Mount Defiance─ the Undisputed Granddaddy of the Gorge

Quick Facts: Location: Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, Oregon Land Agency: National Forest Service Roundtrip: 13.2 miles Elevation Gain: 5,130 feet Green Trails Map: Columbia River Gorge-West Map 428S Access: From Portland follow I-84 east to Exit 55 to the Starvation Creek Trailhead. Contact: Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area Recommended Guidebook: Day Hiking Columbia…

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Bear Lake—A bear of a lake but not of a hike!

Quick Facts: Location: Mark O Hatfield Wilderness, Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, Oregon Land Agency: National Forest Service Roundtrip: 2.4 miles Elevation Gain: 575 feet Green Trails Map: Columbia River Gorge -West No 428S Contact: Mount Hood National Forest, Hood River Ranger Station Notes: Wilderness rules apply Access: From Portland follow I-84 east to…

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Steens Mountain– Into the heart of Oregon’s “Big Empty”

Quick Facts: Location: Great Basin, Eastern Oregon Land Agency: Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area (BLM) Roundtrip: Kiger Gorge Rim; up to 4.0 miles Elevation gain: Up to 500 feet Difficulty: moderate Contact: BLM Burns Office  Access: From Burns, Oregon travel 60 miles south to Frenchglen. Take Steens Mountan Loop Road for 23 miles.…

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Virginia Lake─Sweet bird watching spot on Sauvie Island

Quick Facts: Location: Sauvie Island (Portland, Oregon) Land Agency: Willamette River Greenway, Wapato Access (Oregon State Parks) Roundtrip: 2.4 miles Elevation Gain: 50 feet Notes: Dogs must be leashed. Access: From downtown Portland, follow US 30 (NW St Helens Road) west for just shy of 11 miles turning right onto the Suavie Island Bridge. Then…

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Warrior Rock Lighthouse─A scenic and historic hike on Oregon’s largest island

Quick Facts: Location: Sauvie Island (Portland, Oregon) Land Agency: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Roundtrip: 6.5 miles Elevation Gain: 10 feet Access: From downtown Portland, follow US 30 west for just shy of 11 miles turning right onto the Sauvie Island Bridge. Follow Sauvie Island Road passing Cracker Barrel Grocery in .3 mile (where…

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Lookout Mountain

Flowers and sweeping views from highest point in the Badger Creek Wilderness Quick Facts: Location: Badger Creek Wilderness Land Agency: Mount Hood National Forest Distance: 2.5 miles roundtrip Elevation Gain: 550 feet Contact: Barlow Ranger District, Mount Hood National Forest Map: Green Trails Mount Hood Wilderness 462SX Notes: Northwest Trail Pass or interagency pass required…

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Eagle Creek — Classic Hike overflows with stunning waterfalls

Quick Facts: Location: Columbia River Gorge near Cascades Locks, Oregon Land Agency: National Forest Service Roundtrip: 12 miles High Point: 1,100 feet Elevation gain: 1,600 feet Difficulty: moderate Green Trails Maps: Columbia Gorge West no. 428S Contact: Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area Notes: Northwest Forest Pass or Interagency Pass required; Dogs permitted (but not recommended) on leash; steep drop offs and exposure—keep children near.…

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Horse Creek Trail–Trot through towering coastal old-growth forest

Quick Facts: Location: Drift Creek Wilderness, Siuslaw National Forest Land Agency: National Forest Service Roundtrip: 7.2 miles Map: Online from Forest Service Elevation gain: 1,400 feet Difficulty: moderate Contact: Central Coast Ranger District (Waldport), Siuslaw National Forest Notes: Drift Creek Wilderness is south of Newport. Do not confuse with popular Drift Creek Falls near Lincoln…

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Tomlike Mountain–There’s much to like about this Columbia River Gorge peak

Quick Facts: Location: Mark Hatfield Wilderness, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon Land Agency: Mount Hood National Forest Roundtrip: 6.0 miles Elevation gain: 1,300 feet Green Trails Map: Columbia River Gorge -West No 428S Contact: Mount Hood National Forest, Hood River Ranger Station Notes: Northwest Forest Pass or Inter-agency Pass Required Recommended Guidebook: Day Hiking Columbia River…

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