Changing Gears

In the shadow of Mount Hood, with the Columbia River Gorge a short bike ride away, Portland, Oregon, offers plenty of reasons to downshift.

(Travel Portland)

Walking around the Portland Farmers Market recently - and at just about every restaurant I tried on my visit - I was struck by the city's widespread reverence for local, seasonal, and organic produce. This is no gimmick: Portland, Oregon, has long been one of the greenest cities around, both in terms of saving the planet and access to the great outdoors. And the earth-loving city is just so cool. Quirky and intellectual, it offers an abundance of gourmet dining and phenomenal wine - Oregon pinot noir is among the world's best - as well as microbreweries. There's also night life for every mood, from mellow to musical to edgy, plus plenty of offbeat shops to explore by day.

For those who adore cycling (one of the greenest forms of transportation and recreation there is), the Portland area is an especially sweet ride. Just a short trip from the city center is the Columbia River Gorge (crgva.org), an 80-mile-long natural wonder, 4,000 jaw-dropping feet deep in some places, that winds its way through the Cascade Mountains along the Oregon-Washington border. A variety of nicely paved low-traffic road-biking circuits are available: easy out-and-back excursions or half-day loops on the his- toric Columbia River Highway, and hard- core daylong adventures that incorporate both the Washington and Oregon sides of the Columbia River, with beautiful bridge crossings. You can easily get to the scenic highway on your bike (about 45 minutes from downtown to Troutdale, a popular access point) or by taking the bicycle-friendly MAX light-rail system (trimet.org) to Gresham and biking less than 5 miles to the gorge. Heading east, you'll be treated to amazing views of the Columbia River. About 14 miles from Troutdale is Multnomah Falls, a 620-foot waterfall, which you won't want to miss. At the falls hop off your bike and stroll across the Benson Footbridge, which traverses the lower cascade. If you want to keep going, the Hood and Columbia Rivers converge 32 miles ahead, and about 12 miles beyond that is Rowena Crest, which offers spectacular views of the gorge and the Cascades. (For a detailed biking map, visit skamania.com/pdf/biking-guide.pdf.)

Beyond cycling, the gorge is a stunning locale for kayaking, windsurfing, fishing, and kite surfing; look for hundreds of colorful sails decorating the river when the wind is up near the confluence with the Hood River. Serious hikers may want to summit nearby Mount Hood (mthood.info), about an hour's drive from downtown Portland. Beginners and families are well-suited to an array of moderate hikes in the Timberline Lodge area of the mountain, a challenging 11,237-foot snow-covered peak.

Back in the city, you won't want to ditch your bike. With more than 200 miles of designated bikeways (painted blue when they are lanes on city streets, to make them more obvious to drivers), Portland is arguably the bike-happiest city in the United States. Those who aren't pedaling are likely to be driving a hybrid vehicle, riding public transit, or walking - maybe in one of Portland's 200-plus parks.

GETTING THERE AND AROUND

American and Alaska fly direct from Boston to Portland. Once there, you don't need a car, but you will want a bike. Rent one at Waterfront Bicycles (503-227-1719; waterfrontbikes.net), where you can choose from serious road bikes, rugged hybrid bikes, and laid-back cruisers. Rentals start at $9 for an hour or $35 for a full day.

EAT

Foodies should treat themselves to award-winning young chef Gabriel Rucker's bold menu at Le Pigeon (503-546-8796; lepigeon.com), while locavores will enjoy Paley's Place (503-243-2403; paleysplace.net), a farm-to-table eatery that was serving local organic foods a decade before it was trendy. Be sure to order local wine - there should be plenty of it on the list. The breakfast is worth the wait at the Tin Shed Garden Cafe (503-288-6966; tinshedgardencafe.com), where you can warm up with a blanket (they've got 'em) and self-serve coffee.

SLEEP

Luxury meets funk at the historic Ace Hotel (503-228-2277; acehotel.com), which has a fleet of smoothly retro Jorg & Olif city bikes for guests to rent. Room rates range from $95 to $250 per night. The fun-loving Jupiter Hotel (877-800-0004; jupiterhotel.com) offers a $59 "get a room" rate for those who show up after midnight, while the eco-minded will appreciate Heathman Hotel (503-241-4100; heathmanhotel.com), which employs impressive energy conservation and recycling programs - even compostable key cards - starting at around $200 per night.

DON'T MISS

The Portland Farmers Market (503-241-0032; portlandfarmersmarket.org), one of the country's most impressive local food extravaganzas, showcasing seasonal fruits and veggies and artisan foods at various locations around town.

Christie Matheson