(Image is of the City Fair Carnival during the 2017 Portland Rose Festival. Photo credit to drburtoni available under a creative common licence)
The Pacific Northwest is a land of beauty, and June is a lovely time to visit. Our conference will be happening one week after the conclusion of Portland’s Rose Festival, so if you are saving up for a long vacation you might consider attending. There are plenty of other attractions in Portland, including beautiful gardens, museums, and great food. Definitely a city you can spend several days exploring.
Outside of Portland, we recommend the following places to see and things to do:
- HIKING. There are almost too many hikes to recommend, but we will limit ourselves to three: (1) Silver Falls, an hour drive from Corvallis or Portland, and the crown jewel of hikes with waterfalls (there are ten, including two that you can shelter behind); (2) Tillamook Head Traverse Hike, on the Northern Coast, a fabulous winding-through-forest hike that will take you to magnificent views of the Coastline (if it isn’t raining or shrouded in fog); (3) any one of the several hikes up and around Mount Hood, which towers over Portland and is one of Oregon’s best-known landmarks.
- WINE TASTING. Corvallis is located in the middle of the Willamette Valley, which is prime wine-producing territory. There are several excellent vineyards within an hour’s drive from the campus. Here are three local places to try: Lumos (about fifteen minutes outside of town); Remy Wines (about 45 minutes away); Stoller (also about 45 minutes away; has a dining patio). If you really love wine and want to spend time in a place where you visit multiple vineyards over a weekend, try the town of Dundee.
- KAYAKING. There are so many possibilities here, it is hard to recommend just one. There are river, lake, and sea options. We really don’t have specific recommendations here, but we encourage you to explore options online.
- VISTING THE OREGON COAST. Corvallis is located a little less than one hour East of Newport, Oregon, which is one of the larger coastal cities here. It is definitely worth exploring. We love visiting the Yaquina Head Lighthouse and its surrounding tidepools, walking around the charming Nye Beach area, and visiting the educational Hatfield Marine Center or the more touristy Oregon Coast Aquarium.
In Corvallis itself, there are several excellent hikes and trails, perfect for family members and loved ones who have traveled with you and need something to do while you are attending the conference: Bald Hill is within walking distance of the campus; OSU maintains a working/research forest a short drive from town, McDonald and Dunn Forests, that boast numerous trails of varying difficulty; and the Finley National Wildlife Refuge is worth the 20-minute drive, especially if you are interested in birdwatching.