Oregon Outdoors
Oregon OutdoorsA Guide to Biking, Hiking, Running, Walking, Water Sports, Skiing, Fishing, and Hunting |
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Oregon outdoors starts in Portland. Let’s hear from Michael Houck and M.J. Cody, editors of Wild in The City. Here is three paragraphs from the first section of the book (A Sense of Place) called River City written by Robin Cody:
Most active cities: Portland is No. 1 in U.S.A.Portland was named the No. 1 city for being active in 2013 by Men’s Health magazine. The magazine ranks 100 American cities from most active to least active. Factors included the amount of exercise at home and at gyms, TV watching and video game popularity, not to mention some statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And, since anyone who lives here knows Portland is by no means the least active city in the U.S.A., it’s safe to assume it’s somewhere near the top of most active. At the very top, even, with Boise, Salt Lake City and the twins, Minneapolis and St. Paul, right behind. The Journey of OR-7
In a moment of rare historic symmetry, OR7 — born to the first pack of wolves to return to Oregon since that tragic day – may have passed by the very spot in the Umpqua National Forest where Oregon’s last wolf was killed. After spending time in the Soda Mt. Wilderness, Klamath Basin and Sky Lakes Wilderness south of Crater Lake, he continued his journey South and became the first wolf confirmed in California in nearly a century! Part of what made his trek across the state possible were the Wilderness and roadless areas he traveled through. In an attempt to draw attention to the great conservation success story that is wolf recovery, Oregon Wild sponsored a kids art and naming contest. On January 4, 2012 OR-7 got a new name — Journey. On the very same day, the first “real” photo of Journey — taken by a hunters trail camera — surfaced in the Medford Mail Tribune. A few months later, the first color photo of Journey was released by the California Department of Fish & Game (above). >>You can get the latest updates on Journey’s travels here. |
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Portland Parks |
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Portland is one of the “greenest” cities in the US. This distinction comes from the climate (vegetation loves rain), and a civic pride in protecting the environment. One obvious display of city’s stewardship is the number of parks it contains. Overall, the Portland park scene rates very high according to the Center for City Park Excellence. We’re second in our density class for park land as a percentage of city land area. Portland has 24.8 acres per 1,000 residents or a total of 13,357 acres.
Forest Park encompasses 5,000 plus acres abutting Portland’s affluent “West Hills.” It includes 74 miles of trails, and is a popular retreat for runners, hikers, mountain bikers, and birders. Just to the west of downtown is Hoyt Arboretum with 220 acres where hikers and runners can access over twelve miles of trails. Further south along the West Hills is Council Crest Park, which affords the best view of the city from above, and on the opposite (east) side of the city is the 195 acre Mount Tabor Park, another vantage with paths winding through old-growth forest.
Located only minutes (southwest) from downtown Portland is Oregon’s only state park within a major metropolitan area. Everyday, visitors come to hike or stroll the 645 acre Tryon Creek State Park’s nature trails through the verdant ravine between Boones Ferry Road and Terwilliger Boulevard in southwest Portland. Cyclists of all ages bike along the paved trail on the park’s eastern edge, stopping along the way to admire a trillium. Tryon Creek is one of the only streams in the metro area with a run of steelhead trout. The mission of the Urban Greenspaces Institute is to ensure that parks, regional trail systems, greenways and greensapces are integrated with the built environment in the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan region, and to promote urban greenspace efforts national and internationally. The Institute engages in a variety of programs and activities to pursue its mission of better integrating the natural and built environments and ensuing parks, trails, and greenspaces are included in growth management strategies for the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan region. Metro’s Portfolio of Natural Areas, Parks and Trails is an 80-page document that describes Metro’s 15,000 acres of parks and natural clusters. It’s a good guide to help you with selecting the trails and parks you may want to visit. Metro is the area’s regional government. |
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40-Mile Loop |
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![]() The connected system was to be a 40-mile loop encircling the city. But over the year the 40 miles blossomed into more than 140 miles and connected over 30 parks. Maps and Web Site for the 40-Mile LoopYou can purchase a map for $4 at the Travel Portland Information Center in Pioneer Courthouse Square or the Portland Parks and Recreation office in The Portland Building (1120 S.W. Fifth Ave.). Or you can download it from www.40mileloop.org and print out segments, though you may find the purchased map more convenient. The Portland Parks and Recreation Web site has a number of trail maps that you can download. As biking has become more popular over the last few years, cyclists have discovered the trails on the 40-Mile Loop — it is the signature project for city cycling. For hardcore cyclists, it’s possible to do the loop in one day, but that’s not really recommended. Instead, pick a trailhead or a convenient nearby side street and enjoy a down-and-back ride on the loop. Or start from almost anywhere along the loop and do what everybody else did 100 years ago: Take the trolley (or some equivalent) home. |
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Statewide Map Lists 235 Sites to View Oregon Creatures |
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![]() Because they had to stop somewhere, the list was narrowed down to 235 sites, all on public land, where visitors have a decent chance of seeing at least some of Oregon’s approximately 140 land mammal species, 30 amphibian species, 30 reptile species and 275 bird species. Another 85 or so bird species migrate through the state. The online map takes some getting used to, but taking time to learn what it offers is worthwhile; a two-minute tutorial offered on the map’s front page is a good place to start. Color coded by recreation zones, the map is ideal for those headed out on an Oregon road trip and wondering where to look for wildlife. For instance, if weekend plans are taking you to the south coast, click on the red flag indicating Harris Beach State Park. A box pops up describing trails to tide pools and explaining that just offshore is a bird sanctuary occupied by tufted puffins, Leach’s storm-petrels and brown pelicans. The box leads viewers to a link filled with everything you might need to know about the park, from the yurts and cabins for rent there to the dramatic storms that blast through the area in winter. O |
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Forest Service Cabins for Rent |
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![]() These recreation rentals are offered to the public under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act. Rental fees are retained locally to help maintain and preserve these historic properties. Pets are allowed in many of the recreation rentals available to the public. Many of the cabins and lookouts that compose the Recreation Lodging offering in the Pacific Northwest Region are the historic representatives of a once- extensive system of protective structures designed to detect wildfires – and to house fire guards, “smoke chasers”, who formed the front-line defense in fighting those fires as the initial attack. The cabins were “Guard Stations” – intermediate protective facilities between the Ranger Station and the back country. Guard Stations were strategically located, to afford the maximum contact with people headed into the back country– to check permits, provide information, and caution about the use of fire. There are over 50 units for rent. For information about renting a cabin visit the US Forest Service Web site page about rentals at Recreation Rentals in the Pacific Northwest. |
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Join an Outdoor Club |
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The Portland metro area has a number of outstanding non-profit member clubs where you can team up with other members for your favorite outdoor activity. It’s a great way to meet people with similar interests and it is also an economical way to participate in the outdoors. Here are a few of the most popular clubs.
Outdoor Clubs
Environment Organizations
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Hiking and Poking Around |
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Biking |
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![]() There are, of course, large national companies like Nike and Columbia Sportswear that have headquarters here and sell some cycling-related products, and there are well-known brands like Team Estrogen, which sells cycling clothing for women online from a Portland suburb. There is the growing number of smaller businesses, whether bike frame builders or clothing makers, that often extol recycling as much as cycling, sustainability as much as success. With Metro’s eighth edition Bike There! map, you can explore 235 miles of off-street trails and over 600 miles of on-street bike routes. This map can be purchased at numerous bike shops in Portland as well as Powell’s Books. Oregon Bike Events and Bike Trips
Bike Clubs
Biking Resources
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Running |
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Walking |
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Portland is among the top 10 walkable cities in the nation, according to a Web site that measures walkability. Walkscore.com ranked the largest cities in the nation on a scale of zero to 100 based on how easy it is to live a “car-lite” lifestyle. Portland is number 12, with a walk score of 66.
Seven neighborhoods in Portland are Walkers’ Paradises, with walks scores of 90-100. Forty-five percent of Portland residents have a walk score of 70 or above. Eighty-three percent have a walk score of at least 50 — and 17 percent live in car-dependent neighborhoods. Oregon Crosswalk LawLegislators decided to make it clear in 2011 that a pedestrian was crossing the street — and that cars should safely stop— when any part of the pedestrian moved into a crosswalk with an intent to cross. ORS 811.028 is the section affected by the new law. Specifically: “For the purposes of this section, a pedestrian is crossing the roadway in a crosswalk when any part or extension of the pedestrian, including but not limited to any part of the pedestrians [sic] body, wheelchair, cane, crutch or bicycle, moves onto the roadway in a crosswalk with the intent to proceed.” Magazines
Walking Clubs
Portland Walking Guides
Other Walking Resources
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Skiing |
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Ski Clubs
Ski Resorts
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Water Sports |
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For water enthusiasts, there is a riverside park that stretches along the Willamette near downtown, and the river itself a haven for boaters of all every stripe. One of the best kept secrets for flatwater paddlers is Bybee and Smith Lakes, in north Portland, which offer one of the most isolated settings within the city. Just across the Willamette from these lakes is Sauvie Island, a large farming community with rustic roads that many bikers ride. The island has lots of water also.
The Oregon Kayaking Web site offers the best information on area kayaking – click on the site’s “links” and you will understand the breadth of our water resources here in the Pacific Northwest. Clubs
River RaftingOregon has some of the most exciting rivers in the world and rafting down one of them is an experience of a lifetime. Here is a partial list of outfitters that offer river trips:
RowingPortland has some very competitive rowing clubs, including the co-ed Willamette Rowing Club, and the women-only Portland Women’s Rowing. But there are several clubs for beginners that also retain separate competitive rowing programs. Prices for classes vary. So do the membership fees that give rowers who have completed a learn-to-row class access to club boats under coached supervision.
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Fishing |
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Some of the best fishing in the world can be found in Oregon. Oregon has many famous rivers such as the Deschutes (central Oregon), McKenzie, and the Rogue (southwestern Oregon). Coastal water for big boat fisherman who love to “throw bait” at the fish are also inviting. Deschutes River Stoneflies
below is a video of fishing for rainbows on the Deschutes during a stonefly hatch.
Favorite ShopsFishing Resources
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Hunting |
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![]() Sauvie Island Waterfowl HuntingFew U.S. cities are within a 30-minute drive of a major waterfowl hunting area. Portland is an exception. Northwest of the city, Sauvie Island’s 12,000-plus acre wildlife management area, owned and managed by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, is a major stopover and wintering area for many of the Pacific Flyway’s ducks and geese. The management area offers regular hunting throughout the duck season and limited goose hunting. It’s divided into three zones:
Reservations are by application and are separated into several segments throughout the hunting season. There is a stand-by line each hunt morning from which unfilled reservations are filled on a first-come basis. Often, those who get bad draws on the west side drive to the stand-by line on the east to take their chances. Contact information: Sauvie Island Wildlife Area Hunt Result Hotline (503) 657-2000 x395 or Sauvie Island Wild Life Area main line (503) 621-3488. Brian Maguire of Portland carries a lifelong conservation ethic on his hunter’s sleeve and knows how to use both the federal and state systems of public land management to get attention for wild areas. His participation in the Mount Hood bill resulted in protection of about 16,000 of the bill’s 125,000-acre addition to the wilderness that just cleared a Senate committee. All of it is prime winter habitat for deer, elk and hundreds of other fish and wildlife species benefiting from protection. In 2007, Field & Stream magazine named him one of six finalists in its “Heroes of Conservation” awards. His passion is big game hunting. Know The Serial Number of Your FirearmsIn the city of Portland, gun owners need to know the serial numbers of their firearms, and tell authorities if their gun is stolen. The city can fine owners who fail to do so. Hunting Resources
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