PDX Index

Wanna Play in Oregon’s Great Outdoors This Spring? It’ll Cost You.

Kayakers, hikers, anglers, and RV’ers: prepare to cough up.

02/25/2020 By Julia Silverman

Such Great Heights

Go Off the Grid in the Sierra Nevada

But no Donner Party endings here.

01/21/2020 By Margaret Seiler

History

125 Years Ago, Hundreds of Climbers Undertook a Mass Ascent of Mount Hood

And on the summit, they founded the Mazamas alpine club.

06/25/2019 By Rebecca Jacobson

Summer Adventures

The Ultimate Guide to Oregon's Great Outdoors

Hike, bike, and paddle your way around the wildest corners of the Northwest.

05/28/2019 Edited by Benjamin Tepler

Summer Adventures: Under Construction

Some of These 6 Oregon Trails Don’t Exist Yet—But They Will Be Epic

These trails are the future of outdoor adventuring in Oregon.

05/28/2019 By Ramona DeNies, Margaret Seiler, Fiona McCann, Benjamin Tepler, Kelly Clarke, and Marty Patail

Summer Adventures: The Gorge

Two Years After the Eagle Creek Fire, Some of the Gorge’s Most Iconic Hikes Are Open Again

Here are three hikes to get you back into the Gorge.

05/28/2019 By Benjamin Tepler

Biketown

Get Ready for More Bike-Diverting Summer Work on the Springwater Corridor

From May to November, bridge construction on the popular east-west path will derail two stretches of trail.

04/24/2019 By Shayla Norris-York

Wildfire Upside

Could Wildfires Help Save Oregon's Native Bees?

The hotter the blaze, the buzzier are Oregon's 500-some bee species.

04/15/2019 By Shayla Norris-York

Insider's Guide 2019

75 Things Every Portlander Must Do

We tapped art aficionados, food fanatics, entrepreneurs, and outdoor enthusiasts for their picks of things every Portlander must do.

03/26/2019 Edited by Fiona McCann

Insider’s Guide 2019: Outside

An Expert Urban Hiker Shares the Portland Parks, Bridges, and Landmarks You Need to See

Laura O. Foster—author of eight Portland guidebooks—knows exactly where to go for the views.

03/26/2019 By Benjamin Tepler

Outdoor News

Permit Quotas Are Coming to 80 Oregon Trailheads in 2020

Meet limited entry—a possible new normal for some overcrowded Oregon wilderness areas.

03/25/2019 By Wriik Maui

Spring Road Trips: Oregon Outback

The Oregon Outback Offers Up Otherworldly Views and Healing Hot Springs

Seeking total solitude? Look no further.

02/26/2019 By Kelly Clarke, Rebecca Jacobson, Emma Mannheimer, and Benjamin Tepler

Fall Migration

On Willapa Bay, Bird-Watchers Get a New Festival

It's a weekend-long birding nerd-out with events that span the Long Beach Peninsula—by kayak, bicycle, foot, and even 4x4.

09/18/2018 By Sydney Dauphinais

Long Weekends

9 Incredible Long Weekend Escapes

Whatever you desire, these small-town gems and unexpected destinations are a total trip.

09/11/2018 Edited by Kelly Clarke

Long Weekends: Victorians & Views

Head to Port Townsend for Victorian Architecture, Wild Vistas, and Oysters

The Olympic Peninsula town is charming. And maybe haunted.

09/11/2018 By Arlo Voorhees

Long Weekends: Above the Treetops

This Washington Lookout Tower Offers the Ultimate Solitude

Recently retrofitted, Heybrook boasts board games and panoramic views alike.

09/11/2018 By Ramona DeNies

Local Travel

The Insider’s Weekend Guide to Bend

Head southeast to soak up that glorious sun and splash in the Deschutes.

08/03/2018 By Ramona DeNies

Get Out of Town

The Ultimate Pacific Northwest Camping Cheat Sheet

Turned around on snowy forest roads? Sick of sold-out campgrounds? Here's how to win the camping game.

08/03/2018 By Benjamin Tepler Research by Catherine Johnson

Hometown Pride

Portlander Colin O’Brady Just Set Another Speed Record

With a final step atop Mount Hood on July 19, O’Brady conquered the highest peak in every American state in a mere 21 days—a world record.

07/20/2018 By Sydney Dauphinais

Cache Me If You Can

Geocaching Is the Geekiest Outdoors Activity (and It Began in Oregon)

What's up with this wood-walking, GPS-stalking hobby?

07/17/2018 By Catherine Johnson