The Willamette Valley & Wine Country - Washington, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest - page 498

riding. Best of all are the hikes, the most famous being the Trail of Ten Falls Loop , a rel-
atively easy 8-mile loop that winds up a basalt canyon through thick forests filled with
ferns, moss and wildflowers. Featured on this hike are 10 waterfalls, several of which
you can walk behind. A few roadside trailheads access this hike, but the most services
are at the South Falls day-use area, the park's main entrance.
WINERIES AROUND SALEM
One of Oregon's most-respected wine growers is Willamette Valley Vineyards (
800-344-9463; www.wvv.com ; 8800 Enchanted Way, Turner) , on an imposing hilltop south of
town.
Stangeland Winery ( 503-581-0355; www.stangelandwinery.com ; 8500 Hopewell Rd NW) ,
north of Salem in the Eola Hills, is a smaller winery with good Pinot Noir.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Corvallis
POP 56,000
Proud to be the home of Oregon State University (OSU), Corvallis is a bustling, youthful
city on the edge of the Willamette River, and is surrounded by miles of farms, orchards
and vineyards. Downtown storefronts are filled with bakeries, bookstores and cafes,
while the upscale riverfront area offers pleasant walking along with stylish restaurants
and pubs. The university campus, where nearly half of the city's population studies or
works, dominates just a few blocks to the west.
Corvallis is an easy place to spend a day just hanging out, and it's also a good base
from which to explore the surrounding region.
Sights
Peavy Arboretum & McDonald State Forest FOREST
Both of these areas are administered by OSU and are popular with dog walkers. Peavy
Arboretum has several interpretive trails that wind through 40 acres of forest. You can
continue into McDonald State Forest, a research forest with several miles of hiking and
mountain-bike trails. From Corvallis, take Hwy 99W north for about 5 miles, then turn
left at Arboretum Rd and go almost a mile.