Portland's location gives it excellent day trip options in almost every direction. Mount Hood (one hour east) has year-round skiing at Timberline Lodge and summer hiking. The Columbia River Gorge (30–45 minutes east on I-84) has the Historic Highway, Multnomah Falls, and more than a dozen other waterfalls. The Oregon Coast (90 minutes west) begins at Astoria and runs through Cannon Beach, Seaside, and Tillamook. Sauvie Island, 20 minutes northwest, is the closest countryside escape.
To the north, Mount St Helens National Volcanic Monument in Washington state is about 90 minutes; the Johnston Ridge Observatory near the 1980 eruption crater is open seasonally. Salem, Oregon's capital, is 90 km south on I-5 and has the Oregon State Capitol and the Willamette University campus. Wine country in the Willamette Valley — the Dundee Hills AVA is particularly good for Pinot Noir — begins about 45 minutes southwest of Portland.