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.

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.

TriMet, the Portland region’s public transportation agency, just launched a cool transit-to-trails guide that makes it even easier for visitors to enjoy the outdoors. 

This new online resource, which highlights more than a dozen outdoor experiences throughout the region, illuminates — and exemplifies the very spirit of — The Intertwine, Portland’s system of interconnected parks, trails and natural areas. 

In other Intertwine news: Oregon Public Broadcasting recently aired an interesting piece about the mural that looms, like a large-scale field guide of sorts, over Southeast Portland’s Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge.

TheIntertwine.org — a handy online guide to Portland’s regional network of parks, trails and natural areas — highlights a wide range of visitor-friendly outdoor experiences. Here’s an excerpt of one such experience, submitted by our friend Sylke Neal-Finnegan of  the Washington County Visitors Association. Enjoy.

Photo: Rick Schafer

Exploring the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge

Located in the serene suburbs on the outskirts of Sherwood, the Refuge is aptly named for the river that flows through it, providing habitat to more than 250 species of birds, mammals and insects. Once in the Refuge, I feel far removed from human civilization, and the atmosphere is eerily peaceful. With three distinct habitats along a one-mile paved walking trail, the Refuge is a great spot for wildlife and bird watching.

Continue reading >>

TheIntertwine.org — a handy online guide to Portland’s regional network of parks, trails and natural areas — highlights a wide range of visitor-friendly outdoor experiences. Here’s an excerpt of one such experience, submitted by our friend Janet Bebb of Metro. Enjoy.

TRAIN, TRAIL, TRAM, TROLLEY: THE “4-T” EXPERIENCE

OK, we’re proud of our ways of getting around without a car, perhaps even obsessed. The 4-T experience plays this obsession out with real spirit. We start downtown . . .

Continue reading >>

Want to bike, hike, walk, paddle or bird-watch (in other words, make like a Portlander) during your next visit?

If so, check out this handy new website that connects nature lovers with The Intertwine, the region’s network of trails, parks and natural areas.

The site highlights more than 20 outdoors experiences and itineraries, including:

• running or walking on the Wildwood Trail;
• going fully multi-modal (train, trail, tram, trolley) on the 4-T Experience;
• exploring the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge; and
• strolling through the organic gardens of Luscher Farm.

Check out the site and let us know what you think. Are any of your favorite outdoor adventures missing?