6:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. departure, 2 hours, $45
Wake up early and get sunrise colors! It’s a view-filled start to your day with one of the city’s highest points.
We’ll pick you up in central downtown Portland at Director Park, and stop at a favorite doughnut shop to select the pastry that’s right for you. We’ll then drive up Portland’s north/south dividing line, pointing out important sites — we’ll pass Powell’s Books, and tell the story behind the biggest independent book store in the world, as well as some of the city’s bike art, and historical buildings. Once we reach the summit of King’s Heights, we’ll walk around the mansion built by a newspaper baron to the view that was once available only to the city’s elite.
We’ll serve you those delicious doughnuts with a view of the first morning light, then we’ll take photos as the early sun reveals the city’s glowing colors. We’ll walk through the mansion’s grounds and back to the van, where we will drive into the SW Portland neighborhood of Arlington Heights, on the edge of Washington Park.
Here we’ll take a short hike up to the Wildwood Trail, where it winds above the Japanese Garden. We’ll introduce you to the garden from above, then walk down to our favorite secret garden, and into the International Rose Test Garden. After photos and (in season) inhaling the scent of the roses, we’ll drive you back to the city center where you began.