We've stopped by this lovely little elk viewing area before - its a nice break on the twisty…read moreHWY202. Note that you're required to have an Oregon Wildlife Pass ($30 annually) on the dashboard. We had the opportunity to 'Feed the Elk', something they do throughout the winter here. You have to sign up in advance. You and a group of strangers get to board a tractor-towed hay wagon and distribute feed to hungry elk through the fields. You do not get to get off the wagon. There is plenty of room for your cameras, and they make an information stop halfway thru where you can take pics galore. I'd left my 'big lens' at home not knowing what conditions and the experience would be like (I thought we'd be traipsing thru mud) We got super lucky with a beautiful snowy, sunny day. The OFW Ranger, Brian, was super friendly and informative. He gave quite the description at the break and took plenty of time for myraids of questions. There is a restroom here, but my better half reported while clean it hadnt been supplied with, well, supplies. So bring a roll in case.

This has been my favorite pitstop when going out for a hike or on our way to the coast. You pull up…read moreinto a designated viewing/parking area, sit back and relax in your car and look at the elk galore. The meadow and forested backdrop is just perfect in every way. Bring a lunch and enjoy this special wildlife preserve!

Awesome trail through a beautiful, lush forest. I felt like I was in an enchanted forest! Views…read moreto the ocean are gorgeous. Wear hiking shoes, not sneakers. Slippery due to moisture in many locations. Worth hiking!

This is a hike that's a must do in my books. Pack some snacks because the way back can take a…read morelittle longer than you expect. I would plan to leave about 5 hours for this hike so you have enough time to make it out and back without too much of a rush. It looks like an enchanted forest!! The nature is unreal!

Easy drive in to the trailhead, granted it's kinda in the middle of nowhere. I'd read it was a spot…read moreknown for car break-ins, but when roaming the area last weekend I saw the sign for the lake trail and decided to give it a whirl. Again, easy to find trail...signage good at the road and the trailhead. There's a handful of parking spots, and yes, lots of broken glass around. We debated, but ultimately decided since it's a quick 1.8 miles we'd go for it. The trail started off a bit bland, but got more interesting the further we went. The path is wider and flatter at the beginning and gets narrower, with some ups & downs and lots of uneven surfacing the closer you get to the lake. It's a lollipop loop around the water, which is small but still a bit bigger than I'd pictured for some reason. A quick, easy hike if you find yourself in the area. Birds and critters rustling along the way, and banana slugs as well so watch your step!

this is a very scenic, easy hike about 90 min west of Portland. take US-26W then turn south on…read moreOR-53/Necanicum HWY. the trailhead will be on the left after ~ 5 miles. what i like about this hike: 1. it's close enough for a quick day hike 2. it's far enough from Portland that you won't be dealing with hiking "rush hour", we ran into 5 people on the trail 3. very dog friendly--snuffle along the trail, hop through the meadow, swim in the lake! 4. twisty roads on OR-53 bring out the roadster in everyone 5. nice flat pack-in campsite for overnights what i would change: 1. very short hike, only 5.5 miles long, it'll take you less time to hike it than to drive there! 2. no sherpa with a box of Krispy cremes waiting for you at the trailhead lol

Lovely spot to start the Tillamook Lighthouse trek, but not for lighthouse spotting, just a more…read morechallenging trail. Plenty of free parking, but no services or porta-potties. We only hiked for about 30 mins, but enjoyed all the lush green and mostly empty trail.

If you love watching wildlife, bring your binoculars!!…read more We kept passing by the sign for Killin on our way to the coast and wondered what was back there. Well today that question was answered, and my oh my were we pleased. There's a nice 1/2 mile loop (with a short off-shoot) that takes you down towards some wetlands. Luckily for the lovely and plentiful animals that call the area home, you are kept at a distance. But get out the binos, because you're in for a treat. We spotted multiple beavers swimming, eating, and roaming. Birds and fowl of all shapes and sizes everywhere. We even spotted a momma otter and her 2 pups playing in the current and up on the marsh. My eyes were hurting from being pressed against the binoculars for so long, but I couldn't stop watching the show. Such a fabulous place to get a peek at so many beautiful animals just enjoying their daily activities. LOVE it! No dogs allowed here of course. There's a pretty large parking lot and a vault toilet. Highly recommend if you love all the critters like I do!

Fun place an hour from Portland, bring water shoes! Rocks to jump from! Swim shallow and slightly…read moredeeper parts fun place to cool off! There is a bathroom near by and free parking you park and go down the trail to the river!

It was my buddies bachelor party and he wanted to go bouldering and hiking. On Sunday morning we…read moregot up early and headed to the mountain. My buddy had previously done the hike and said it was one of his favorites, he did warn us that it was a pretty tough hike. I was shocked at just how steep the climb was. I was also shocked when we hit a ridge that had great views only to turn around and realize that we still had quite a bit of climb ahead of us. We had not even hit the "saddle" yet. Once we finally hit the top of the climb I was absolutely blown away at the sights. It was absolutely gorgeous!! You could turn every direction and see something amazing!! We were able to see 4 mountain ranges clearly and another one waaay off in the distance, plus from the other direction you could see the ocean!! For exercise purposes this is one of the best climbs I have ever done. It was really tough and burned out my legs. For views it was one of the best I have seen so far. I have only recently gotten into hiking in the last couple of years. I have been pushing myself further and further. Lil si was probably the toughest one I did last year, this is by far the toughest I have done this year, possibly to date!! One quick note. We went on a beautiful day on a busy holiday weekend and the parking was nuts and the climb was packed, but people were polite and would pull off to the side to let people pass.

Scenic views from the summit best seen midweek or in fall when there are less people. Also most…read morepeople follow the laws and have their dogs on a leash but there are always a few rule breakers so if you are afraid of dogs or allergic to them use caution here. Trail has some loose rock and can be slippery in sections. Light hiking boots are a good idea.

this is a easy hike 2 1/2 miles there and back to a quiet lake small but cutie the trail is an easy…read moreup hill and flat so the hike back is supper easy all flat and down hill. something to do on the was to the beach. +45° 50' 16.92", -123° 30' 49.74"