Portland, Oregon has a number of trails not too far from the city limits, in Forest Park, the Columbia River Gorge, and Sauvie Island.
This is the view outside of the house in which we were staying. 
The Lower Maple Trail in Forest Park starts just over the river outside of Portland. 
The views along this trail are quite different from those of the southeast. 
There is a reason this is called the Lower Maple Trail. 
This trail was marked by blankets of moss. 
The hiking trails on Sauvie Island are much flatter and really show off the sky. 
The Sauvie Island trails wind around different sized lakes and ponds. 
The Oak Island Trail on Sauvie Island, beyond Sturgeon Lake is grassy, through trees. 
The blackberries were in season on Sauvie Island. 
Near the side of the trails, Queen Anne's Lace were unopened. 
The Horsetail Falls are along the Columbia River Gorge. 
In St. John's Village, the St. John's Bridge crosses the river, but underneath the bridge is Cathedral Park, aptly named for views like this.
