Oregon · best-of list
The 11 Best Outdoor Spots in Oregon
All 11 outdoor spots our route editors picked in Oregon, across 5 destinations, gathered in one list. 9 come with an insider tip, and 7 cost nothing to visit.
Our curated picks
11 outdoor spots in Oregon, grouped by destination. Destinations with the most picks come first; this is not a ranking.
Cannon Beach 4 picks
Ecola State Park
Cannon Beach · On our Oregon Coast Hideaways route
Forested headland with ocean viewpoints over Indian Beach and Tillamook Rock Lighthouse.
Tip: Day-use fee; the Clatsop Loop Trail is a good 2.5 miles.
Photo: Brmuchim (talk) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Haystack Rock
Cannon Beach · On our Oregon Coast Hideaways route
235-foot sea stack with tide pools and nesting tufted puffins April–July.
Tip: Check tide tables; volunteers explain tide pool life at low tide.
Photo: John Manard · CC BY-SA 2.0
Hug Point State Recreation Site
Cannon Beach · On our Oregon Coast Hideaways route
Beach with sea caves, a seasonal waterfall and an old stagecoach road cut into rock.
Tip: Only reachable around the point at low tide.
Photo: Curt Smith from Bellevue, WA, USA · CC BY 2.0
Oswald West State Park
Cannon Beach · On our Oregon Coast Hideaways route
Rainforest trail down to Short Sand Beach, a surf cove between headlands.
Photo: Collinserigne · CC BY-SA 4.0
Portland 3 picks
International Rose Test Garden
Portland · On our Pacific Northwest route
Free garden of 10,000+ rose bushes with city and Mount Hood views.
Photo: Nirmalya Sen · Google
Multnomah Falls
Portland · On our Pacific Northwest route
Oregon's tallest waterfall at 620 feet, 30 minutes east in the Columbia River Gorge.
Tip: Summer timed-entry permits may apply on the I-84 lot.
Photo: John Fowler from Placitas, NM, USA · CC BY 2.0
Portland Japanese Garden
Portland · On our Pacific Northwest route
Eight garden styles on a Washington Park hillside, often called the finest outside Japan.
Tip: Buy timed tickets online; go in autumn for maples.
Photo: Adonelson · CC BY-SA 3.0
Northwest Portland 2 picks
Lower Macleay Trail and the Stone House
Northwest Portland · On our Portland New Year's Eve route
Creekside trail into Forest Park past the mossy 1930s WPA Stone House, known locally as the Witch's Castle.
Tip: Start at Lower Macleay Park, NW 29th and Upshur.
Photo: Finetooth · CC BY-SA 3.0
Wildwood Trail, Forest Park
Northwest Portland · On our Portland New Year's Eve route
The 30-mile spine of one of the largest urban forests in the US, under Douglas fir and bigleaf maple.
Tip: Follow it uphill from Lower Macleay to reach Pittock Mansion.
Photo: EncMstr · CC BY-SA 3.0
Astoria 1 pick
Fort Stevens State Park
Astoria · On our Oregon Coast Hideaways route
Civil War-era fort, bike trails and the rusted wreck of the Peter Iredale on the beach.
Tip: Low tide lets you walk right up to the wreck.
Photo: Sudip Sinha · Google
Yachats 1 pick
Cape Perpetua Scenic Area
Yachats · On our Oregon Coast Hideaways route
Visitor center, Cape Perpetua overlook and old-growth Giant Spruce Trail.
Tip: Drive up to the overlook for the coast's highest car-accessible view.
Photo: Himanshu Parmar · Google
How we picked these
Every entry is a stop on at least one of TripsCircle's hand-curated routes, chosen by our route editors, who wrote the reason to go shown with each place. These are our curated picks, not a scored ranking: we haven't rated or reviewed them against each other. The list is grouped by destination, and within each destination places that appear on more routes come first.
Prices ($ to $$$$) and visit lengths are rough guides from our route notes, not quotes. Check opening hours before you go.
About this list
How did you choose the outdoor spots in Oregon?
Each one is a stop on a TripsCircle route that our editors built by hand, and each comes with a written reason to go. This page shows all 11 of them. They are curated picks, not a ranked score.
Which part of Oregon has the most outdoor spots on this list?
Cannon Beach has the most (4 of 11), followed by Portland (3) and Northwest Portland (2).
Are any of these free?
7 picks on this list are marked free in our route notes: Multnomah Falls, Lower Macleay Trail and the Stone House, Haystack Rock, Wildwood Trail, Forest Park, Hug Point State Recreation Site, and more. Check ahead, since parking or special exhibits can cost extra.
More lists for Oregon
Best outdoor spots nearby
Destinations on this list
- Cannon Beach 4 on this list
- Portland 3 on this list
- Northwest Portland 2 on this list
- Astoria 1 on this list
- Yachats 1 on this list
Turn this list into a plan
Open a curated route in TripsCircle, add the spots your crew wants, vote with polls and keep everyone on one shared itinerary.