Outdoor Activities

Outdoors

Hidden Gems among Oregon's State Parks

If you weren't looking for them, you'd never find them.

04/18/2024 By Sam Stites

Hasta Luego

This Gresham Company Offers Guided Outdoor Trips in Spanish

Loco por la Aventura aims to get more Portlanders who are Hispanic or Latino “vibing with nature.”

04/15/2024 By Ellee Thalheimer

Fore!

The 10 Best Portland-Area Public Golf Courses

These are the top public golf courses in the metro area, all within 35 minutes of downtown.

03/26/2024 By Sam Stites

Glow Up

Cosmic Tubing Is the Mood-Enhancing Activity You Need

Find neon lights, party tunes, and a jolt of joy on Mount Hood’s snowy slopes.

02/27/2024 By Rebecca Jacobson

Travel & Outdoors

12 Oregon Adventures to Get You Outdoors Every Month of the Year

Fly-fish on the Deschutes River, soak at Terwilliger Hot Springs, and ski late into spring at Mount Bachelor.

01/25/2024 By Portland Monthly Staff

Ski Trips

Beyond Hood: Eastern Oregon’s Ferguson Ridge Is the Gosh-Darn Cutest

The first rule about Fergi is we don’t talk about Fergi.

01/19/2024 By Margaret Seiler

Outdoors

How to Reserve a Hiking, Camping, or Backpacking Trip in Oregon

Trust the process—even if it is a little cumbersome.

01/19/2024 By Portland Monthly Staff

Ski Trips

Beyond Hood: Is Anthony Lakes Worth the Drive?

Find a beer yurt, a rollicking saloon, and the highest base elevation in the state at this laid-back Eastern Oregon ski area.

01/05/2024 By Margaret Seiler

Hiking

6 Post-Thanksgiving Hikes in and around Portland

Skip Black Friday and spend your turkey recovery day at Forest Park, on Mount Tabor, or taking advantage of free parking at a state park.

11/22/2023 By Gabriel Granillo With Isabel Lemus Kristensen

Creative Exercise

Rucking Takes a Hike in Portland

Pssst. People are rucking all around you.

10/20/2023 By Ellee Thalheimer Illustrations by Skyler Elzy

Public Transit

4 Fall Adventures around Portland with No Car

Leave the car at home for World Car Free Day—or just because gas is so expensive.

09/20/2023 By Margaret Seiler

Back Off, Idaho! A Visitor's Guide to Eastern Oregon

5 Crucial Tips for Camping in the Alvord Desert

We caught up with experienced playa-goers for their critical advice on visiting this otherworldly terrain.

09/04/2023 By Sam Stites

Cycling

Get Naked: Pedalpalooza’s Essential August Rides

The bike festival’s most famous ride, the World Naked Bike Ride, is back, plus four other recommended rides featuring lizards, gravel, freeway history, and ice cream.

08/01/2023 By Katherine Chew Hamilton

Pool Party

Renting a Private Pool in Portland Has Never Been Swimpler

Want to go for a dip? Swimply has turned Portland into a hotbed for backyard pool and hot tub rentals, from saltwater pools on hilltop hobby farms to backyard hangs.

06/22/2023 By Sam Stites

Rivers

It's Time For You to Meet the Magical Lower Deschutes River

Whatever your speed—dirtbag to debutante—there is something for you on the Lower Deschutes. From its beginnings high up near Mount Bachelor to where it flows into the Columbia River, Central Oregon's Deschutes River is a special place.

06/08/2023 By Sam Stites and Chad Brown

Adventure

Your Best Ever White Water Trip on the Lower Deschutes

Rafting on the Lower Deschutes River is an Oregon rite of passage, just a couple hours from Portland. Our own Sam Stites, a former rafting guide, tells us the outfitters, guides, and rapids to know.

06/08/2023 By Sam Stites

Essay

The Deschutes River Became My Therapist and Healer

"The pain I fought, the darkness I navigated, and the loneliness I endured as a navy veteran fighting PTSD would leave my body the closer I got to the river to fly-fish."

06/08/2023 By Chad Brown