Pacific North West Recommendations
Portland and Surrounding Areas
Portland Proper
Downtown / West of the river
Downtown has changed since the Pandemic. It’s not as active as it once was, but it’s still worth a visit.
Forrest Park - Huge, beautiful park near the city.
Lots of great walking and running trails all under beautiful huge Oregon trees.
Powell’s City of Books - Giant Book Store Downtown
Books! Lots and lots of Books!! They’ve got like 10 huge rooms of books. Pretty much mandatory that you go! How could you not?
I recommend getting coffee at Courier Coffee and then heading into Powell’s.
Courier Coffee - Quaint Coffee Shop Near Powell’s
My favorite coffee shop ever and right next to Powell’s. Cool staff and just a cool vibe, though there isn’t much seating space. Go here first then into Powell’s
2025 UPDATE: They now sell Japanese food! Really, wonderful Miso soup and hand rolls!
Food Trucks at Washington and 3rd - Great variety of food trucks!
Washington Park - Nice little park
Great place for a run, by the west side of the city. Great views, big trees, lots of trails for easy hiking. Also check out the [rose garden][Rose Garden], Japanese Garden and Oregon Zoo here too.
[Rose Garden] - See Washington Park
Japanese Garden - “Most beautiful and authentic Japanese Garden outside of Japan”
Beautiful Japanese garden. Really worth a visit. You can get tea too, but you have to get a reservation.
Oregon Zoo - Can’t beat the Zoo!
McMenamins (any of them) - Oregon/Washington Retaurant/Brewery Chain
McMenamins are all around the Pacific Northwest with 56 locations of pubs, restaurants hotels and breweries. The food is reliably good and the beer is pretty unique.
They have some quirky places that they have turned into restaurants. I recommend going to the Kennedy School as it’s probably the most unique in Portland (see [East Side of the River][#east-side-of-the-river]).
They often brew beers that have the same gravity (alcohol %) so you can mix beers together!
My Favorite Beers:
- The Ruby - Unique fruity beer
- The Terminator Stout - Solid Stout
- The Rubynator - Half Ruby, Half Terminator Stout
There is always one somewhere nearby, just take a look at all their locations in the Portland area: https://maps.app.goo.gl/hUHBFKDHJrvSTKZp9.
East Side of the River
The East Side of Portland has perhaps a bit more life then downtown. My favorite part about Downtown is that there are all these different neighborhoods with a life of their own. No matter where you are in Portland, there is normally bars and restaurant near you.
Mt Tabor - Popular Butte to watch the sunset
Easy to ‘hike’ butte on the east side with beautiful views of Mount Hood and Portland. Popular spot to watch the sunset in the summer.
Literally a school that they turned into a bar. Walk around the lockers, into the boiler room and grab a beer!
Mississippi Ave - Nice, fun Neighborhood on the East Side
Got some good Restaurants, coffee shops and bars. Watch a show at Mississippi Studios.
Surrounding Areas
The Gorge & Multanoma Falls
Columbia River Gorge - East along the Columbia River
Beautiful river and driving!
Multanoma Falls - Beautiful and Famous Water Fall
Beautiful Waterfall in the Gorge, you’ve probably seen photos. Nice hiking!
Vista House - Viewpoint in the Gorge
Mount Hood Area
Timberline Lodge - Famous Lodge on Mt Hood
Great place to go Ski, of course, but if you’re in the area it can be fun to go visit. They do have skiing all year round due to the glacier.
Government Camp - Mountain Town with Bars/Restaurants/Breweries
If you’re in the area this is a great place to get lunch or a beer!
Mt Hood Ski Bowl - Ski Resort in Winter - Biking/activities in Summer
Fun little ski area with great night skiing. In the summer they have downhill mountain biking and loads of fun activities: Go Karts, Disc Golf, Mini Golf, and one of those Alpine Slides.
Old Salmon River Trail - Beautiful and easy Hike near Mt Hood Village.
Trillium Lake - Beatiful Warm Mountain Lake
Pretty busy, but a beautiful, warm mountain lake with amazing views of Mount Hood. I heard they started to charge for parking…
The Coast
I haven’t been to the coast much around Portland in a long time, but anywhere on the Oregon Coast is beautiful. In my opinion the coast is the prettiest part of Oregon, and often forgotten.
If I had to choose where to go out of these places I’d choose Astoria, it really has some wonderful charm and I’d like to explore it more.
There are also plenty of places on the coast that have tidal pools. Lots of fun to go explore when the tide goes out (but I’m not sure of any specific parts, google or locals might have some good intel).
Astoria - Where they filmed the Goonies
Astoria has a really unique charm that I really love. Perhaps this charm comes from the Goonies, but I love how the houses look and the town feels.
Seaside - Popular Coastal Resort Town
A popular resort town. Loads of little tourist traps to do downtown (including an arcade). The beach is nice and there are some fun things to do.
Cannon Beach - Where Haystack Rock is
You’ve probably seen photos of Haystack Rock. I haven’t been here in ages, so I don’t remember much, but it’s worth noting!
Oregon Wine County - SW of Portland
Fan of wine? Well, Oregon has some of the best wine in the World, in my opinion. There are tons of wonderful wineries in near Dundee.
Try the Pinot Noir, I have been told that the Willamette Valley Soil is perfect for growing Pinot Noir wines.