Top 10 Hidden Gems Around Portland You Can’t Miss

Discover 10 best gems around Portland, from waterfalls to coastal towns and landmarks, that every traveler should explore.

Some time ago, I took a long weekend getaway to Portland with a friend. In those few days we managed to see all the best sights in Portland, and even explore a bit of the surrounding area too.

We got a taste of the city buzz, soaked in plenty of beautiful nature, and of course experienced Portland’s famously rainy weather. The city felt safe, pleasantly compact, and really easy to get around.

The trip was a big success, and Portland left me with nothing but good memories. I would absolutely go back again and maybe even for a longer stay. It’s also a great stop for anyone planning a road trip along the West Coast, since it sits right by major highways and close to the ocean.

Portland

Portland is the largest city in Oregon, right on the border between Oregon and Washington. Two rivers flow through the city, the Willamette and the Columbia, which eventually merge into one in the northern part of town. About 650,000 people call Portland their home.

Because of where the city sits, visitors often find themselves accidentally driving over the state line. And honestly, it’s worth doing on purpose too as right across the border the city of Vancouver, which also has plenty to see. Just don’t mix it up with Vancouver in Canada, this one is the United States‘ very own Vancouver.

When planning a trip to Portland, it’s good to keep seasonal weather in mind. Summers are usually warm and dry, while winters tend to bring a lot of rain. The winter months are often very cloudy, and it’s not unusual for Portland to get snowfall too. December is typically the coldest month.

You can easily explore Portland’s downtown in a day or two, but there’s so much interesting nature and scenery around the city that it’s absolutely worth renting a car and heading out to explore a bit beyond the city center.

Portland’s Landmarks

Portland Sign

The Portland sign featured in the main photo of this post sits right in the heart of downtown, at the entrance of the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.

The original theater on this spot was called the Portland Publix Theatre, which opened in 1928. When the venue later became the Paramount Theatre, the Portland sign was changed but the city eventually restored the original text in 1984.

The sign stands 20 meters tall and is lit by roughly 6,000 bulbs. It has become one of the most iconic symbols of Portland.

📍Location: 1037 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97205

Portland Oregon Sign

The Portland Oregon sign is also located near downtown, in the city’s historic Old Town district. It’s often called the White Stag Sign thanks to the white stag featured on it. The building it sits on is likewise named the White Stag Building.

Built in 1940, the sign has changed owners multiple times, and its wording has been updated over the years as well. Today, it’s owned by the City of Portland.

The sign lights up at night as a classic neon landmark, the same style of signage many people associate with Las Vegas, where an entire museum is dedicated to neon art. During the holiday season, the stag’s nose is swapped for a glowing red bulb.

📍Location: 70 NW Couch St, Portland, OR 97209

The Portland Building

The Portland Building sits right in the heart of downtown. It was designed by architect Michael Graves and completed in 1982, causing quite a stir at the time for being far more modern than the city’s more traditional government buildings.

In front of the building stands the sculpture Portlandia, created by artist Raymond Kaskey. He drew inspiration from Portland’s official city seal, and the result is the second-largest hammered-copper statue in the United States, right after the Statue of Liberty in New York.

The Portland Building definitely divides opinions. In fact, in 2009 it was even voted the most disliked building in the entire country. Still, it’s an interesting landmark in its own quirky way, and easy to spot among the more conventional buildings as you wander around downtown Portland.

📍Location: 1120 SW 5th Ave, Portland, OR 97204

Old Town Chinatown

Portland’s Old Town Chinatown is, as the name suggests, a blend of the city’s historic district and its traditional Chinese neighbourhood. The old Town area covers about twenty blocks of beautifully preserved architecture, often referred to as Portland Skidmore.

On the edge of Chinatown stands the impressive Chinatown Gateway, a grand archway that was once the largest or its kind the United States, at least until Washington, D.C. built an even bigger one.

Portland’s gate was erected in 1986 after being shipped all the way from Taiwan. It features 78 dragons, 58 mythical creatures, and two guardian lions keeping watch on either side.

The largest Chinatown in the U.S., of course, is just a short drive from our home in San Francisco. And over the years we’ve also wandered through several others, including the one up in Vancouver, Canada.

📍Location: 2 NW 4th Ave, Portland, OR 97209

Multnomah Falls and Other Waterfalls

One of the absolute highlights near Portland is its incredible collection of waterfalls. If you drive east along the Columbia River on Highway 30, you’ll reach an area with more than 90 waterfalls. Many of them are right off the road, exactly why you’ll want a rental car for you Portland trip!

The most famous of them all is the 189-meter-high Multnomah Falls. The waterfall drops in two tiers, connected by the iconic Benson Bridge, which you can also walk up to. Many people recognise Multnomah Falls from the movie Twilight.

The waterfalls sit close to each other along the road, and we stopped at several of them during our drive. A little farther into the forest you’ll also find beautiful hiking trails that lead to even more falls.

Over 2 million people visit the roadside waterfalls every year, so the best time to go is outside holidays and weekends.

📍Location: Oregon 97014

The Bonneville Dam

After exploring the waterfalls, we continued on to the Bonneville Dam, located on the Columbia River. It turned out to be a surprisingly fascinating place to visit, especially because you can actually go inside. We were able to see the dam’s powerhouse and even its fish ladders up close.

The dam generates electricity for the Portland area and the rest of Oregon, as well as neighboring states like Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and California. It was completed in 1937.

We’ve also visited the famous Hoover Dam before, right on the border of Nevada and Arizona. It’s definitely the most iconic dam in the United States and looks completely different from Bonneville.

📍Location: Cascade Locks, OR 97014

Fort Clatsop – Lewis and Clark National Historical Park

Just outside of the town called Astoria, you’ll find Fort Clatsop, the winter camp of the famous Lewis and Clark Expedition during the years 1804-1806. Their journey was the very first expedition to cross the entire North American continent, sent out by President Thomas Jefferson himself.

The expedition spent a total of 105 days at Fort Clatsop. While the original structure has long since deteriorated, a beautifully reconstructed fort now stands in its place, and visitors can even walk inside to get a feel for what life was like back then. The surrounding area is now part of the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, managed by the National Park Service.

The park has several hiking trails, and Visitor Center includes a small museum with exhibits about the expedition.

📍Location: 92343 Fort Clatsop Road, Astoria, OR

Seaside and the Lewis and Clark Salt Works

Seaside is a charming little coastal town and a popular summer gataway, with beautiful beached, bike paths, hiking trails, boutiques, and great restaurants.

In the off-season it’s much quieter, but we still found plenty to see. One of the most interesting stops was the Lewis and Clark Salt Works, a small historical site tied to the same Lewis and Clark expedition I mentioned above.

In December 1805, the expedition sent five men out to find a place where they could produce salt, since they were running desperately low. The river near Fort Clatsop wasn’t suitable, but in Seaside they were able to extract salt directly from seawater.

The men collected seawater into containers and let the sand settle at the bottom. Then they built a stone furnace and boiled the water for 24 hours straight. As the water evaporated, salt was left behind.

📍Location: Seaside, OR 97138

Fort Stevens State Park

Fort Stevens is a former military fort located at the mouth of Columbia River, right near the coast. Its batteries protected the area for 84 years, from the Civil War all the way through World War II, between 1863 and 1947.

The fort included several artillery batteries: Battery Clark, Battery Bratt, Battery 245, Battery Mishler, Battery Smur, and Battery Russell. Today, you can stroll around their historical concrete ruins. The old mine-loading area, coal storage building, and power station have also been preserved.

All of these remnants are now part of Fort Stevens State Park, which has much more to offer than just the historic fort. Within the park you’ll also find a museum, lovely hiking and biking trails, a large campground, and even a lake suitable for swimming.

Down on the beach sits the famous shipwreck of the Peter Iredale, which ran aground in 1906. It has since become one of the park’s most iconic sights, and of course we wandered along the shore to see it for ourselves.

📍Location: Fort Stevens, Ft Stevens Ridge Trail, Hammond, OR 97121

📍Location: 1675 Peter Iredale Rd, Hammond, OR 97121

Tillamook Creamery

Tillamook is a beloved local dairy brand, and on the West Coast it’s almost impossible to walk into a grocery store without spotting their milk, cheese, ice cream, or yogurt. Their factory, Tillamook Creamery, is located, naturally, in the town of Tillamook, about 120 kilometres west of Portland.

The Creamery is open to visitors daily. The self-guided factory tour is free, and you can wander through at your own pace to learn how their dairy products are made and see the production floor in action. Afterward, you can browse the gift shop or grab something to eat at the Tillamook restaurant. At the very least, make sure you try their ice cream, it’s seriously delicious!

If you can, plan your visit on a weekday and outside of holidays. Tillamook Creamery is extremely popular, and weekend often come with long lines.

📍Location: 4165 N Hwy 101, Tillamook, OR 97141

Where to Stay in Portland

Portland has plenty of great accommodation options, and it’s worth choosing your hotel based on which part of the city you plan to spend most of your time in.

If you’re focusing on downtown, Hotel Lucia and The Benson Portland are excellent choices. However, if you’re driving, it might be easier to stay a little outside busiest areas, somewhere with easy access and spacious parking. Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Portland, for example, sits right by the ricer but is still close to downtown.

We also noticed that hotels just across the river on the Washington side were noticeably cheaper than those in Portland. We spent one night at Hilton Vancouver Washington, which was still only a short drive from downtown Portland.

Since we were also exploring the coast, we spent one night in the beach town of Seaside. That’s where we ended up with the most unique accommodation of the entire trip: the fun and quirky Sandy Cove Inn. Every room has a different theme, and the decor was very retro. Such a lovely place!

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Portland left us with such a positive impression. And just like we did, it’s easy to pop over to the Washington side of the river to explore a few sights there too. There’s a lot to see.

Oregon as a whole deserves plenty of time. The state is filled with mossy forests, giant redwoods, beautiful waterfalls, and natural hot springs. Crater Lake National Park and Oregon Caves National Monument, closer to the California border are also absolutely worth a trip.

Have you visited Portland or Oregon yet?