< Previous10 OUTDOOR RECREATION THE MOLALLA RIVER CORRIDOR RECREATION AREA J ust outside the town of Molalla, there’s a quiet wilderness waiting to be explored by foot, bicycle or horseback. Visit for the day or settle in at one of several waterside campsites and spend the weekend. Either way you’ll leave refreshed. HIKING From the Hardy Creek Trailhead about 3.5 miles south of the Glen Avon Bridge, you can venture out into the surrounding forested ridges on 25 miles of beginner, intermediate and advanced-level trails. Start out on the easy Huckleberry Trail. This wide gravel trail is the backbone to several other rides and hikes, ranging from the moderate Molalla Rim Loop and Looney’s to steep pitches, such as the Deer Skull Trail. Enjoy making your way through groves of old Douglas fir trees with views of the cold, clear waters of the Molalla River. CAMPING There’s nothing like the sound of a crackling fire, except perhaps that of a babbling river just beyond your tent. Three Bears Recreation Site and Cedar Grove Recreation Site offer walk-in tent camping. Until 2022, sites had only been available on a first come, first served basis, but now select sites are reservable at Recreation.gov, so you can plan ahead. Here delightful gravel paths take you down to sites tucked into thick groves of evergreens, some of which are perched right on the banks of the river. Pitch your tent and skip a rock from the shore or read a book with the sound of small rapids as your background music. Both campgrounds have vault toilets and feature sites equipped with a tent pad, metal fire rings, barbecue grills and a picnic table. Campgrounds are open mid-May to mid-October but tend to fill up quickly. FISHING While there are some great fishing holes right near the campgrounds, walk a bit farther to find big rewards on this river. It’s home to sizable, hard-fighting winter steelhead in the fall and even Chinook salmon in the spring. Or try casting a Royal Wulff fly to a rising trout near a rock wall. You may not always come back with a fish, but you’ll surely have a great story to tell. Remember to check with the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife for fishing regulations and to purchase your license online. Top: Camping at Three Bears Recreation Site Above: Anglers cast a line into the Molalla RiverMIDWEEK ON THE MOUNTAIN OUTDOOR RECREATION O regon’s Mt. Hood Territory is more popular than ever these days, especially in the winter. And why shouldn’t it be? Hundreds of inches of powder, two world-class ski areas — one with the most inbound vertical terrain in the entire U.S., the other with the largest night skiing area in the country — plus cross-country ski, snowshoe and snowmobile tours and even sleigh rides. Who wouldn’t head to the hills for that kind of snowy action? There’s a way to get in on all this while beating the weekend crowds: Go midweek. Not only will you find shorter lines and wait times, which means more time for snow play, but you’ll likely also find better deals on passes, accommodations and more. TIMBERLINE Perched at 6,000 feet on the shoulder of 11,245-foot Mt. Hood, iconic Timberline Lodge is the historic hub for the surrounding ski area. It has close to 1,700 acres of terrain for skiers and snowboarders, a winter season that typically runs from mid- November through May and, with the addition of the former Summit Ski Area in 2019, the longest vertical terrain in the U.S. at 4,540 feet. Timberline also offers snow tubing at Summit Pass and a half-mile groomed snowshoe trail near the lodge. Après-ski, warm up with a hot drink and dinner in the historic lodge. MT. HOOD SKIBOWL You’ll have to hit Skibowl on the weekend to enjoy its Snow Tube & Adventure Park — including the flashing laser lights and pumping music of Cosmic Tubing — but midweek the resort’s slopes are prime for riding and skiing. The closest ski area to Portland, Skibowl is renowned for challenging terrain, 36 lit runs for adventurous night skiing and its mid-mountain Historic Warming Hut. MT. HOOD OUTFITTERS There’s more to the mountain midweek than skiing and snowboarding. Mt. Hood Outfitters runs thrilling 90-minute snowmobile tours through the Mt. Hood National Forest at a discounted rate during weekdays. Those looking for more exercise can join a snowshoe or cross-country ski tour running daily on either the Crosstown Trail through Government Camp or the mountain-view-heavy Summit Trail through Skibowl. During the holidays, weather permitting, Mt. Hood Outfitters also hitches up horse-drawn carriages for rides through charming Government Camp. So next time you’re planning a Mt. Hood getaway, broaden your horizons a bit beyond the weekend. You’ll likely find even more than you imagined. Left: Snowmobile adventures with Mt. Hood Outfitters Right: Cross-country skiing in Mt. Hood National Forest FIND DEALS AND SOLITUDE IN THE WINTER MONTHS ON MT. HOOD12 MAIN STREETS MAKE THE WILLAMETTE RIVER HOME OUTDOOR RECREATION Top: Paddling to Willamette Falls with eNRG Kayaking Above: Milwaukie Bay Park along the Willamette River MAIN STREETS PACKED WITH WILLAMETTE RIVER PADDLING ADVENTURES T he main streets of Mt. Hood Territory don’t just overlook the Willamette River — they connect you to it. Each of these four riverfront communities has its own distinctive vibe, with shopping, dining and waterfront recreational experiences galore. Consider this an invitation to dip your toes into what makes each place unique. MILWAUKIE MAIN STREET Easy Access and Plenty of Reasons to Visit Milwaukie’s Main Street has experienced a boom in restaurants, retail and access. The MAX Orange Line Light Rail offers easy transit to or from Portland, and the six-mile Trolley Trail makes biking or walking between Gladstone and Milwaukie a beautiful, sculpture-filled breeze. Arriving from either direction, a vibrant wall-size mural welcomes you, signaling that you’ve made it to downtown. Explore the Milwaukie Station Food Cart Pod, which has over a dozen food trucks worth trying, plus ice cold beer. Try Thai Street’s noodles or the stuffed gyro at Greek Gods Gyro. Then quench your thirst across the street at Decibel Sound & Drink, recognized as a top cocktail bar in the Portland area with shareable plates and an impressive sound system, hence the name. For classic small-town home cooking, visit Gramma’s Corner Kitchen, or head north to Beer Store Milwaukie, a laid-back pub offering pints alongside nachos and Impossiburgers. On Sundays 13 OUTDOOR RECREATION peruse the produce, prepared foods, flowers, plants and gifts at the Milwaukie Farmers Market, held from May through October. One block west of Main Street, Milwaukie Bay Park anchors downtown, complete with a boat launch and an amphitheater-style lawn for picnics and performances. LAKE OSWEGO An Art-Filled Oasis of Upscale Shopping and Dining Across the river from Milwaukie, downtown Lake Oswego sits at the northern tip of the Willamette Falls and Landings Heritage Area. Learn about Lake Oswego’s iron industry history while exploring the Oswego Iron Heritage Trail, which guides visitors to seven different sites, including the Oswego Iron Furnace and the Iron Company Worker’s Cottage, now a museum. Today the city’s downtown is less about smelting and more about shopping and dining. Discover boutiques in the heart of downtown at the rustic-chic Lake View Village. Simply Posh has on-trend consignment clothes and accessories for women, and shop new clothing at Grapevine, Mapel Boutique and Adorn. After you’ve picked out a new ‘fit, refuel with a fried chicken taco and passion fruit margarita from Holy Taco. For dessert, grab a scoop or two of handmade Arbequina olive oil ice cream from the innovative Salt & Straw to enjoy at riverfront Foothills Park, which offers sweeping views of the Willamette River as well as the Lake Oswego Veterans Memorial and a ring of basalt columns engraved with the verse of poet William Stafford. Get out onto the water by making your way to George Rogers Park on the Willamette River. There, you can rent tandem kayaks and SUPs from Alder Creek Kayak & Canoe during the summer, or sign up for an in-season guided tour. WEST LINN Wine Greets the Waterfront on Historic Willamette Main Street West Linn’s Historic Willamette Main Street sparkles with small- town charm. Whatever your palate, restaurants along Willamette Falls Drive offer plenty of options and outdoor seating. Wine- centric Allium Bistro creates dishes with local, seasonal ingredients and pairs them with more than 58 wines by the glass. Beer more your style? Visit Nineteen 33 Taproom, where you can pair your pint with a burger made from pasture-raised beef from Klamath Falls. Visit the Leisman/Elligsen House to pick up the Historic Willamette Walking Tour Booklet, which guides visitors through the Willamette National Historic District. A quick 0.3-mile walk due south of the district will take you to Willamette Park, where the Tualatin River meets the Willamette River. Here, PaddleLinn offers kayak and SUP rentals, making it a cinch to get out on the water without any special gear. DOWNTOWN OREGON CITY Where History Meets a Modern-Day Pioneering Spirit The official end of the Oregon Trail overlooking Willamette Falls opposite West Linn, Oregon City is steeped in Indigenous American, immigrant and industrial heritage. While you may already be familiar with the 2,000-mile Oregon Trail used by immigrants in the mid-1800s making their way out West, did you know that Willamette Falls is the site of the first long-distance transmission of direct current, and later alternating current, electricity in the world? Downtown Oregon City retains this pioneering spirit. You can see it in specialty shops, including White Rabbit Gifts, an independent bookstore and gift shop with a focus on local artists and equitable representation. Look for the new mural by Grand Ronde Tribal artist Brian Krehbiel on the building that tells the story of how Coyote and Meadowlark created Willamette Falls. Or women-owned Root + Stem, a houseplant boutique for discerning green thumbs, and Refinery, a slow-fashion consignment shop that’s helping the planet one preowned designer handbag at a time. A half-mile walk from downtown takes you to the Willamette riverfront and eNRG Kayaking, where you can rent kayaks and SUPs. Make your outing a picnic with food to go from Corner 14 Taphouse and Food Carts. Or book a guided paddling tour of your choice, such as a historic tour of Willamette Falls, a Live Music on the Water concert or a John McLoughlin Discovery Paddle. Left: Decibel Sound & Drink Right: Allium Bistro14 Our Table Cooperative near Wilsonville is a regional co-op helping create a resilient and interdependent local food culture. Stop by the farm store for the best local groceries and picnic makings or visit one of their events, including family friendly Friday Happy Hour every week, summer and holiday farm dinners, seasonal berry u-pick and a fall pumpkin patch.FARMS & WINERIESFARMS & WINERIES17 E ver wanted to pick sweet, sun-ripened berries fresh from the field, pet an alpaca’s super-soft fleece or see the world’s largest collection of rare clematis? Then Mt. Hood Territory is the place to be. Two different farm loops make it easy for visitors to experience the astounding agricultural diversity of this beautiful region firsthand. FARMLANDIA This self-guided loop connects 15 different farms stretching from Boring to Wilsonville. Start at Liepold Farms, a transitional organic, family-owned, multigenerational 350-acre farm. Throughout springtime and summer, it has local Oregon berries, including strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, boysenberries, blackcaps, blackberries and marionberries, picked and available in the farm store. Join the farm in late summer for a sunflower festival and in the fall for a harvest festival. Once a dairy owned by the Luscher family, Luscher Farm is now managed by the City of Lake Oswego, which maintains it as a working example of a small-scale family farm. Don’t miss the Rogerson Clematis Garden on the farm’s grounds, which houses the 2,000-plant clematis collection of Brewster Rogerson, an English professor who fell in love with the incredible diversity of the genus. FARMS & WINERIES OREGON FARM LOOPS Continue on to Triskelee Farm in West Linn, where you can meet a veritable menagerie of livestock. Book a farm tour to get up close and personal with the farm’s alpacas, sheep, ostriches, horses, goats and peacocks. Thirsty? You’re in luck. The farm’s signature “Tipsy Tour” includes beer and wine from local producers to sip as you stroll. End your excursion at Terra Vina Wines, a family owned farm and vineyard on Parrett Mountain in the Chehalem Mountains AVA. Only open during the summer, the vineyard tasting room gives visitors the chance to enjoy a glass of estate dolcetto or cabernet franc right on the piece of earth where the fruit was grown while overlooking the very vines on which it was grown. SOUTH CLACKAMAS The South Clackamas Farm Loop links 20 producers of everything from fresh cheese curds to zucchini. Stop at Lady Lane Farm, a small family owned and operated dairy located in Mulino. Pick up fresh dairy products made daily in an on-farm creamery, visit friendly farm animals and meet the people behind your family’s food. The Hopkins Demonstration Forest in the foothills of the Cascades showcases Oregon’s forestry heritage. Walk interpretive trails to learn more about forestry skills and riverbank restoration projects, then visit the Molalla Log House, a 200-year-old handbuilt house made from Douglas fir entirely without nails, which was recently relocated to the Demonstration Forest from its original site near Molalla. Nearby MoonRidge Farms grows certified organic blueberries for u-pick or boxes, as well as yacon, a South American tuber known for its healthful properties and sweet flavor. Rent its farmhouse for a restorative farm stay. End your loop at Wooden Shoe Vineyards and the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm, which is world-famous for its annual spring tulip festival. Keep things light with a glass of sparkling albariño or blush moscato. While you’re there, visit the farm store, which sells honey, wines and its own line of Red Barn Hemp products. Before heading out, please call farms ahead of time and check farmlandiafarmloop.com and southclackamasfarmloop.com to make sure farmers are able to welcome visitors. Opposite: Triskelee Farm in West Linn Above: Goat kisses at The Kitchen at Middleground Farms Left: Wine from Wooden Shoe Vineyards 18 FOUR SEASONS OF FARMS & WINERIES E ach season in Mt. Hood Territory dishes up its own special bounty of delights, from brilliant spring and summer flowers and furry animals to plump pumpkins and fragrant noble fir Christmas trees. Here’s how to celebrate the best parts of every time of year in this remarkable agricultural region. SPRING Farm animals are always a joy to see, but spring is a special time for anyone wanting to meet their cute, furry and fuzzy babies! Say hi to little ostriches, calves, alpacas, llamas and more. Tip: Check out Mt. Hood Territory’s social channels for baby updates. Regional farmers markets kick off right after peak tulip bloom. Milwaukie, Lake Oswego, Oregon City and Estacada all host major markets, which make it easy to buy farm-direct for the freshest produce. Visit hungry — in addition to fruits, veggies, dairy, meat, cut flowers, potted plants and prepared grocery items, most markets also serve hot prepared foods to enjoy right on-site. Don’t miss the breakfast sandwiches at the Fried Egg I’m in Love cart in Oregon City or the wild fermented pastries at Tabor Bread in Milwaukie. FARMS & WINERIES Top: Baby goats at Out in the Garden Nursery in Molalla Right: Lake Oswego Farmers Market19 SUMMER Between the soothing aroma and the hypnotic drone of thousands of busy bees — far too busy to bother human visitors — few experiences are quite as relaxing as a lavender field in midsummer. The Oregon Lavender Farm in Oregon City holds an annual Lavender Festival in June featuring lavender products, food vendors, face painting, u-pick and more. Other standout options include Barn Owl Nursery in Wilsonville, Park Place Perennials in West Linn and Hope Lavender Farm in Eagle Creek. The nation’s largest dahlia producer, Swan Island Dahlias, grows over 370 dahlia varieties, with new hybrids added to its catalog every year. Catch them in spectacular full bloom beginning each August in Canby. Stroll through landscaped gardens bursting with floral fireworks, then buy some cut flowers to take the beauty home with you. Ready to make some new furry friends? Book a guided pack hike with Hidden Oaks Llama Ranch in Estacada, home to over 60 beautiful, gentle llamas. Or find your center during weekly summer alpaca yoga at Alpacas at Marquam Hill Ranch in Molalla. FALL As the days start to shorten, snuggle into your most festive seasonal sweater and head out to one of Mt. Hood Territory’s many autumn celebrations. Family owned Fir Point Farms near Canby marks the end of summer with its annual Harvest Festival featuring a corn maze, hayrides, polka dot cow train, paintball shooting gallery and u-pick pumpkin patch. In October pick out an outrageous decorative gourd at the Historic Kirchem Farm in Oregon City, which grows 35 different heirloom pumpkin, squash and gourd varieties. Bushue’s Family Farm in Boring also offers a pumpkin patch complete with private hayrides, a corn trail and fresh doughnuts. Or hop onboard the “Boo Train,” a jack-o’-lantern-themed mini railroad at the Flower Farmer in Canby before you pick out your very own pumpkin FARMS & WINERIES to carve. Fiala Farms just south of Lake Oswego also offers pumpkins, apples, fresh veggies and an annual corn maze with over two miles of trails for spooky fun. WINTER Start a new holiday tradition by cutting your own Christmas tree at a Mt. Hood Territory farm. The region is one of the top tree producing areas in the nation, and several farms make it easy for the family to pick their very own noble, grand or Douglas fir. A couple of tips: Measure your space so you know which trees are the right size, and bring the whole family, because kids love picking out their very own tree right in the field. Snowline Farm in Molalla grows 10 acres of trees, primarily naturally grown noble firs. Elegantly spaced branches make ornaments pop, and they last longer indoors, giving you more time to enjoy their incredible aroma. Other great u-cut options include Hughes Family Tree Farm in Estacada and Merrywood Farm, Hemphill Farms and Redland Family Farm in Oregon City. Many offer cocoa, mulled cider and other warm treats to keep the good feeling going. Below: U-cut Christmas tree farm Bottom: Liepold Farms Fall Festival in BoringNext >