Portland is not known to the big public, but most tourists that have gone love it. The state has grown to be a metropole in the US. Go for a walk through Forest Park, the biggest urban park in America or visit one of the famous food trucks of which the city is known. In the different neighbourhoods you see a variety of old buildings and modern architecture. Portland is a real green city and is easily navigable by bicycle. There are different safe bicycle paths that go right through the heart of the city.
In 2008 it was decided that Portland should have its own donut. The city started a cooperation with Voodoo Doughnuts, a local donut shop that is known throughout the state. Together they came up with the Portland Cream. The name makes you think of the Boston Cream and the doughnut looks a lot like it. It is a doughnut with a creamy cream on the inside. On top of the doughnut is a layer of chocolate. This is exactly like the Boston doughnut, but to make a distinction two white eyes have been added as decoration.
In the background of Portland you will see the biggest volcano of the State Oregon, Mount Hood. The volcano lies 75 kilometres from the city, but is always clearly visible in the backdrop. During the winter the volcano is always covered with a thick layer of snow and you can go skiing here. The active volcano is part of volcanic mountain ranger that you find back in North-America.
The capital city of Oregon is Salem and is mostly known because of the witch hunts in 1692. It are the most famous witch hunts of America. The city is especially popular during halloween when the whole city dresses up as witches. Are you interested in the history behind the witch hunts? Pay a visit to the Witch House and you will learn more about it. Besides this, Salem is a sleepy town. But it is fun to have seen during your tour. If you want to visit a city where you can really go and do something, then pick Portland.
America is of course known because of its beautiful national park and an impressive park to have seen is the Crater Lake National Park. The park has a surface are of 21 square kilometres and consists of an intense blue lake with steep mountain sides. The lake is situated in an old volcanic crater. On the walls of the crater you will regularly see remains of snow or in the winter months you will even see a big pack of snow. The crater in which the lake lies is a sleeping volcano. The last eruption of the volcano was 5700 years ago. Throughout the ages rain and melting water ensured that the crater became a lake. There are no natural exits and this meant that a lake originated of 600 metres deep. This makes Crater lake the deepest lake of the United States. Wild animals started to live around the lake and with a bit of luck you will see black bears, deer, bobcats and eagles. For the Native Americans the lake is a sacred place and you were not allowed to come here for some time. Presently it has been opened to the public by the Native Americans as a national park.
The Multnomah waterfalls originated on the Oregon side of the Columbia gap. The waterfall consists of two parts of which the top part is 165 metres high. The lowest part of the waterfalls is 21 metres high. If you can't get enough of the waterfalls then you can visit Oneonta Gorge a little further down. Besides a visit to the waterfalls, it is recommended to make a walk through the forests around the waterfalls.
Oregon is of course known because of its rough coastline and here you can see something of the Ecola State Park. In the park lies a road of two and a half miles along the coast. A beautiful viewpoint is the Ecola Point from which you can see the rocks along the coast. You can see here the famous Haystack Rock. Along the coastline you will find more parks where you can see beautiful rock formations.
When you visit the different national parks along the coast, then you will end up or begin with Bandon perhaps. This town with 3000 inhabitants lies about 70 miles from California. It is primarily a tourist town and in the old centre you will find different shops and art galleries. From the beach you can see different rock formations. This is the prime reason that tourists come to the village.
The Columbia River Gorge is a gigantic river that originates from the Rocky Mountains and ends up in the Pacific. The river is mainly famous because of the different waterfalls. Especially in the states Washington and Oregon you can find different waterfalls. In Oregon there are already 24 different waterfalls to be found and they are all impressive.
The John Day Fossil Beds are mostly known because of the unique findings. Different fossils have been found here of plants and animals. Most tourists don't come here to admire the fossils. They pay a visit to the colourful badlands. The badlands consist of three units and the distances are quite large, but reachable by car. The roads are windy, which is why people do not drive fast here. You should thus be aware of the long driving times. The most famous and beautiful area of the park is the Painted Hills Unit.
In the middle of the state Oregon lies the Smith Rock State Park. The park consists of different rock formations made out of lava. It is an especially good idea to make a walk through the park if you want to see more. In the end you will see the most during a walk. One of the most impressive sights in the park is the Monkey Face Rock. One of the most well known viewpoints is really close to the parking. This is ideal for tourists that don't want to walk too much.
