Spring, a season where the flowers start to bloom, spring cleaning begins, you can breath in the fresh air and feel the warmth of summer around the corner. From the tulip festival in full swing, rushing waterfalls and flowering trees, the adventures and the things to do this spring are filled with beautiful sites and exciting opportunities. This is a great season to do some of your favorite activities and plan some fun trips ahead.Â
See the Cherry Blossoms in Portland
As the season changes and the flowers begin to flourish, spring becomes one of the most scenic times of the year. Around the Portland area along the Tom McCall Waterfront Park from late March to early April, cherry blossoms are in full bloom and you can see a line of the pink, flowering trees. The Tom McCall Waterfront Park is a great place to walk on a sunny day, visit the Portland Saturday Market and admire the cherry blossom trees.
Go on a Wildflower Hikes
In the midst of springtime, wildflowers begin to bloom all around Oregon. Wildflowers can add color and texture to some of your favorite places and hikes. They can be found on the coast range in the Columbia River Gorge on the Mosier Plateau Trail and in Central Oregon near the Three Sisters Cascade Range. Oregon explodes with color and a wide array of beautiful flowers throughout the season of spring.Â
Visit the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival
The Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival is held every year in Woodburn, Oregon. The flowering array of colorful bulbs is a beautiful sight to see during the spring. The festival is a fun for the whole family to walk around the 40-acres of flowers, take pictures, go on a wagon ride and purchase fresh tulips to bring home.Â
Stay at a Yurt on the Coast
Coastal getaways are probably one of my personal favorites. I love packing my bags, bringing a picnic and getting a couple of my girlfriends with me to venture off to the coast to lay out in the sand and hear the waves crashing in the distance. If it’s too cold to camp for a getaway at the coast, rent a yurt with a few friends. Yurts are a step up from your average camping experience; it’s a circular tent shelter that can give you a comfortable and sustainable overnight stay. You can rent and stay at a yurt all along the west coast from Astoria, Pacific City and all the way down to Florence and Brookings. Â
Explore the Oregon Desert
The springtime is the best time to explore the fascinating beauty of the Oregon desert before the weather gets too warm. Oregon’s high desert begins east of the Cascades Mountains where you can discover wide open spaces, rock climbing opportunities and rolling desert hills. Just outside of Bend near Terrebonne, you can visit Smith Rock State Park, a place with various hiking trails for all levels, breathtaking views and rock climbing opportunities. Going further east towards Mitchell, Oregon, is the Painted Hills unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, a beautiful landscape unlike anything else in Oregon. If you want the full desert experience, you can take a weekend adventure to the Alvord desert in south-eastern Oregon where you can experience acres of flat land, see mountains in the distance and find peace of mind in the middle of the Oregon high desert.