12 Months of Oregon Adventures
The turning of the year is a wonderful thing, full of hope, dreams and happy expectations. We’d like to add to the excitement with 12 Oregon outdoor ideas, one for each month of the year, from the extreme to the sublime.
January: Meteorologists are predicting “epic” snow in January, so you must must must head into the powder this month. Since it’s a new year, why not try something new?
Extreme: Cat Ski. Yeah. Fork over some dough and take a ride into the back-country for some thrilling untracked runs on Oregon’s deep, dry and steep. Options: Cat Ski Mt. Bailey. Anthony Lakes Ski Area.
Photo: Valorie WebsterSublime: Snowshoes and champagne: Combine rugged outdoor landscapes with a gourmet culinary experience. I love the idea of contrasts, and one of my favorite ways to achieve this is to pack an elegant picnic and hike it into the woods on my snowshoes. Menu ideas: prosciutto and cantelope (talk about fabulous contrasts!), brie wrapped in puff pastry, sliced apples, champagne, and Ghirardelli hot cocoa flavored with a peppermint stick. Options: Tumalo Falls, Bend. Suttle Lake Loop, Santiam Pass.
February: This is Do-Something-Good-for-Others Month.
Extreme: Raise money for the Special Olympics. Here’s how: Join a team (or go solo), get pledges from your friends and family, and jump into cold water in the Oregon Polar Plunge. Five Oregon locations to choose from between February 3-18: Medford, Eugene, Portland, Corvallis and Bend.
Sublime: Take a group of kids on a tree planting and restoration adventure on February 7 at the Cedar Mill Wetland Preserve in Beaverton. The Wetlands Conservancy is recruiting small group volunteer leaders, no experience necessary. Leading kids not your style? Join fellow volunteers at the Wetlands Conservancy at a riparian enhancement work party on Saturday, February 4.
Steamboat Inn Dining RoomMarch: Wine with a view. What to do in the after-winter-before summer months? Enjoy an elegant winemakers dinner with a rugged landscape as your backdrop.
Extreme: Wine and dine at 7,000 feet in the historic Silcox Hut during Mt. Hood’s winemakers dinner series. Executive Chef Jason Stoller Smith prepares a six-course dinner; each course expertly paired with wine from Vineyards from Oregon.
Sublime: From March through mid-June, Steamboat Inn hosts a series of highly acclaimed winemaker and guest chef dinners where meals prepared by some of the finest chefs in Oregon are paired with wines from Oregon's premier wineries.
Silver Falls State ParkApril: Rain everywhere this time of year makes it crystal clear that we have to embrace the weather rather than hide away indoors. So pick a nice wet drippy spot, say, an Oregon rainforest for example, put on your galoshes, and go for it. Some options:
Extreme: Experience the dramatic beauty and extreme heights and drops of Silver Falls State Park, where you’ll find 9,000 acres, 25 miles of trails, and ten waterfalls to explore.
Read more in “Trail of Ten Falls.”
Sublime: Mt. Hood is surrounded by temperate rain forest and filled with lush, drippy trails to hike, including Zigzag Falls, Old Salmon River and Trillium Lake.
Read more in “Base Camp Mt. Hood.”
May: “April showers bring May flowers,” and this is the time to go see them. Options and more ideas from Oregon Wildflowers:
Extreme: Dog Mountain, West Columbia River Gorge. Six-mile round-trip trail with a 2,820 feet elevation gain to the summit.
Sublime: Tom McCall Nature Preserve, East Columbia River Gorge. Home to spectacular spring wildflower displays, this area's diversity stems from the fact that it lies in the transition zone between the moist, heavily-forested west side of the Cascades and the drier bunchgrass prairies of the east.
Tamolich Pool, McKenzie RiverJune: Put your butt in the saddle. By now, the snows will have melted and the single track dried out. It’s time to ride. Some ideas:
Extreme: Spin six thrilling miles on the McKenzie River Trail from Sahalie Falls to Trailbridge Reservoir on the trail Bike Magazine rated as the #1 trail in America.
Sublime: Sunriver Resort: 35 miles of paved, level bike paths wind through Sunriver's 3,300 acres and for decades bikes have been the preferred method of transport.
July: Float the river. It’s hot, hot, hot in Central Oregon this time of year. Cool off on a lazy float on the Deschutes in Bend’s Old Mill District, or chill, thrill and spill on a wild ride upstream, on the Deschutes River through Maupin.
Extreme: Deschutes River, Maupin: The Imperial River Company offers fun and safe raft trips, plus lodging and dining.
Sublime: Deschutes Old Mill District, Bend: Float through the heart of Bend, flanked by the shops, dining and galleries in the historical Mill District. Tumalo Creek Kayak & Canoe can help you get started.
August: Run! Events all over the state offer fun/competitive opportunities to run, bike and swim along some of Oregon’s most beautiful scenery.
Extreme: The Oregon Challenge: This challenging tour showcases beautiful Lane County and offers long, short and youth courses for participants of all ages and skill levels. Richardson Park, Fern Ridge Reservoir, Junction City.
Sublime: Crater Lake Rim Runs: Join in the running of the 37th Annual Crater Lake Rim Runs and Marathon held in beautiful Crater Lake National Park, Oregon. Choose between runs of 6.7, 13.0 miles and the Marathon. If you are a walker, the 6.7-mile walk. All courses follow the rim of Majestic Crater Lake and are at altitudes ranging from 5,980 to 7,850 feet above sea level.
September: Fall Migration. Oregon has the great benefit of sitting smack dab on the Pacific Flyway, on which millions of birds travel in the spring and the fall to and from their breeding grounds. Two great spots for bird watching:
Extreme: Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Major songbird migration begins at Malheur in April and reaches its peak in mid May. See warblers, vireos, tanagers and buntings.
Sublime: Upper Klamath Canoe Trail. Do your birding while you paddle the marked 9.5–mile length of a large freshwater marsh in the Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge.
Photo: Michel HersenOctober: Colors explode all over Oregon in October. Take a fall foliage tour – in your car, on your mountain bike, or in your hiking boots. Options:
Extreme: Just off the McKenzie River, at the burg of Rainbow, Oregon, you'll find an area dense with color, life and recreational opportunities. The King-Castle Trail, which follows a stream mostly up, up, and up through the forest, rewards your efforts with a panoramic view of the McKenzie River Valley and the magnificent Cascade peaks sprinkled like frosted gems along the spine of Oregon. Read more in “Leaf Peeping: King Castle Trail.”
Sublime: Travel just 15 miles along the Historic Columbia River Highway (OR 30) and you’ll find five stunning waterfalls as they cascade through the fall colors of the Columbia River Gorge. You’ll find hiking trails into each one, including a two-mile up, to the top of Multnomah Falls.
Read more on great Leaf Peeping in Oregon.
Follow the progress of fall colors across the state in Oregon Fall Foliage Blog.
November: Circle a lake. Go high and find good snow. Oregon’s lakes and rivers offer beautiful settings for winter adventures.
Extreme: Snowmobile Crescent Lake. Take a ride around the 22 kilometer circumference of Crescent Lake, in the Deschutes National Forest. Rent snowmobiles, eat in the Pines Bar & Grill and stay in the rustic cabins at Crescent Lake Resort.
Sublime: Snowshoe Anthony Lakes. The Anthony Lake Snowshoe Loop sends you 1.3 kilmometers around the beautiful mountain lake for a breathtakingly beautiful excursion. Anthony Lakes Nordic Center.
December: The year will be winding down in the blink of an eye. It’s time to do something really, really different. Two ideas:
Extreme: Take a sled dog ride at Mt. Bachelor in Central Oregon.
Sublime: Take a horse-drawn wagon ride to the winter feeding area of Rocky Mountain Elk in eastern Oregon, courtesy of T&T Wildlife Tours.
