Photographer's Guide to Oregon

Yes, there is a Boeing 727 that has been converted into a home! Just 45 minutes southwest of Portland, this airplane is nestled in someone’s yard. You can visit for free, when they are open, and even take a tour of the inside! The gentleman running the operation is very friendly and will be happy to share stories with you. To enter, you start by climbing some steps onto the end of the wing, then you walk across the wing and enter through the emergency hatch. It is overall a very cool experience.

The Willamette River running through downtown Portland is lined with over a dozen unique bridges. I highly recommend driving around and exploring them. One popular photo spot is located under the St. Johns Bridge on the east side at Cathedral City Park. There is a viewpoint there that creates archways like a cathedral.

Getting here at sunrise will give you one of the best views of Mount Hood from Portland. I researched quite a bit to find this particular view and contest that it is the best. The hours are unfortunately such that you have to hike up the trail to get there at sunrise. Otherwise, during the day hours, you could park near this view.

Tied-for-first is this great view of Mount Hood from Trillium Lake. It is about an hour drive from Portland and has plenty of space for enjoying the views by standing, walking, or kayaking around the lake.

Yes, it is in Washington, but this location is just barely outside of Portland by a mere 45 minutes. The drive is worth it to find this relatively low traffic spot (at least in early morning). There are all sorts of great vantage points around the mill, including a nice trail on the opposite side of the river, which is perfect for photos.

Now we enter our main event, the Columbia Gorge. This region starts just 15 minutes east of Portland and extends up to an hour east. This spot, along with the next two waterfalls, are all just about 25 minutes from Portland. Vista House gives you the BEST view of the entire region, as it overlooks the river from a stunning observation point built in the early 1900s. It is stunning, of course, at sunrise and sunset.

At this point, I want to include some ‘honorable mentions’ along the Columbia Gorge, as there were just too many great spots here! The next four photos are my favorite waterfalls from the Columbia Gorge region. But if you are wanting even more, consider checking out Bridal Veil Falls (a short easy hike to a nice fall) and Horsetail Falls (a nice roadside waterfall). Both of those are only 10-15 minutes east of Vista House.

For the more adventurous, we pushed even further east to the town of Hood River. At Panorama Point, we enjoyed a sunset view of farmland with Mount Hood in the background. Near Hood River, you might also enjoy the almost desert-like cliffs with sharp winding roads at Rowena Crest Viewpoint. This entire region is about an hour east of Portland (The views were worth the drive for us). 

It’s also worth noting that you could make a nice day trip by going from Portland down to Hood River, then loop south to Trillium Lake before heading back to Portland. There is already a convenient highway looping you around.

This is the first waterfall I went to on my trip in the early morning. This stunning 249-ft -high gorge waterfall has a great trail, and you can get pretty much right up to the waterfall (if you don’t mind the mist). I’ll admit, I spent 2-3 hours enjoying this spot. The hike is pretty short and easy.

This is by far the MOST touristy spot in Columbia Gorge. That in mind, there is a lot of parking, but it still gets crowded. I was lucky to enjoy it near sunset, and we even saw a rainbow! It was one of the first spots that made me aware of Columbia Gorge as it features a stunning double waterfall with a bridge crossing between the two. The hike is super easy, a nearly flat, paved path from the parking lot to the falls.

This spot is a bit further out (about an hour east of Portland), but the Bridge of the Gods is a great photo spot with vantage points on both ends. It is a $3 toll bridge to cross, but it seems that it’s your best way to cross the river, which is necessary to get to Spirit Falls in WA - see the last location below.

Yes, another Washington location, but it’s on the north side of the river, as the river at Columbia Gorge is the border from Oregon and Washington. This is one of those VERY hidden spots, which I found after having to reverse image search an image. Even then, it was tricky to pinpoint. It doesn’t help that the ‘trailhead’ is 100% unmarked. You park roadside at the curve at ‘Cook-Underwood Rd’ that is directly east of the Google Map mark and follow the VERY steep and challenging (albeit short) hike to these stunning blue falls. It was by far the most challenging hike we did, but we enjoyed the falls enough to avoid having regrets (which isn’t always the case).

As mentioned before, this was our first spot. It puts you squarely in the most northern part of Oregon’s coastline. This was yet another spot I’d bookmarked years back that made me know Oregon was a place for me to spend some time exploring. Unfortunately, this was one of the three times it rained, and so we pushed through with umbrellas and got what we got. Fun fact - I guess in the mornings they allow CARS to drive on the beach, so we had cars literally circling directly around the wreck, and it was very odd. This honestly would be a phenomenal spot to be at for sunset.

To be clear, there are actually TWO ‘Haystack Rock’ landmarks on Oregon’s coastline, and that was extremely confusing. Both are cool, but the image above is the one in the link below for Cannon Beach (the other one is near Bandon, OR). This was a great beach, which has a path between houses called ‘Cannon Beach Access’. You get to view those iconic giant rock formations in the water and lots of birds!

This is one of those spots that makes me mad about the park design. They built up right to the iconic punchbowl, and it really is tricky to photograph. However, there are a few angles to capture this unique rock formation.

You can’t go to a coastline without seeing a lighthouse, and this is by FAR the best one. It is about a 30 minute walk uphill - it’s not terrible. This lighthouse overlooks stunning rocky coasts, and if you are a proper adventurer, you will find the trail (short but very narrow and steep) that leads up above the lighthouse. This trail leads to a stunning vantage point of the lighthouse.

Time for some tide pools! This easy-access beach is great for exploring all sorts of sea critters. A local referred us here as the place that colleges go for their research.

Bookmarked years ago, this might have been THE #1 spot on this entire trip that I was most excited about. And…it did not disappoint! In fact, I got there on one of those overcast mornings and enjoyed it so much that I made an extra hour detour to revisit it at a sunnier time before we moved on. Be careful here! You can get pretty close, and at middle to low tide, you seem to get the best results of this ‘Drainpipe of the Pacific’ hole. It’s much smaller than Devil’s Punchbowl but so much more enjoyable. It is a pretty short 10 minute walk from the street.

It’s at another nice lighthouse, but you’ll notice the photo is of seals. There are lots of seals gathered here at this time of year, and it is also ANOTHER one of the great tide pool spots. That same local who referred me to Seal Rock described these tide pools as the ones middle and high schools go to (so basically your more ‘classic’ creatures). So, lots to see at this spot for sure!

I almost marked this specific image as ‘Arch Rock’ as it is an iconic spot for sunset shots, but I broadened it to just ‘Samuel H Boardman’ as this ENTIRE 10 minute stretch by Brookings, OR is full of gems. For this slot, I’ll mention you should check out Arch Rock and Natural Bridges as my top two spots for great rock formations. While in this region, you’ll get to cross Oregon’s Tallest Bridge - The Thomas Creek Bridge. The next image will go into some great tide pool beach spots I found in this corridor.

 A fantastic beach for tide pools that was full of a LOT of starfish. I also recommend Whaleshead Beach in this region for tide pools.

Right by Brookings and still in the region of Samuel H Boardman is this great State Park that I had a lot of fun climbing around at. From the main beach parking lot at the end, I recommend walking southeast and you can climb up and through those rock formations to another part of the beach marked ‘Harris Beach Marine Garden’ in Google Maps. You get a fantastic view of ‘Arch Rock’.

This park was the primary reason I planned this trip to loop through Central Oregon. I knew this unique desert-esque park was worth it, and I was right! There are tons of stunning trails along the river that is directly next to these HUGE near-vertical sandy rock formations. There were so many people there to hike the death trail and mountain climb. Not for me! I instead spent probably 30 minutes under a gigantic pine tree photographing huge pinecones, that’s more my jam.

An iconic national park that we actually skipped on our last journey through to save time. For some reason, I never could get pumped up about it as it felt like just a big lake. Well, it kind of is. But, I’ll admit, it was a fun view with the snow. I love Wizard Island, and I know I’m not selling this spot well, but it was actually 80% closed on our visit as the roads were covered in snow. So, I still list it as I see great potential when the full loop around is fully open, and you can get a vantage point closer to Wizard Island.

A hot spring that makes you EARN it with a hot and sweaty climb for 30 minutes. It rewards you with…hot water! Ok, but seriously, this was a fun spot to reach. Lots of friendly people hang out here (yes, there is nudity), and you are on cliffs directly over the river with a great view. There are 8-10 pools of varying heat. Was it tricky getting this photo with all the people? YES! I got very lucky that this pool emptied for about 30 seconds. My other favorite shots required extensive photo editing to remove 4-6 people. If you want it empty, come early. Our schedule didn’t fit that plan, but it's what I recommend. The bridge over the river that leads you here is also VERY cool with rainbow rails and very blue rapids river. Note: this spot and the next spot are both only 30 minutes from Crater Lake, so they make for a good trio.

Yes, the next 5 spots are waterfalls. No, I have no regrets. Waterfalls are fantastic, and all 5 of these are top notch. This beautiful waterfall fits well into our route as it is NEAR Umpqua Hot Springs (literally 15 minutes apart). It starts with parking by a giant water pipe sprouting leaks that are patched with clusters of sticks - literally! Concerning? Yes. Do we continue on? Of course! The trail goes along a beautiful cliffy area of river for about 30 minutes (a fair amount of stairs) and leads to a singular, small overlook of the falls. There is a breach in the fence where people venture down, and it is pretty rough, but if I hadn’t already been exhausted and worried about camera gear safety - I’d have thought about it more seriously. Still, a great view from the overlook!

I promise, every other fall is easy to get to. I recommend parking right by here even though there are lots of trails around. The parking lot just southeast of the waterfall makes it a short walk. However, don’t be tricked when you first reach the falls and think this is your only view. Go further SOUTH on the trail and there is an odd narrow wood stepped overlook that is nice. But, you’re not done. Keep going south, and you’ll see some off trail options that are very steep that get you to the riverbank, and that is where the magic in this image was taken. There are stunning lush trees covered in moss and deep blue waters. The steep path was short and slow going (you go slow because it's so steep), but it was fun and puts this at one of my top 3 falls in Oregon.

This is a combo deal actually! Koosah Falls above is actually right by these falls. There is a trail connecting them, but it is not the shortest walk. They each have their own parking lot, and so I recommend that. The trails here are beautiful, with little foot bridges. I wasn’t as big of a fan of this waterfall as it is tucked in tight, but it is still beautiful.

This waterfall was one I visited on a somewhat gloomy morning, but it peaked into sunny enough for great shots. It is a very ‘classic’ waterfall - huge in a big open area with cliffs and pine forests. There is a great overlook at eye level right by the parking lot and then a short 15 minute up-hill hike to reach the top of the falls. There are lots of great vantage points!

For the last waterfall, I have a STORY for you indeed. It is worth noting that you COULD easily reach this waterfall from Portland, but it fit our route to travel to it on our way back to Portland from Bend. It is, in short, a pain in the ARSE to get to in every way. Long country road winding to rough gravel? Check! The last ¾ mile being an extremely rough road only a 4x4 AWD should consider? Check! No trailheads so no idea where to go but plenty of ‘false’ trails to mess you up? Check! Even Google Maps marks the wrong ‘trailhead’? Check! The trail down is extremely steep to the point of someone, fortunately, has installed ropes to help you down? Check! 

Don’t worry, I’ll help you get there. Seriously, this waterfall might be in my top 3 for this entire trip, but it did NOT want me to get there. As far as driving and the rough road, our rental managed to push through, but there are about 2-3 spots that are VERY bad. They are extremely steep and dip and have holes and tilt and a 4x4 AWD really is your only safe bet (remember, it's easy going down a steep road, but going back up, particularly when only 1 or 2 wheels touch the ground at a time in certain spots, is a very different experience). We managed to get down, but yeah, we had REAL trouble getting back up at the 180 degree spot in particular. If you don’t have a 4x4 AWD, just park further up and walk down (it is maybe 30-45 minutes downhill). Either way, where is the trailhead? Further than you think. Eventually the bad road ‘ends’ as others described. It does actually continue but it is gated off. THAT is where the trailhead is.

Do not, I repeat do not, leave on the trail where Google Maps has ‘Abiqua Falls Trailhead’ marked (as of June 2024).

There is a trail there, and it does overlook the falls. You can NOT in any way get down to the falls from there, however. I double-checked twice. It is very dense and narrow (almost just an animal trail), and it is just cliffs at the end. Google Maps makes it make sense by showing the falls directly west of the trailhead, but you simply must follow the road down to that gate. From there, there are actually a couple paths to follow, and nothing is marked. If you find ropes, then you are on the right route. Eventually you'll reach this waterfall, and then you'll agree it is worth it. You'll be down at the water level and can walk around from the front and left side of the falls for a great view. I got there towards sunset and had some beautiful golden lighting. I was there with only one other couple, so it was very empty. One of them was a Park Ranger, and I even showed them something new - that there is a second smaller waterfall above the main falls that you can realistically only see by drone.

Being our hotel for a few days, I definitely took some time to explore this region. The Old Mill District is a shopping mall with an old preserved mill that is featured in this aerial image. Their downtown is small, but there is lots to explore as well. The bookmark here gets you to the Old Mall District.

More in the heart of downtown on the Deschutes River is a Spillway (very dangerous, be careful) and a path along the river that was very nicely done.

Absolutely amazing Hawaiian smoked and BBQ dishes. I tried a 3 meats combo to try as much as I could. The Kalbi Short Ribs were maybe my favorite, with the Ono Chicken being my second (super crispy and flavorful). Last, the Kalua Pig pulled pork was very smoky and fatty - in the best ways. Great over the rice.

Slim pickings in this small town, but then we were MORE than pleasantly surprised to find this gem. It may be the BEST fried rice I’ve ever had. I also really enjoyed a variety of sushi, especially the scallops and later their Eel over Rice. Beautiful atmosphere as well.

I came here for their Banh Mi meatball sandwich and was very impressed with their selection of sandwiches. My wife tried the veggie meatball sub and said you didn't miss the meat. Fun atmosphere as well as plenty of outdoor seating!

Great friendly little atmosphere, not a huge space. I was lured in by reading about their amazingly loaded fried-chicken biscuit sandwich, and it was AMAZING! Thick bacon, great biscuit, everything was as I dreamed. I was pleasantly surprised by their hashbrowns as well, a little spice on there, SUPER thin, SUPER crispy. Last, their maple glaze cinnamon roll was great - lots of sauce to dunk in.

Ok, ok. This one is in Washington, but it is just across the river at Bridge of the Gods when you are exploring the Columbia Gorge. This little pit stop had one of the best little desserts, and I am dreaming about it still. This little peach pastry, served chilled, was magically delicious. I can’t even describe what the filling is, but there is a softer inside, and it was very fruity and peachy and perfect.

Easily the best BBQ I’ve had in my entire life. It may be the first time it was done so well that no sauce was no bother. In the midwest, we bury our poor BBQ in sauces. I’ve had some great BBQ in New York as well, but the sauce was a factor. Here, I actually did not like their vinegar-based sauces (fortunately on the side), but it didn’t need it at all. Both their ribs and brisket in my platter were extremely ‘off the bone’ tender while also holding their integrity. The brisket dripped with juiciness, and their dry rub was a nice accent. To top it off, that Mac N Cheese was no joke. I would come back here FIRST if I was back in Portland.

There is something magical about seeing pastries made from scratch with love, and this place did just that. I was drooling as I waited in line. We managed to settle on a classic croissant, an orange zest croissant, a brownie, and a Jambon sandwich (baguette, ham, cheese). Their CROISSANTS are seriously the most buttery and crispy/flakey I've ever had. 10/10 best croissants.

Where I'm from, finding Filipino food is rare. I've had it a couple of times and was in love every time. So, I was SUPER excited to find one during this trip, and it did NOT disappoint. Their skewers are fantastic (both the chicken and Longanisa). My entree was the Sisig - basically a big bowl of crispy pork with rice on the side. So much fat content but great!

This fancy Mexican + Asian restaurant was very busy, but I do think the experience was worth it. We tried and loved several dishes, including their fried cheese and fried chicken apps. The spicy fried chicken was 100% some of the best Korean Fried Chicken I’ve had, and it made us wish we got their chicken sandwich! But I will never turn down a Banh Mi, and this fancy version was loaded with great flavors and textures.

Another place we loved so much we came back twice! It gets VERY busy, so I recommend a reservation. We tried several things, but the dish we fell head over heels for (twice) was their Grandfather’s Tom Kha. Honestly, just the broth alone is all we want to drink, sell it by the gallon please! We also tried the Butterflies (basically crab rangoon), very much heavy on crab vs cheese which I loved (as often you only taste cheese) and very crispy with a great sweet sauce. OH! And the ceiling is COVERED in dried roses. I believe they put fresh ones on tables every day or so and they go to the ceiling after that.