While you will spend a significant amount of time in your flight lessons or studying for them, it’s still important to consider the area where you will be doing your training. You want to ensure it’s a good flight environment in which to hone your piloting skills, but also a location where you will enjoy living and have fun outside the classroom.
In this post, I am going to focus on the recreational activities near our Troutdale Campus that our students love to participate in and make Oregon a truly unique place to live.
- Skiing and Snowboarding – Mt Hood, located about 50 miles from our Troutdale Campus, has the longest ski season in the country, operating into September. It’s where the US Olympic Ski Team trains during the summer months. Mt Hood terrain is known for its diversity, and its runs challenge any level of skier or snowboarder. Hood has three ski resorts, Timberline Lodge, Mt Hood Skibowl, and Mt Hood Meadows. Timberline is the only ski-in, ski-out lodge in the state, Skibowl has the largest night skiing terrain in the United States, and Meadows offers more than 2,150 acres of skiing.
- Hiking – The diversity of Oregon’s terrain allows for many incredible hikes and amazing scenic views. The Troutdale Campus is near the Columbia River Gorge, a river canyon that is 80 miles long and up to 4,000 meters deep. The Gorge runs along the Oregon and Washington borders and wanders past cliffs and ridges set against the peaks of the Cascade Mountain Range. There are numerous hikes in the area featuring amazing vistas, gushing waterfalls, and unforgettable views, including Dog Mountain Trail, Cape Horn, and Beacon Rock, but probably the best-known hike is Multnomah Falls featuring a 611-foot roaring waterfall.
- Mountain Biking – The diversity of Oregon also works well for those who love to mountain bike. New and expert mountain bikers travel from all over to experience the terrain and landscapes of everything Oregon has to offer from the Cascade Mountain forests to the dry eastern deserts. Riders will find a great variety, from intense downhill rides in wet, old growth forests to cross-country epics across the dry plains.
- Fishing and Hunting – Hunting and fishing opportunities are plentiful in Oregon forests. Oregon’s rivers and lakes feature a wide variety of fish, and anglers can find fishing opportunities 365 days a year somewhere in the state. They are regulated by season for various types of fish and game by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife so make sure to check with them on current regulations and fees.
- Kayaking & Windsurfing – There are also a number of water sports including kayaking and windsurfing that you can do in the Columbia River Gorge in cities such as Hood River. The Port of Hood River offers access to activities like these as well as instruction. This town situated on the Columbia less than 50 miles from our Troutdale Campus and has been unofficially dubbed the windsurfing capital of the world. Whether you can to participate in some water recreation or just spectate, Hood River is a great destination for you.
Loving the place you live is just as important as picking the right flight training school to help you meet your goals. There are numerous sites where you can learn more about Oregon, but one worth checking out is Travel Oregon. We hope you take the opportunity to visit us and explore Oregon and maybe even go up on a demo flight.