Journal ·
Falls, elevators, and the end of the trail
Oregon City is the terminus of the Oregon Trail, the first incorporated city west of the Rockies, and home to a tiered waterfall that powered the region. Here is how to see all of it in one unhurried weekend.
Saturday morning: coffee and the bluff
Start on Main Street. Black Ink Coffee (503 Main) roasts in-house, and Coffee Rush (900 Main) is the local chain that keeps the town running. Walk the bluff to the Municipal Elevator, the only public vertical street in North America, and ride the view down to river level.
Saturday afternoon
Follow the falls. Willamette Falls, a broad tiered cascade at the foot of the bluff, is visible from several river-level viewpoints. The End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center and the Museum of the Oregon Territory tell the city's 10,000-year story, from Clackamas people to pioneers to today's riverfront.
Saturday night
Dinner drifts between The Falls View Tavern on the river, The Highland Stillhouse's warm Scottish rooms, and McMenamins Oregon City for the building alone. Save room for Pure Bliss Bakery the next morning.
Sunday: the quiet folds
Head for the parks: Rivercrest Park for neighborhood green space, or Oregon City Parks for a full list of trails. A short drive gets you to Mary S. Young Park and High Rocks, the famous Clackamas swimming hole.
Two days in Oregon City tends to end with the same thought: this town punches far above its size. To see the neighborhood that makes it feel like home, walk the house at 14986 Jennetten Way, ideally at the same hour the patio photo above was taken.