This is Where We #OptOutside

This Friday, November 23, 2018, join Willamette Partnership staff, our friends at REI, and many others in participating in #OptOutside.

Last year we talked about why we choose to #OptOutside. This year our staff want to share where we love to #OptOutside across the West.

We hope you feel inspired by this post to take the time with friends and family to explore outside on your favorite hike, bike ride, beach walk, or kayak and enjoy the outdoors this season.

If you do #OptOutside, let us know on Twitter (@Willamette_P) or at info@willamettepartnership.org. We’d love to connect and support each other in this movement!

Irving Park, Portland

My favorite place to get outside is also the one where I spend the most time – my own neighborhood. I’m out there every evening walking my dog. It’s a chance to get out in the fresh air and decompress after work, admire the drama of the seasons in my neighbors’ gardens, and get to know the people in my community. I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to some incredible places, but I feel so lucky to live in a city where it feels like “the great outdoors” is just down the street. – Kristiana Teige Witherill

Willamette River

To me, dragon boat races means the start of summer in Portland, a signal that it’s time to turn toward your river and maybe even jump in. – Carrie Sanneman

Cedar Falls, Iowa

I opt outside to see nature through the eyes of my kids! Here we are exploring the ravines in my hometown of Cedar Falls, Iowa. – Sara O’Brien

Lincoln City, Oregon

I choose to #OptOutside for a beach walk with my family on the Oregon Coast, right outside Lincoln City. – Emily Irish

Badger Creek Wilderness, Oregon

A back road between Mt. Hood and Dufur, in the Badger Creek Wilderness. We were in awe of the beautiful yellow tamaracks and the soft, yellow dusting they laid on the ground. These are the sort of autumn/winter landscapes we often go in search of on the weekend. – Erin Legg

Corvallis, Oregon

Those of us who live in Corvallis are lucky to have hundreds of miles of hiking and biking trails winding through beautiful forests and oak savannas right in our own backyard. I’m usually running (and throwing sticks for an energetic pup) on these trails every day – deeply appreciative to be part of a community that values and celebrates these (sort of ) wild and open spaces. My run on Friday, November 23, will be extra long and probably wet! – Nicole Maness