Special Section: Destination Corvallis

Corvallis, Oregon: A Three-Day Getaway

Where the outdoors and agriculture come together for an inspired experience of trails and cuisine

UNDERSTANDING THAT Corvallis is tied to agriculture is the key to planning the best itinerary around the bounty of local farmers, brewers and vintners. Learning that it also has new recreation and cultural institutions makes this trip easy planning for visitors. In a town

known for its rippling river, its rolling hills and fertile soils, the benefits of recreation and rewards of a culinary scene made from local farms and vineyards are on full display during your visit to Corvallis. Each day should have an element of recreation and reward, of fitness and farm-to-table.

The Gathering Together Farm just outside of Corvallis plays a bountiful role in the Mid-Willamette Valley Food Trail.

courtesy of Visit Corvallis

Day 1

Start the morning off with latte, chai or your favorite caffeinated drink at the new Greenhouse Coffee + Plants, a stylish venue that offers both plant-based milks and plants for purchase. Grab your drinks, saunter two blocks down to the greenery of the riverfront park along the Willamette River and wake up your senses for the day ahead.

If you have a quiver of different bikes, rack them up. Corvallis is a biking haven, having been awarded a gold level rating as a bike friendly community in 2011. The variety of road, gravel, mountain and downtown cruiser biking is hard to match in Oregon. The McDonald-Dunn Forest, owned by Oregon State University, has miles of mountain biking and gravel trails with beautiful vistas over the Willamette Valley. For road bikers, there are short and sweet rides such as the 14K Bald Hill Bike Loop to the 18- mile, 3,760-foot gain of climbing Marys Peak. For a more relaxed ride in and around downtown, rent cruisers or electric bikes at Peak Sports or Corvallis Electric Bikes.

Take a cruiser over to 2nd Street to the new Corvallis Museum, where, in a beautiful and open modern space, the historical Oregon collection along with contemporary paintings and the popular glowing rocks are all on exhibit.

Perhaps one of the best hidden gems in the Oregon brewing culture is Block 15 in Corvallis, where its outstanding locally crafted beer is well paired with banh mi sliders made from local pork and hazelnut hummus from a local hazelnut farm. If the weather is warm and the horizon clear, head to Sky High Brewing’s rooftop bar for craft beer, and burgers made from local beef. A third of a mile north on NW Jackson, Sky High also has live music and dance parties.

The chill atmosphere of Sky High Brewing’s rooftop is perfect during warm evenings.

courtesy of Visit Corvallis

Day 2

Start the new morning with coffee and house made scones, muffins and bagels at New Morning Bakery, a fixture on 2nd Street in Corvallis for more than forty years. For the day’s hike, you may want something more substantial such as the breakfast sandwich or the homemade biscuits and gravy.

Before you head out on a long hike make sure you have a backpack with plenty of water, charged mobile phones and meat pies and sausage on a stick from the Corvallis Meat Pie Shop, an Australian dining experience that makes for a good part-way picnic with enough calories for your outand-back hike.

The Corvallis-to-the-Sea Trail (C2C Trail) begins at the confluence of the Mary’s and Willamette rivers at Shawala Point Park. In 2020, many groups and volunteers connected the last of 62 miles that connect Corvallis to the Pacific Ocean at Ona Beach State Park 8 miles south of Newport. For this outing, select a distance you’re comfortable with, pack supplies and head west along a vision that consumed approximately fifty years of planning. The first segment from Shawala Point Park to Old Peak Road is 9 miles one way for measure. Expect some elevation gain too as you head toward the lustrous Coast Range that separates the valley from the coast. Cyclists take note: The C2C Trail is also a new long-haul fave for gravel riders.

The Corvallis-to-the-Sea Trail is 62 miles of varied terrain that leads west to the Pacific Ocean.

courtesy of Visit Corvallis

A hearty hike or ride deserves a soft landing later that afternoon. Start by drinking in the terroir at one of the famed Willamette Valley wineries. Tyee Wine Cellars offers beautiful estate pinot noirs. Just 14 miles west of Corvallis is the beautiful tasting room of Lumos Wine Company. A twenty-minute drive south of Corvallis puts you on the doorstep of Bluebird Hill Cellars, where Burgundian pinots are served. Or stop in at the dogand family-friendly woman-owned Airlie Winery 19 miles north of Corvallis. All of these put you in the heart of Oregon’s esteemed pinot noir terroir.

The connection to nature at Tyee Wine Cellars enhances the experience.

courtesy of Visit Corvallis

For dinner, there are many options that cull Corvallis bounty to your table. The vegetarian No Nations showcases the best produce from the region in creative tasty dishes such as the wild mushroom cheesesteak and the earthly garden curry. Castor fuses French, Latin and Spanish ideas into its locavore menu. Dishes like crab gratin with Oregon Dungeness and melted leeks, carrots and garlic and Brussels sprouts tartine with New Morning Bakery toast are just a couple of those ideas.

At Castor in Corvallis, the food is locally sourced and outstanding.

courtesy of Visit Corvallis

Day 3

Start your recovery morning meal at Dizzy Hen with a mimosa, bloody mary or screwdriver. Add to that the Dizzy poached eggs, French toast of dried cherry bread pudding or pork ragu with grits and a fried egg. This is breakfast at the next level.

Make your last impression one that is pastoral and stress free. Rent a canoe or standup paddleboard at Peak Sports on 2nd Street and dip into the easy-going Willamette River for a zen-like flow before you hit the road. This part of the river is part of the 187-mile Willamette River Water Trail. Put in 9 miles south in Peoria and float down to Corvallis before taking a Lyft or Uber back to your car.

Close your Corvallis getaway with a relaxing paddle on the Willamette River.

courtesy of Visit Corvallis

The drive in any direction will remind you of the fertile land that underlay the bounty of your weekend and the outdoor pursuits that made you more worthy of the locavore meals that creatively incorporated it.