Adventures with Holly & Bryan

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Winter here in the Pacific Northwest is one of the great underrated opportunities for adventure. For ski, snowboard, and snowshoe enthusiasts, the opportunities are obvious, and I won’t cover those in this post. For the rest of us, the Pacific Northwest in winter can conjure thoughts of chilly, overcast days darkening to early nights…the kind of day that’s more suited to curling up in a cafe with hot chocolate than exploring the great outdoors. But it’s not so.

Winter in the Pacific Northwest brings mass wildlife migrations, king tides that trigger otherworldly wave-watching on the coast, a string of festivals, and the peak season for moss and waterfalls (occasionally even a frozen waterfall!). In today’s post, I’ll share my top recommendations for things to do in Oregon and Washington State in the winter. Let me know in the comments if you have other favorites!

#1. Sea Lion Caves

The central Oregon coast is home to a weird and wonderful natural sea cave that’s the winter home for hundreds of sea lions. It’s a sight unlike any I’ve seen. Go in summer and the sea lion caves will be empty (we tried it!). Go in winter, and the sea lions will almost certainly be there.

An elevator takes visitors down into the cavern. While your eyes may take a few moments to adjust to the dim light, your ears will immediately catch the telltale “ar–Ar–ARR!” of sea lion voices.

Moving toward the viewing area at the end of the first cavern, you’ll soon see hundreds of these huge sea creatures hauled out on the rocks of the second cavern, their slippery forms squirming and flopping and issuing a clamoring din. Ocean waves churn into the cavern, bringing with them more sea lions returning from hunting and playing outside the cave.

For more details to plan your visit to the Sea Lion Caves, check out our Sea Lion Caves post. A visit to the Sea Lion Caves is great to pair with hiking at nearby Cape Perpetua Scenic Area. You’ll find old-growth forest hikes and hikes to sweeping ocean vistas like Cape Perpetua Lookout.

#2. Lincoln City Glass Float Treasure Hunt

If you’re traveling to the Sea Lion Caves from the north, stop in Lincoln City on the way to look for a glass float on the beach.

Real Japanese glass fishing floats used to wash up on Lincoln City beaches, and they became a prize find for beachcombers looking for treasures in the tideline. As glass was replaced by plastic over time, true glass fishing floats became rare. The city solved this problem by commissioning local artists to make beautiful blown-glass floats instead…and city volunteers hide them along the 7 miles of beach every day of the year.

While you can look for glass floats in Lincoln City any time of year, winter is the best time to find one. To entice visitors to the coastal town beyond the summer peak season, the city hosts “Special Drops” of glass floats throughout the shoulder season. During a Special Drop, the city hides far more floats than usual—sometimes as many as 100 floats over several days. Winter provides the best balance of more floats and fewer competitors looking for them. We found our glass float in Lincoln City last February!

For tips on how exactly to find a float in Lincoln City, check out our Lincoln City glass floats blog post.

#3. King Tides

Winter on the Oregon and Washington coasts brings another unique opportunity: the chance to see massive waves during the monthly king tides.

Tides cycle from high to low daily, but the highs and lows are not the same from day to day. The highest tides in a month are known as the king tides. If the king tides coincide with winter storms, the combination can produce a spectacle of enormous waves.

King tides don’t always mean huge waves—you’ll need to have the combination of unusually high tides with windy weather. We’ve been out to the coast to look for waves during a king tide only to find the weather calm and the waves mild. But if you’re patient and wait for the right combination, you might see something otherworldly, like this video of the King Tides in Westport, Washington in 2020.

A safety note: While it’s awesome to see a giant wave, it’s not awesome at all if you’re too close. Make sure to stick to high viewing areas at a safe distance. The viewing tower in Westport, Washington is a popular one that’s likely to be packed with other enthusiastic wave-watchers bundled up to witness this bizarre winter ritual.

#4. Skagit Valley Snow Geese

I’m generally not particularly focused on birds, but in winter the bird migrations in the Pacific Northwest are so dramatic that most non-bird enthusiasts will be floored.

One of the best places to go is the Skagit Valley, north of Seattle in Washington state. With the help of an app called eBird, you can efficiently locate massive flocks of snow geese that overwinter in the valley. By massive, I mean thousands of geese might swarm a single agricultural field. The sight and sound of thousands of snow geese taking off is one of those special wonders of nature.

For more on how to find the snow geese yourself, check out our Skagit Valley snow geese blog post.

#5. Skagit Valley Bald Eagles

While you’re looking for the Skagit Valley snow geese, don’t miss the bald eagles. Eagles don’t travel in flocks like snow geese do, but they’re attracted to the Skagit Valley in bizarre numbers in December and January by…the prospect of feasting on salmon from the annual salmon runs.

Most salmon runs are in the fall, but the Skagit River has a later, December-January salmon run. The presence of salmon when other food sources are scarce attracts disproportionate numbers of bald eagles.

If money is no object, taking a guided eagle tour boat down the Skagit River is a solid bet for seeing a lot of eagles. For the more budget-conscious, you can look for eagles from the shore. A great option is joining a guided, 1.5-hour nature hike hosted by the Skagit River Bald Eagle Interpretive Center.

#6. Waterfall Hikes

The winter rains mean many of the Oregon and Washington waterfalls are running at their peak. Moss expands from its summer dormancy, draping the maple trees in thick green capes. To minimize snow and ice, focus on lowland waterfall hikes that are clear most of the year. In the Portland area, the Columbia River Gorge is the place to focus. Check out the waterfall hikes in our blog post on top Columbia River Gorge hikes for specific recommendations.

The gorge trails can get icy during particularly cold weather, so I’d recommend checking the latest trip reports on AllTrails to verify current conditions. Trekking poles like these are a good option to help with traction if needed. While the waterfall hikes are usually clear, you can occasionally catch a frozen waterfall if there’s been a prolonged cold snap—a special winter treat.

#7. Winter Festivals

In addition to natural wonders, winter in the Pacific Northwest brings a string of cultural festivals. Here are my top winter recommendations in the Portland area:

The Grotto 

A Catholic church like no other, the Grotto features a sanctuary in a cave that’s carved into a cliff face right in NE Portland. An enormous elevator that looks like a clock tower takes visitors to a mesa on top of the cliff, where extensive gardens have been planted around a monastery.

On December evenings, the Grotto hosts a festival of lights on the lower level, with carolers inside and outside the church singing as visitors stroll among paths lined with Christmas light displays. It’s become one of the most popular things to do in Portland in winter.

Peacock Lane

Residential Peacock Lane in SE Portland also takes their holiday lighting seriously. Every December for dozens of years, residents of this neighborhood have coordinated to put on a massive light show. Visitors can stroll along the four blocks free of charge, or you can drive through (but prepare for a colossal traffic jam in that case!).

Christmas Ships

Lighted ships parade down the Willamette and Columbia Rivers on December evenings. Find the schedule and the best spots to watch the ships from the shore on the Christmas Ship Parade website.

Portland Winter Light Festival:

Long after the other festivals are over, the Portland Winter Light Festival lights up the nights in early February, bringing light to carry us through the close of winter.

Other Adventures in the Pacific Northwest

Thanks for exploring the top things to do in Oregon and Washington in the winter! For more travel ideas in the Pacific Northwest, check out our PNW Trip Planner. You can find adventures near you and filter by season and difficulty level. There are weird and wonderful things to explore any time of year. The trip planner links to blog posts to help you plan your next adventure.

Happy exploring!