Four Seasons in Hoyt Arboretum

Photos from a year of walking the 189 acres in Portland’s Washington Park—plus a guide to the best trails for each season.

A Confluence of Peregrinations and Prayers

At Cape Disappointment near the mouth of the Columbia River, Maya Lin’s walkway and boardwalk present juxtaposing journeys of discovery.

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.

Spirit of the Mists

The creation story of Snoqualmie Falls swirls amid its cascades, mists, and deep pools—and lives on in the People of the Moon.

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.

The Art of Tea and Conversation

At Tea Zen Teahouse in southeast Portland, Fengxia Liu provides a traditional Chinese tea ceremony steeped in history, culture, and connection.

Song of Stone and Sky

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

The Gathering Place

Located near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, the Vancouver Land Bridge merges rivers, land, people, and trade.

Myths of the Pacific Trillium

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

In Search of Big Cats

For Gary Koehler, a big-cat expert and retired wildlife researcher from Wenatchee, home means learning to share the land with all of its enigmatic critters.

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.

What Is the Pacific Northwest?

A blurring of boundaries, personal and political.