Things to do in Oregon
Oregon offers a variety of activities for nature lovers, outdoor enthusiasts, and city explorers. Some popular things to do in Oregon include visiting Portland for its vibrant food and art scene, exploring the beautiful Columbia River Gorge, hiking in the scenic The Trail of 10 Falls, visiting the Oregon Coast for stunning ocean views and outdoor activities, and exploring the unique wine country. Additionally, outdoor activities such as skiing on Mount Hood, visiting Crater Lake National Park, and experiencing the beauty of the Oregon Dunes provide opportunities for adventure and exploration. Oregon's diverse landscape and rich cultural scene make it an excellent destination for travelers with varying interests.
My husband and I took a trip to Oregon in June 2024 to visit his twin brother. While we didn’t do all of the significant activities Oregon has to offer, we did get to hike The Trail of 10 Falls, visit Thor’s Well on the coast, and wine tasting at Dominio IV Winery. Here’s our summary of our trip and reviews of the things we did get to go do!
In June 2024, my husband and I traveled from New Mexico to Oregon to visit his twin brother for their birthday. We spent a week there, stayed with my brother-in-law and did some touristy things there. Most of the trip was spent just hanging out with family; we got groceries and only made food. We did not enjoy any local food places during this trip as we were on a budget, but that is okay! It was still an enjoyable trip! I want to share our experience while we were in Oregon.
Our trip was Tuesday-Tuesday, and we began our travel day by driving three and a half hours to Albuquerque, NM, to catch our flight. We had a layover in Denver, CO, and reached Portland, OR, around 9 pm. We spent another hour getting to my brother-in-law’s place. It was about an 8-hour travel day, and we flew Southwest Airlines for the first time, but it was such a smooth day!
After chatting and catching up, we settled in late that first night and leisurely started our first full day (Wednesday) in Oregon. We didn’t do much on this day; we just got groceries for our time there and hung out. We spent about $260 on groceries for 4 of us (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and adult beverages) and managed to eat all the food we purchased, which was $65 per person for the entire week! PRO TIP: if you’re ever on a tight budget and have access to cook, get groceries for your trip! Traveling does not always have to be super expensive. We were not sad that we didn’t eat out at all, as our purpose for this trip was for my husband and my brother-in-law to spend their birthday together. As for the rest of the day, we hung out and chatted.
After breakfast the next day (Thursday), we made some sandwiches and drove about an hour and a half to Silver Falls State Park to hike the Trail 10 Falls. Located under an hour from Salem, Silver Falls State Park is a wonderland of natural beauty. This beautiful 7.5-mile loop with about 1,181 elevation gains is moderately complex and features ten different waterfalls.
You’ll start at the South Falls Lodge Trailhead, where we park, and parking costs $5. A well-kept restroom, a water fountain/water bottle refill station, and a cafe are located at this trailhead. There are also many alternate trailheads, some of which do not require a parking fee but are tiny parking lots.
The loop itself is a combination of the Canyon Trail and the Rim Trail. The loop can be done in either direction, but the mapped route on All Trails goes clockwise. Which is the direction we hiked.
If going clockwise, you’ll pass the falls in the following order: South Falls, Lower South Falls, Lower North Falls, Double Falls, Drake Falls, Middle North Falls, Twin Falls, North Falls, Upper North Falls, and Winter Falls. The height of falls ranges from 27 feet to 178 feet, and four you can walk behind. There are plenty of benches, and the trail is exceptionally well-maintained. You can tell the trail is VERY well traveled as it is one of the most popular hikes in Oregon.
There is no significant elevation gain and chances to lessen the distance, with alternate routes to follow: the Canyon Trail or the Rim Trail. This trail is excellent for the whole family. Note that dogs are no allowed on the trail.
Photos below of all but one of the falls.
I missed getting a photo of one of the falls. I thought it was one in the middle of the trail, but it was Winter Falls. Please excuse if I mislabeled a picture of the falls; I tried to match them up with a Google search image of each for each photo I took. Of course, the angles in which I took pictures of each of the falls and the time of year may not match perfectly with a Google image search!
This is a very popular trail, and we arrived around 9 am, and there was plenty of parking. It took us about three and a half hours to complete this trail, stopping for lunch at the North Falls Trailhead to eat some sandwiches we packed for lunch. From there, to see the Upper North Falls, you have to hike a little ways in and back to the trail, and to continue with completing the loop, there are no more waterfalls to see, just beautiful nature.
When we returned to where we parked, there were many more cars in the parking lot and long lines to the restroom. So, I highly recommend hiking this trail early on a weekday to beat the crowds!
After we finished the hike, we headed back to my brother-in-law’s place, and we all just hung out for the rest of the evening.
The next day (Friday), we leisurely started the day with breakfast at home, made sandwiches for lunch, and headed to the Oregon Coast. It took us about two hours to arrive at Cape Perpetua Visiter’s Center and wander around the coast. It was a beautiful day. It was a little cooler in temperature and cloudy/misty from the Pacific Ocean. It costs $5 to park at the visitor’s center, but you can access the entire Cape Perpetua area for the day!
Thor’s Well at Cape Perpetua in Yachats, Oregon
About Thor's Well
Sitting on the edge of the Oregon coast near Cape Perpetua is Thor’s Well, a seemingly bottomless sinkhole that swallows the unbroken stream of seawater around it. Although it is not bottomless, this natural wonder is known to be hazardous.
The Well, also known as the drainpipe of the Pacific, is a hole in the rock that seems to drain water from the ocean. According to some researchers, it likely started as a sea cave sculpted by the waves, and eventually, the roof collapsed, creating openings at the bottom and top through which the ocean sprays. The large hole is estimated to be around 20 feet deep and produces impressive sights. However, it may not be suitable for individuals who are easily frightened!
The site is most spectacular at high tide or during storms when water washes violently over the rocks and funnels into the hole. The best time to visit Thor’s Well is one hour before high tide to see it without water and then observe how the formation fills up. We could not view Thor’s Well at high tide, but it was still a wonderful experience.
When we arrived at Thor’s Well, you could see that the blue sky was partially cloudy. It was a little windy on the cooler side, but otherwise, it was a very comfortable temperature. After a bit, clouds rolled in, and it became a little mistier, but overall, it was lovely weather. In the photos below, the ones toward the top were just as we arrived, while the ones toward the bottom were just before we left when the clouds rolled in.
We only made time to visit Thor’s Well, but there is SO MUCH more to see at Cape Perpetua (more details below.)
Rising 800 feet above the Pacific Ocean, Cape Perpetua headland is the highest viewpoint on the Oregon Coast, accessible by car. You can enjoy stunning Cape Perpetua Marine Reserve views and the rugged, rocky shore from this vantage point. Here, visitors can witness the impressive power of the ocean as it meets the coastal temperate rainforest.
Cape Perpetua Scenic Area spans 2,700 acres of coastal habitat and was designated for its exceptional ecological characteristics. A 26-mile trail system provides numerous opportunities to explore this rich and diverse temperate rainforest.
Cape Perpetua has been inhabited for at least 6,000 years, and it holds evidence of a rich history. Archaeological sites offer a glimpse into the village life of the Native American Alsea people, who referred to this area as Halaqaik. In 1778, British explorer James Cook named the headland after Saint Perpetua. Many of the trails present today were initially constructed by a unit of the Civilian Conservation Corps. President Franklin D. Roosevelt established this initiative to provide work for young men during the Great Depression. Their camp once occupied the area where the visitor center stands today.
Approximately 26 miles of the trail begin at the Visitor Center, featuring old-growth forests, Native American shell middens, the Devil’s Churn, tidepools, Thor’s Well & Spouting Horn, and stunning views, hiking Trail Map Here.
After we finished at Thor’s Well, it was time for lunch. So we drove a short way to find a beachy area to sit and eat our sandwiches. According to the location, my phone labeled the photo near Walport, Oregon.
I was under the impression that the beaches along the Pacific Northwest were super rocky, cold, and windy. While we found a lovely sandy beach, it was cooler and a little windy, but nothing to my misconceptions of the Pacific Northwest Coast. I highly recommend going to the coast in Oregon; I was pleasantly surprised!
When we arrived at this beach, we found that the sand was still warm to touch from the earlier sunny weather, even though the clouds rolled in. This beach was relatively quiet and empty while we enjoyed our packed lunch. We took a short stroll to the water, and to my surprise, it was a comfortable temperature. It’s like the temperature of an unheated pool in the middle of summer. You have to jump in and get used to it quickly. On a hot Oregon day, a trip to the coast may be a nice escape from the heat!
Beach near Walport, Oregon
After eating lunch and visiting the beach, we drove back and just hung out with my brother-in-law and his girlfriend for the evening.
The next day (Saturday aka my husband’s birthday), we took time to get up and make breakfast, as usual on this trip. We had reservations early that afternoon to visit a winery for a wine tasting about an hour away.
my husband getting the opportunity to sabor a wine bottle when they found out it was his birthday - disclaimer we had no idea this was going to happen. I’m not entirely sure how often they allow members to do this there was one other person who did while we were there though.
Oregon is known to have family-owned wineries that produce small-batch high-quality wine, with approximately 1,467 vineyards and over 900 wineries, the 2nd highest in the country. Wineries are a massive part of the state’s economy. You can visit wineries in the Willamette Valley, Chehalem Mountains AVA, or Eola-Amity Hills AVA. Now, I can’t pretend to know anything about the wine-making process, from growing the grapes to aging the wine, but I know how to tell the difference between white and red wine or dry wine. I know the basics, and that’s what it is all about.
Many wineries sell to local businesses or ship out to stores nationwide. Most wineries conduct tours and tasting menus; some may have food options. Meanwhile, some wineries do not sell to stores; they only sell to their members.
We went to Domino IV for our tasting. My brother-in-law is a member and used to work at this winery, and they loved him, so we got last-minute reservations for wine tasting. This is a small, member-only winery that was started in 2002 by Patrick Reuter.
I found it interesting that some of the bottles have a color image that pictures how the owner sees taste; I believe it’s a neurological condition called synesthesia. When they explained this to us, you could see a visual of how you might taste the wine, like if there was a more extensive cluster at the beginning of the image and the wine packs a punch at the beginning sip or vice versa. LOL, at my non-technical terms for all of this. If you visit the website, you will see the different types of labels in their Imagination Series.
I highly recommend visiting a winery for a wine tasting. The one we went to is members only, but if you know someone who is a member, you can attend as a group! Otherwise, there are numerous wineries in the state that you can visit!
My husband and his brother really wanted to take a photo with this statue leaving the bar
It was a lot of fun and a fantastic way for my husband and his brother to spend their birthday! After the winery, we headed back, made dinner, and spent the evening at a local dive bar within walking distance, where my husband and his brother played pool while I chatted with my brother-in-law’s girlfriend.
The following two days (Sunday & Monday) were spent hanging out and relaxing. My husband and his brother played video games as their favorite pastime. I read my book, scrolled TikTok, chatted, and napped often during our downtime.
My husband and I got a cold on the first day of our trip, so we took cold medicine to enjoy ourselves the whole time. So the last two days were planned as go-with-the-flow days, and we were going to decide what to do the day of, but since we both were sick, we didn’t feel like doing much. It was unfortunate, but I am pleased we planned the trip that way so that we could visit the sites we did and relax. I am typically a planner and often forget to plan leisure time, so I scheduled some leisure time for this trip!
Sunrise Mt Hood as we headed into Portland to catch our morning flight home on Tuesday morning
We loved Oregon so much and can’t wait to return. The weather was beautiful when we arrived: sunny, mid-80s, and cool at night. Everything was so green and vibrant and beautiful. I cannot believe Oregon was never a state I considered visiting before! The general area where my brother-in-law lives is close to the coast, Portland, and has many hiking trails and mountain areas! Oregon offers a variety of activities for nature lovers, outdoor enthusiasts, and city explorers.
While we did not get to visit Portland or explore much of the local food, we did the main attractions we wanted to do. It was a lot of fun, and we will be back to do more things we didn’t get to do this time!
We already have two cruises planned for next year, but maybe in the following years, we can return. Not only to see more of the beautiful state but to visit family. My husband is a twin, after all so it will only be a matter of time before we plan a trip back to visit, or a trip in general with them!
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