The Mercuryās Guide to Summer Fun in Portlandāand Beyond!
Summer in the City!
Our Favorite Patios for Getting a Sunburn While Day-Drinking
A (Wobbly) Step-by-Step Guide to Portlandās Patio Paradise
Here Are Forest Parkās Must-Hike Trails
Thereās No Better Time to Enjoy Forest Park
Pressed for Time? Check Out These Portland āFake-cationsā!
From Oxbow Park to Enchanted Forest, Prepare to CHILL THE FUCK OUT
Splash Pads: A Gift to Portland Parents (and Kids, I Guess)
Discover the Joys of Dirty Park Water!
A Month-by-Month Guide to This Summerās Best Shows
The Mercuryās Official Summer Concert Preview!
Itās Time to Learn Some Nude Beach Etiquette!
How to Not Be a Jerk and/or a Creep at Sauvie Island
Oaks Park Has a New Roller Coaster! I Rode It Again and Again and Again!
An Erudite and Discerning Review of ADRENALINE PEAK
No AC? Go to the Movies!
Portland Summers Are Hot. Movie Theaters Are Cool!
Youāre Riding Your Bike Wrong
Great Job Biking! Now Maybe You Can Start Doing It Right!
From Treehouses to Yurts, Here are Five Great Ways to Get Out of Portland
Exploring the Pacific Northwest—On the Cheap
Oregon life hack: Donāt leave the region from June to August. Our summersāfull of non-humid sunny weather, perfect rivers, and impeccably cool, shady forestsāare the reason to live here.
Oregon summers are also perfect for exploration, and while I love camping, one should not have to spend every adventure sleeping on the ground (ants and spiders and backaches, amirite?). While there are plenty of hotels willing to take your money, itās even better to search out some great in-between spots, like yurts or treehouses. Not only are they usually cheaper (all the choices below are around $100 a night or less!) but also infinitely cooler than your usual four walls and a roof.
Here are five options on a few unique and affordable places to spend a summer night in the Pacific Northwest, ranging from an easy overnighter to a long, weekend-worthy jaunt.
Yurting at Cape Lookout!
About an hour and a half out of downtown Portland, the 13 yurts at Cape Lookout do tend to book up fast. But schedule ahead (or aim for a weeknight), and you can plan on spending a few days soaking up cool coastal air from inside a yurt.
Iām a huge fan of these yurts, which have tables, bunk beds with plastic mattresses (the bottom bunk fits two grown-ups easily), heat, and even a couch that folds out into more sleeping roomāfor $47 a night. Just bring your own bedding and cooking supplies. Outside are your own front porch, a grill, and a picnic table.
The nearby hike to Cape Lookout is about five miles of moderate terrain, with a payoff at the end involving an endless view of the blue Pacific and probably even some gray whales frolicking in the surf and some shit. Youāre also a stoneās throw from where they make Jacobsen sea salt and the NevĆør Shellfish Farm. Buy a dozen of large oysters on the cheap, throw them over some open flames, and toss a few salt flakes on them for a super good night. 13000 Whiskey Creek Rd, Tillamook, OR, oregonstateparks.org
Soak up Crystal Crane Hot Springs!
Oh Christ am I excited to go here this summer. Iāve been eyeing this healing hot springs resort outside of Burns for a couple of years, and finally got it together to reserve a few nights this July.
Crystal Crane has a 101-degree HOT SPRING POND thatās seven feet deep in the middle, with little quaint cabins right on the water for $67 a night!! Itās western themed and itās so damn cute!! SQUEEEEE!!! But Iāll be staying in the teepee, which has a queen-size bed, bedding and towels for two, and its own private hot spring-fueled tub inside! For $110 a night!
True, Burns is a haul, but itās right on the edge of the Steens Mountain wilderness, some of the most remote and breathtaking land in Oregon. You can hike around the glacier-cut gorges, drive to overlooks, and just maybe not see another human for a little while. Sounds good to me. 59315 Hwy 78, Burns, OR, cranehotsprings.com

Vintage trailer at the Souāwester!
Everyone I know who has stayed at the Souāwester, located near Long Beach, Washington, is obsessed. Itās self-described as a āhodgepodgeā of accommodations, including a lodge, campsites and cabins, but the vintage trailers are the reason to go.
A baby-sized 1953 Boles Aero trailerāresplendent in its tin exterior and packed with tiny artwork on the insideāruns $103 a night, while a few dollars more includes options like the turquoise and white wonder that is the 1953 Zelmar Cruiser, with a full kitchen, sitting area, full-sized bed and maximum kitsch.
Thereās a trailer for art; thereās a trailer full of cool vintage clothes and finds; thereās a trailer for meditation. Thereās a sauna for all guests, and some rusty bikes you can borrow for free to pedal the nearby paved Lewis and Clark Discovery Trail, which leads to the lighthouse at Cape Disappointment. Thereās also North Jetty Brewing less than a half mile away when you get back from your ride thirsty. If ya donāt know, now ya know. 3728 J Place, Seaview, WA, souwesterlodge.com

Teepee at Clyde Holliday State Park!
Clyde Holliday State Park rests right on the John Day River, and if you reserve one of the two teepees for $46 a night, you can roll out of your bed and right onto a lawn chair with your feet in the water and cottonwood trees overhead. With a concrete floor, heaters if you need them, and vinyl-covered sleeping pads for eight, this is the right way to summer.
Drive a bit west and youāll have easy access to the John Day Fossil Beds and Painted Hills, and then spend the next day in John Day, tooling around old-school antique shops and exploring the Kam Wah Chung State Heritage Site, which is a legit awesome look into what was at one time the second-largest population of Chinese immigrants on the West Coast. Then go back to your teepee, grill some hotdogs, and play some cribbage. US 26, Mt Vernon, OR, oregonstateparks.org
Sleep in a tree in Cave Junction!
Cave Junction is about as far as you can get from Portland and remain in the state of Oregon, and thatās grand. Just south of this town of 2,000, Treehouses.com offers ātreesortā rooms that are fully up in the branchesāanywhere from 12 to 47 feet above the ground.
The treesort has āactivitreesā (their pun, not mine!) like zip-lining, but Iād use the place as a jumping off point to explore the Redwoods, Ashland, and Rogue River. Throw down with a group of four and get the āMagistree,ā a full-on palace in the sky accessible by climbing three flights of stairs, crossing two suspension bridges and then climbing one more flight. Itās $330 a night, but split between everyone, thatās just $82.50 a personānot a lot of trees to spend for those kind of digs. 300 Page Creek Rd., Cave Junction, OR, treehouses.com
