hiking advice needed

I will be coming to Portland for a conference %26amp; have taken an extra few days. I have WAY too much to do in 3 days %26amp; need help deciding what is do-able %26amp; are my best choices. Also would like advice on hotels, restaurants, etc.

I will be flying into Portland late Wed. evening, staying the night %26amp; then leaving town for Thurs - Sat.. Ideas of things I would like to do would be - windsurfing on Hood River, hiking around Mt. Hood. going to the coast (Tillamook - Austoria area).

Again - I know I can%26#39;t do all of this but I want to get out doors %26amp; enjoy! My budget is reather limited. I%26#39;m looking for hotels that are clean, cheap %26amp; a step above hostels.

Thanks

hiking advice needed

How many miles and what elevation gain are you looking for? There are lots of great places around here, so narrowing it down will be the hardest part. Are you up for backpacking at all, or just day hikes?

Two sites that might help are www.nwhikers.net and http://portlandhikers.com/default.aspx

hiking advice needed

Sorry - living in KS one forgets to include enough details. I%26#39;m not sure about elevations. I%26#39;m looking for day hikes only, 15 - 20 miles max.

Check out Forest Park, in the city, 5000 acres of trails:

friendsofforestpark.org/html/about_thepark.h鈥?/a>

There are maps, etc on the above site.

There are also some hikes around Multnomah Falls that are quite lovely and not at all difficult -- on the way to Hood River, you%26#39;ll see the Falls. Just park your car and go on foot.

There%26#39;s also Dog Mountain and many others. When my DH gets up, I%26#39;ll ask him as he%26#39;s the hiker in our family and frequently uses the trails for training purposes.

As far as restaurants -- what kinds of food do you like and how cheap are you looking to go?

Where is the conference being held? Do you want a hotel close to the conference or would you prefer something in another area of the city (near shopping, near the airport, etc)?

I still hate to give suggestions without knowing what elevation gains you want. Do you want flat, or do you mind gaining 1000 ft per mile?

Forest Park is a good idea, and there are loads of trails there with all sorts of options as far as miles and elevation. REI sells a nice little pack of maps for the park, with longer and shorter options for each trail.

A nice quick hike of about 4 miles on Mt. Hood is Mirror Lake to the top of Tom, Dic* (Trip Advisor Flags this word as a profanity) and Harry Mountain - fabulous views of Mt. Hood and other snowpeaks. A couple miles longer is Ramona Falls, which is one of our favorites - beautiful waterfall.

For more great views, I%26#39;d recommend hiking in the Columbia River Gorge. Larch Mountain is about 6 miles and offers tremendous views, Angels Rest is a great little hike at about 4 miles with great views, Table Mountain is a grueling 15 miles but offers excellent Gorge Views, Mt. Defiance will kick your butt at 14 miles and over 4,000 feet of elevation gain, Dog Mountain is one of the most popular in the Gorge - it%26#39;s on the Washington Side, as is Hamilton Mountain.

One of the best views in the gorge can be found at the top of Three Corner Rock on the Washington Side of the Gorge - five snowpeaks. Lovely Waterfall Hikes include Multnomah Falls (crowded), Wahkeena Falls, Wahclella Falls, Elowah Falls, Latourell Falls, Eagle Creek, Oneonta Gorge, Dry Creek Falls, Horsetail Falls, and others.

Hiking in Portland is a long ways from hiking in Kansas - most of our favorite hikes have an elevation gain of from 1,300 to 4,800 feet, so you may want to set your sights a little lower as far as mileage goes.