Ask most Portlanders what they like to do and you’ll be met with responses ranging from hiking to just enjoying the outdoors. And it is hard not to take every opportunity to explore when you live in a state with a beautiful landscape and mild climate.
For photo enthusiasts, you have many options that will have you stopping every two seconds to snap another photo. Take the entire family with you for your next adventure that is just a car ride away.
Oneonta Falls
The falls are a gem of the Northwest and differ from many other hiking trails because there isn’t a typical trail, and the falls themselves are the path. The location of the trail means that everyone will need to wade through water during the 1.5 round trip. It is worth it, however, for the views of the mossy chasm and waterfalls. Many tourists and Oregonians overlook the trail and go instead to the nearby Multnomah Falls. So while the trail can be busy during the summer, it is not nearly as crowded as other nearby popular spots. The Oneonta Falls path starts from the historic Columbia River Highway in the Columbia River Gorge and scales along an emerald green slope of licorice ferns. In late spring, you’ll be able to photograph white flowers and pink geraniums.
Silver Falls State Park
The park, according to Oregon State Parks, is a “scenic treasure” and the “crown jewel” of the Oregon state parks system. You can photograph from behind a giant waterfall and traverse through a rocky canyon. There is the Trail of Ten Falls, a nationally recognized loop that has something to look and capture every step of the way. Beyond the waterfalls, there are creeks and lush forested areas.
Silver Falls State Park
Vista House at Crown Point
The Vista House is an observatory for which to view the Columbia River Gorge and take in the inspiring views. The landscape is worth visiting and photographing any time of the day but is especially spectacular during sunset. You’ll have to remember to take a look up from your camera and just take in the vivid colors of the sky as the sun sets over the river. “Crown Point is a basalt promontory shaped by the same volcanic lava flows, floods and winds that created the Columbia River Gorge,” according to the organization’s site.
Vista House at Crown Point
Red Barn Hood River
A visit to Hood River, which is just about an hour away from Portland has more photographic opportunities than can fit into a single day. The next time you venture to the ‘windsurfing capital’ of the world be sure to locate the famous red barn with Mt. Hood in the background. The barn is just off of the fruit loop and is close to the Panorama Point Lookout, which has one of the most amazing views of Mt. Hood.
Red Barn in Hood River, Oregon
Ecola State Park
The Oregon coastline is a photographer’s dream, with the rocky formations and rugged landscape. The trails at Ecola State Park are family-friendly, and the everyone will have the opportunity to take it in with the viewfinders. Day or night, the photographs that you will take will be amazing and worth capturing. Ecola State Park is a short drive from Cannon Beach, Oregon.
Ecola State Park
Readers, what do you think? Ready to get out and explore? What are your favorite Oregon landscapes to photograph? Respond below!
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