Hi All-

We're an active couple in our 20's/30's, staying in Portland for 6 days in the second week of August at Hotel Deluxe. Interested in:

- Hiking
- Biking
- Rental of Motorcycle
- Wine Tasting in Willamette Valley
- Craft Breweries
- General Exploration

As of the moment we've got no transportation reserved, trying to rely on a local friend or the train system to get us around where needed but are willing to rent a car.

We want to see/do as much as possible but spread it out so that we're not rushed and have time to relax a bit. Any suggestions on how to spread out our itinerary are welcome and most appreciated. Thanks!

I'd definitely rent a car at least part of the time. I suppose you could rent a motorcycle instead - no idea how you go about that vs. just renting a car...

Anyway, I'd put the Columbia River Gorge on your list of must-sees; it's 30 minutes east of Portland and spectacular. You'll all most certainly want your own wheels for that. You could spend the entire day hiking in the Gorge as well, exploring the various trails between waterfalls and such. But you could also get the gist of it in half a day. Some people throw in Hood River and Mt. Hood as well and make a day of all of that.

Going the opposite direction, you might head out to the Oregon Coast; while you can get out to Cannon Beach in about 90 minutes, since you mention the Willamette Valley, you might want to go out toward Lincoln City (coast) instead, and the driving route takes you through Dundee and a bunch of wineries. You can hike out on the coast; one suggestion might be hiking out at Cascade Head north of Lincoln City - spectacular views of the ocean from up at the top of your hike. You could drive north up US 101 to Cannon Beach, tons of beautiful scenery to see (the coast isn't like the Shore on the east coast in the summer: too cold to swim, mostly.)

In Portland itself, you can get around without your own wheels. The Hotel deLuxe is close to some MAX (train) stations. You can walk to Powell's Books and the Pearl District, and, for an "active couple" you could easily walk from your hotel right up the hill to the International Rose Test Garden (aka "Rose Garden") up in Washington Park. You can hike all up in the hills there, too, all day if you want, in Washington and Forrest Parks and still be not all that far from your hotel.

Otherwise...search the United States forum for "portland" and you'll find tons of old posts with lots of suggestions for things to do in Portland, places to eat, etc.

To add to Andrew's suggestions.... Reasons to throw in Hood River and Mt. Hood to the Columbia River Gorge trip are the Fruit Loop - http://www.hoodriverfruitloop.com/index.html - and Timberline Lodge - http://www.timberlinelodge.com/.

Winery schedules don't mesh well with a trip to the coast, so plan those activities for separate days. Dundee is one of several towns in the heart of wine country, which is generally an area 25-40 miles southwest of Portland. Others are Newberg, McMinnville, Carlton, and Amity. My favorite wine tasting route is to take North Valley Road west from Newberg to Ribbon Ridge, turn left, and head towards Carlton. A bazillion good tasting options along that route.

One other day-trip thought: Mount St. Helens.

More brewpubs than you can count in Portland. Some within walking distance of Hotel De Luxe that you might like: Deschutes, Rogue Ales, Bridgeport, New Old Lompoc... Or, just head to Henry's 12th Street Tavern, where there are 100 beers on tap.

Are you thinking about renting bicycles?

Another terrific hike is Cascade Head just north of Pacific City. In Pacific "City" you can watch the dory boats head out while enjoying a beer at the Pelican Brewery. Heading south, the Newport Aquarium is fantastic. Beaches along the way offer great walking, maybe even whale watching. A good resource is The Oregon Coast Visitors Association site: visittheoregoncoast.com.

Right, I mentioned Cascade Head too, but it's north of Lincoln City (and close to the intersection of US 101 and OR 18) and south of Pacific City.

I like AAA's Oregon Coast tour map as a resource for Oregon Coast info you can easily take with you.

Thanks All!

Andrew, appreciate the maps suggestion. I'd tried searching Portland in a general sense on tne web and it's just so much info to get through.

Passerbye, yes, definitely going to rent bicycles. Between that and the walking, I feel confident we can get around hte city easily. It's the trips out of town that we'll need the car for, I think. I appreciate the winery tour suggestions..the Valley just seems more overwhelming than I'd anticipated.

Much obliged!

AntInNewYork, try searching with "Search the Forums" at the top of this page, not Google, and you'll find lots of relevant info on Portland from other Fodor's posts. It should be much less difficult to sort through than Google!

Thanks! I'm sure I will be in touch with more queries soon

We just returned from a stay at The Allison Inn & Spa in Newburg, wow what an amazing place! If you can, try to have a meal at their restaurant there, Jory. You can make reservations on opentable. Our meal was delicious there and the resort is so gorgeous and in a beautiful setting. We enjoyed wine tasting at Domaine Serene and Stoller Vineyards before going to Salem for the afternoon. ***kim***

There is a great biking trail called the Springwater Corrider in Portland - am sure you can get a map when you rent bikes - also a map you can download on line- trails goes along both side of the river and through some residential areas

Its mostly paved without traffic

Thanks folks..I'm so sorry - just seeing these now!

So far we've got:

Thursday - free day in the city

Friday - renting a car and hitting wineries (Domaine Serene, Penner Ash, Ponzi, Domaine Drouhin, Archery Summit and Sokol Blesser are all on the list)

Saturday - a friend is taking us to hike Eagle Creek and then sightsee Multnomah Falls

Sunday - Brunch and exploring

Monday - renting a motorcycle but not yet sure where we're riding but want to incorporate sightsteeing or a very light hike into the day. Recommendations appreciated.

Tuesday - free day in the city. Depart 10:30 p.m. for red-eye back home

In the meantime, we've got an abundance of restaurant/bar recommendations but love the idea of the Rose Garden and the Springwater Corridor for bicycling.

Is whale watching within 2 hours of Portland?

Kim, how far is Jory from downtown? We're staying in the Pearl District.


Thanks, all!!

Try to see more than Multnomah Falls if you have time. That's just the biggest and most popular (crowded) waterfall in an area near several nice ones. But only Multnomah Falls is simple to get to from I-84; you exit the freeway and park and walk over to see it. That's why it's always so crowded especially as this is probably the busiest tourist time of the year in Oregon. The other falls nearby require you to drive the Columbia River Scenic Highway so it's a longer commitment than just a freeway stop. Well worth seeing the other falls and views if you have the time.

I actually saw whales near Depoe Bay on the coast a few years ago (from land) in August - a freak thing, don't know how common that is or if anyone can guarantee you can see them when you are there. That's maybe 2.5 hours southwest of Portland on highway 101. There may be better options.

The restaurant Jory is at the Allison Inn & Spa in Newberg, about 25 miles from Portland. It might fit into your wine-tasting day, but probably not otherwise. On the subject of wine tasting, neither Ponzi nor Penner Ash fit particularly well into that itinerary. Consider De Ponte, White Rose, and/or Torii Mor instead, all of which are in the same area as the others you're planning to visit.

I'm wondering why you're not including a day-trip to the coast, which is not just for whale-watching ya know! In fact, it might be the most scenic in the country.