< Previous20 R eady to find your new favorite bottle? Visit one of the many wineries and vineyards that sprawl across the sloping hills of Mt. Hood Territory. Before you set out, download the Mt. Hood Territory Wine Trail mobile passport, which offers discounts at 15 different wineries across the region. Be sure to reserve ahead of time for the best tasting room experience and organize a designated driver so you can safely enjoy your time. Christopher Bridge Wines in Oregon City makes wines from 10 varietals of grapes grown on its 20-acre Satori Springs Estate Vineyard, including familiar ones such as chardonnay as well as lesser known Austrian ones like zweigelt, grüner veltliner and blaufränkisch. Low-input viticulture and enology are front and center to its winegrowing and making. Nearby Forest Edge Vineyard offers a cozy, unpretentious experience with free tastings in its forest vineyard every weekend afternoon or Sundays in winter. Don’t miss its sparkling chardonnay, a style that’s becoming more popular in the Willamette Valley. Just down the road, King’s Raven Winery takes a decidedly traditionalist approach inspired by Burgundy. Hand harvesting, foot treading, wild yeast, and dry-farmed, own-rooted vines all conspire to create wines of character and complexity. Enjoy a glass of pinot noir or Marechal Foch on the patio, or schedule your visit to coincide with one of its many annual events, such as farm-to-table dinners or Summer Movies in the Vineyard. Farther south, the vineyard at St. Josef’s Winery in Canby was planted in 1978, making it one of the region’s earliest wine grape FARMS & WINERIES WINE TRAIL plantings. Today you can enjoy the fruits of that labor with a glass of cool-climate syrah made with fruit from the oldest syrah vineyard in the Willamette Valley. Or choose bubbly with a glass of estate sparkling wine from its Sparkling Lilli label. Whiskey Hill Winery, also in Canby, specializes in pinot noir, including white pinot noir, a unique style that uses Oregon’s signature red grape to produce a refreshing yet full-bodied white wine. Woodburn’s Hanson Vineyards is a small winery and vineyard, but it grows 11 different kinds of grapes — enough that there’s always something new to taste. Fans of unusual varieties should check out its gamay noir, gewurztraminer and pinot blanc bottlings. Top: Pete’s Mountain Vineyard & Winery Above: Christopher Bridge WinesN othing satisfies like a post-hike pint. Good thing Mt. Hood Territory has almost as many brewpubs as trails. Once you’ve logged your miles for the day, kick back and relax at one of the region’s many atmospheric breweries, cideries and distilleries. The Mt. Hood Territory Tap Trail connects 14 different producers in the region. Download the free mobile passport to get discounts on tastings and earn prizes along the way. Since 2015 the owners of Stone Circle Cider in Estacada have been slowly converting their Christmas tree farm into an apple orchard, choosing rare English bittersweet apples bred for cider production. It’s no wonder Stone Circle Cider takes stylistic inspiration from the British Isles, including a scrumpy-style Farmhouse Dry and an unfiltered English farmhouse cider made with a splash of sour cherry juice. Or check out Bent Shovel Brewing Public House and Beer Garden in Estacada, not far from Milo McIver State Park. Specializing in ales and lagers, Bent Shovel offers everything from the refreshing, sessionable One Wagon pilsner to the invigorating Monday Morning Coffee porter. Few experiences are more relaxing than sipping a great brew lakeside, and that’s exactly what Stickmen Brewing Company’s Lake Oswego Lakeside Smokehouse delivers. Tuck into a platter of house-smoked, St. Louis-style barbecue pork ribs paired with a pint of the Socks & Sandals hazy IPA or Plumage sour ale. A full wine and cocktail list means there’s something for everyone. FARMS & WINERIES TAP TRAIL Oregon City Brewing Company in the heart of historic downtown Oregon City was recently ranked one of the top 10 breweries in the nation. A wide selection of brews, from classic ales and lagers to fruit beers and barrel-aged wild ales, means even the geekiest beer lover will find something exciting on tap. Order a bite from one of the nine food carts in its new food cart pod and grab a seat under its architecturally stunning covered and heated back patio. Want to try one of the 50 best gins in the world? Visit Trail Distilling in Oregon City for a tasting flight of its international award winning craft spirits. It is a certified farm distillery and grows grains for its whiskey at the owner’s family farm in Oregon City. Don’t miss its Trillium Pink Pinot Gin, which is aged in Oregon pinot noir wine barrels for a special Oregonian twist on a classic London Dry. It’s a perfect example of how the intrepid residents of Mt. Hood Territory do things a little bit differently. Above: Cocktail class at Trail Distilling Below: Stickmen Brewing Company’s Lakeside Smokehouse 2122 The City of Molalla worked closely with The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde to create The Molalla Heritage Art Walk, which consists of half a dozen art installations throughout the community. The works honor Molalla Indigenous heritage and depict natural and cultural elements important to the region.ARTS & HERITAGEARTS & HERITAGEPERFORMING ARTS ARTS & HERITAGE M t. Hood Territory is rich with community theater and jewel-box venues where you shouldn’t be surprised to see your barista or bike mechanic wowing the audience with hidden talents. Expect quirky, charming spaces like churches and granges, affordable ticket prices, easy parking and laid-back opportunities for preshow dinner or après-show drinks. Entertainment ranges from dance to storytelling to live music, along with theatrical selections from Shakespeare to Neil Simon to musicals to contemporary. Many venues offer discounted admission for active military, veterans or first responders and invite the community to volunteer. The Chapel Theatre opened in a renovated church in Milwaukie in 2018. Home to TriptheDark dance company, Telltale Storytelling and the Chapel Theatre Co., it has several studio spaces for rent in addition to the main hall. Flamenco dance lessons and summer theater camp for kids and teens help local arts flourish, and the calendar has a rotating schedule of improv, comedy, dance and more. Lakewood Center for the Arts hosts the Lakewood Theatre Company, presenting multiple musicals and plays each year in the heart of Lake Oswego. Join the fun at year-round classes in performing and visual arts for adults and children, and shop for beautiful crafts and artwork at its juried annual Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts event. Oregon City’s Clackamas Repertory Theatre was launched in 2004 by four members of Clackamas Community College’s theater department. This accomplished team of industry veterans continues to collaborate with local talent to present theatrical performances ranging from West Coast premieres to classics such as “The Sound of Music.” In the heart of historic Canby, a picturesque 1884 Gothic revival church complete with a 40-foot bell tower serves as a treasured music and performance venue. Check the Canby Pioneer Chapel Performing Arts schedule for concerts, wellness lectures, teas and dinner parties. The property can also be rented for weddings and other events. It may be located in Boring, but Nutz-n-Boltz Theater Company is anything but. Formed in 2004, the company has partnered with and performed at Boring-Damascus Grange Hall for 16 seasons. This family run volunteer organization mounts four main stage productions each year. Sandy Actors Theatre offers plays and entertainment year- round with five projects each season. Its musicals, dramas and children’s productions reflect the organization’s commitment to high production values, mentoring in theater and community access to the arts. Opposite: “Singin’ in the Rain” at Lakewood Center for the Arts Above: Nutz-n-Boltz Theater Company Right: Lakewood Center for the Arts 2526 HERITAGE TRAIL ARTS & HERITAGE O regon’s Mt. Hood Territory is renowned as a recreational wonderland. Yet its chief outdoor attractions — rugged mountains, dense forests and rushing rivers — were the final challenge for travel-weary Oregon Trail pioneers seeking a new life in the West. Today the Mt. Hood Territory Heritage Trail shares this rich legacy via historic homes, museums and significant sites of Indigenous, agricultural and industrial interest. Begin your adventure at the Sandy Historical Society & Museum. Located on the Barlow Road, on which thousands of covered wagons traveled in the mid- to late 1800s, it features captivating displays on the influential local timber industry, as well as slice-of- life exhibits illustrating the lives of early residents. Continue to Jonsrud Viewpoint, which showcases an iconic 180-degree view of majestic Mt. Hood rising from the Cascades. Accentuated by a lush foreground of forest, meadow and river, the mighty peak radiates calendar-grade glory at sunrise and sunset, the best hours to catch a bucket list picture. Interpretive signs inform visitors about the Barlow Road, and the EnChroma® viewer — the only one west of the Mississippi — allows colorblind visitors to enjoy the vibrant vista. Before you leave Sandy, stop at Red Shed Public House for homestyle barbeque smoked meat plates and sandwiches, or hit Brady’s Brats & Burgers for handmade brats and locally sourced beef in a casual counter-service atmosphere. If a microbrewery is on your list, grab some tasty takeout from Thai Home and head over to Boring Brewing down the street. Outside food is welcome. West of Sandy in Eagle Creek, experience the daily rhythms of 19th-century farm life at Philip Foster Farm with interactive exhibits about everyday tasks from grinding corn to washing clothes. Look for Amazon Alexa audio signs for tours and stories from virtual members of the Foster family. Constructed to resemble oversize covered wagons, The End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive & Visitor Information Center in Oregon City immerses visitors in the Oregon Trail experience with interactive exhibits, such as dipping candles, making butter and packing a wagon, as well as its new feature film, “Oregon’s First People.” Outside, stroll the wheelchair accessible Oregon Trail Experience Interactive Trail, visit the Master Gardener’s Heritage Garden, then play 19th-century lawn games with the family. The Museum of the Oregon Territory, overlooking Willamette Falls in Oregon City, includes natural-history collections, an Indigenous Peoples gallery and displays of a vast collection of objects, photographs and documents that reflect Mt. Hood Territory history and culture. Don’t miss the reconstructed Kaegi Pharmacy, which operated in nearby Wilsonville from 1927 to 1989, to see displays of vintage pharmaceutical products and devices from the first half of the 20th century. Admission also grants you access to the Stevens-Crawford Heritage House with rotating Oregon City historical exhibits and a gallery featuring Oregon artists. While you’re in Oregon City, check out Portland darling Canard’s second location, which opened in July 2022, with standbys like the steam burger and new additions including smoked duck taquitos, or go for fish and chips, pasties and whiskey at The Highland Stillhouse. Nebbiolo Restaurant & Wine Bar features Italian tapas, while Mi Familia is known for artisanal wood-fired pizza. Indulge your sweet tooth at Sweet Masterpiece. Top: Heritage Trail stop at Jonsrud Viewpoint ARTS & HERITAGE Y ou don’t have to look hard to see reminders of Mt. Hood Territory’s most famous resident. In fact, the signs are everywhere: This is Bigfoot country. Mt. Hood Territory has more reported Bigfoot sightings than any other destination in the state. Considering Oregon is known as prime “squatching” territory, that’s saying something. The result is that the elusive cryptid is woven into Mt. Hood Territory’s cultural tapestry. He’s seldom seen but often felt. You don’t even have to go deep in the forest to see him. Keen- eyed travelers will spot carvings, statues and other squatchy monuments in front of businesses and homes in pretty much any community. In the City of Sandy, you can visit Bigfoot Growlers II and enjoy some delicious food and a wide selection of local beers on tap. Should you want an experience that goes a bit deeper, visit the North American Bigfoot Center in the town of Boring. Founded by Animal Planet’s “Finding Bigfoot” alum Cliff Barackman, the museum is a treasure trove of Sasquatch evidence. It has video and audio recordings, casts of footprints and other ... impressions. (Ask them what we mean!) They also display all sorts of other items that have even the most skeptical of visitors puzzling the possibility, not to mention a well-stocked gift shop. The museum has an expansive library with dozens of books from people who have spent years researching Bigfoot, including “Oregon Bigfoot Highway,” which catalogs numerous sightings along the Clackamas River. The sheer number of sightings in the BIGFOOT COUNTRY Below: North American Bigfoot Center Bottom Left: Casts of Bigfoot handprints Bottom Right: Merchandise in Bigfoot Center gift shop area — from Estacada to deep in the forest — can’t help but make a person think something is afoot. (Get it?!) So the next time you’re visiting the Wild & Scenic Clackamas River, perhaps on a whitewater rafting trip or anywhere else in Mt. Hood Territory, be sure to keep one eye peeled for something out of the ordinary; you might just catch a glimpse of someone — or something — watching you. 28 Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory is Clackamas County. The communities are as diverse as its geography, from the recreational and alpine villages high on Mt. Hood to the rural charming towns of the fertile Willamette Valley to the urban and cultural appeal of the cities located along the Willamette River and beyond. Pictured: Estacada, neighboring the Wild & Scenic Clackamas RiverCOMMUNITIES & EVENTSNext >