the new Rose Garden, just across the river from downtown.

In the summer, baseball fans can catch the minor league Portland Beavers (223-2837) of the Pacific Coast League (the Triple-A farm team of the Padres). They play in beautifully renovated PGE Park (Taylor & 18th).

Car racing fans flock to Portland International Raceway (I-5 North from Portland, just this side of the Columbia River and Washington state), especially for the Freightliner/G.I. Joe's 200. That's when the stars of the Indy-style Championship Auto Racing Teams FedEx Championship Series roll into town to end the annual Rose Festival on a high note (232-3000 for tickets).

The Oregon Zoo (4001 SW Canyon Road, 226-1561, also accessible via MAX to the Washington Park station) features the usual assortment of captive animals. If this environment gets you in the mood to do it like they do it on the Discovery Channel, the time to go is during one of the summer evening concerts. The zoo hosts free shows of fairly big-name bands and sometimes it's not the zoo's residents who are the real animals.

The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, or OMSI (1945 SE Water Ave., 797-4000) has a five-story Omnimax theater, interactive displays and the Watershed Lab where visitors can build their own river. Plus, it's located just down the street from the Produce Row pub, a good place to enjoy a cold brew to reflect on what you just learned.

Next stop on the Party Bus: Pub Grub

In "The Loop"

Here's our #1 Portland day-trip: "The Loop."

We recommend heading first to Mt. Hood, then looping back via Hood River. This places most of the driving in the front part of the trip and will have you back at the pubs before dark (in the summer, anyway):

• Take the 84E a few miles past the airport to the Wood Village exit. It goes through one of those new residential areas, the kind where coyotes, snakes and other creatures appear in people's backyards because they built houses where those animals used to roam.

Continue straight down this road until you pass the turnoff to Highway 26. We say "pass the turnoff" because this is Oregon and there are no advance signs informing drivers the highway is near. The sign is across the street and you will pass it before you realize it's there.

Perhaps it is helpful to know that Highway 26 is just past an auto parts store. This is not a major intersection but there is a light and a left-turn lane. There is a blue "Scenic Loop" sign just before the auto parts store but, this being Oregon, it's is the first mention of "The Loop" on any road sign or a map.

• Follow the 26 and stop at either Government Camp or the Timberline Lodge for a beer and lunch if you are hungry.

• A few miles past Timberline is the well-marked (WOW!) turnoff to Highway 35 to Hood River. About 45 minutes later though great scenery, you will arrive in a clean, tiny town. Take the necessary 30 seconds to explore it, then go to the next-to-last-road by the river and take the Full Sail Brewing Tour. Tours are every hour until 5 p.m. Don't worry if you arrive at 4:01, or 3:01, as there is a "tasting" room to sample what you are about to see being made.

• On the way back, hit the Scenic Highway for the waterfalls. If you have the time and the inclination, there's also some locks and a dam, the latter of which gives tours.