Like much of the Northwest, Portland, Oregon, has more than its share of outdoor opportunities. The Rose City makes it easy to find fitness-related activities and to get outside and get moving. You'll find fresh, local-made foods at Portland Saturday Market on the weekends, or pack yourself a healthful picnic and head to one of the city's many parks. Portland is also home to many disc golf courses as well as hundreds of miles of bicycling and walking paths.
Disc Golf
Disc golf is a popular activity in Oregon, with dozens of courses in the Portland area. Similar to links golf but played with discs and baskets, disc golf is a growing sport, particularly in the Northwest. Portland's Pier Park is an 18-basket, par-3 course with cement tee pads, as well a large collection of Douglas fir trees that require accurate throws. Pier Park is considered a beginner-friendly course, so if you've never played disc golf before, this is the place to try it out.
Walking
Portland has many miles of multiuse paths that are perfect for taking daytime strolls. Head down to Gov. Tom McCall Waterfront Park, which runs along the bank of the Willamette River in downtown Portland and covers more than 29 acres. You can walk along the river, taking in views of the ships at the docks, the Founders Stone statue, which stands in honor of the city's founders, William Pettygrove and Asa Lovejoy, and the large fountain at the north end of the park.
Picnics
Portland is known for its many city parks, and picnicking is a way to combine healthful eating with outdoor recreation. Nearly all of Portland's parks have picnic areas with picnic tables and pavilions, and 29 of them have large, areas for bigger gatherings that can be reserved. Westmoreland Park and Sellwood Park, on the east bank of the Willamette River, each have reservable picnic sites as well as first-come, first-served picnic tables and large, grass fields.
Bicycling
Portland is a bike-friendly city--local cyclists have dubbed it Bike City, U.S.A. Hundreds of miles of bike-friendly roads and paths run in and around the city. Portland's Metropolitan Area Express, or MAX trains, as well as its buses, have bicycle storage and bike racks at many of the train and bus stations. With such a large community of riders, Portland is also home to many bike shops, where visitors can often rent bikes and helmets and then pedal around the city.
Markets
You'll find a large collection of organic food at Portland Saturday Market, which has been in operation since 1973 and is open every Saturday and Sunday from early March through late December. The market features local food vendors serving up prepared dishes, as well as food booths with fresh fruits, vegetables and dairy products. The market's main area is on the corner of Southwest Ankeny Street and Naito Parkway, under the Burnside Bridge.
Member Comments