Hit List

The Best Farms and Orchards for Apple Picking near Portland

We’ve narrowed down the region’s autumnal offerings, with great mountain views, kid-friendly vibes, and rare varietals ripe for the picking.

09/04/2025 By Alex Frane and Portland Monthly Staff

History Tour

Visit These Oregon Ghost Towns This Fall

Once-bustling towns like Bridal Veil, Shaniko, and Golden hold remnants of the state's past.

10/22/2024 By Gabriel Granillo

Boo

Halloween Events Past the Pumpkin Patch and Haunted Houses

Philip Glass's Dracula, lasers at OMSI, and Wicked is on Broadway.

10/11/2024 By Portland Monthly Staff

Hit the Trail

8 Sublime Fall Hikes in and near Portland

Head to these trails in Oregon and Washington for misty waterfalls, migrating birds, and golden-needled larches.

10/10/2024 By Portland Monthly Staff

Get Lost

Lose Yourself in These 7 Portland-Area Corn Mazes

Work your way through the dead ends and wrong turns, then reward yourself with apple cider doughnuts.

10/07/2024 By Portland Monthly Staff

Leaf Peeping

Where to Check Out Fall Colors in Portland and Beyond

See changing autumnal leaves at Lone Fir Cemetery, Portland Japanese Garden, and across Oregon.

10/03/2024 By Portland Monthly Staff

Cinema

Where to Watch Horror Movies on the Big Screen in Portland This Halloween

The city’s classic theaters are ready to bring a chill to your October.

10/02/2024 By Conner Reed and Matthew Trueherz

Squash Season

11 Great Pumpkin Patches to Visit near Portland This Fall

Pumpkins? Check. Also: hayrides, corn mazes, farm animals, apple cider doughnuts, and so much more.

10/01/2024 By Cami Hughes

Halloween

Visit These Portland Haunted Houses for Halloween Pregaming

Haunted manors, zombie graveyards, and spooky drive-ins to get you in the most frightful of moods.

09/26/2024 By Portland Monthly Staff

Squash the Competition

How to Grow a Giant Pumpkin and Paddle It to Regatta Victory

A reigning champion of Tualatin's annual race spills his hard-won tips.

09/20/2024 Illustrations by Sam Island By Rebecca Jacobson

Travel

6 Fun and Easy Fall Day Trips near Portland

Sip cider in Hood River, get spooked in St. Helens, and celebrate the fall harvest around Wilsonville.

09/16/2024 By Portland Monthly Staff

The Game of Portland

Navigating the Great Corn Maze of Fall in Portland

Look up at the swifts, look down at the mushrooms.

09/11/2024 Illustrations by Hawk Krall By Portland Monthly Staff

Swifties Unite

The Definitive Guide to Watching the Vaux’s Swifts in Portland

It’s basically our city’s Mardi Gras.

08/27/2024 By Rebecca Jacobson

Breakfast

The Fall 2023 Breakfast Challenge: Try Our 5 Favorite Dishes

From the usual suspects like apple-cinnamon pancakes to picks like spicy Vietnamese noodle soup, this is how to start your day as the leaves begin to fall.

10/27/2023 By Katherine Chew Hamilton

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

Music

Portland Monthly’s Essential Fall 2022 Playlist

Lush, autumnal tracks from Portlanders including Dead Moon, Rasheed Jamal, Dakota Theim and more.

10/14/2022 By Conner Reed

Pumpkin Spice

Portland’s Great Pumpkin Dishes, Drinks & Desserts

Squash your pumpkin cravings with these seasonal specials.

10/12/2022 By Katherine Chew Hamilton

Hike of the Month

Hike of the Month: Trail of 10 Falls at Silver Falls State Park

A stunner year-round, the picturesque waterfall trail at Silver Falls State Park is bursting with color in autumn.

10/06/2022 By Michelle Harris

Feature

Remembering Vampira and Tarantula Ghoul, Oregon’s Scream Queens

Inside the legacies of two locally grown horror hosts

10/03/2022 By Conner Reed Illustrations by Patrick Leger

Fall Road Trips

Going Solo in Washington’s San Juan Islands: Kayaking, Mountain Hikes, and Peace and Quiet

Take a slow trip via ferry to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, with detours to Orcas, Lopez, and other parts of the archipelago on the Salish Sea.

09/09/2022 By Ryan Good