Hiking the Trail of Ten Falls

Silver Falls State Park boasts a popular 7.2-mile loop trail past 10 waterfalls, behind four, and through a lush forested canyon.

Best PNW Hikes: Memaloose Hills

This dog-friendly hike near Mosier in the Columbia River Gorge is best in the spring, when wildflowers cover the hills.

Of Mice and Men—and Douglas-fir Trees

A legend found in the tree’s cone provides lessons in shelter and community.

The Story Behind Oregon’s Popular Hood Strawberries

The understory forest dweller and popular PNW native has inspired many tales—tall and otherwise.

Song of Stone and Sky

At Chief Timothy Park in far eastern Washington, basalt benches set amid expansive earth blend pasts and possibilities.

Shifting Sands

A trip to the Oregon Dunes unearthed the influence for Frank Herbert’s Dune—and a love of stories and nature passed down from fathers and places.

American-made Design

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Gordon House is the architect’s only project in Oregon.

Ponder the Trees

Forest bathing is a Japanese concept that boasts mental, physical, and spiritual benefits—as well as a good excuse to return to a childlike curiosity about the world around you.

Growing Among the Mushrooms

Mushroom foraging with a guide taught me something about chanterelles—and myself.

Along the Water’s Edge

Maya Lin’s Confluence Project traces cultures, history, and ecology across the Columbia River basin in Washington and Oregon. Here’s what it taught me about homeland, heritage, and waterways.

What Is the Pacific Northwest?

A blurring of boundaries, personal and political.

Lost Among the Trees

Deep in the Sandy River Delta, Maya Lin’s bird blind connects past and present through the animals found all around us.

When to See Tide Pools in Cannon Beach

Low tides and volunteers offer a chance to learn more about all the life teeming beneath the waves.