Portland is the largest city in the state of Oregon; however, it is not the capital (Salem). After the Louisiana Purchase (1803 - 1/3 of U.S. territory purchased from France), Lewis and Clark explore the new U.S. territory. They started from St. Louis and finished the first part of the expedition in Fort Clatsop (Pacific Ocean). They were know as the Corps of Discovery. Sacagawea was a Native American Woman who formed part of their expedition. She acted more as an interpreter and an ambassador than a guide. She was able to talk with the Native tribes that they encountered in their, so they could make it a peaceful expedition. Oregon was part of Great Britain and before Lewis and Clark, Alexander Mackenzie (Scottish) was the first to make
the expedition. It was until 1846 that Oregon became part of the U.S. by the Oregon treaty. This treaty marks the actual boundaries between Canada and U.S. in the West Coast. Oregon produces a lot of wine and natural resources. Portland has a lot of visitors from Asian countries because of its proximity.
Portland is surrounded by a lot of nature. Oregon is known for its beautiful lakes, mountains, falls and forests. On the first day we will focus only in the city and on the second, we will have road trips. Hopefully, you have a car here! Let’s begin.
After coffee or breakfast, we will start at Pittcock Mansion. It is French Renaissance Mansion of publisher Henry Pittcock. You will start the morning with great views of the city. If you do not want to enter, let’s go to the next point.
Our second stop will be the Portland Art Museum. Is one of the oldest In the West Coast. If you don’t feel like going inside or you finished visiting, take SW Park Ave or SW 10th Ave northwards until you reach W
Burnside St. Here you will find Powell's City of Books;
a huge store of used and new books. Everything is divided by colors and sections. You can find pretty much anything here! I love history books and here you can find history of any country. Craving a donut? Well our next stop is Voodoo Donuts. It is 9 short minute walk. Take same W Burnside St east. The donuts are amazing! Portland is also famous for its food trucks, so if you are also hungry, they are everywhere.
From here you have two things close by PDX Museum of Contemporary Art or the Lan Su Chinese Garden. There is also a Japanese Garden, but is a few miles from here. If none of those have your attention, let’s move to our final stop.
The Grotto! It is Catholic Church and National Sanctuary of our Sorrowful Mother at the outsides of Downtown. The entrance is free, but if you would like to visit the upper garden, there is an elevator fee. After this stop, you are ready to go back to the city for dinner! By the way, Portland has a lot of microbreweries.
DAY 2
Obviously on this day you will need a car! You have two options. Hopefully you can make both, but I split it in case you are not a fast pace tourist or do not have a third day. From here you will have to decide if going east or west.
Option 1 (West):
You will drive 93 miles to Lewis & Clark National & Historic Park. Fort Clatsop was the last point in the West of Lewis and Clark expedition. It is a very beautiful park. Once you finish, drive 23 miles south to Haystack Rock which is a beautiful beach and famous massive rock. If you still have energy , I will totally encourage you to visit Multnomah Falls which are close to the city.
Option 2 (East):
Our first stop will be Multnomah Falls. They are 30 miles outside the city. It is a beautiful place for pictures and hiking. From here you have two options: go back to the city or drive 68 miles to Mt. Hood. If you have energy and decide to skip Mt. Hood, I will totally recommend doing option 1.
That will be it! If you have more time, do not forget to check the rest of the tabs below!
Make Your Own
- The Grotto
- Powell's City of Books
- Multnomah Falls
- Portland Art Museum $
- Oregon Museum of Science & Industry $
- Lewis & Clark National & Historic Park $
- Haystack Rock
- Pittcock Mansion $
- Lan Su Chinese $
- Japanese Gardens $
- PDX Museum of Contemporary Art $
Portland Trail Blazers (Basketball)
Season October - April
Portland Timbers (Soccer)
Season March - October
Playoffs October - December
CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK 270 miles
Lake in a Volcano Crater. It is one of the deepest lakes in the world.
MOUNT RAINER NATIONAL PARK 137 miles
Active volcano located in the state of Washington.
Seattle 173 miles
Largest city in Washington State.
Salem 47 miles
Capital of the state of Oregon.
Boise 429 miles
Capital of the state of Idaho.
Olympia 114 miles
Capital of the state of Washington.
Mt Hood 67 miles
Active Volcano located in Oregon. Beautiful park and views.
Mt St Helen 70 miles
Active Volcano that made an eruption in 1980.
Take a Train
Salem 1:06 hours
Seattle 3:40 hours
Olympia. 1:52 hours
If you are planning to stay in Portland only, a car is not really recommended. I would recommend getting a car to visit some attractions outside of Portland. There are Ubers in Portland, so that could be an option. Portland is a very Hipster City. There are a lot of food trucks around Portland with any kind of food, so go and check them out. I would not stay more than two days here. If you have more time take a train to Seattle.
Portland is really famous for its microbreweries. They also produce a lot of wine. These are some of good areas to have a drink: Downtown (bars and nightclubs), Pearl District, & Buckman.
If your plan is shopping, check out this malls: Pioneer place or Washington Square.
