During the Memorial Day weekend, we went on a quick getaway trip to Portland. We wanted to do some hiking, seeing waterfalls, simple outdoors stuff.
We flew on Southwest from Ontario to Oakland and then to Portland. For the first time, I checked in online exactly 24 hours early and we were able to get letter A boarding number. I was excited to get exit row seating without paying for Early Bird check-in.
Day 1:
We reached PDX around 10:30 AM and after getting our rental car from Budget, we were on our way.
First up on our list of places to visit in Portland was Vista House and Multnomah Falls. Some GPS might not find the Vista House address (although you can find it using search features). So here is the best way to get to Vista House and the scenic Columbia River Highway.
- Take I 84 E and get off on Exit 22 and follow the signs to the Vista House.
- After the Vista House you can keep going on the highway and you will get to Multnomah Falls (along with several other falls on the way).
We started driving eastbound I 84 and pretty soon we realized how different the scenery here was compared to Southern California. It was very green with mountain on one side and the river on the other. You most definitely want to take the scenic route by taking Exit 22. However, if you keep going on I 84 E, you will see some beautiful waterfalls while driving the freeway. How exciting is that!!
After taking Exit 22 on I 84 East, we followed the signs to the Vista House. It is a winding road with very green scenery. In about 10-15 minutes we were there. This place provides some great views of the Columbia River.
We spent about 30 minutes at the Vista House. The weather forecast had rain throughout the day so we wanted to get through as many waterfalls as we could while the weather was in our favor. After driving for a short while, we came across the first of the waterfalls – Latourell Falls.
This is a very beautiful waterfall nestled away which you can reach by just a 1 minute hike. This is the waterfall where you can get closest to the water among all the other ones we saw. There are hiking trails that go on a loop to the top of the falls, but we didn’t venture on this one.
Next up was the biggest attraction of Portland, the Multnomah Falls. You know you are approaching the falls by the slow moving traffic and the cars parked at the side of the road. We were lucky to quickly find parking along the road. The place was crowded and looked very touristy especially with a restaurant and a gift shop.
We hiked up to the bridge and took a few more pictures and then decided to take the hike to the top of the falls. After going only one third of the way I was too tired to hike further and we decided to go back down. Someone needs to exercise more !! 🙂
After driving for a few minutes, we came across HorseTail Falls. It is right beside the highway. It was very windy there and spraying mist everywhere.
It was getting late afternoon and we wanted to go for a late lunch. I had read Tripadvisor reviews of Corbett Fish House and we wanted to try out the place. The restaurant is in a very nice, residential neighborhood. Karen got the Halibut Tacos and I got their famous Pacific Cod Fish & Chips. We also got their signature Jalapeno Tartar sauce.
We must say that the lunch turned out to be a huge disappointment. The tortilla was really dry and very small portion of fish inside. The fish & chips were nothing to write home about. I enjoyed the Ivar’s Seafood Fish & Chips a lot more on our Seattle Trip.
After lunch we decided to check into our hotel and call it a day. We were staying at the Courtyard Portland Airport for the first day.
Day 2:
We woke up early and checked out of our hotel and decided to the Japanese Garden first. It is located right next to the Rose Garden and the Washington Park. We decided to skip the Rose Garden and went for the Japanese Garden. The entry fee is $9.5/person.
It is a very serene atmosphere inside (in spite of a large number of tourists). They have free guided tour available but we didn’t want to move about with dozens in a group so we went our own way around the park.
Portland gets so much rain that no wonder its so lush and green wherever you go.
After spending about 2 hours in the park we went to the Washington Park next. It is just a very small park with a few benches and kids playground. You could skip it if you want.
Next up we drove to see the Ira Keller Fountain Park. It’s right there in downtown. You don’t need more than 15 minutes to see this so there are plenty of street side parking available nearby.
It was now time for lunch. I had stored a Lebanese restaurant address and wanted to have lunch there but when we got there we found out it opened at 2 PM. We crossed a few food trucks and decided to try out this Egyptian food truck. It is at the intersection of Oak st and 5th street, near Ira Keller Park. There are plenty of other food truck vendors there so you have plenty of choices.
Karen ordered the Falafel Sandwich and I ordered Chicken on Rice. Total cost: only 11$. Remember, there is no sales tax in Portland so the price you see is the price you pay. Let me tell you they give you humongous portions. And the food was delicious.
After lunch we went back and checked into our hotel. For our second night we were staying at the SpringHill Suites Portland Airport, right next door to the Courtyard Portland Airport. We were mattress running to get the free night certificate for a category 1-5 hotel after 2 stays under the Marriott Megabonus promotion.
It was getting late in the afternoon and we decided to visit one final attraction in Portland, the Wahclella Falls. It’s on Exit 40 on I 84 E. Right after taking the exit, you will see the sign to the Wachclella Falls Trailhead. All the parking lots were full and I have read in Tripadvisor that the park rangers will levy huge fines if you don’t park in parking spots. We parked a little up the street and walked back to the trailhead.
It’s a 1 mile hike to the falls. The best part of the hike is that the trail runs right beside the stream to the top of the falls. It’s a pretty easy hike except it had been raining at night so there were some slippery surfaces on parts of the trail.
At the end of the hike, we came across the best view of our trip. In my opinion, both the LaTourelle Falls and the Wahclella Falls are much more beautiful than the Multnomah Falls (especially when seen up close).
After enjoying the waterfalls for about half an hour we wanted to go back to our favorite waterfall of the trip, the Latourell falls and stay there for a while. We got back on I 84 again and took the same exit 22 and passed by the vista house. It was late but we still got to spend about an hour by the falls, just enjoying the beauty and the sounds of this fall.
After that we decided to call it a day and got back to the hotel. Next morning it pretty much rained the whole day and we requested and got a late checkout as our flight was leaving late in the afternoon. Overall it was a wonderful trip and we think we will probably be back here again for a weekend.
Cost (Total for 2 travelers):
- Airfare: $354 (Southwest Airlines)
- Hotel: $189 (Courtyard Portland Airport, SpringHill Suites Portland Airport)
- Rental Car: $29 (Budget)
- Gas (Rental Car): $28
- Long-term Airport parking (for 3 days): $22.98
Miles/Points/Certificates Redeemed:
Miles/Points/Cash-back Earned:
- 1 night Marriott Rewards E-certificate for redemption at any Category 1-5 hotels within 1 year (Marriott Rewards Megabonus 2013 promotion)
- 4,150 Marriott Rewards points (includes bonus promotions) from hotel stays
- 3,698 Southwest Rapid Rewards points from flights