I spent the first 18 years of my life in Oregon and I can honestly say it is one of my favorite places in this world due to the outdoors. I must must emphasize that you go in the summer. By summer I mean exclusively July and August. This is the only time you can ensure good weather to do all the outdoor activities. If I had summer weather year round in Oregon, I would have never moved!

The landscapes

Oregon is simply beautiful. For all the rainy, gloomy winter months is paid back in green in every direction you can see. I often forget how green Oregon truly is until I go back home. I always ask myself, has it always been this green? I just took it for granted growing up before I moved to the desert! People often rave about how in California you can be at the beach, in the mountains, or at the desert in the span of a few hours. Oregon is actually the same way! Portland is 1-2 hours from the coast depending on the beach you want to go to, 2 hours from Mt. hood, and 4 hours from the high desert in Bend. You truly do have it all when it comes to nature and the outdoors here.

Mountains

Nothing beats the views lakeside next to Mt. Hood. Simply beautiful. For those more avid in snow sports, you can go skiing and snowboarding here. I made quite a few treks up here when I was a kid. Rent a cabin and get cozy! Bend area also had some mountains and you can play in the snow in the winter.

Lakes

There are over 1,400 lakes in Oregon!! I absolutely love going to lakes whether it be to go boating, camping, hiking, kayaking, you name it and I’ll do it. Crater lake is one of the most famous in Oregon. Not necessarily for the water activities as it’s too cold for swimming, rather for the epic view. It is the deepest lake in the United States! I loved going to some lesser known lakes as well growing up such as Crescent lake or Odell lake. These are great for fishing or boating and hanging out lakeside with a beer.

Rivers

If you don’t get your fun in the sun, water adventures out in the lake, don’t fret we also have rivers! Through the city of Portland you can take your boat to the Willamette river and inner tube or wakeboard by the city! This is THE thing to do in the summer. Some people even have jet skis and boy am I jealous. I also enjoy taking my dogs to Lake Oswego area to run around in the river and play fetch. Oregon is incredibly dog friendly unlike many other states. You can also go white water rafting down the famous Descutes river! You may have heard of it from the brewing company.

Beach

And of course the beach! Well the coast as we like to call it in Oregon. It’s scenic and expansive. Most don’t come to lay out, rather you come to take a stroll down the beach or build a sand castle or toss the frisbee around. The most popular beaches are Cannon Beach and Seaside. I always found Seaside too crowded for my tastes, although it does have a lot more to do in terms of eating and shopping. We always went in to play the arcade games, ride the rides, play mini golf, and get pizza. Cannon Beach has the iconic haystack rock that you may have heard of. A little quieter and more scenic I think! If you want a mix of stuff to do, scenery, and less crowded than Seaside, I think Cannon Beach is a good option!

I had a beach house in Manzanita growing up so I am partial to this small little town. It’s funny, we would drive by other beach towns to get to Manzanita and it was always cloudy, and we would pass the same bend in the road that brought us into Manzanita and the clouds would disappear! It seemed like when it was cloudy everywhere else, your best shot at sun was here. It’s a sleepy town with not much to do but you have a fabulous campground called Nehalem Bay where you have a bay and the beach on each side of you. You can also go hiking Nehakani mountain. I love that it’s less crowded here.

City

We do in fact have some non-nature-y activities as well and this is the part that most people come for – Portland! I have to say, if your coming to Oregon though, I would really try to get outside of Portland and actually enjoy the nature part of Oregon because I think that’s Oregon’s best feature. I actually never spent too much time in Portland myself, but it is a huge foodie and hipster scene.

Countryside

To top it all off we have beautiful countryside. I grew up horseback riding so I spent a lot of time at my grandmas farm in the middle of nowhere riding horses. It’s fun to drive by, but wouldn’t try to spend any time in it. There is absolutely nothing to do. The nearest restaurant to my grandmas house in Independence was a Dairy Queen a half hour away.

Forests

I never really think to mention forests because I just take it for granted so much have miles upon miles of forests everywhere you go. I realize though that many other states may not have this and they may not be as green!!

High desert

We also have a high desert in Oregon and it is probably not what you’re thinking. It gets extremes of both the winter and the summer with crazy snowy winters and hot balmy summers. This makes it a great vacation spot. My personal favorite is the resort town of Sunriver where there are more bikes paths than streets. You can also take a floaty and go down the river for a few miles. Lots of wildlife and deer if you are lucky enough to spot them.

What to do

Get outdoors!! I understand that you may book the flight to see Portland, but seriously don’t leave Oregon without having gotten outside! Whether it be Mt. Hood, Bend, the coast, there is just so much to offer.

1. Camping in Oregon is obviously as outdoors as you can possibly get. The stars are just incredible here. I would make a bed in the back of my truck bed and fall asleep watching shooting stars cross the sky. Some of my most fond memories from Oregon are from camping. My personal favorites are Nehalem Bay and Crescent Lake. If you can figure out the logistics, I would put camping at the top of your list for your trip to Oregon. Many campsite even have yurts so you don’t need to come with all the extra’s of a tent and such.
2. Plenty of hiking to do here! Great starter hikes are the ever famous Multnohmah Falls or my personal favorite, hike of Ten Falls! If you are by the coast, Neahkahnie Mountain is another good hike. The best part about Oregon outdoors, including hiking and camping, is just how green this state is. You can’t truly appreciate how beautiful the nature is here until you have gone to see it for yourself. The one problem, Oregon ruins the outdoors for anywhere else! No seriously, whenever I go on a hike, I just compare it to the forests in Oregon. Oh, this isn’t as green. There is so few trees. Why is the hillside brown? Are common thoughts running through my head when I hike in other states. The 9 months of rain truly pays off because it allows for such beautiful nature to grow.
3. The most common activity in the summer is to get on the water. Most people take the boat out to the closest lake or river to go tubing or wake boarding. Try renting a boat for a day to get out on the water. You could also rent kayaks and stand up paddle boards. Kayaking in Oregon is spectacular! You can also go fishing in the lakes, rivers, or ocean. Fishing in Oregon is spectacular and I highly highly recommend trying it out here! You can fish for trout, salmon, steelhead, etc. Bring a few beers, and really make the most of it. For a more high energy activity, go white water rafting! What a thrill!!! It is so much fun to go in the summer to get drenched going through rapids. Ride the bull too, meaning sit on the front of the raft through a rapid….SO FUN.
4. Go to Mt. Hood if you want mountain sports. There are plenty of lessons you can take if you have not been before. Mt. Hood is very beautiful and a great place to learn! I learned how to snowboard here when I was kid.
5. Shopping! Hello no sales tax! No, seriously, Oregon doesn’t have a sales tax. And you aren’t allowed to pump your own gas, you have a gas attendant! Sounds strange huh, but that is what I grew up with, so everywhere else seems strange to me. Anyways, Oregon is a great spot if you have any big ticket purchases because of the lack of sales tax. Just make sure it is small enough that you can still take it home!
6. Another fun fact you may not of known, Oregon is pretty famous for our wineries! Okay, not as famous as Nor Cal, but we have some pretty good wineries in the Willamette Valley. Spend an afternoon going and visiting one of the wineries, enjoying both the views of rolling green hillsides as well as the delicious wine that is grown on the grounds.
7. What is better than wineries? Breweries! Oregon is pretty famous as well for the breweries. Mainly focused on IPA and craft beer, which I tend to like lighter beer, but still really good and a cool environment. Some good breweries are Deschutes Brewery and Breakside Brewery.
8. Oregonians don’t have many sports, so the sports we do have, people are die-hard fans. Attend a Trailblazers game for basketball or Timbers game for soccer. My personal favorite though, is college football! Since we don’t have an NFL team, most people are fans of either the Beavers or the Ducks! Most people are born and raised in Oregon, attend college in Oregon, and live the rest of their lives in Oregon. Given this, you have some die hard fans and some fun college football! Especially when the Ducks are doing well, fan attendance is high.

Oregon is great for the great outdoors!

If you get anything from this, I urge you to explore outside of Portland and see what the outdoors has to offer. Go camping, go hiking, go to the coast, ride bikes, kayak, white water raft down the Deschutes, go fishing, sit by a campfire looking at the stars, enjoy the fresh air!!! Ahhh just thinking about Oregon summers makes me nostalgic. There is really nothing like it and nothing beats it. If only Oregon had summer weather year round, I would have never left the most beautiful state in the US; but, I suppose the beauty only comes from the 9 months of rain. To see the beauty I am talking about, check out these photos to inspire you to visit Oregon!