Things to Do in Oregon

It’s hard to believe you can drive and walk through the area of a 500-square-mile volcano that remains seismically active today. Up in the high plains of central Oregon, these lava lands are filled with lakes, lava tubes and fascinating geological patterns. Within the Deschutes National Forest and from the highest point, Paulina Peak, there is more than 50,000 acres of unique landscape to explore.

Once the site of the Newberry Volcano, which exploded 75,000 years ago, all that remains today is the caldera and visual evidence of the past lava flows. Here is where you’ll find the most recent lava present in Oregon (around 1,300 years ago) at the Big Obsidian Flow, a large field of shiny, black obsidian rock covering 700 acres. You can also visit the two alpine lakes of the caldera, Paulina and East, which are popular fishing sites, or explore the unique scenery with a hike on one of the many area nature trails.

About 16 miles east of Portland, the Columbia River Gorge stretches from Troutdale to Biggs on the Oregon side, and from Vancouver to Maryhill on the Washington side. An 80-mile canyon ranging from sea level to 4,000 feet, this National Scenic Area separates the two states in a wide, rocky and leafy ribbon which runs between the Columbia River and the Cascade Mountains.

In 1805, the Lewis and Clark Expedition used the Columbia and its craggy banks to reach the Pacific; these days, two smoothly-paved highways on the Oregon side would greatly simplify the explorers' epic journey. Interstate-84 parallels the achingly wide, cornflower-blue Columbia, wending past dense, dark forests and jagged, lavender-grey mountains. Beside the Columbia River Highway (which runs adjacent to I-84 from Troutdale to Dodson), the Gorge is webbed with hiking trails and more than 90 waterfalls, including the 620-foot-high Multnomah Falls.

Set alongside the beautiful Cascade Mountains of the Pacific Northwest, the Deschutes National Forest is a scenic natural forest and recreation area in central Oregon. The alpine and evergreen forest, lakes, and streams draw those interested in hiking, fly fishing, hunting, river-rafting, mountain biking, camping, and more. An extensive amount of nature trails provide many options to explore the outdoors. The green trees, clean water, and fresh air abound here. In the winter months skiing and snowboarding are popular in the mountains. The five designated wilderness areas, including six Wild and Scenic Rivers, each offer something different. Meadows, caves, and even desert areas are also a part of this diverse landscape. Camping is available during the warmer months of the year at over 125 developed campsites. Overall the forest covers around 1.7 million acres of land, so there’s much to explore.

Roughly 30 miles east of Portland along the Columbia River Gorge is one of Oregon's iconic symbols – Multnomah Falls, the tallest waterfall in the state. The water actually falls in two stages, so there are technically two waterfalls.

There's a small bridge – the Benson Footbridge – that spans the top of the second waterfall, and offers an excellent view of the taller of the two waterfalls. There are lots of great hiking trails in the Columbia River Gorge, and some start nearby – including the Mark O. Hatfield Memorial Trail.

At the base of the falls is the Multnomah Falls Lodge, which has a restaurant, some snack vendors, and visitor facilities. The Multnomah Falls Lodge (built in 1915) and footpath are on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

Cannon Beach is a small town on the Oregon coast, but it's got a big reputation. And yes, there's an actual cannon.

Part of the Lewis and Clark Expedition visited what became Cannon Beach in 1805-1806, and a settlement called Elk Creek grew there in the mid-1800s. In 1922, the community was renamed Cannon Beach after a U.S. Navy ship's cannon that had washed up on the shore in 1846. The actual cannon is on display in a city museum, with a replica perched near the coastal highway.

Today, Cannon Beach is known for its art galleries, fine restaurants, boutique hotels, and beautiful beaches. The iconic Haystack Rock – a National Wildlife Refuge – juts out of the ocean very close to shore, and at low tide the tide pools around its base are otherworldly. Nearby, Ecola State Park offers spectacular hiking and views overlooking the Pacific.

Portland's most popular commercial area, "The Pearl", as it's locally known, is north of downtown between West Burnside Street, the Willamette River, NW Broadway and the Interstate 405 freeway. Once a lonely industrial district of decaying warehouses and rail yards, a boom in urban renewal in the late 1990s to the early 2000s prompted an allusion to the area's scruffy architecture as crusty oysters containing pearls. These "pearls" were initially artists' lofts and galleries, but the neighborhood now teems with upscale eateries, small performance venues and independent boutiques as well.

The Pearl's biggest attraction is also one of the most-visited spots in Portland: the flagship Powell's City of Books. Spanning an entire city block (between NW 10th and 11th Avenues, W. Burnside and NW Couch Streets), Powell's bills itself as the world's largest independent bookstore.

The Mt. Hood National Forest covers more than one million acres, including lakes, wilderness areas, mountains, and of course – a vast forest.

First established in 1892 as the Bull Run Forest Reserve, the area was expanded and eventually the name was changed to its current Mt. Hood National Forest in 1924. The forest area extends into six different Oregon counties, is managed by four district offices, has eight designated wilderness areas, and includes 170 recreation sites. Visitors can go hiking, mountain biking, boating, fishing, hunting, camping, mountain climbing, skiing, and horseback riding in the National Forest, among other things. Part of the Pacific Crest Trail crosses into the National Forest. The towering peak of Mt. Hood – the tallest point in the state – sits in the northern part of the National Forest, and Timberline Lodge has year-round skiing. The forest area stretches from the Columbia River Gorge south about 60 miles through the Willamette Valley.