Sally D

Great suggestions from other readers . . .just one point I want to add . . .all Oregon beaches are public which makes beach access a snap! Be sure to take a rain jacket and have a great time!

Sally D

Great suggestions from other readers . . .just one point I want to add . . .all Oregon beaches are public which makes beach access a snap! Be sure to take a rain jacket and have a great time!

marine73 Loc: Modesto California

In Seattle make sure you get the Space needle and Mt. Rainier which you can see from just about anywhere in the state, especially with its snow cap.

kenpic Loc: Edmonds, WA

If you have time to visit the Skagit Flatts (an hour north of Seattle), the snow geese are everywhere. Could also visit Deception Pass (Whidbey Island) as it's only another 30 minutes from the snow geese.

chapjohn Loc: Tigard, Oregon

I think that White River Falls State Park is closed this time of the year. Due to large fires, it was closed earlier. The trail to the turbin house is skinny and steep.

TheDman Loc: USA

If it's the ocean you're looking for, head out to Olympic and hit the beaches near La Push. Ruby, Second, Rialto, all great for photography.

halraiser

The current problem with the Gorge waterfalls is that the Eagle Creek fire has closed nearly all of the area. Sad but that's the way it is. There are some good mountains in the area, maybe instead of just going straight down the freeway, take highway 35 from Hood River around the south side of Mount Hood. Snow is possible this time of year but being from Montana you probably know how to drive in snow. You might even go up to Timberline Lodge, take the road from the east end of Government Camp. The lodge itself has some interesting architecture, and on a clear day you get a good view of the top of the mountain and south to Mount Jefferson.

jwohlhueter

For an overview of some of the best places to shoot landscapes in western Oregon and Washington take a look at this photographer's workshops. http://www.randalljhodges.com/Lessons.aspx Click on "Lessons". I live in Washington, but I think Oregon's beaches are some of the best in the country. You should check the accessibility of the Columbia Gorge waterfalls since the fires this summer. Many took direct hits. I drove up to Mt. Baker to shoot the famous Mt Shuksan reflection and was rewarded with a full moon rise. Right place at the right time. The Northwest is a great place to live for landscape work.

PhotosBySteve

I was born and raised in Portland and currently reside in the Portland area. I have spent quite a bit of time around the Seattle area as well.
A person, with any kind of camera, can travel in any direction either within city or away from either Portland or Seattle and find beautiful subjects to photograph.
The opportunities for great images in the Northwest are limitless and the locations are far too many to list. Not to mention, any location that might be mentioned for good photo ops has already been shot by millions. I suggest finding the locations less visited, by simply traveling, observing and talking to the local residents.

GEANNIE

Seattle - Pikes Market and also the Sky View Observatory (shoot from the 73rd floor and get a 360 view of Seattle and Mt Rainer.
Portland - Both the Japanese Garden and the Chinese Garden. Also shoot from Pittock Mansion area for a great view of Mt Hood.
The coast - my preference is the southern Oregon coast for the dramatic crashing waves and also close proximity to the California redwoods.

ORpilot Loc: Prineville, Or

I live in central Oregon. Go to this site for road conditions and closures. https://tripcheck.com/Pages/RCMap.asp# The Forest Fires are still burning, and depending on the wind, the visibility may go down to under 3 miles. Note that the Historic Columbia River Highway is closed because of the forest fires. That is the highway where many waterfalls run into the Columbia River. Old Mackinze Highway , another beautiful drive, is also closed until spring. White River Falls is open until Oct 31. If you are coming l-84 then swing up to Enterprise and Joseph. Also along the highway is Pendleton home of one of the largest Rodeos in the world and Pendleton Woolen Mills. If you decide to head west from Baker City, on OR 7 to US 26. You can visit the John Day Fossil Beds, Painted Hills and on into Prineville. Just 5 miles south of Prineville is a beautiful 25mi drive through the Crooked River Gorge. Then proceed to Smith Rock, a world renowned gorge and rock wall climbing area. Next stop could be Tumalo Falls, just west of Bend. Or head North through Madras to Maupin then fallowing the Dechutes River to cross at Sheras Falls. Then it is just a few miles to White River Falls. Note that the falls is actually several falls. There is the upper falls at the viewing area and below the old power house about 100yrds is the lower falls. Timberline Lodge on Mt Hood should have nightly dusting of snow too. If you chose to head on OR 20/OR 22 west from Redmond vs north you could visit Silver Fall SP, home to 10 waterfalls. Silver Falls SP is north of Lyons. You could then head wast to the coast. North to Astoria, a must See.
In Washington, a must see is Olympic NP. You might consider continuing North to Canada. Vancouver is Beautiful and then east to Bamff. Up the fantastic Glacier HWY to Jasper. Then home To Montana.
Happy Shooting.

Painted Hills


Tumalo Falls


Smith Rock

TheShoe Loc: Lacey, WA

Just returned from 2 weeks traveling the North Cascades Loop. The scenery was fantastic and the fall colors near their peak. The contrast between the east and west sides of the range was night and day. The slopes and valleys of the western side were lush; eastern side, in the rain shadow of the Cascades, dry and arid. The best color was along US20. If you want to try this trip you had better do so soon as the highway, US 20, is closed every winter due to the huge amount of snow. Alternatively, there is the Olympic Peninsula. There are beach and coastal vistas and the rain forests in Olympic National Park. If you get lucky in the valleys of the ark, you may get lucky and see an enormous herd of Olympic (or Roosevelt, they are the same thing) elk.

MarkSki

On top of all the places and things everyone else has suggested, the "must see." Place in Portland is the Japanese Gardens, probably the best Japanesr garden in the US.

TheDman Loc: USA

I found that to be really tiny and rather overrated. The one in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco is much nicer, and doesn't cost $25 to get in.

SuperFly48 Loc: NE ILLINOIS

Your possibilities are endless. I took my granddaughter on her first real vacation, flew into Portland from Chicago. Went to Mount Hood and Timberline Lodge that afternoon, then parts of the Columbia River Gorge. Next day the Pacific coast in the Yachats, OR area so she could explore tide pools and then check out Cape Perpetua. Third day we went to Mount St Helens. Day four, back to the coast and Haystack Rock and Cannon Beach and Seaside and Astoria and a drive across the four mile long bridge from OR to WA and back. Day five Mount Rainier. I managed to get her off of her cell phone for the majority of that trip, not the easiest thing to do for someone in Junior High. Your options are limited only by your imagination and what YOU want to see/experience. You can have Chicago where I grew up; I'll take the Pac NW any day!!!