Little-known fact: Nearly three-quarters of the forest of Forest Park is bigleaf maples and red alders—not Douglas firs. Nowhere is this deciduous umbrella more delightful than along the aptly named Maple Trail; in fall, groves of bigleaf maples rain down piles of crimson-and-gold leaves. This loop hike will tour you through much of the central part of Forest Park and past some of its most impressive trees. Note that sections of both the Maple and Wildwood trails are closed, but well-signed detours are in place.

There is no one right way to explore Portland’s living tree museum, which ranges over 187 ridge-top acres and includes some 12 miles of trails. But we're fans of this loop hike, which starts at the southern terminus of the Wildwood Trail. While the western part of the loop winds among conifers, in the eastern half you'll find an abundance of deciduous trees wearing their most vibrant fall finery, including sugar maples and flowering ash.

Just north of Vancouver, Washington, Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge is a prime place for viewing animals, particularly the many migratory birds that pass through this rich wetland ecosystem from September through December. There are more tranquil attractions here, too—witness the numerous Oregon white oaks, whose fall leaves turn copper as their branches grow heavy with acorns. If you’re lucky (and quiet), you might even spot a coyote or an adorable red fox.

Stretching from Scappoose to forested areas of Columbia County, the Crown Zellerbach is a friendly year-round trail. Once a logging road and now open to hikers, cyclists, and horseback riders, it snakes through several small communities and parallels the Scappoose-Vernonia Highway, allowing visitors to choose the length of their adventure with numerous entry-point trailheads along the way.

Popular, difficult, and rewarding, the 7.5-mile Hamilton Mountain Loop in Beacon Rock State Park on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge boasts three gorgeous waterfalls and, during fall, rows of yellow maples bordered by towering green Douglas firs. From the summit, take in sweeping views of Table Mountain, Bonneville Dam, and Mount Adams. 

Falling water plus falling fiery leaves add up to a wonderful autumn outing at Silver Falls State Park, about 20 miles southeast of Salem. The signature Trail of 10 Falls packs 10 waterfalls into one scenic trail loop that threads through Technicolor foliage in the fall, from red alder to yellow-hued maple. It goes without saying: Bring your camera. 

The best view of Mount Hood is found atop the second tallest peak in the Mt. Hood National Forest: Lookout Mountain, a 6,536-foot ridge just seven miles east of the main event. The most direct way up is via High Prairie Loop 493, a wide, gently graded trail. From the High Prairie trailhead (just off US Forest Service Road 4410, about five miles south of FS 44, or Dufur Mill Road), start your hike in a counterclockwise direction. You’ll walk under mossy hemlocks and through meadows, catching your first Hood views after three quarters of a mile. From the summit, views are limitless on a clear day: Central Oregon desert, Mount Jefferson, and the curve of Hood River winding from the snowy peak. Golden larches only sweeten the deal.

Each autumn, golden-needled larch trees and huckleberry bushes glow like oven burners in Southwest Washington’s Indian Heaven Wilderness. From Cultus Creek Campground north of Trout Lake, Indian Heaven Trail No. 33 provides quick access to the bounty. A short but steep 1.4-mile climb exits thick forest to reveal Mount Adams reigning over an evergreen kingdom lit by torch-bright larches. Just around a nearby bend, quiet Cultus Lake looks upon craggy Lemei Rock—at 5,925 feet, the highest point in Indian Heaven. Nimble-legged hikers can continue on a 2.2-mile trek toward the crumbly flank and a vista of Rainier and St. Helens, as well as Lake Wapiki. For rapture on demand, detour from Cultus on a signed short spur to Deep Lake, which sits in a secluded, fir-encircled basin crowned by snow-robed Mount Adams.