Outdoors enthusiasts will find plenty of options in the Portland region. You don't have to venture far to find yourself paddling on a secluded bay, hiking a forested trail or observing native wildlife.
Hiking
Consistently ranked one of America's best walking cities, Portland has dozens of hiking trails varying in difficulty, distance and elevation.
Forest Park, the nation's largest urban wilderness, features the 30-mileWildwood Trail, where walkers can glimpse as many as 175 different species of animals. A roughly three-mile hike up CouncilCrest in the city's West Hills offers a great view of Portland's skyline.
Avid hikers will also want to explore the trails around Mount Hood and in the Columbia River Gorge
Running
Portlanders love to run, and Portland loves its parks—a formula for some great, traffic-free jogging routes.
Try the Waterfront Park loop over the city's scenic bridges and down the EastbankEsplanad(2.5 miles), or go off-road on Forest Park's70 miles of trails.
The Oregon Road Runners Club provides more route ideas.
Bicycling
Portland offers one of the nation's most progressive bicycle transportation programs, boasting hundreds of miles of bikeways and bike-friendly buses and trains.
Golf
Golf Digest has rated two of Portland's courses – Eastmoreland Golf Courand Heron Lakes Go Course– among the nation's top 75 public courses. Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, 20 miles northwest of Portland, hosted the 2003 U.S. Women's Open.
Winter Sports
With four ski resorts and North America's longest ski season, Mount Hood's 11,235-foot peak is a mecca for skiers, ice climbers, snowboarders and hikers. The surrounding wilderness boasts spectacular trails for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. Best of all, this adventure zone is just an hour's drive from Portland's city center.
Water Sports
In the city, kayakers can paddle right through downtown or explore two protected wildlife sanctuaries Oaks Bottomand Smith and Bybee lakes. Thirty miles north of Portland, Scappoose Bay offers serene wetlands rich in cultural history and home to a variety of migratory birds, beavers, herons and eagles.
Those in search of whitewater will find two great runs within an hour's drive of Portland. Southeast of the city, the Sandy River offers stunning scenery and a variety of rapids. Further south, the Clackamas River, ranked Class III/IV+ (easy to very difficult), provides a fun ride for old hands and beginners alike
Last but not least, the breezy and scenic Columbia River Gorge is the world headquarters for windsurfing and kiteboarding. The friendly town of Hood River is ground central for these river activities. Stand-up paddling is also growing in popularity on the Columbia.
Fishing
Angling for giant sturgeon, salmon and steelhead, smart fishers steer toward the mighty Columbia and other local waterways in order to catch "the one that got away."
Enjoy your life and hug the nature .Now act up
No comments:
Post a Comment