Follow Germantown Road to the top of the mountain (about 4 Miles) to Skyline Blvd.  Turn East (Right).  You'll pass the Skyline Tavern on your right, (You'll be returning to this point at the end of your drive).  For the next ten miles Skyline Drive meanders above Tualatin Valley through horse ranches, farmhouses and million dollar mansions.  The views are breathtaking and though you are just a few miles from Downtown Portland, you'll feel miles away.  You'll know you've reached the last leg of Skyline when you pass the Skyline Dinner and hit the speed bumps.  As you emerge from this section, look to your left.  You'll see an unobstructed view of Mt. St. Helens and even Seattle's Mt. Rainer on a clear day.  Below you'll see the Columbia and Willamette Rivers and SW Vancouver, Washington.  To your right you'll see the first hints of Downtown Portland. TOP

Skyline ends at Burnside.  Turn Left (East) onto Burnside and follow it down through the tunnel and into NW Portland.  The Pittock Mansion will be on your right 1/2 way down the Hill.  The NW 23rd Shopping District will be your first major intersection entering the city.  Turn Left to find shopping.  No shopping? Continue down Burnside and make a right on 1st ST before the Burnside Bridge. Turn Left at the first street (SW Ankeny St) and go east one block to Front Street.  This is where Saturday Market is on the weekends. 

If you don't want to go to Saturday Market, continue on Front Street going North and under the bridge for about 2 miles until you hit NW Nicolai ST.  Turn Left, away from the river and go a few blocks until you hit NW Yeon Ave, AKA State Route 30. Continue about 10 miles north along the Willamette River, past St. Johns Suspension Bridge, (Big Green Bridge) to Germantown Road.  This is tricky.  When you make the left to get onto Germantown, you need to make an immediate hairpin right or you'll end up going over St. Johns Bridge.  The right is so sharp that if you over shoot it, you'll end up facing head on traffic. Not a good idea.  Do not attempt to bring a trailer up Germantown.  You will jackknife and Oregonians don't cater well to stupidity!

Three miles of switchbacks, blind corners and an omnipresent tunnel of trees and you'll hit Skyline Blvd once again.  Make a left and in 1,500 feet you'll hit the Skyline Tavern.  Go forward you'll get back to 185th.  Make a right and you'll head northwest toward Cornelius Pass. TOP

Points of Interest

The Skyline Tavern: Down home nostalgia with a spectacular view and inexpensive libations. On Skyline Blvd just east of Germantown Rd.

The Pittock Mansion: 3229 NW Pittock Drive, (off NW Burnside) (503) 823-3624 The grounds provide lovely walks and picnic areas, and those who wish can hike to the mansion from nearby parks. The sweeping views from the mansion and grounds overlook Portland's downtown and Willamette River.

NW 23rd, Portland (off Burnside): home to upscale boutiques, shops, quaint restaurants, microbreweries and coffee houses.

Portland Saturday Market, (Open Sat/Sun March through Dec. 24th).  Located under the Burnside Bridge on the Willamette River's west shore, this massive collection of artisans, craftspeople and unusual creations is the place to shop for the ultimate gift or unusual treasure. TOP
 

Warnings: Severe blind curves, single lane each direction and very narrow road.  Not recommended for RV's, trailers or bicycles.  Make sure your brakes are in top shape. During the winter, expect snow and black ice from dusk through dawn.
 

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Rural
Urban
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Romantic

Speak like the Natives!

Willamette = Wil-AH-Met

Tualatin =
To-ALL-a-tin

Oregon =
Or-eh-ghin

HINT: Oregon is the only State in the Union where you Cannot pump you own gas...don't try:)

Also, Oregon does not have any Sales Tax (NO SALES TAX)  so shop to your heart's content!

HINT: Awesome water!  Forget the bottled stuff.  In Oregon what comes out of the tap is better than any bottle water we've ever tasted.