The Portland Rose Garden

Our last stop in the northwest was the Portland Rose Garden. 

Nearest City: Portland, OR

Location: N° W°
Time Needed: 30-45 minutes
 Difficulty: Easy
Kid Friendly:
Additional Info:

The Bonneville Dam

While in the Columbia River Gorge, we also visited the Bonneville Dam.  There is a visitor center and fish ladders to enjoy seeing.  Before we could go in, a guard stopped us and asked if we had any guns in the car.  I told him No, but that I wish I did!  He let us on through after looking in the back of our car. 

 We had to drive another half mile up the road, along the base of the dam to get to the visitor center.  There's a small museum and they do take people on tours of the dam, but we didn't get there in time to go on a tour. 

Instead, we went down to watch the fish ladders for a while.  Not very many fish were headed up stream when we were there.  There were a few salmon, but they were all several minutes apart. 

 Here's an outside view of the fish ladders. 

The power generating portion of the dam was pretty impressive with all of the gates open.

Nearest City: Cascade Locks, OR
Location: N° W°
Time Needed: Varied
Difficulty: Very Easy
Kid Friendly:  Yes
Additional Info:  Bonneville Dam Info

Columbia Gorge Waterfalls

We stopped by several of the waterfalls in the Columbia Gorge.  Most of them can be seen by short hikes. 

 Latourell Falls was closed because of construction, so we couldn't walk up and see it. 

 Bridal Veil Falls isn't visible from the road, but is very pretty. 

 Wahkeena Falls is another two-tiered waterfall that is a short hike to. 

 Multnomah Falls is probably Oregon's most famous waterfall.  It's tall and pretty, but overrun with people. 

Horsetail Falls is easily accessible from the road.  There are a lot of pretty waterfalls in the Columbia Gorge.  If you took any of them and placed it somewhere else they'd be a lot more spectacular, but when there are so many amazing waterfalls in such a small area they start to look routine.   

Nearest City: Corbett, OR
 Location: N° W°
Time Needed: at least half a day
Difficulty: Easy- Moderate
Kid Friendly: Generally
Additional Info:

Oneonta Gorge: The Zion Narrows of the Pacific Northwest

I'm a big fan of slot canyons.  As I was researching for the trip, I stumbled on a picture of Oneonta Gorge.  It immediately went on the "MUST DO" list for while we were in Oregon.  Slot canyons are awe inspiring. Most of them are in Southern Utah in a dry desert region known as the Colorado Plateau.   A slot canyon in Oregon and green with vegetation- I've gotta see this!

Oneonta Gorge is a small side canyon to the Columbia River Gorge.  It's only about 1/3 of a mile long, but the narrow walls, green with ferns and mosses is astonishingly beautiful.  It's about 2 miles east of the wildly popular Multnomah Falls, but only sees a small fraction of the visitors.  I didn't mind.  The canyon changes with every flood, so you can expect water from ankle deep, up to pools deep enough to swim in.  The waterfall at the end is a popular swimming hole during warmer weather. 

Near the entrance of the gorge, several signs alert you that climbing on the log jam can be hazardous.  If you go, be sure to exercise caution if you climb on the logjam!  It's not my fault if you get hurt. 

A closer picture of the logjam.  There are several trees 3-4 feet in diameter among the branches and debries.  I climbed up on a big boulder on the east side before continuing over the logs.

 You can see the boulder and logs in this picture.  Even from here, the canyon looks amazing, 

On the other side of the logjam, the canyon beacons you in.  I wasn't equipped for swimming or much wading, so this is as far as I got.  I couldn't help but think it looked similar to the Narrows of the Virgin River in Zion National Park.  But green.  And smaller.  But an amazing place just the same.

Nearest City: Cascade Locks, OR
Location: 2-3 miles east of Multnomah Falls
Time Needed: Varies
Difficulty: Varies
Kid Friendly: Not really
Additional Info:

The Historic Columbia Gorge Highway

We spent a day in the Columbia River Gorge.  It's a beautiful gorge where the Columbia River has cut through several hundred feet of volcanic basalt, leaving behind steep cliffs, and countless waterfalls.  I'll blog about the waterfalls later.

The Vista House is a must-see viewpoint on the west end of the Columbia Gorge Highway.  The highway was built with the capturing the views, waterfalls, and as much as the scenery as possible in mind.  A decent website for history and more information about the highway is http://www.columbiariverhighway.com/

 Here's one picture from the Vista House- as you can see, it has a very impressive viewpoint. 

 The highway winds its way up the gorge with mostly forest, cliff, and water along the way. 

Several of the bridges and guardrails are ornamental.

It's a great drive.  We really enjoyed the drive along with numerous of the stopping areas and short hikes to waterfalls.  

The eastern end of this segment ends just after the Oneonta Tunnel.  The tunnel was actually filled in and eliminated once, but has been restored.  It's very worthwhile to stop and take a stroll through the tunnel and the nearby Oneonta Gorge. 

Nearest City: Troutdale to Hood River, OR
Time Needed: At least a day!
Difficulty: Varies
Kid Friendly: Varies
Additional Info:

Lincoln City Glassblowing

On the drive back to the Portland Metro Area, we stopped in Lincoln City to watch some glass blowers.  It looked pretty challenging getting the right mixture of colors, temperature, and amount of air to blow the glass. 

Our friends told us that every winter, the glassblowers in Lincoln City hide over 2000 glass floats out in the beaches and marshes for visitors to find.  It's a way to bring more visitors and tourism in the slow winter months.  

 We watched for a while before the kids told us again that they were hungry and it was time to move along.

Nearest City: Lincoln City, OR
Location: numerous shops
Time Needed: Varies
Additional Info: You can learn more about the "Finders Keepers" float search at this link.

The Devils Punchbowl State Park

Our last stop on the Oregon Coast was at the Devils Punchbowl.  The Devils Punchbowl is essentially a round hollow in the cliffs with a few arches that allow the tide in.  At high tide it's full of frothy choppy waves.

It's a small State Park in Otter Rock and can be seen pretty quickly.  We enjoyed the view and watching a bunch of kids trying to feed the squirrels. 

 One last view of the Oregon Coast.  Farewell!  We enjoyed your beaches and views!

Nearest City:Otter Rock, OR
 Location: N° W°
Time Needed: Not much
Difficulty: Easy
Kid Friendly:
Additional Info:

OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center

After visiting the aquarium nearby, we visited the Marine Science Center.  I actually liked it better than the aquarium. 

Outside the center is the yellow submarine.  It was used for some early exploration, but was retired to the center.

 Inside, there are numerous exhibits, including one of animal skulls, such as this walrus skull.  You could spend a lot of time at each exhibit.  I didn't take very many pictures because I was looking at the exhibits. 

The octopus tank is a pretty impressive exhibit.  It's front and center after you walk in the door.  This octopus is named Pearl.  They rotate octopi through the tank to help keep them healthy.  There's an octopus webcam at www.hmsc.oregonstate.edu/visitor/octocam that shows the octopus tank.  You could even watch the feedings every Monday, Thursday, and Saturday at 1:00 PM (Pacific Time). 

We liked this starfish in the octopus tank.  He was in the process of forcing a clam open to eat it.  It can take a while, but the starfish will win eventually and be rewarded with dinner. 

There was a whole lot to see here and I wish we could have spent more time, but the kids were fussy and needed naps so we cut our visit short.

Nearest City: Newport, OR
Location: 2030 SE Marine Science Drive, Newport, OR
Time Needed: 2+ hours
Difficulty: Easy
Kid Friendly: Older kid friendly.  This place would rock for teenagers.
Additional Info: Visit the OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center Website for hours and more info.  The center is free, but is supported by donations, so bring a few bucks to help keep it open!

The Oregon Coast Aquarium

While in Newport, we visited the Oregon Coast Aquarium.  It was fun to visit, but I thought it was a little overpriced.  But hey- we were there, so we were going! 

 The seals and sea lions were pretty active and showing off.  We watched them for a while until the crowd got too big. 

The underwater tunnels were our next stop.  I thought they were the best part of the aquarium.  Definitely cool to see the fish swimming all around and over your head.

 The third tunnel had the sharks and open water fish in it. 

One of the exhibits had some flounders in it with light sand on one side and dark sand on the other.  As the fish would swim from one side to the other, they'd settle on the bottom and change color to fit in with their new surroundings.  I took a picture of this flounder right after he swam from the dark side to the light side. 

 The seabird exhibit was fun too.  No penguins- this was a northern hemisphere exhibit! 

We liked looking at the peaceful movements of the jellyfish.  They look neat, but I don't want to tangle with one of them! 

We got to watch feeding time with the sea otters.  They sure liked eating the crabs!

Nearest City: Newport, OR
Location: 2820 Southeast Ferry Slip Road, Newport
Time Needed: 1/2 day
 Difficulty: Easy
Kid Friendly: Yes
Additional Info: Visit Aquarium.org for hours, admission, and other information.

Waterfalls at Silver Falls State Park

The next stop on our Oregon trip was at Silver Falls State Park.  It's a beautiful and peaceful park, about 30 miles east of Salem.  I'm sure it's crowded on the weekends, but in the middle of the week it was very crowd-free.  We opted to do the Trail of Ten Falls. the main and best hiking trail in the park.  There are several variations for the hike, the longest loop being 8 miles.  We opted to do a 5 mile loop, then to drive and do a hike of about 1 mile to see the remaining 2 waterfalls.  If you have 2 cars or can arrange a shuttle, that would be ideal. 

There are several old buildings (cafe, bookstore, etc) built by the CCC right near the biggest waterfall.  They were fun to see, but not why we came. 

South Falls is the tallest waterfall in the park at 177 feet tall.  The trail actually goes under the overhang.  It's maybe 1/4 mile to see Silver Falls. 

Lower South Falls is about 3/4 mile past South Falls.  It's only 93 feet tall, but is also very photogenic. 

 The trail goes behind Lower South Falls too.  Bring a jacket because you will get wet!

After Lower South Falls, there's a nearly a mile and a half before the next waterfall on the hike.  But don't worry, after all you are hiking through a temperate rainforest and there is an abundance of mossy trees, ferns, and vegetation.  It is so different from hiking in Utah where I am used to hiking! 

 A bridge crosses the North Fork of Silver Creek to let you know that you will soon see more waterfalls. 

 Lower North Falls soon comes into view.  It's 30 feet tall. 

Around the corner from Lower North Falls and up a small side trail is Double Falls.  Double Falls is a double drop that falls 178 feet- a foot taller than South Falls, but with a much smaller magnitude.

Soon after Double Falls is Drake Falls.  There's a viewing platform built out over the hillside to provide a better view of Drake Falls.  Drake Falls is a 27 foot drop.

Middle North Falls is very scenic too.  It's about 1/4 mile past Drake Falls.  There used to be a trail behind the waterfall, but it was closed off due to safety reasons.  It is 106 feet tall.

Occasionally the kids would need a break, so we let them out to run around and stretch before loading them back up again to hike on. 

Here's a side shot of Middle North Falls.  The problem with a lot of impressive waterfalls is that they start to seem normal when there are so many that are amazing all close together! 

We did a side trip up to Twin Falls.  It was my least favorite waterfall of the day.  Difficult, if not impossible to photograph, and  really not very spectacular.  31 feet tall. 

 The last waterfall of our 5 mile loop was Winter Falls.  It';s 134 feet tall and near a parking area. 

After Winter Falls, we were out of the canyon and had a mile to a mile and a half walk along the rim back to our car.  The kids needed a break, so we unloaded them for yet another snack, then distracted them with a nearly neverending game of "hide and go seek" down the trail. 

 We then drove to the north side of the park to hike to 2 more falls.  We just missed watching a couple get engaged at Upper North Falls.  It's a pretty spot.  It's a 65 foot drop and a short easy hike from the parking lot. 

 Below the parking lot is North Falls.  It is impressive too.  The trail goes underneath the alcove, but you don't need to worry about getting wet- it's a huge alcove.  North Falls is 136 feet tall. 

Here's a picture of the alcove.  There are holes in the ceiling left by tree stumps that were covered by lava when the basalt was layed down.  After North Falls we were done and tired, but also very relaxed and happy. 

Mt. Hood in the distance on the drive back to the Portland area.

Nearest City:
Location: N° W°
Time Needed: 6 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Kid Friendly: Somewhat.  We carried our young kids on the loop.
Additional Info: $5/car to access the park.  A trail map is available here.