The Portland area sits in the seat of outdoors natural bounty. Oregon a special place from majestic snow-capped Mt. Hood in the Cascade Range to the rugged rocky overlooks. Furthermore, where forest-meets-sand of coastal beaches and the remote high desert, Oregon is an outdoor paradise. It is the perfect place to tap into your inner outdoorsman.
GO OUTDOORS
Located just south of the Washington state line at the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette rivers, Portland makes an excellent base of operations for outdoors recreation of all kinds. Placing everything Pacific Northwest at your fingertips, you could say that Portland is Pacific Northwest Central. This means easy access to approximately 700 miles of Oregon Cascades , the breathtaking Columbia River Gorge, 11 national forests, 21 national wildlife refuges, 362 state parks, 17 national landmarks and other attractions throughout the state that are sure to please your whole family. However, if you don’t want to travel too far from home, don’t worry. Portland is filled with opportunities for outdoor recreational activities such as hiking, biking, golfing, fishing, camping and more.
Named the second best bike-friendly city by Bicycling magazine,and with a walk score of 63 Portland stays active by being outdoors. In fact, along with microbrews, coffee and an unimpeded degree of individualism, being outdoors is a key ingredient to quintessential Portland life. Harkening back to the pioneering days of Lewis and Clark to the rugged hard workers in Oregon’s formidable logging industry and to the myriad of professional sports played throughout the city today, Portland has always been a city that meets the outdoors head-on.
A WORD ABOUT RAIN
So you’ve heard Portland’s rainy? Well that’s partly true but partly myth. In fact, Portland receives approximately 35-42 inches of rainfall annually. Comparatively, to most east coast cities. Known to locals as Portland mist, the difference lies in that the rainfall. It is less heavy and spread out over more months. The “rainy” season (about 88% worth) occurs between late October and May (peak months are November-February). What does this mean for your outdoor recreation? Well you won’t see as many umbrellas. As you might expect in Portland, you’ll find that Oregonians don’t let the rain deter them much from pursuing outdoor activities. After a year you won’t even notice it. The trade off to the rainy season? Summer months that are warm and gorgeous with very little precipitation ideal for outdoor recreation.
