Portland, Oregon City Guide
For over 20 years, Pamela Lanier's Portland, Oregon Travel Guide has been your connection to Portland's tourism community with invaluable details on local attractions, restaurants, shopping, museums, history, outdoor recreation and more.
Outdoor Adventure
 Considered one of the best cities for cyclists, a sure fire way to enjoy Portland is on the seat of a bike. With over 37,000 acres of green space, Portland is full of outdoor adventure waiting to happen. Hop on your bike and check out the numerous parks, trails, and vibrant gardens the city has to offer.
Tryon Creek State Park, just minutes from downtown Portland, is Oregon’s only state park within a major metropolitan area. Come stroll along the trails or bike along the ridge. Tryon Creek State Park is a unique spot for bird watching, hiking, horseback riding, and peaceful relaxation in the middle of an urban setting. Forest Park is America’s Largest Urban Wilderness with a 30-mile trail that connects with the region’s 40-mile loop. Visit Forest Park to view the abundant wildlife, take a guided tour, or simply meander along the trails under the breathtaking canopy of trees.
Three fascinating gardens with exquisite beauty and tranquil atmosphere await those searching for a quite moment to contemplate and enjoy nature. At the Portland Classical Chinese Garden, visitors can sip authentic Chinese tea and enjoy a light snack while admiring the view of the Garden, an authentically built Ming Dynasty style garden wrapped around Lake Zither, which was built with the five elements essential to any Chinese garden; stone, water, architecture, literature and the arts, and plants. The Tai Hu rocks that attract the attention of many visitors are limestone mined from a lake in Suzhou, Portland’s Sister City in China. While walking through the garden, visitors will enjoy the spectacular Garden view that seeps through the “leak windows” found around the Garden and inside the walls. Summertime visitors will delight in the annual Tuesdays by Twilight live music series at the Garden. Guests will revel in the magic of the Garden at dusk while listening to such music as salsa, Harlem jazz, bohemian cabaret, and Delta blues.
Heralded at the most authentic Japanese Garden outside of Japan, the Portland Japanese Garden is a treasure tucked away in the Portland hills. The Five Gardens, within the larger whole, together create an oasis with very distinctive characters. Guests can casually climb the stone steps in the Natural Garden and wander around the ponds and waterfalls; contemplate the expansiveness of the more formal Flat Garden; peer down at the water from the edge of a footbridge in the Strolling Pond Garden; explore the ceremonial Tea House in the Tea Garden; and see the simplicity revealed in the Sand and Stone Garden. Visitors can explore at a slow pace and experience each of the Five Gardens, discovering the beauty the lies within this harmonious space.
Established after World War I for fear that unique European hybrid roses would be destroyed by bombings, the International Rose Test Garden was created as a safe haven for those stunning beauties. Now the home of more than 8,000 roses, the Rose Garden in Washington Park is a popular destination for visitors and townspeople alike. Enjoy the breathtaking views from the Garden while taking in the rainbow of color and the sweet scents of the flowers. It’s a sight you won’t want to miss.
Nearby Mt. Hood is a skier’s paradise and is only one hour from Portland. With the longest ski season in North America and four resorts to choose from, Mt. Hood is a haven for snow boarding, skiing, and ice climbing, as well as snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. Outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy a day on the slopes and still head back to town for an urban adventure or culinary delight.
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