Portland Spoke – The Official Blog of Travel Portland

Cherry blossoms and rhododendrons herald spring’s arrival within Portland, but if you’re really into flowers, you’ll want to feast your eyes on the many wildflower patches around the region — natural beauties that you won’t find anyplace else.

Bursting with color in late April and early May, the Camassia Natural Area in West Linn was carved out thousands of years ago by the great floods, but it’s a natural work of art that’s stood the test of time. A 16-mile drive south of downtown Portland, the 26-acre preserve can get muddy in the springtime, but from its trails you’ll see more than 300 different plant species and plenty of familiar birds flocking overhead.

About 10 miles west of Portland, Beaverton’s Cooper Mountain Nature Park features 3.5 miles of gravel trails — excellent footing from which to explore the 231 acres of prairies and woodlands. The trails also offer views of the Chehalem Mountains and Tualatin Valley, showing off Oregon’s natural splendor with bursts of wildflowers all around.

Looking for more blooms? Travel Oregon offers a guide to more wildflower hikes around the state.

Random notes on some recent experiences — an exhibition, a play and a hike – filled with dramatic peaks (both figurative and literal) that are rooted in history and culture, and enriched by the written word:

• In his insightful review of The Body Beautiful in Ancient Greece — on view at the Portland Art Museum through Jan. 6 – Bob Hicks of Oregon Arts Watch reminds us that “it was a painted urn, after all, that inspired Keats to poetry.”  And while seeing The Discobolus might conjure up memories of a long-ago art history class, Hicks notes that “You can’t bring back the past. You can only glimpse it and try to understand it, dimly. Still, The Body Beautiful reminds us that a great deal of what began in Greece is still a vital part of us.”
• Earlier this month, Hicks waxed poetic about August Wilson, who wrestles with a more recent past in Seven Guitars, part of Wilson’s 10-play cycle that illuminates the African-American experience. The terrific production at Artists Repertory Theatre runs through Nov. 11. (A quick side note for fans of Wilson: Portland Playhouse will stage King Hedley II Dec. 6-30).

Ruckel Creek Trail

• I was lucky enough to catch a Friday-night performance of Seven Guitars, followed a couple of days later by a hike in the Columbia River Gorge, where I covered a portion of the Ruckel Creek Trail. It’s a challenging climb, but one that yields a particularly nice reward, best described by the great William L. Sullivan: a “strange, hummocky, moss-covered rockslide” pockmarked with pits that “were dug at least 1,000 years ago, evidently as vision quest sites for young Indian men.” For further inspiration — plus helpful maps and deft descriptions — check out Sullivan’s indispensible guidebook, 100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon & Southwest Washington.

The Intertwine — the name for the Portland region’s interconnected system of parks, trails and natural spaces — has a new website that includes includes a dynamic (and positively encyclopedic) list of outdoor excursions, making it easier than ever to plan your visit.

Use the interactive trip planner for favorites such as Forest Park, Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade, the Springwater Corridor and Powell Butte – or click on “Find an Adventure” to walk, hike, bike, bird or paddle your way around the area.

In my opinion, the closest waterfall to Portland is also one of the most beautiful. Latourell Falls is just 30 minutes from downtown, about 3 miles West of I-84 exit 28 along the historic highway. The lower falls are visible from just past the parking lot, from where you’ll also find a paved path to the base. For the slightly more adventurous, there’s a 2.5 mile (500′ elevation) looping trail to the upper falls. One benefit to the recent spate of heavy rain in the area is that the waterfalls in the gorge have swelled to torrents, making the view even more spectacular than normal. Get your boots on!

Multnomah Falls

With Memorial Day weekend nearly upon us, my thoughts are meandering to the outdoor adventures that beckon with the upcoming season: picturesque hikes through dense green forests, gorgeous scenery whirring by while driving or biking through the countryside, and evenings spent under the stars around the campfire abound.

If you haven’t made any plans for this weekend, don’t despair! There’s plenty of time for you to plan your own Oregon Adventurecation this summer.

Want a weekend adventure right out your front door? Strap on your boots (or sandals) and begin your ”Adventurecation” in Portland, where you can easily find miles of bikeways and trails. Go explore, this weekend and beyond!

Ringed by a gentle dirt path, Reed Canyon is home to an impressive number of animals and plants. It’s a refreshing, easy walk (less than two miles; see here for details and directions) and can be combined with a visit to Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden (open year-round, and especially pretty in the spring) and a meal in the charming Sellwood/Westmoreland neighborhood (my favorite spot: Adobe Rose Café).

Mike Houck, an urban naturalist with the Audubon Society of Portland, stands before Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge, located just minutes from downtown. Photo: humanemetropolis.org

The Oregonian recently ran an inspiring profile of our friend Mike Houck, describing the urban naturalist’s role in shaping (ahem) Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge.

Without giving too much away, let’s just say the article shows how Portland’s DIY culture isn’t necessarily a recent phenomenon.

Or, to put it another way: Any creation story involving “a hammer, a ladder and a fifth of Jim Beam” is a tale worth telling. And the result is worth visiting, whether you’re looking to stretch your legs or stir your soul. Oaks Bottom is, hands-down, one of my favorite spots in the city.

Short climb, nice reward: Bert and Luke at Upper Horsetail Falls.

Bert and I celebrated a late-June vacation day with a quick trip to the Gorge, where we took our first mini-hike with Luke, our 11-week-old son.

From Portland, it’s about a 30-minute drive on I-84 East to Exit 28, which brings you to the Historic Columbia River Highway — and a nice selection of moderate hikes, including Multnomah Falls and the popular Angel’s Rest. (For details, see this this helpful map.)

Our itinerary that day: a brown-bag lunch at the Wahkeena Picnic Area, followed by a couple of short walks (one up to Wahkeena Falls, and one from Horsetail Falls to Upper Horsetail Falls, where you actually go behind the waterfall), then back home before dinner.

For the next few months, we’ll leave the longer hikes to Lila. But in the meantime, we’re excited to start introducing li’l Luke to the Portland region’s sights and sounds.

A Waterfall Near Wahkeena Springs

The inspiration to travel can come from just about anywhere. It took a music video by a band from San Francisco to motivate me to take a hike near Portland. The video shows some incredible footage of the Columbia River Gorge, highlighting the beauty of the trees and river, even (and especially) beneath the clouds. The perspective gained by hiking high above the world below is breathtaking.

To follow in my footsteps, begin by walking up the Wahkeena Falls trail, then pass multiple waterfalls (pictured) on the ascent. You’ll be rewarded along the way by incredible vistas of the forest and gorge below. I highly recommend taking a map with you, such as this one, which simplifies the waterfall loops in the area, and allows you to design your own hike depending on time and fitness level. (more…)

Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge in southeast Portland is a great spot for bird-watching, soul-searching and general leg-stretching. These murals, which keep watch over the wetlands, serve as a field guide of sorts.

With apologies to Herman Melville, whenever I “find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a drizzly November in my soul … I account it high time” to get to Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge as soon as I can.

The wildlife refuge — located just minutes from downtown Portland – delivers year-round delights for joggers, hikers and dog-walkers; opportunities for bird-watchers to spy great blue herons and many other species; and one whale of a metaphor.

>> Continue reading on TheIntertwine.org, a handy online guide to the region’s network of parks, trails and natural areas. (To access the full post, click on “Walking the Oaks Bottom Loop” in the lower right-hand corner of The Intertwine’s page.)