Tourist attractions near Portland, Oregon

Last updated March 15, 2019

The Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Oregon has a variety of nearby tourist attractions which are suitable for a day trip from the Portland area, in addition to about 80 within the metropolitan area itself (see Tourism in Portland, Oregon).

The Portland metropolitan area or Greater Portland is a metropolitan area in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington centered on the principal city of Portland, Oregon. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget identifies it as the Portland–Vancouver–Hillsboro, OR–WA Metropolitan Statistical Area, a metropolitan statistical area used by the United States Census Bureau (USCB) and other entities. The OMB defines the area as comprising Clackamas, Columbia, Multnomah, Washington, and Yamhill Counties in Oregon, and Clark and Skamania Counties in Washington. The area's population is estimated at 2,453,168 in 2017.

In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are currently 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory and shares its sovereignty with the federal government. Due to this shared sovereignty, Americans are citizens both of the federal republic and of the state in which they reside. State citizenship and residency are flexible, and no government approval is required to move between states, except for persons restricted by certain types of court orders. Four states use the term commonwealth rather than state in their full official names.

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region on the West Coast of the United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. The parallel 42° north delineates the southern boundary with California and Nevada. Oregon is one of only three states of the contiguous United States to have a coastline on the Pacific Ocean.

Generally, there is no public transportation to these destinations, though exceptions are noted in descriptions. The communities have at most small airports serving only general aviation; scheduled airline service is available only to Portland and Eugene.

Driving distance		Travel hours (each way)	Direction	Type(s)	Attraction	Description
mi	km	Travel hours (each way)	Direction	Type(s)	Attraction	Description
9	14	6999250000000000000♠0.25	N	historical	Fort Vancouver National Historic Site	Pre-pioneer exhibits, history, reenactments
135	217	7000280000000099999♠2.8	SW	nature	Oregon Coast Aquarium	Oceanic wildlife, flora, and fauna, intertidal, touching pond, kelps, jellies, etc.; adjacent to Hatfield Marine Science Center and close to Yaquina Head Light
62	100	7000150000000000000♠1.5	E	nature, historical, sport	Timberline Lodge	skiing and snowboarding year round, 1930s Cascadian architecture, easy access to wilderness and mountain climbing
61	98	7000125000000000000♠1.25	E	nature, historical	Hood River	professional and amateur windsurfing and kiteboarding on the river, also follow the "Fruit Loop" for a 20+ mile tour of over 30 farms and wineries
31	50	6999750000000000000♠0.75	E	nature	Multnomah Falls	impressive waterfalls; Historic Columbia River Highway
109	175	7000200000000000000♠2	NE	nature	Cascades Volcano Observatory	Mount St. Helens eruption history, exhibits, education, and convenient viewing of the volcano
37	60	7000100000000000000♠1	SW	nature	Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum
200	320	7000600000000000000♠6	S	event	Hood to Coast relay race	Late August team charity fundraising race, among longest major relays and the largest with 20,000+ participants, 322 kilometres (200 mi) course from Timberline Lodge to Seaside on the Oregon Coast
17	27	6999500000000000000♠0.5	E	event	Mt. Hood Jazz Festival	mid-August celebration of jazz music, usually with live notable performers
17	27	6999750000000000000♠0.75	W	event	Oregon International Air Show	largest civilian air show on the U.S. West Coast, July or August
13	21	6999500000000000000♠0.5	W	historical	Washington County Museum
15	24	6999400000000000000♠0.4	W	nature	Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals
72	116	7000170000000000000♠1.7	W	nature	Saddle Mountain State Natural Area	challenging five-mile (round trip) hike to scenic panorama of the Pacific Ocean, Columbia River, and dozens of miles of state forests covering NW Oregon and SW Washington
69	111	7000175000000000000♠1.75	SE	nature	Bagby Hot Springs	natural hot springs with rustic private tubs, requires a three-mile (2 km) (round trip) forest hike
60	97	7000150000000000000♠1.5	E	nature	Trillium Lake	quiet mountain lake with view of Mount Hood, camping, fishing, and boating in summer, Nordic skiing in winter
44	71	7000100000000000000♠1.0	E	nature	Wildwood Recreation Site	picnicking, hiking, guided nature in Mount Hood National Forest, view Salmon River
142	229	7000300000000000000♠3	SE	nature	Smith Rock State Park	rugged scenery, rock climbing, hiking, picnicking
58	93	7000150000000000000♠1.5	S	nature	Silver Falls State Park	zero to ten miles of hiking to see up to seven spectacular and varied waterfalls; Oregon Garden is on the way
87	140	7000200000000000000♠2	SW	casino	Chinook Winds Casino	Oceanfront Native American casino with gambling, food, live entertainment; bus service available
25	40		N	casino	Ilani Casino Resort	Native American casino with gambling, food, live entertainment
62	100	7000150000000000000♠1.5	SW	casino	Spirit Mountain Casino	Native American casino with gambling, food, live entertainment; bus service available
70	110	7000225000000000000♠2.25	SW	culture	Sitka Center for Art and Ecology	artist/ecological colony; advance arrangements required; day workshops or multi-week residency obligation
102	164	7000250000000000000♠2.5	SW	nature	Whale Watching Center	staffed state park facility assists visitors see and understand passing whales and other sea life; Depoe Bay also has whale-watching cruises
75	121	7000150000000000000♠1.5	W	agriculture	Tillamook Cheese	self-guided cheese factory tour; restaurant
75	121	7000175000000000000♠1.75	W	historical	Tillamook Air Museum	Private World War II aircraft collection housed in a WW II blimp hangar
79	127	7000150000000000000♠1.5	W	cultural	Seaside	Small tourist-focused coastal city with the Seaside Aquarium, arcades, many motels and rental houses, a 1.5-mile promenade (sidewalk) along the seawall, Miss Oregon Pageant (early July)
97	156	7000200000000000000♠2	W	cultural	Astoria	small historical city with the Astoria Column, Fisher Poets Gathering, Riverfront Trolley; close to Fort Stevens
285	459	7000550000000000000♠5.5	S	nature	Crater Lake	One-of-a-kind natural feature, focus of Oregon's only National Park

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Portland is the largest and most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Multnomah County. It is a major port in the Willamette Valley region of the Pacific Northwest, at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers. As of 2017, Portland had an estimated population of 647,805, making it the 26th-largest city in the United States, and the second-most populous in the Pacific Northwest. Approximately 2.4 million people live in the Portland metropolitan statistical area (MSA), making it the 25th most populous MSA in the United States. Its Combined Statistical Area (CSA) ranks 18th-largest with a population of around 3.2 million. Approximately 60% of Oregon's population resides within the Portland metropolitan area.

The West Coast or Pacific Coast is the coastline along which the continental Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. As a region, this term most often refers to the coastal states of California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. More specifically, it refers to an area defined on the east by the Alaska Range, Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, and Mojave Desert, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. The United States Census groups the five states of California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii together as the Pacific States division.

Vanport, sometimes referred to as Vanport City or Kaiserville, was a hastily constructed city of wartime public housing in Multnomah County, Oregon, United States, between the contemporary Portland city boundary and the Columbia River. It is currently the site of Delta Park and the Portland International Raceway.

Metro is the regional government for the Oregon portion of the Portland metropolitan area. It is the only directly elected regional government and metropolitan planning organization in the United States. Metro is responsible for managing the Portland region's solid waste system, coordinating the growth of the cities in the region, managing a regional parks and natural areas system, and overseeing the Oregon Zoo, Oregon Convention Center, Portland's Centers for the Arts, and the Portland Expo Center.

Interstate 205 (I-205) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the Portland–Vancouver metropolitan area in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington. It serves as a bypass route of I-5 that travels north–south along the east side of both cities and their suburbs, intersecting several major highways and serving the Portland International Airport.

The Port of Portland is the port district responsible for overseeing Portland International Airport, general aviation, and marine activities in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area in the United States, established in 1891 by the 16th Oregon Legislative Assembly. The current incarnation was created by the 1970 legislature, combining the original Port with the Portland Commission of Public Docks, a city agency dating from 1910.

Powell Butte is an extinct cinder cone butte in Portland, Oregon, United States. It is part of the Boring Lava Field, which includes more than 80 small volcanic edifices and lava flows in the Portland–Vancouver metropolitan area. The region around Powell Butte has a cool climate, and the butte and its surroundings feature meadows, rivers, and mixed forests. Powell Butte hosts the Powell Butte Nature Park, which includes about 612 acres (2.48 km²) of trails for biking, hiking, and horseback riding.

North American telephone area codes 503 and 971 serve the northwestern region of Oregon, including the Portland, Salem, and Astoria metropolitan areas.

Oregon's 1st congressional district is a congressional district located in the U.S state of Oregon. The district stretches from Portland's western suburbs and exurbs, to parts of the Oregon coast. The district includes the principal cities of Beaverton, Hillsboro, and Tigard, all located in the Portland metropolitan area. Geographically, the district is located in the northwest corner of Oregon. It includes Clatsop, Columbia, Washington, and Yamhill counties, and a portion of southwest Multnomah County in Portland.

KWEE is a commercial FM radio station licensed to West Linn, Oregon, and broadcasting to the Portland metropolitan area. KWEE airs a rhythmic contemporary radio format branded as "WE 96.3". The station is owned by 3 Horizons, LLC, and is operated by Alpha Media using a local marketing agreement or LMA. Alpha Media owns five of its own radio stations in the Portland market. KWEE operated for nearly three decades in Warm Springs, Oregon, about 85 miles from Portland, before moving to the Portland market.

The Tryon Creek State Natural Area is a state park located primarily in Portland, in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is the only Oregon state park within a major metropolitan area. The 645-acre (261 ha) park lies between Boones Ferry Road and Terwilliger Boulevard in southwest Portland in Multnomah County and northern Lake Oswego in Clackamas County and is bisected from north to south by Tryon Creek.

KPDQ is a radio station broadcasting a religious radio format. Licensed to Portland, Oregon, United States, it serves the greater Portland metropolitan area. The station is currently owned by Salem Media of Oregon, Inc. and features programming from Salem Communications.

The Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is a Metropolitan Statistical Area area consisting of two counties in western Oregon, Marion and Polk. The principal city is Salem, the state capital, which has a population of 154,637. As of the 2010 census, there were 390,738 people living in the Salem MSA. In 2000, the MSA had a population of 347,214, and had a population of 278,024 according to the 1990 census.

Blue Lake Regional Park is a public park in Fairview, in the U.S. state of Oregon. The 101-acre (41 ha) park, near the south shore of the Columbia River in Multnomah County, includes many covered and uncovered picnic areas, playing fields for sports such as softball, a cross country course and infrastructure related to lake recreation including swimming, boating, and fishing. Encompassing wooded areas, three ponds, and a wetland in addition to the lake, the park is frequented by migrating birds and other wildlife. Paved paths run through the park, which is near the 40-Mile Loop hiking and biking trail. Park vegetation includes cottonwoods, willows, and other trees and shrubs as well as wetland plants such as cattails.

Metropolitan Learning Center (Portland, Oregon) school in Portland, Oregon, USA

The Metropolitan Learning Center (MLC) is an alternative public school serving K–12 students in Portland, Oregon, United States.

The Albers Brothers Milling Company building is a historic mill and contemporary office building located on the banks of the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States. In the early decades of the 20th century, the German-immigrant Albers brothers built the largest flour and feed milling enterprise on the West Coast, headquartered in Portland and comprising operations in four states. This combined milling, warehousing, shipping, and office facility, built in 1909–1911, is the oldest remaining flour or feed mill in the city. The silos built into the south elevation of the building are painted with representations some of the mill's products as advertisements.

Laurelwood Pub and Brewery is a restaurant and public brewery chain located in the state of Oregon. They have a total of five locations, as of 2014, around the Portland metropolitan area. It was founded by Mike De Kalb and his wife Cathy Woo-De Kalb.

Tourist attractions near Portland, Oregon

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