What’s to Love: I recently asked for a sledding recommendation on the Portland Family Adventures’ Facebook page. White River Snowpark, located about 6 miles north of Government Camp on Hwy 35, was the unanimous winner! With such accolades, I had to go check it out with my family – we were not disappointed. While many great areas exist for sledding, hiking and/or snowshoeing in winter, this may be the best of the best.
What’s to Love: For years I’ve been hearing about Club Sport’s giant climbing walls, which are up to 45 feet tall! According to their website, Club Sport’s Adventure Center is the largest climbing facility (11, 500 square feet) in Oregon. The Center offers a nice variety of terrain including bouldering, steep lead climbing, a chimney area, slabs, and some cracks. Until last week, Club Sport’s mega walls have eluded our sending attempts. During our recent visit, we had a pleasant experience highlighted by a clean and open atmosphere featuring outstanding route setting.
What’s to Love: If there’s one thing I love, it’s a sparkling clean bowling alley. You’ll definitely find it at Big Al’s and much more! This entertainment hub features plenty of lanes for public bowling, a private bowling area, a HUGE sports bar and grill, video and arcade games, bowling pro shop, and plenty of space for group events.
What’s to Love: The picture featured above is Jim Ablao of Chockstone Climbing Guides. Our family has climbed with him in the past at Smith Rock State Park. When Jim is working, it’s a sure bet that he’ll be sporting a big smile on his face. Right before I took the aforementioned picture, I asked him, “Another great day at the office, huh?” Jim obviously loves his work as a climbing guide, but he also has a love for climbing, which shows in his enthusiasm (and competence) as a a guide. If you’re looking to take your family out, or you want to give rock climbing at try at one of the world’s premier climbing areas, get in contact with Jim as soon as possible. The fall is a great time to climb at Smith.
What’s to Love: I know I’ve been a bit heavy on climbing destinations lately, but Government Cove is a little gem that provides more than rock climbing, scrambling, and bouldering. This is a relatively undeveloped location (i.e., no fees, no restrooms, no water, no parking area, etc.). Despite that fact, the entire area was very clean with some nice paved and unpaved trails for hiking and biking.
What’s to Love: Being a climber, I’ve always been fascinated, and a bit intimidated, by the 848 foot high monolith – “Beacon Rock.” So intimidated that my first trip to the top was along the mile-long paved walkway and not roped-up hanging off the side of the rock. While the hike (1.8 miles round trip) to the top and back is exhilerating, the volcanic core is just a small piece of the whole picture. Upon further exploration, you’ll see that Beacon Rock has much to offer the whole family.
What’s to Love: I was looking for the perfect swimming hole on our way back from a bouldering adventure in Washington. Our plan was to check-out Dougan Creek Falls, which looks visually stunning and lots of fun. However, on our way to the falls, another access point (about 1 mile short of the falls) caught my eye while rounding a curve.
After noticing this beautiful spot, we parked at a pullout along the Washougal River (literally 30 seconds down a steep bank), and I could hardly believe my eyes! This spot (see distance from Portland below) on the Washougal is one of the nicest river access points I’ve ever seen in my life. Perfect for the whole family!
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What’s to Love: I can’t say enough good things about the entire Evergreen facility, which includes a space museum, aviation museum, digital 3D theater, and the Wings & Waves Waterpark. These are beautiful museums that will ignite your child’s imagination and fascinate the whole family. The sheer magnitude of Evergreen astounds me. All of these facilities are on par with anything on the national level, and believe it or not, they are located just 40 miles from Portland.
What’s to Love: Horsethief Lake State Park and Horsethief Butte provide a nice one-two-punch for a full-day family outing. Located about 90 miles east (via WA 14 or OR 84), you might try these two destinations for an adventurous combination of camping, technical rock climbing, rock scrambling, bouldering, hiking, boating, and fishing.
What’s to Love: A fan on my Facebook page recommended the Hondo Dog Park in Hillsboro, and I’m thankful for the recommendation! Hondo is the nicest city dog park I’ve ever seen, and it’s well worth the drive from Portland, especially if you have some other Hillsboro destinations in mind.
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What’s to Love: Magnolia is a very cute little park in a semi-residential area of Hillsboro. I say “semi-residential” due to the fact this area of Hillsboro has a combination of planned residential areas surrounded by retail/businesses. I’m not sure how this city plan works for Hillsboro. I will say with confidence that Hillsboro has one of the most comprehensive park systems you’ll find anywhere. You could spend weeks (or more) exploring all the various options for parks. Check-out the map!
What’s to Love: If your family is into disc golf, the 21 acre Orchard Park is worth the drive to Hillsboro. The park has a VERY nice 3-par, 9-hole course with a paved path winding throughout the length of the course. The paved path makes a 1/2 mile loop, which is a decent length for beginning bikers or kids on scooters.
What’s to Love: 1000+ acres of no-feepublic trails, mud holes, bird blinds, beach access (Columbia & Sandy Rivers), and HUGE open fields for your dog to be off-leash! There are only two areas where dogs must be on-leash (Confluence Trail and the parking area). Otherwise, your dogs can experience a tremendous amount of freedom running free with other dogs and having a great time in what feels like a wilderness setting.
What’s to Love: On May 2nd, 2012, Ripzu will be reopening!!! They were able to work things out with their landlord and will be moving the entire space into the side with the mini-pipe.
On our ever continuing 2011 skatepark tour, we managed to find this gem in Vancouver, WA. Ripzu has been open about a year and a half, but it seems like a brand new facility to me. Everything is in excellent condition with a superior riding surface and one of the nicest layouts for beginning riders in the Portland area.
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Jeff Hunter - Manager, Harborview Inn
Jeff Hunter manages the Harborview Inn in Garibaldi, Oregon. He was kind enough to send Portland Family Adventures an invitation to do some crabbing right off the local pier. Since I’ve never crabbed in my life, we decided to take the whole family for a quick day trip. We spent a few hours in Garibaldi hoping to catch some crab, checking out the sights, and eating fish and chips at the highly recommended “Fisherman’s Korner.” Jeff is enthusiastic about the area and all it has to offer families. After visiting, I share his enthusiasm and want to pass along a quick interview.
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What’s to Love: For climbers, especially with kids, it doesn’t get much better than here in the Portland area. We have some world-class bouldering and climbing gyms all within a 15 mile radius of downtown Portland. Opening November of 2011, The Source Climbing Center in downtown Vancouver, WA is the latest addition to the climbing community. Beautifully designed, The Source was built from scratch and offers a totally separate area for young children and beginners interested in climbing.
What’s to Love: In my opinion, taking into account all the factors of “family value,” Cooper Spur Mountain Resort (CSMR) is the best option for families looking for a night (or more) away from Portland, especially when combining it with beginning-level skiers and/or snowboarders. They offer a package deal that includes a lift ticket, and rentals that is far less than the cost of a single lift ticket at neighboring resorts. The trade-off is limited terrain served by a single lift. Despite that limitation, if you’re looking for a laid-back resort that is family-friendly, this should be your next destination.
What’s to Love: We finally returned to The Stoneworks Gym in Beaverton, OR, and I’m happy to report that it’s still the same quality business that it was 3 years ago. Super friendly, helpful, excellent instruction, unpretentious, and no attitude whatsoever from fellow climbers. If your kids have never climbed before, Stoneworks Gym is an excellent place to learn the basics! Matt Spohn, the gym manager and son of the owner, takes the family business seriously. It’s obvious that his first priority is customer service, which translates into a pleasant environment.
What’s to Love: Since moving here to Portland in 1999, my wife and I have hiked Angel’s Rest too many times to count. To this day, it remains one or our favorite hikes in the Columbia River Gorge, and it’s one of the first hikes when entering the Gorge from Portland. While we carried our oldest son up the hike when he was younger, this was our first visit to hike the entire 4.8 miles (round trip) with both kids.
What’s to Love: Located 12 miles SE of Sandy, Oregon on the flanks of Mt. Hood, Windells is a training camp for kids (and adults!) interested in skateboarding, skiing, snowboarding, BMX, and free riding. The sheer magnitude of the outdoor skatepark (aka “concrete jungle”) is enough to make most kids’ jaws drop to the ground in awe. I hope to write about the camp experience (academy, residential, and day) in the near future, but the focus of this article is off-season/day-use access for the general public, which is well worth the price of admission and drive from Portland.
