Sometimes I do this thing where I hold off on posting until I can commit the time to craft the Perfect Portland Hikes Blog Post. And then one day I realize it’s been like three weeks since my last post, and I think to myself, “Just get something out there and get on with it!”
So here goes. Not the Perfect Portland Hikes Blog Post, but rather a roundup of things related to hiking near Portland, which might be of interest.
Lost Lake Resort has gotten a new owner and some upgrades, including renovations of their old cabins. They are also plowing the road, which combined with the low snowpack this year, may mean an April opening! Terry Richard in the Oregonian has the details.
The balsamroot is coming!
Wildflower season in the Columbia River Gorge is on, big-time. Reports over at PortlandHikers.org are filled with descriptions of flowers and sunny days, even when Portland is dark and rainy. The Oregonian also has a nice list of good flower hikes in the Gorge.
One of the truly awesome wildflower hikes in the Gorge is the Coyote Wall and Labyrinth area, and the Washington Trails Association has been hard at work out there, re-routing trails to make them less destructive, easier and more scenic. Here’s a report of their recent activities.
Here is a great list of guided hikes and walks in and around Portland, like getting out early to hear singing birds.
Some of you may have hiked the section of railroad through the Salmonberry River Canyon; it’s in an earlier edition of my book, 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of Portland, but I took it out when massive floods wiped out sections of track in 2007. Well, turns out folks have been hiking it, anyway (see this report, for example, and this one) and now a lot of folks are working on an amazing master plan to turn the whole railroad into a trail, stretching from Banks to Tillamook! Details here.
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I don’t just hike, though: I’m also the Portland Breakfast Guy. Check out BreakfastinBridgetown.com.