Recently, Travel Oregon has been slammed quite nicely if I may add by questions from potential visitors to Oregon. So, as you will see in the question and answer here, sometimes two ambassadors are much better than one when it comes to fun, food and wine in the Willamette Valley!
here's the question:
"A group of women hikers will be staying in Sheridan, Oregon for three days in June 2012. We plan to go to Silver Falls State Park one day and possibly the ocean another. Do you have suggestions for a hike the third day and also for fun spots to eat and wine taste?"
Hi there!
Thanks for your question! This is Ryan, the Ask Oregon Wine Ambassador Below I've compiled suggestions for you from both Debbie, our ambassador for the Willamette Valley, and wine recommendations from me. We hope you enjoy your trip, and if there's anything else we can do to help don't hesitate to let us know.
Happy Travels!
•••
Silver Falls State Park is a great place for hiking. Waterfalls, rivers and awesome trails galore in such a gorgeous setting. You will love it! On the third day, I'd like to entice you check out my favorite place in the Willamette Valley to hike! It's the McDonald Dunn Forest near Corvallis not far from where you will be based and there are hundreds of miles of trails to choose from. Check out the website: http://www.cof.orst.edu/cf/forests/mcdonald/ Hiking some of the "old growth" forest areas will remind you of movie sets you swear you've seen before. And a little secret... movies have been filmed there in areas where moss drips off of old trees and streams run wild through fallen debris providing a base for many species of fern and other indigenous plants that bank the very well maintained trails. There are perfect spots for a picnic too or you may choose to hike hard and long and then find you are ready for my favorite pizza place in Corvallis... American Dream on 2nd Avenue! Order your pizza and beer and head upstairs to the rooftop and enjoy... my idea of a perfect day in the Willamette Valley!
Hope you get to hit the trails near Corvallis and check out that pizza too! Let me know if I can help you further and have a great trip!
Debbie
Travel Oregon AskOR Willamette Valley Ambassador
www.whitebreadandjam.blogspot.com
debbielusk61@gmail.com
•••
For wineries, it looks like your group would easily head through Salem on your way to the coast. Here are my top three stops:
- St. Innocent Winery - http://www.stinnocentwine.com/
- Cristom - http://www.cristomwines.com/
- Bethel Heights - http://www.bethelheights.com/
These are all located in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA, and represent a distinct style in the Willamette Valley.
If you have a little extra time, and can detour, go visit my friends at Johan Vineyards (http://johanvineyards.com/). They have a great story behind their winery, and hopefully they'll have their Orange Wine—sounds strange, but it's just Pinot Gris that has picked up some color from the grapes as it's not immediately pressed. It's a real treat if you can get some.
I hope you and your friends have a fantastic experience!
No comments:
Post a Comment