Duration: 9:00 am until 5:30 pm; daily; year-round
Pricing: $150.00 per person
Pick Up Locations: We pick-up at select downtown Portland hotels. Click here for a list.
Experience the most popular tour of Portland and the Columbia River Gorge available anywhere! Join us for a comprehensive introduction to the City of Portland and the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area, which includes detailed visits, magnificent views and concise information of the area’s best attractions. The tour combines some of the most iconic and unique places in Portland with the natural beauty and splendor of the waterfalls, scenic vistas, and historical sites in the Columbia River Gorge.
Highlights:
-Bring a camera! The views of Portland, Oregon City, Multnomah Falls & Gorge Waterfalls are spectacular.
-You will experience the best Portland sites including the International Rose Garden, Pioneer Courthouse Square, NW 23rd (the best shopping area in Portland), the Pearl District, the South Park Blocks, the PSU Farmers Market (on Saturday AM tour only), and N. Mississippi (on AM tour Monday-Friday & Sunday, all PM tours).
-Explore the Columbia River Gorge! Site we may visit include: Portland Women’s Forum, Vista House, Latourell Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, Multnomah Falls and more.
Itinerary:
The Portland City Tour
Downtown Portland: Enjoy the sites of Pioneer Square and learn about the great diversity found in Portland’s downtown area, the historical importance it has played in the state’s history and the fast-growing culture that exists in the City of Portland. Learn about the final resting place of many prominent and notable citizens of Oregon, including many governors and United State Senators and other notable burials in the City of Portland.
Portland International Rose Garden: Let the fragrance of our Rose Gardens embrace your senses with over 600 roses and be delighted with the beautiful Washington Park nature, featuring some of the most amazing city & mountain views around. We will visit the International Rose Test Garden from May through mid-October.
More than 10,000 individual rose bushes bloom in the International Rose Test Garden from late May through October, representing over 610 different rose varieties. The majority of roses in the Garden are commercially available. About 10 to 20 varieties are replaced each year with some of the best new roses released onto the market. We will visit the International Rose Test Garden from May through mid-October.
World Forestry Center Museum: You can explore forests around the world through two floors of unique hands-on exhibits. Suitable for all ages, the Discovery Museum’s colorful and thoughtful exhibits include information about tree planting, wildlife, the benefits of wood, outdoor recreation, and forest careers. The first floor focuses on the many roles that forests play in our lives. View the forest as a habitat, a place for recreation and reflection, a critical resource, and more. Much of the second floor takes a global perspective, exploring how people around the world are connected to and dependent on their local forests. We will visit the World Forestry Center from mid-October through the end of April on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Oregon Society of Artists: This hidden gem promotes visual arts in the diverse communities of our region, with educational opportunities for artists at all levels of accomplishment. While here, we will visit the OSA Gallery which changes exhibits every month, learn about the amazing history of the OSA (which started in 1926), and view rarely seen works of art by master painters who are part of the amazing history of this important part of the Portland Community. We will visit the OSA from mid-October through the end of April on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
NW 23rd Avenue: This avenue is the heart of the Nob Hill District and is filled with century-old Victorian and Craftsman-style storefronts housing unique boutiques alongside national retailers, interspersed with coffee shops and on-trend restaurants and bars. In short, it’s a shopper’s and diners paradise.
Pearl District: Portland’s Pearl District is the realization of a big dream. What was once a largely abandoned industrial district is now one of the most vibrant neighborhoods in the city. Scattered throughout, you will find cobblestone streets, loading docks, and lofty buildings that offer a glimpse into the district’s grittier past. It is an urban renaissance with its own unique blend of artistry and productivity.
South Park Blocks: This is one of Portland’s oldest and most popular parks. This 12-block greenspace stretches north from the campus of Portland State University, serving as a front yard for residents and businesses of the Cultural District. The park hosts vibrant community events and programs for Portlanders and regional visitors throughout the year.
PSU Farmers Market (we will stop here on Saturday AM tour only):The PSU Farmers Market is a world-class farmers market that contributes to the success of local food growers and producers, and creates a vibrant community gathering space. The Portland Farmers Market at Portland State is large, spanning almost three blocks throughout the Portland State University campus. This means there is no shortage of vendors for the whole family to love. The options of where to buy and eat are truly endless at this market. They even have a Veggie Valet for shoppers to leave their bulk purchases while they finish up shopping! The market also has musicians and a Chef in the Market series which is a showcasing of cooking with seasonal marketing ingredients from local chefs. The PSU Farmers Market will only be visited on our Saturday Morning Portland City Tour and you will have time to walk around and explore the market.
North Mississippi Avenue: North Mississippi Avenue features a long stretch of vibrant shops, unique bars, music venues and restaurants (and is only a half-mile away from even more acclaimed eateries and bars on up-and-coming North Williams Avenue). This location will be visited on the Monday-Friday & Sunday morning Portland City Tours, and all Afternoon Portland City Tours and you will have time to walk around and explore this area.
Photographs courtesy of www.travelportland.com
Columbia River Gorge Waterfalls
The great ice age Lake Missoula Flood left scars literally from Montana to the Pacific Ocean. Join us as we explore the waterfalls, photographs, and our tour guides share research uncovering the effects of the Lake Missoula Flood in Northwest Oregon & Southwest Washington.
We journey along the Historic Columbia River Highway. Some of the locations we will stop may include: Portland Women’s Forum, Crown Point Vista House, Latourell Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, Multnomah Falls, and Horsetail Falls.
Crowne Point Vista House
Perched atop one of the most panoramic overlooks in the Columbia River Gorge, Vista House provides the most majestic view of the Gorge. Often referred to as “The Crown Jewel of the Columbia River Gorge,” Vista House was built between 1916 and 1918 as a memorial to Oregon pioneers, a scenic viewpoint, and a comfort station for those traveling on the newly constructed Historic Columbia River Highway. The Vista House and the view it offers are sure to amaze and inspire you.
Latourell Falls
This dazzling waterfall plunges 249 feet (76 m) over a massive wall of basalt and then rushes through the forest into the Columbia River. The falling water of Latourell is framed by some of the most perfect columnar basalt formations in the Pacific Northwest that are adorned with a large florescent patch of yellow lichen and shrouded in brilliant green flora. We’ll venture down to the punch-bowl pool below the falls, where you’ll hear the tremendous rush of water and feel the cool mist that it creates. You’ll easily realize why this special place is one of the most photographed waterfalls in Oregon.
Multnomah Falls
Fed by underground streams that originate miles above on Larch Mountain, this ancient 620 foot (189 m) waterfall is divided into two sections; the upper falls plummets an impressive 542 feet into a pool and again drops 69 feet to form a creek that runs into the Columbia River. Multnomah Falls is the second highest year-round waterfall in the United States and the highest in Oregon, and is Oregon’s number one natural attraction, drawing over 2.5 million visitors a year from around the world. At the base of the waterfall sits the Historic Multnomah Falls Lodge, a full-service day lodge complete with restaurant, gift shop, snack and espresso bar and interpretative center.
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