15 Awesome Things to do in Portland in The Winter

Located in Washington Park in Southwest Portland, Japanese Garden features diverse styles of botanical gardens in an outdoor space stretching across 5.5 acres.

I think Portland Japanese Garden is a beautiful urban oasis that attracts locals and travelers alike. It features intimate walkways, a Japanese tea house, twisting streams, and hiking trails.

You can start your hike at the Wildwood Trail west of the Japanese Gardens. As you hike down to the Japanese Garden, you indulge in the mesmerizing views of the gardens.

I’d personally suggest going on an out-and-back hike as it allows you to explore every corner of Japanese Gardens. Japanese Garden is open Wednesdays through Mondays between 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. 

If you are visiting Portland in winter, you may want to stay in a secluded cabin amidst the snowy terrains of Mt. Hood.

There are many superb cabins on Mt. Hood that offer deluxe amenities, including hot tubs and fireplaces. 

In addition to upscale amenities, log cabins provide easy access to all outdoor winter recreations, including snowboarding, snowshoeing, hiking, and ice-skating, 

Our Choice for Cozy Cabin Rental in Mount Hood – Koselig Cabin

On the southeastern front of Mount Hood, Mt. Hood Meadows is a resort with more than 2,000 acres of skiable area. It is the largest ski resort on Mt. Hood and features expansive and diverse terrain for skiers of all levels. 

In addition to snowboarding and skiing opportunities, the resort offers scenic chair rides and access to a wide range of hiking trails. The best time to indulge in snowboarding at Mt. Hood Meadows is in summer. 

As you snowboard through meadows, you enjoy the spectacular mountain views. The resort also has a lodge offering daycare, food, and drinks. Mt. Hood Meadows is open to the public Wednesday through Monday between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. 

In the Lloyd District of Northeast Portland, Lloyd Center is a shopping mall with a unique skating rink in an atrium. Lloyd Center Ice Rink accommodates skaters of all levels of ability.

Whether you have ice-skated before or not, you can try it at Lloyd Center Ice Rink. They have super friendly teachers who encouragingly teach specific skills. 

Lloyd Center Ice Rink also offers other ice sports, such as broomball. It is open every day between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. On weekends, they stay open till 8 p.m. 

While in Portland, you must try skiing bowl tubing on the snowy terrains near Mt. Hood. There is a particular area for this snow sport near Mt. Hood. Located near Government Camp in Clackamas County, Mount Hood Skibowl is an outdoor space with a skiable area of 960 acres. 

The recreation area features four chairlifts, 36 running trails, three surface lifts, and three conveyor lifts. It is the only place on Mt. Hood that features conveyor-assisted tubing.

Mount Hood Skibowl is the largest night ski area in the United States, with an elevation of 5,027 feet. In addition to skiing, Mount Hood Skibowl offers deluxe lodging, adventurous slides, and go-karts. 

A few miles from Mt. Hood Cultural Center and Museum, Timberline Lodge is a mountainside ski resort offering excellent snowshoeing opportunities. 

Timberline Lodge features massive terrains of snow at an elevation of 4,540 feet. The resort has a remote ski-in/ski-out hut for groups. It also has an elegant restaurant, two laid-back bars, and other amenities that make your snowshoeing experience even more extraordinary. 

Portland Winter Light Festival is a series of events every February in Portland. The festival provides Portlanders with interactive experiences with various imaginative works. 

Portland Winter Light Festival takes place along the shores of the Willamette River. The events add vibrancy to the wintry darkness through a massive array of light installations.

As you stroll along the Eastbank Esplanade, you see beautiful artwork featuring fire, LED, and tungsten lights. 

It is a series of pop-up installations throughout Portland and beyond

The Ugly Sweater PDX movement is a yarn-bombing project initiated by a team of local knitters. The yarn installations are found in city parks, streets, and other public places. 

You can find these colorful handmade creations everywhere, from statues to trees to sculptures. These installations represent the artistic vibe of the city.

Unlike other yarn bombing or guerilla art projects, the Ugly Sweater PDX movement offers much more than satisfaction to the beholder’s eye. It brings awareness to an annual clothing drive that helps homeless people across the city. 

Portland offers a wide range of unique outdoor adventures and winter sports. If you like skiing or snowshoeing, you may also want to try fat tire biking in the snow.

Mt. Hood National Forest boasts massive terrains blanketed by snowstorms that are perfect for fat tire biking. These terrains offer an excellent riding experience even under challenging conditions.

Portland has many fat biking destinations, from Oregon Cascades to Mt. Bachelor to Mt. Hood. Easily one of the best things to do in the winter near Portland, Oregon. 

Many natural hot springs around Portland, many of which feature private bathhouses. Portland’s most frequented hot springs sites include Bagby Hot Springs, Breitenbush Hot Springs, and Carson Hot Springs Resort. 

Carson Hot Springs is a resort hotel with a bathhouse and spa services. Breitenbush Hot Springs features three well-maintained soaking pools and many smaller outdoor tubs.

Bagby Hot Springs is nestled amidst towering old-growth fir and cedar trees in Mount Hood National Forest. 

Tamanawas Falls is a beautiful waterfall over a giant lava cliff near the eastern base of Mt. Hood. The terrain around Tamanawas Falls features gorgeous trees, including Engelmann spruce, western red cedar, and Douglas fir.

You can snowshoe to Tamanawas Falls through Tamanawas Falls Hike, an out-and-back trail with an elevation gain of 560 feet. The course features gradual elevation and is ideal for snowshoeing. 

As you snowshoe along the picturesque Cold Spring Creek, you explore all parts of Hood River. As you climb above the creek, you tumble over smaller waterfalls. 

Massive terrains surround Mt. Hood, blanketed with snowstorms. These terrains suit all types of winter sports near the mountains, including snowshoeing, snowboarding, and sledding. 

Sledding is considerably easier than snowshoeing and skiing. Mt. Hood is home to a massive recreational area that offers a wide range of winter sports. The best place to go sledding near Mt. Hood is Trillium Lake. It is also fun to sled at Timberline Lodge at night. 

Portland is home to some of the best breweries in the Pacific Northwest. Breweries are in all parts of the city, from the northeast to the southwest. 

Some of the most popular breweries of Portland include Breakside Brewery, Level Beer, Upright Brewing, Culmination Brewing, and Von Ebert Brewing Pearl, all of which feature indoor and patio seating.

You must take a biking or walking brewery tour to learn more about beers. 

If you are a basketball fan, you must attend an NBA Game while you are in Portland. Moda Center in North Portland hosts almost all sporting events in the city.

It is an indoor sports arena configured for basketball with a seating capacity 19,393. 

Moda Center is home to the Portland Trail Blazers, a professional basketball team based in Portland. You enjoy fantastic food and drinks as you cheer for your favorite team during an NBA game. 

Gingerbread Jamboree is a yearly fundraising event at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). The event raises funds for the Junior League of Portland and promotes community volunteerism. 

At Gingerbread Jamboree, you get insights into the science behind creating gingerbread houses. If you visit Portland with family, you must attend the annual Gingerbread Jamboree. Gingerbread Jamboree is a fantastic family event that brings holiday bliss to locals and visitors.

The event provides families with a unique and memorable gingerbread house-building experience.