The 3 Best Day Trips from Portland, Oregon

When visiting Portland, you could easily spend all your time eating doughnuts, drinking craft beer, and pretending to be a hipster. (Sound like your kind of trip? Check out my Portland Travel Guide for some great recommendations and lots of pictures of me in flannel.) However, you would be remiss not to save some time for one or two of the best day trips from Portland. The surrounding areas have some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever seen. I was absolutely smitten with this part of the PNW.

Before we get started it’s important to mention that you’ll need to rent a car to get around. The drives are pretty though so you won’t mind spending a few hours in the car.

Here are the 3 best day trips from Portland!

Mt. Hood, Trillium Lake, and Multnomah Falls

If you are a nature-lover or only have time for one day trip from Portland, take this one. You’ll get to see some of the area’s most impressive sites and experience the natural beauty of the PNW. I saw all three of these spots in one day. Your schedule will be jam-packed but it’s totally worth it.

First Stop: Timberline Lodge and Mt. Hood

Distance from Portland to Timberline Lodge/Mt. Hood: 1 hour 40 minutes

I started my day by driving out to Timberline Lodge, nestled alongside Mt. Hood. Despite its cameo in The Shining, this lodge is very cozy and tranquil. If I had extra time, I would have liked to stay here for a night. Upon arrival, I fueled up for the day ahead at the lunch buffet in the Cascade Dining Room.

Then it was time to hike off all the food I just ate! Behind the lodge’s back outdoor patio, there’s a 2.5-mile trail aptly named the Timberline Trail. Fun fact: it’s also a part of the Pacific Crest Trail. This hike goes around Mt. Hood and ends up at Zig Zag Canyon. It does not loop though, so keep in mind you’ll have to retrace your steps and walk all the way back. I turned around after 1.6 miles to save time for the rest of the day.

Second Stop: Trillium Lake

Distance from Timberline Lodge to Trillium Lake: 25 minutes

After hiking, get back in your car and head to Trillium Lake to see Mt. Hood in all its glory. This is the best spot for a photo op. On a clear sunny day, the mountain reflects on the brilliant blue lake, creating a breathtaking scene.

There’s also a 1.7-mile hike around the lake. The hike itself is nothing special. Stick to the lookout point on the dock if you’re short on time or are all hiked out after the Timberline Trail.

Third Stop: Multnomah Falls

Distance from Trillium Lake to Multnomah Falls: 1 hour 20 minutes

On your way back to Portland, make sure to stop by the 611-foot high Multnomah Falls. They’re right off the highway, and there’s a parking lot directly across the street. I was only able to walk up to the first bridge due to recent forest fires in the area but that didn’t damper my experience at all. I highly recommend visiting Multnomah Falls while you’re in the area. If you can’t visit during this day trip, the falls are only a 30-minute drive from Portland.

Cannon Beach

Distance from Portland: 1 hour 30 minutes

Cannon Beach is a cute beach town with a 4-mile long beach. It is best known for Haystack Rock, a 235-foot sea stack that rises out of the ocean. While the beach and Haystack Rock are the biggest draw, there are plenty of other things to do in Cannon Beach if you have the time. The town itself has shopping, restaurants, and art galleries. There are also lots of activities for nature-lovers, with Ecola State Park and Oswald West State Park nearby.

I was only there for a few hours, unfortunately. That was enough time though to check out the beach, take pictures of Haystack Rock, and grab lunch at Cheri’s Café. If you’re looking for somewhere to eat, this café had good the fish & chips cooked by the owner Cheri herself.

Willamette Valley Wineries

Distance from Portland: 45 minutes to 2 hours depending on the winery

Distance from Cannon Beach: ~1 hour 30 minutes for the wineries mentioned below

Good wine + pretty views = pure bliss! I combined this day trip with Cannon Beach (beach in the morning, wineries in the afternoon) since I only had five days in Portland. You could spend a whole day visiting wineries though. There are over 500 of them in Willamette Valley. If you trying to decide where to go, the Willamette Wines site has a comprehensive list of wineries and regional map. Here are the three I visited.

Kramer Vineyards

Kramer Vineyards was my favorite of the three wineries I went to. For all-around top-notch wine and scenery, make sure to stop here. There is a nice patio outside with a great view of the vineyard.

Elk Cove Vineyards

Elk Cove Vineyards is another solid choice for good wine and scenery. It’s only 5 minutes away from Kramer so it’s an easy stop to make while in the area.

Pike Road Wines

Unlike the other two, Pike Road Wines is in a small town called Carlton. The tasting room is in an old bank building. You can still even see the vault! Pike Road had my favorite wine of all three places. The Pinot Noirs were delicious. However, since it’s in a town, there’s no scenery, which was a bit of a letdown after the previous two wineries.