Willamette Valley

Oregon Trail pioneers referred to Oregon's Willamette Valley as "Eden," and that's still a pretty good description of it, especially for those wanting to tour small, family-owned wineries and eat at restaurants run by the winemakers' chef counterparts. McMinnville is a good base for touring the wine country, and the rolling hills and country roads are well suited to bicycling. East of the main wine-growing region, in the foothills of the Cascade Range is Silver Falls State Park, where a trail passes 10 waterfalls. The nearby town of Mt. Angel is home to a lovely hilltop abbey, with a library by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. At the southern ...

Oregon Trail pioneers referred to Oregon's Willamette Valley as "Eden," and that's still a pretty good description of it, especially for those wanting to tour small, family-owned wineries and eat at restaurants run by the winemakers' chef counterparts. McMinnville is a good base for touring the wine country, and the rolling hills and country roads are well suited to bicycling. East of the main wine-growing region, in the foothills of the Cascade Range is Silver Falls State Park, where a trail passes 10 waterfalls. The nearby town of Mt. Angel is home to a lovely hilltop abbey, with a library by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. At the southern end of the valley, the university town of Eugene is lively, with good restaurants, nice parks, and world-class running trails.

About the Expert

Judy Jewell and W.C. McRae are frequent collaborators: together they have written Moon Handbooks to Montana, Utah, and Zion-Bryce and updated the Moon Handbooks to Oregon and Coastal Oregon. Judy wrote the Compass American Guide to Oregon.