Hiking

Oregon's third-tallest mountain has a path to its top. Admittedly, the trail up 10,358-foot South Sister is exceedingly steep, long and rugged, but no technical climbing skills are required and the rewards are great.

Once a sanctuary for Takelma Indians, today these cliff-edged mesas near Medford are a haven for hikers and endangered wildflowers. Views from the cliffs extend across the Rogue River to the Siskiyous and the Cascades. Visit in spring to catch the best flower displays and to avoid summer's merciless heat.

High on Crater Lake's western rim, the Watchman's lookout tower commands an eagle's-eye view across the amazingly blue lake to Wizard Island. The steep little climb up the Watchman is one of the most popular paths in the national park. It's also short enough that you might want to extend the hike by taking an adjacent 2-mile path around Hillman Peak to a viewpoint above the Devils Backbone. Pets are banned on all park trails.

This riverside loop through Willamette Mission State Park not only visits the nation's largest black cottonwood tree and the site of a historic 1834 settlement, but it also includes a free ferry ride across the Willamette River and back.

Explore docks, museums and Victorian mansions in a salty city near the fort where Lewis and Clark wintered 200 years ago.

About the Hike: From the barnacled piers of cannery docks to the painted gingerbread of Victorian mansions, this picturesque city on the Columbia River wears its history with a salty pride. A walking tour samples the old town's sights.

Difficulty: An easy, 2.6-mile loop, with 150 feet of elevation gain.

Season: Open all year.

A plateau of early spring wildflowers overlooking the Columbia River.

About the Hike: This cliff-edged plateau of oak grasslands and wildflowers belongs to the Nature Conservancy, a non-profit group that quietly purchases ecologically sensitive land. The preserve has two public trails: an easy path that passes several ponds to a cliff overlooking the Columbia River, and a steep trail that climbs to a panorama atop McCall Point.

Discover Oregon's tallest waterfall from both the bottom and the top

About the Hike: Oregon's most popular trail climbs to viewpoints at Multnomah Falls, a 542-foot, two-tiered plume that plummets into a misty, mossy forest grotto.

Difficulty: A moderate, 2.2-mile hike with 700 feet of elevation gain to the top of Multnomah Falls, or a difficult 5.4-mile loop to Wahkeena Falls with 1,600 feet of elevation gain.

Season: Open all year

Climb an oceanfront peak haunted by the legend of a lost Spanish treasure.

About the Hike: The beach below this mountain might be where Europeans first set foot in Oregon. Today a portion of the Oregon Coast Trail crosses the mountain's summit to a breathtaking, aerial view of the beach south to Tillamook Bay. If you like, you can continue to Short Sand Beach and a walk-in campground at Oswald West State Park.

A slot-like chasm with waterfalls

About the Hike: Next door to busy Multnomah Falls but usually overlooked by tourists, this delightful trail explores a cavern behind Ponytail Falls and then loops around Oneonta Gorge, a mossy chasm so narrow that Oneonta Creek fills it wall to wall. An optional 1.8-mile side trip leads to Triple Falls, where three plumes of water plunge 120 feet at once.

Here's where gigantic old-growth trees tower along a wilderness river

About the Hike: Less than two hours' drive from Portland, this easy riverside walk tours a spectacular, towering forest of 500-year-old trees that were endangered by logging proposals until a long-fought Wilderness bill protected the area in 1998.

Difficulty: An easy 4-mile hike traverses the old-growth forest to 30-foot Sawmill Falls. A longer, 7.1-mile loop extends upriver to Opal Pool and Jawbone Flats, a Depression-era mining camp.