Bull Run/Little Sandy Watershed Adventures | McKenzie/Upper Deschutes Watershed Adventures | Bear Creek/Nicolai-Wickiup Watershed Adventures
In Oregon, good beer is a cultural staple. But to make good beer, Oregon breweries first need good clean water. Enter the Oregon Brewshed® Alliance, which works to protect watersheds and water quality while making good beer in the process. Breweries and allies across the state educate the community about threats to clean water by brewing specialty beers, holding fundraisers, and even sponsoring brewshed hikes.
Why do we care about watersheds? Watersheds scorn the typical boundaries imposed by a map, overlaid on public and private land alike. Easy management of a typical watershed is prevented by the scale of the area in question. Defined by the mountains, ridges, and drainages where water begins flowing downhill, a watershed gathers runoff and precipitation, funneling it into larger and larger rivers. Small streams form their own miniature watersheds, and these tiny waterways join larger rivers further downstream. In Oregon, two-thirds of all public drinking water comes from surface waters like these, originating largely in our state and federal forests.
In the Portland metro area, the Bull Run Watershed is the primary drinking water supply, keeping over 950,000 customers hydrated. Two reservoirs store more than 17 billion gallons of water flowing from a mere 120 square miles of land. The majority of this land is federal property, with only 4% owned by the City of Portland.
According to the Eugene Water & Electric Board, forested watersheds produce better water quality than any other surface water source. Oregon Brewshed® Alliance and Oregon Wild are working to protect these forests and to ensure clean water for Oregon's growing population. Every brewery listed is an Oregon Brewshed® Alliance member. To taste some of the awesome beers being created by these breweries, pick an adventure near one of the watersheds listed below and cruise over to a nearby brewery. You won't be disappointed!
Photo courtesy of Coalition Brewing.
Bull Run/Little Sandy Watershed Adventures
- Champoeg State Park
- Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
- Dabney State Park
- Forest Park
- Hiking In The Columbia River Gorge
- Hunchback Mountain
- Joseph Wood Hill Park
- Miller Woods Conservation Area
- Mount Hood Wilderness
- Mount Tabor
- Mount Talbert Nature Park
- Oaks Bottom Hiking Trails
- Oxbow Regional Park
- Powell Butte Nature Park
- Sandy Ridge Trail System
Brewshed® Alliance Partners Nearby
- Baerlic Brewing Company
- Base Camp Brewing
- Bridgeport Brewing
- Coalition Brewing
- Ex Novo Brewing
- Happy Mountain Kombucha
- Hopworks Urban Brewing
- McMenamins
- Migration Brewing
- Pfriem (Hood River Watershed)
- Portland Brewing
- Portland Cider Company
- Stickmen Brewing (Oswego Lake/Willamette River Watershed)
- The Civic Taproom & Bottle Shop
- Uptown Market (Fanno Creek Watershed)
- Widmer Brothers
- Wolves & People Farmhouse Brewery (Greater Yamhill/Chehalem Valley Watershed)
Photo courtesy of GoodLife Brewing.
McKenzie/Upper Deschutes Watershed Adventures
- Belknap Hot Springs
- Broken Top
- Devils Lake
- Elijah Bristow State Park
- Gold Point Trail
- Hand Lake
- McKenzie River
- Mount Washington
- Olallie Trail
- Proxy Falls Hiking Loop
- Shotgun Creek Recreation Area
- Suttle Lake
- Terwilliger Hot Springs
- Tidbits Mountain
- Three Sisters Wilderness
Brewshed® Alliance Partners Nearby
- Claim 52 Brewing
- Elk Horn Brewing
- GoodLife Brewing
- Falling Sky Brewing
- Hop Valley Brewing
- Ninkasi Brewing
- Oakshire Brewing
- Plank Town Brewing Company
- Standing Stone Brewing (Ashland Watershed)
- Worthy Brewing
Photo courtesy of Widmer Brothers Brewing.
Good drinks don't disappear once you leave the major metropolitan areas. Travelers to the ocean beaches have no need to remain parched. Tasty beers in Astoria and Coos Bay can quench any beach-goer's thirst after a long day in the wind and sun of the Oregon coast. Whether you pick up a growler to enjoy around the campfire or stop in to the brewery at the end of your adventures, plenty of good beer awaits.
Bear Creek/Nicolai-Wickiup Watershed Adventures
- Cathedral Tree Hike
- Cape Disappointment Lighthouse
- Coffenbury Lake
- Floras Lake Trail Hike
- Fort Columbia, Scarborough Hill
- Fort Stevens State Park
- Fort To Sea Trail
- Gearhart Beach
- John Dellenback Trail
- Lake Marie
- Lewis and Clark Discovery Trail
- Saddle Mountain
- Simpson Reef Overlook
- Sunset Bay State Park
- Tillamook Head Hike
Brewshed® Alliance Partners Nearby
- 7 Devils Brewing Company (Coos Watershed)
- Fort George Brewing + Public House
Oregon Wild works to protect and restore Oregon's wildlands, wildlife and waters as an enduring legacy for all Oregonians. Founded in 1974, Oregon Wild has been instrumental in securing permanent legislative protection for some of Oregon's most precious landscapes, including nearly 1.7 million acres of Wilderness, 95,000 acres of forests in Bull Run/Little Sandy watersheds (to safeguard the quality of Portland's water supply) and almost 1,800 miles of Wild & Scenic Rivers.
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