fun day trips from Portland? (horses a plus!)

I will be visiting this Pacific Northwest for the first time this July or August (not sure which yet) and will be flying into either Portland or Seattle and then driving between the two to visit friends in either city. The friend with whom I%26#39;ll be staying in Portland will be working most of the time that I am there, so I%26#39;ll need to amuse myself during the day for at least a few days.

Since I%26#39;ll have a car, I would love to get outside the city as much as possible. Can anyone recommend some good day trips outside of Portland?

I am not a hardcore hiker, but I would love to see some beautiful forests. People has suggested driving out to the coast, but can anyone recommend any more specific destinations (besides Haystack beach, which I have heard of)?

I%26#39;ll be investigating this on my own, too, but I would also love tips for any stables that might have scenic rides.

Thanks in advance!

fun day trips from Portland? (horses a plus!)

Sounds like you will have fun. I cannot recall the name of the stables, but there are some up on 16snd and Foster Road in SE Portland. Argh! I cannot for the life of me get the name in my head...and I drive past the place every Tuesday. I%26#39;ll try to remember to look tomorrow.

Anyone else recall the name?

fun day trips from Portland? (horses a plus!)

Something I%26#39;ve always wanted to check out:

http://www.flying-m-ranch.com/

Although these aren%26#39;t horse related, here are some possible daytrips:

1. Mt. St. Helens--be sure to go on a clear day so you can see the mountain, and drive all the way to the top to the Johnston Ridge Visitor%26#39;s Center.

2. Cannon Beach (This is where Haystack Rock is--be sure to see Ecola State Park also)

3. Columbia River Gorge, with a possible side trip to Mt. Hood/Timberline Lodge

4. Silver Falls State Park south of Salem. There are some lovely waterfalls here set in a forested area. You can hike as much or as little as you%26#39;d like.

Portland has a lot of neat places to go as well. Pittock Mansion is very nice. The grounds offer great views of the city, and the home has lovely furnishings and an interesting history. You can also visit the Rose and/or Japanese Gardens, Powell%26#39;s Books, the Oregon Zoo, and much more.

Have fun!

I%26#39;ve been to Flying M several times, but always with my own horse. Not sure if they have rental horses or not. Two thoughts come to mind.

There used to be a place in Banks, about 30-45 minutes west of downtown Portland called Cow Creek Ranch. They used to have nice trail rides with their stock - hopefully they are still in business.

At Cannon Beach, there is Sea Ranch Stables where you can ride on the beach:

www.cannon-beach.net/searanch/stables.php

There are lots of boarding and training stables around Portland, but most do not keep rental stock.

half-Brit brought up a fun idea....riding on the beach. I did that about 6 years ago in Gerhart. Haven%26#39;t seen the lady with those horses since then. It was great!

Thre are horses in Cannon Beach - As soon as you exit off Hwy 101 and come down into the town they are on your left - big red barn behind the camp grounds. The horses do the path to the beach several times a day. After that head up to Ecola Park - amazing old growth forest and views of the Pacific Ocean. Indian Beach has surfers and a nice place to just sit on the beach. Allow 2 hours to Cannon Beach in either direction during the week.

Some friends of ours recently moved here from the east coast, and don%26#39;t the newbies always find the best stuff? A few weeks ago they did a wine tasting tour on horse back.....if you%26#39;re interested in something like that I can find out the name of the tour company from them.

The stables in Cannon Beach are called Sea Ranch Stables. There is horseback riding around Nehalem also if you want to explore that area of the coast. Have fun! :)

Here is an article from the Oregonian a couple months ago about horses and Cannon Beach.

oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/04/last_r鈥?/a>

So you might want to call the stables and make sure that they are still in operation. I haven%26#39;t heard anything else about this since I read this in the paper, but thought I would mention the article just in case.

Syrahgirl, perhaps you might look at my post a few above yours? That website was for ';Sea Ranch Stables';.

Good article, Mtngrl. I know both Brenda and C%26amp;M. C%26amp;M has been for sale for about two years. Sea Ranch is securely grandfathered in, but that%26#39;s not to say that he won%26#39;t give it up due to local pressure and insurance costs.

rosacea