Around Portland Tours — Local services in Portland

If you don’t have a car to explore outside Portland city center, take the Falls Hike and Bike tour! Signed up for the Falls hike and bike tour a couple weekends ago when I was visiting Portland. I initially signed up for the Friday morning tour but they called me to ask if I wanted to go on next morning’s tour with a few other people since I was the only one signed up. I’m glad that I took the next morning’s tour because it was so much fun to meet other people and explore the waterfalls since I was traveling solo.

We had John and Jeri(I believe those were their names) as our tour guides. They were so informative (about Portland history/about the land) and welcoming to everyone in the tour group. We started the tour at 8:30 am, drove out to Multnomah Falls in a Sprinter van and biked to other falls. The bike ride was mostly downhill on a two lane road but the cars were very patient and never felt unsafe. Some of the falls had a bit of a hike to get to so make sure you wear comfortable shoes. We returned around 1pm.

Everyone at Around Portland Tours was so friendly - from check in to the actual tour. I would 110% recommend checking them out if you’re looking for a guided tour of the area.

Tip: they’re located in a building that looks like a storage facility on the first floor. So if you arrive early in the morning, like me, just hang tight and the staff will be there soon.

Also, have lunch at the Hawthorne Asylum food trucks after you’ve worked up an appetite on your tour. It’s right around the corner from...

Overall, this was a great experience. We did Forest Park: The urban hiking tour. The hike was lovely and Edwin shared a lot of history and facts, which was great! My complaints are minor, but still wanted to mention. Edwin was 15 minutes late for the tour, though he did text us to let us know he was running late, but it was 3 minutes AFTER we were already supposed to start the tour. I also wish there was more explanation about the hike in the description on the website. I really had no idea what I was getting into. I think they should include a difficulty level, since none was given I assumed it would be easy to moderate. In most places it was pretty easy, but towards the end there was 500+ ft of elevation on switch backs, which I wasn't expecting. I also wish the website told us the distance and the fact that you'll end in a completely different location than where you started. I assumed we'd either finish close to where we started or there would be a shuttle, thankfully we had a friend pick us up at the end, perhaps they would have offered a ride back to the start if we had left a car there. The other thing is that the hike is advertised as 3 hours, but it ended up being just over 4 hours long. I personally would have been fine if the hike ended at the city viewing spot and we got a ride back down. Especially since I was looking forward to the rose garden, but it wasn't blooming yet. Overall, I'd still recommend the hike, but I think the company should be a bit more clear about exactly...

Wonderful experience! I love cycling as a way to explore a place that’s new to me. I found “Around Portland Tours” on AirBNB Experiences: they had great reviews and offered a variety of tours. I booked the “Bike Around Portland” tour (4 hours, 10 miles). Although this was my first trip to Portland and I haven’t biked in town much at all… my guide Brian was excellent and I had a fantastic time! Brian welcomed me and made sure I picked a bike I was comfortable riding. He went over the safety instructions and was great about making sure we stayed in the correct lanes, crossed intersections with care, etc all the while enjoying where we were going. I loved the variety of things we saw, and the bridges were my favorite! As someone who doesn't cycle often, most of the route was very doable -- only 1 uphill climb nearly did me in :). I was impressed that Brian (a history major) had done his own research to provide thorough and interesting commentary, as well as incorporated insights from his previous guests. He was also very respectful when a local man overheard our conversation and chose to volley in his perspective. I was the only one on the tour (a rarity), so this tour was a great opportunity to safely explore the city, get lots of exercise, and have thought-provoking conversations with someone who clearly cares about Portland and appreciates its complexities. I’d highly recommend this tour and give 5-stars to my...