Image: Gearhart Golf Links

Day Trip #1: Gearhart, Oregon

Gearhart’s quaint streets hold relief from the arcade-and-bumper-cars mayhem three miles to the south in Seaside. Here you can play one of the West’s oldest golf courses, Gearhart Golf Links, or wander the quiet beaches (relatively) free from worry over errant Frisbees. Should you decide to turn your outing into an overnight, you’re in luck. Portland’s first brothers of beer added another hotel property—their ninth—with the debut of the McMenamins Gearhart Hotel last year. From $115 

Day Trip #2: Little Crater Lake

Little Crater Lake is a fraction of the famous one’s size, but it packs just as much beauty (and requires less freeway time). Nestled in an evergreen-and-huckleberry forest on Mount Hood’s southern slopes, this jewel-hued wonder’s see-to-the-bottom waters are a frigid 34 degrees, a fact you’ll appreciate in July. The only drawback: you have to wait till June, when the snow has melted, to access it. 

Day Trip #3: East Fork of the Lewis River

Summertime floating in the Northwest can be a choice between extremes. The rough Kalama may cause bruises (or worse), while the boozy Clackamas may cause hangovers (or worse). The East Fork of the Lewis River melds the best of both: a relaxing, sun-drenched float without the Daytona Beach vibe. Put in at Lewisville County Park and settle in for a two-hour float to Daybreak Park, or all the way to La Center. 

Day Trip #4: Columbia Gorge Sternwheeler 

For a bite-size version of the Columbia and Snake Rivers Journey, book a seat on the Columbia Gorge Sternwheeler for a five-hour jaunt up the Columbia Gorge on its triple-deck boat. $84; Wednesdays June–October 

Does peeing on a jellyfish sting really help? 

File under gross, but true: urine can help reduce the sting from a jellyfish’s poisonous kiss. But you’ve got to have pretty acidic pee. When jellyfish come into contact with something, stinging cells on their tentacles release a neurotoxin that, while not usually fatal, sure smarts. (Even dead jellyfish release this toxin, so don’t poke ones that wash up on shore, as often happens in Oregon.) “Neurotoxins are complex proteins that can be denatured (unfolded) when exposed to pH extremes,” says William Hanshumaker, Oregon Sea Grant chief scientist at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport. “Ammonia, and to a lesser extent urine, has a high pH and can be used as first aid for stings.” Key word: can. Jay Bowles, a marine biologist at the new Portland Aquarium, notes it neutralizes only milder stings. Instead, try dousing the sting with vinegar or soap and water for relief. 

Why does skin wrinkle when wet?

Prune skin. Puckerdermis. Bath body. Whatever you call the wrinkling of waterlogged fingers and toes, we’ve all experienced it. The question is, why? Turns out it’s not—as often believed—because skin swells with water absorption. Instead, the blood vessels contract, creating troughs in the skin. A recent study at Newcastle University theorized the body quirk represents a beneficial evolutionary adaptation: wrinkly fingers make it easier to grip things—like say, a spear—in a wet environment. But PSU associate professor of biology Mitchell Cruzan wonders, if prune skin presents a Darwinian advantage, why competitive swimmers (like his daughter, who spends hours in the pool) eventually lose their wrinkles. Time to suit up for science, Michael Phelps.  

The Mystery of the Metolius 

The Metolius River is a bit of orphan. It bursts from the ground near Camp Sherman at about 50 feet, a river born practically whole. But from where? Decades of poking, prodding, and precise measuring still haven’t determined the exact source of this Central Oregon jewel. Former University of Oregon professor Michael Manga (now at Berkeley) has come close. In 1996, Manga and his team began measuring the levels of oxygen and hydrogen in the water and comparing them to the chemical structure of nearby snowpacks, looking for similarities. After more than 100 samples of snow and spring, Manga and his team christened snowmelt in the Santiam Pass, more than 30 miles from the spring itself, as the birthplace of the Metolius.   

Tom Selleck’s Private Gorge Island

Rumors that Tom Selleck owns an island near Mosier have been circulating for nearly 30 years. Yet we’ve never spied Magnum, P.I., so we did a little private investigation of our own. Known locally as Chicken Charlie Island, Eighteenmile Island—which is visible from I-84—has had only four owners, according to deed records in the Wasco County Clerk Office. None of them named Selleck, Magnum, or Higgins, for that matter. The rumor stems from Selleck’s supposed interest when the island went on the market in the 1980s. Looks like the Gorge will have to keep its Hollywood ties confined to Short Circuit.  

MILE POST 0
The Barbey Maritime Center, which showcases Astoria’s boatbuilding legacy, debuted in January, just east of where Hwy 101 enters Astoria.  

MILE POST 4
Packed with walnuts and loaded with cream cheese frosting, the best carrot cake we’ve ever tasted (sorry, mom) lives at scruffy Peter Pan Market, off Hwy 202. 

MILE POST 17
Discover one of the few places where you can drive right onto the sand at Del Rey Beach. 

MILE POST 20
Have a beer behind bars at Seaside Brewing Company, a year-old nanobrewery housed in the city’s former jail.

MILE POST 28
Sitting gets political at Cannon Beach’s Mariner Market, where you’ll find republican and democrat benches on the porch outside.

MILE POST 34
Accessible only at low tide, Hug Point State Recreation site is worth the wait: basalt cliffs, caves, and even its own seaside waterfall.

MILE POST 61
You can’t take a spoonful of the cioppino at the Fish Peddler in Bay City without running into a clam, mussel, crab leg, or shrimp. 

MILE POST 65
On rainy days, the colorful wooden murals making up the Tillamook Quilt Trail offer a unique driving tour. 

MILE POST 65
Uncover four miles of beautiful empty on the Bayocean Spit, a finger of sand and salal near Tillamook. 

MILE POST 73
Spy the tallest waterfall on the Oregon Coast (319 feet) at Munson Falls.

MILE POST 119
The $59 rate at Lincoln City’s Historic Anchor Inn includes more kitsch on its walls (and ceilings and decks) than you’ll have time to properly take in. 

MILE POST 120
Bring an appetite and a framed pic of your pooch to Beach Dog Café, where after you’ve gorged on the famous stuffed french toast, your photo might join the hundreds of others on display.

MILE POST 143
Salmon candy from the South Beach Fish Market: get some. 

MILE POST 164
The Ya-Hots Video Country Store, a wacky little Yachats shop that has everything from organic honey to seed starts, makes an easy stop for good-for-you-and-the-planet road food. 

MILE POST 169
Avoid the hordes huddling over Cape Perpetua’s tide pools at nearby Strawberry Hill State Park, an equally striking but less visited spot.

MILE POST 177
Get an up-close view of Heceta Head Lighthouse via the Hobbit Trail, an otherworldly path through giant spruce and rhododendrons. 

MILE POST 190
Only open for a few evening hours Thursday through Saturday, Wakonda Brewing’s tasting room warrants a visit. Order the Beachcomber Cream Ale. 

MILE POST 190
Florence locals get their coffee at Siuslaw Roasters, right next to the new interpretive center garden. So should you.

MILE POST 200
Score an Instagram-able shot of the dunes without getting any sand in your boots at the dunes overlook. 

MILE POST 233
Take a 24-mile detour inland and work out the road kinks on a hike to pretty Golden and Silver Falls in Alleghany. 

MILE POST 236
Miller’s at the Cove in Charleston boasts some mean clam chowder, and a “bought you a beer board” that lets you leave a pint for a friend the next time they’re in. 

MILE POST 236
The stark and stunning contrast between Shore Acres’ formal gardens and the frothy Pacific beating against stone monoliths just steps away makes the side trip worth it. 

MILE POST 238
Coos Bay boasts the state’s biggest wine walk. Join in on a first Friday. 

MILE POST 274
One of the few structures to survive Bandon’s two massive fires (in 1914 and 1936), the Riverhouse lives on today as a five-bedroom waterfront vacation rental. 

MILE POST 274
Ocean debris becomes a masterpiece at Bandon’s Washed Ashore exhibit. 

MILE POST 288
$2.50 buys you lunch at Lanlois market, a general store that peddles some damn fine franks made with beef from Pendleton’s Hill Meat Co. 

MILE POST 328
Discover a coastal version of Seinfeld’s “soup nazi” at so-worth-it Anna’s by the Sea in Gold Beach.

MILE POST 346
Your iphone won’t seem like enough to capture the beauty at Natural Bridge. And it isn’t. Commit it to memory on a hike through the area’s network of trails.   

MILE POST 356
Picturesque Harris Beach State Park owns a pretty perspective on Bird Island, Oregon’s largest coastal island.

MILE POST 357
Wake up face to face with the Pacific Ocean at Brookings’ by the Sea B&B.

MILE POST 357
Housed in an old gas station, Brookings’ Cielito Lindo doesn’t look like much from the outside, but inside you’ll find tasty, authentic tacos, warm smiles, and window seats. 

MILE POST 357
Alfred A. Loeb State Park holds an opportunity to stand among giants: it’s the only grove of redwoods in Oregon. 

Image: Courtesy Wikimedia

The ferry at Vashon

Vashon

Drive time: 2.5 hours
Ferry: 15 min

Calling this 37-square-mile island north of Tacoma “laid-back” is a little like calling the Autobahn “fast.” So few vehicles travel this sleepy island’s many country roads that they have time to grow moss. Seriously. But the lack of traffic makes Vashon’s bucolic blend of woods and sea a cyclist’s delight. Plus, a bike ensures you won’t miss all of the island’s peekaboo views. Start with a precisely poured latte from Burton Coffee Stand. Then wend your way along Quartermaster Harbor toPoint Robinson Park. Culminate by landing at Vashon Village, a kind of four-block version of liberal-leaning Eugene with a fair-trade gift shop (Giraffe) and a beloved-by-locals vegan café (Pure). 

Anchor Point  Gardens paint the grounds of Artist’s Studio Loft with color that can be enjoyed from one of the four cottages or either Main House room. From $119 
nibbles  Restore your caloric deficit with a garlic chicken and parmesan lahvosh pizza from the Hardware Store Restaurant.
Dive In  Rent a ride from Vashon Island Bicycles ($20 for the day).  

Image: Courtesy Bloedel Reserve

The Bloedel Reserve's Japanese Gardens

Bainbridge

Drive time: 3 hours
Ferry: 35 min

The preponderance of Crocs at dockside sipping spot Pegasus Coffee House gives away Bainbridge’s flourishing gardening scene. At five miles wide the island lays claim to three impressive garden shops, nationally lauded garden designers like George Little and David Lewis, and the artful Bloedel Reserve, a historic 67-acre property turned gardener’s fantasy on the western side of the island. But in recent years, the island has homed in on another kind of horticulture, adding seven wineries since 2003. 
Anchor Point  The upscale Eagle Harbor Inn gives you easy access to Bainbridge’s tasting rooms. From $149
nibbles  The New Rose Café at Bainbridge Gardens doesn’t have quite the hype as Eagle Harbor’s Restaurant Marché, but it’s got a lot more eye candy. 
Dive In  Gazzam Lake Preserve is a less manicured—but equally beautiful—take on nature.  

Image: Courtesy M. Denis Hill

Ebey's Landing on Whidbey Island

Whidbey

Drive time: 3 hours
Ferry: 20 min

In a place as rich in natural beauty as Whidbey, even the baristas are wildlife experts. “The seagulls prefer clams to mussels,” says William Bell, owner of Local Grown, nodding to the pecking pack of birds outside his café on Coupeville’s historic wharf. Good thing, since the Seattle restaurants that covet the plump Penn Cove mussels don’t need any more competition. Humans can sample them at Prima Bistro in a Langley, a quaint gallery-rich hamlet. Of course, it’s easy to understand why artists have long been drawn here: Set on the shores of the Saratoga Passage, Langley’s perspective on Puget Sound and hulking, whitecapped Cascades is positively mesmerizing. Sit long enough at Ott & Murphy Winery’s tasting room, and nature might come to you: a pod of orcas regularly frequents the cobalt waters just beyond your picture window. 

Image: Courtesy Whidbey and Camano Tourism

Coupeville Wharf

Anchor Point  Put yourself on the water (but still mere blocks from the shops) at Langley’s Boatyard Inn. From $150 
nibbles  Former Four Seasons chef Matt Costello plates masterpieces like bacon fat roll, mustardo, and parsnip marshmallow from the local bounty at the Inn at Langley (but only once a night, so make a reservation). 
Dive In  Stay warm while whale-watching inside the 100-footMystic Sea’s heated cabin (from $49). If you don’t own sea legs, stick to Ebey’s Landing’sBluff Trail, where the merger of sand and Sound paints an unparalleled watercolor in the memory. 

Image: Courtesy Jordan Seimens

Friday Harbor

San Juan

Drive time: 4 hours
Ferry: 65 min

A gleaming Porsche SUV sandwiched between two mud-crusted work trucks on the hourlong ferry ride from Anacortes to Friday Harbor presents an apt depiction of this stoplight-free island’s cultural mix. Here, a vein of farms feeds a tradition of high-end culinary tourism best experienced at the Duck Soup Inn, the Market Chef, or one of the 82-acre Lakedale Resort’s instructive culinary weekends. Save time for a trip to Roche Harbor, where the former lime-mining company town turned lavish resort gives you an opportunity to wander the docks amid bobbing million-dollar yachts and daydreams about how the other half lives. 

Anchor Point  One block from the ferry’s dock, the Island Inn finished its conversion from condos to high-end hotel—think radiant-heating-floor bathrooms and softer-than-silk sheets—just last summer. 
nibbles  Besides entrées featuring freshly caught fish, two-year-old Cask and Schooner sets you up with live music and lively locals. 
Dive In  A drive along the West Side Road reveals San Juan’s stash of riches—both architectural (grand cliffside homes) and natural (Lime Kiln Point State Park, the country’s only dedicated whale-watching park).  

Image: Courtesy Jordan Seimens

The quieter side of the Deschutes

Maupin On the Deschutes

Drive time: 2 hours

A dusty ranchers’ outpost most of the year, Maupin becomes the state’s unofficial rafting capital as soon as the snows start to melt (May) thanks to the tiny high-desert town’s prime placement along Central Oregon’s 252-mile-long aorta: the Deschutes River. More than a dozen fly-fishing and white-water guide outfits and rental companies line the riverbanks and Wild West streets. Many offer half-day and one-day trips that require little more than showing up with a smile. Those with more mettle (and time) can book a longer float, like the popular three-day, 45-mile expedition from Trout Creek to Sandy Beach.  

Image: Courtesy Garrett Downen

Rafting the Deschutes

ANCHOR POINT  With a huge lawn opening straight onto the river, the 25-room Imperial River Company plants you in the middle of the aquatic action. From $89 
NIBBLES  Locals love the cozy Stonebridge Bar & Grill’s micro-heavy lineup and the piled-high pulled-pork sandwich that sometimes shows up on the specials board. 
DIVE IN In addition to booking rentals and guided trips, River Trails Deschutes leads basic skills workshops that will keep you from getting too close to the river.  

Camp Sherman On the Metolius

Drive time: 3 hours

Founded by ranchers trying to beat summer heat, this woodsy compound of resorts, cabins, and campgrounds along the Metolius near Sisters may be the most family-friendly of Central Oregon’s forest getaways. Among the aromatic pines and cedars (prime fort-building territory), on the banks of a sparkling—and perennially frigid—fly fisher’s dream, you’re free of high-speed roads, close to easy hiking trails, yet never far from an espresso. And with hundreds of families descending here each summer, your little ones will find plenty of fellow hide-and-seekers within stone-skipping distance.

ANCHOR POINT  The Metolius River Resort’s seven kid-friendly cabins provide all you need—TV, Monopoly sets, Adirondack chairs—to please the crew. From $245 
NIBBLES  Splurge on a grown-up meal at the Boathouse Restaurant at nearby Suttle Lake Lodge.  
DIVE IN  If you don’t feel like testing the 46-degree water, the Metolius River Trail’s 6.5-mile loop takes you along its rocky banks—close enough to feel the mist, no waders required. 

Walla Walla On Mill Creek

Drive time: 4 hours

With dozens of underground springs, creeks, and ponds pooling at the base of the Blue Mountains, Walla Walla is, as its Cayuse name translates, the land of “many waters.” Indeed, stand still in town and you can often hear the soft rush of Mill Creek beneath the sidewalk … or stroll down Rose Street to see this city-splitting tributary of the Walla Walla River. The waters support more than 1,200 acres of vineyards (warm-weather friendly cabs and syrahs are the region’s pride), and this month more than 100 wineries celebrate Spring Release—an opportunity for you to sample the blissful marriage of local fruit and agua firsthand.  

ANCHOR POINT The six high-ceilingedrooms aboveWalla Faces’ downtown winery are within walking distance of 20 other tasting rooms. From $125 
NIBBLES  Plunge into a juicy flank steak torta atsandwich shrineGraze. 
DIVE IN  Bold architecture and wine combine at Basel Cellars, where you’ll taste fruit-forward syrah in a converted mansion straddling two meandering streams on a 50-foot man-made bluff. 

Image: Courtesy Momentum River Expeditions

The Middle Owyhee

Middle Owyhee River

Drive time: 7 hours

If you haven’t already planned your summer trip to this remote southeastern Oregon tributary of the Snake, you’re almost too late: The Middle Owyhee’s notoriously unpredictable flow tends to peak in May, after which the river’s roiling Class V (read: expert only) rapids dwindle to a shallow unnavigable stream. Of course, there are more terrestrial ways (read: hiking) to experience this rare beauty. And catching sight of the Owyhee slicing its way through jaw-dropping rhyolite canyon walls, dotted with pristine hot springs, might be all the motivation you need to get your butt in gear early for next year’s white-water trip. 

ANCHOR POINT  If rafting doesn’t float your boat, head north to the sprawling McCormack campground just beyond the Owyhee Dam, where you’ll have access to the 53-mile reservoir and one-of-a-kind fly-fishing. 
NIBBLES  You eat what you bring (or catch). So hold up in Burns, at Pine Room Café, for your last meal before civilization ends. 
DIVE IN While experienced rafters can manage the Lower Owyhee’s Class III rapids, consider a guide for the Middle Owyhee, like Momentum River Expeditions, which runs four-day trips.  

Image: Courtesy Darlisa Black

On the Columbia, near Hood River

Columbia and Snake Rivers Journey 

It took Lewis and Clark a month to canoe the dangerous stretch of Columbia between Lewiston, Idaho, and Astoria. Aboard the 31-cabin yacht-like National Geographic Sea Bird or Sea Lion, it’ll take you seven days. And instead of capsizing in rapids and bracing yourself to eat candles when your food runs out, on National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions’ “Harvest, History, and Landscape” cruise you’ll enjoy the Columbia Valley’s finest wines, locally and organically grown meals like steelhead with rosemary orange beurre blanc, and day trips led by National Geographic photographers, historians, and naturalists. One day you’ll explore the native artistry of the region’s tribes (as well as Rodin sculptures) at the Maryhill Museum, while the next you’ll have your hair blown back on a jet boat up the majestic Hells Canyon. And if you’ve got a little more Meriwether in you, take advantage of the ship’s bikes, kayaks, and Zodiak rafts. From $4,390; Sept 13–Oct 20.

Plan B: American Cruiselines also offers an eight-day paddlewheel cruise up the river (from $3,750), and Un-Cruise Adventures runs a seven-day journey aboard an early Victorian steamer (from $3,195). 

Image: Courtesy Rick Schafer

Surfsand Resort's bonfire s'mores at Cannon Beach

Cannon Beach

Drive Time: 1.5 hours

Arrive in Cannon Beach with an empty stomach. You’re going to need it. Just when you think you’ve sampled all of this culinary hub’s edible offerings, more will bloom: Castaways Tiki, Irish Table, and new sushi spot Fishes, to name three within the past few years. Even the Cannon Beach Hardware Store’s getting in on the trend, pouring six taps of regional micros (although we can’t vouch for the wisdom of mixing hammers and hefeweizen). One thing we do advise: saving room for the s’mores in the Surfsand Resort’s bonfire package. 

Anchor Point To celebrate its 20th year, the elegant Stephanie Inn gave itself a face-lift with a new entry, floors, and fireplace fronts. The plate-scraping breakfasts, wine hour, and warm cookies haven’t changed. From $379 
nibbles The perfectly charred hand-tossed creations from Pizza A’ Fetta never get old. 
Dive In Tucked between Hemlock and Spruce Streets, 10-month-old Cannon Beach Distillery, founded by CB native Mike Selberg, is worth seeking out.  

Image: Courtesy Larry Andreasen

Sunset Bay State Park

Coos Bay & Charleston

Drive Time: 4 hours

“Idyllic” isn’t a word often used to describe the once-booming mill town of Coos Bay. But then again, most visitors don’t know where to look. Like on the Coos Bay Boardwalk, where the floating Fisherman’s Seafood Market doles out the day’s fresh catch. Or at *Lighthouse Beach, a hidden stretch of sand whose unmarked entrance—a surfer path between two houses—keeps the masses confined to nearby Sunset Bay State Park. Or floating atop a kayak on one of the South Slough Estuary’s guided tours, where if you squint hard enough into the federally protected waters, you might spy an otter staring back.

Image: Courtesy Travis Cooper

Sharkbite's fish tacos

Anchor Point A set of stairs is your private path to Lighthouse Beach when you stay at the Loft by the Lighthouse. From $175
nibbles The big-as-your-face fish tacos at Sharkbite’s come with a side of advice about where to catch waves.
Dive In Score your crabbing cage, rings, and license at Charleston’s Davey Jones Locker. Then take a few steps outside and toss it all right off the dock.  

*Directions to Lighthouse Beach
From Charleston, follow the Cape Arago Highway. About 3/4 of a mile past Bastendorff Beach, you'll see a sign for Lighthouse Way on the right. Park on the side of highway, and walk in, staying left at the fork. Between two houses on the right, you’ll see a steep surfer's trail (with a rope to help you balance) that will take you down to Lighthouse Beach.

Image: Courtesy Stuart Mullenberg

Sandboarding at Sand Master Park

Florence

Drive Time: 3 hours

In the early 20th century, Eugene weekenders white-knuckled their Model Ts along stomach-churning switchbacks for the pleasure of a weekend on Florence’s shores. Today, the death defying happens a few miles south, in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, where places like Sandland Adventures and Sand Master Park sell adrenaline by the hour with dune buggies and sandboard (surfboards for dunes) rentals. But downtown Florence hasn’t forgotten its legacy. Many of the boutiques and galleries in Old Town proudly call out their history in bronzed plaques (or through proud bartenders). And when it opens this summer, the new interpretive center garden will join 38-year-old Siuslaw Pioneer Museum in commemorating Florence’s adventurous tradition.

Image: Courtesy Adam Sawyer

Bulgogi at Spice

Anchor Point Save money (and shoe leather) by staying at the clean, comfortable River House Inn, newly remodeled and within paces of Old Town. From $119
NIBBLES No reservations at perennially packed Waterfront Depot? Try the globe-trotting menu at Spice, helmed by the Depot’s owners. 
Dive In Mix history with adventure on the Mapleton Hill Pioneer Trail, an easy half-mile hike that traces the once dangerous route to Florence.  

Image: Courtesy Tillamook County Water Trail

Tillamook County Water Trail

Oceanside & Tillamook

Drive Time: 1.5 hours

The sunsets are so stunning at Oceanside Beach that even the seagulls stand still to watch. If you come armed with a good action plan, your kids will, too. First maneuver: bypass the frenzy at the Tillamook Cheese Factory for Blue Heron French Cheese Company, where kids can fuel up on free samples beforethey feed the llamas, goats, and emus at the on-site petting zoo. Then tap the energy reserves with a kayak trip along the newly designated Tillamook County Water Trail. If a tour of the artisan goodies at Tillamook’s Second Street Public Market hasn’t worn down their defenses, reveal your secret weapon: Oceanside’s four miles of surf-friendly beach. 

Anchor Point Simple but sufficient, Three Arch Inn’s huge picture windows frame the perfect sunset. From $105 

nibbles There’s only one place to eat in Oceanside: Roseanna’s. Fortunately, its made-from-scratch pies rival just about anything in Oregon anyway.

Dive In Big and little kids will love the foray to Tunnel Beach, a pretty patch of sand accessed through a hole blasted in stone at the north side of Oceanside Beach.  

Image: Courtesy Darren White

Port Orford's Battle Rock Beach

Port Orford

Drive Time: 5 hours

Highway 101’s dogleg in Port Orford is about the only thing that keeps it from being a blink-and-you-miss-it town. Case in point: you’ll need just an hour to peruse Port Orford’s hub of eight or so galleries and shops. That’s a good thing, because you’ll want hours, if not days, to explore this area’s natural masterpieces, like Cape Blanco’s sheer basalt bluffs and the sandstone sentinels lining the Pacific at Blacklock Point, a scene so un-Oregon-y you’ll wonder if you didn’t fall into a wormhole and end up in the Mediterranean. A blast of the area’s notorious winds—they’ve been clocked at more than 100 miles per hour—will quickly return you home.

Anchor Point  You’d need a plane to get a better perspective on the Pacific than the one beyond the sleek, modern Muse Guest House’s walls of glass. From $175 
Nibbles  For fresh fish and chips and a close-up look at one of the country’s only dolly docks—where ships are lowered into the water by crane each day—visit Griff’s on the Dock. 
Dive In  Set on the grounds of a former Coast Guard post, Port Orford Lifeboat Station’s museum and hiking trails present a historic and panoramic perspective on this piece of sand and sea.  

Image: Shutterstock

Waldo Lake

Waldo Lake

Drive time: 3 hours

Don’t even bother packing your iPhone when you go to Waldo Lake. For one thing, you probably won’t get service in this secluded basin, one of the world’s purest alpine lakes and the headwaters of the Middle Fork of the Willamette River. Plus, you don’t want any pings and rings interrupting the silence. Thanks to a 2010 ban, nary the whir of a gas motor will tarnish your serenity at this 9.8-square-mile jewel. In fact, except for the occasional swoosh of a bald eagle’s wings and the harmonic song of a hermit warbler, the only sound you’ll hear is the echo of your paddle dipping into Waldo’s haunting blue waters, where the view down reaches a world-record 157 feet.

Anchor Point  Avoid the mosquitos during high season (June/July) at North Waldo Campground, the driest and most popular of the lake’s sites. 
nibbles  Fill your cooler with tentside staples at Ray’s Food Place in Oakridge. 
Dive In Rent a canoe from Upstream Adventures in Oakridge and explore Waldo the old-fashioned way ($45 per day). 

Kirkland On Lake Washington

Drive time: 3 hours

Image: Courtesy Café Juanita

Braised rabbit at Café Juanita

With million-dollar panoramas of Seattle’s skyline rising against the Olympic Mountains, Kirkland is rich in more than just vistas. The core of this tree-lined burg (where salaries are on average about twice Portland’s) boasts a grid of high-end boutiques, wine bars, and galleries—most of which are more easily enjoyed with a platinum Amex card. Fortunately, the best part of Kirkland—Marina Park’s manicured lawns, sandy shores, and lapping waves—comes absolutely free. 

 ANCHOR POINT  The bike and kayak rentals at swanky Woodmark Hotel cost nothing for guests. But you’ll pay for the on-site Swedish massage ($100). From $189  
NIBBLES  The pancetta-wrapped braised rabbit at Café Juanita is as indulgent as it sounds.  
DIVE IN  Circumnavigate Lake Washington on the Sightseer, a 70-foot yacht with sun-soaked decks ideal for ogling multimillion dollar mansions. 

Image: Shutterstock

Yale Lake Park

Lake Merwin (and more)

Drive time: 1 hour 

As the Lewis River winds its way from Mount Adams to the Columbia River, three dams interrupt its delivery of glacial mountain runoff. Lucky for us. The result: a sprawling natural water park for all ages in the three massive lakes extending from the edge ofGifford Pinchot National Forest. Lake Merwin, Yale Lake, and Swift Reservoir offer 12,321 acres of combined space for splashing, swimming, and good old Marco Polo. Should your brood tire of pruney fingers, excursions of a less liquid variety await on nearby Mount St. Helens’s new zip line or inside the popular Ape Cave. And once your adventure’s over, your trip home is only an hour—barely enough time for a single “Are we there yet?”

Image: Courtesy Craig Kopra

Mount St. Helens's Ape Cave

Anchor Point  Stash your clan at Beaver Bay Park, a 63-site campground with a boat ramp, picnic areas, and a protected swimming beach that awaits at the eastern end of Yale Lake. From $20 
nibbles  Combination campground, diner, and climber registration center for St. Helens, Cougar’s Lone Fir Resort & Café provides a charming knotty-pine deck for feasting on thick-crusted pizza and craft beer. 
Dive In  Lather on the sunscreen for a four-hour kayak tour of any lake with Cascade Pack & Paddle (from $50).

Image: Courtesy Deby Dixon

Stehekin on Lake Chelan

Image: Courtesy Getout

Rainbow Falls

Stehekin On Lake Chelan

Drive time: 6.5 hours

Like most love affairs, the road to Stehekin begins with a quickened pulse ... courtesy of a 15-mile trek through the craggy Northern Cascades, a two-hour boat ride up Lake Chelan’s narrow channel, or a thrilling seaplane flight. It ends at the gateway to North Cascades National Park, a confluence of lake, mountain, river, and emptiness—and site of untold proposals. Soon you’ll be saying “I do,” too: to hiking to the 312-foot Rainbow Falls, to bird-watching at Coon Lake, or to merely charting the sun’s lazy arc from your front porch hammock. 

Image: Courtesy Stehekin Pastry Company

Morning bliss at Stehekin Pastry Company

Anchor Point  Shack up at the comfortably rustic North Cascades Lodge at Stehekin, and pair local wine with balcony seats to stunning sunsets over the glassy lake each night. 
nibbles  Good luck strolling, not sprinting, to the Stehekin Pastry Company, once the aromas of just-baked cinnamon buns and fresh coffee hit your nose. 
Dive In  Fall even deeper in love—but not overboard—while navigating the frothy currents of Stehekin River’s fast-paced upper section on a guided white-water rafting tour.