As a dedicated hiker and outdoor enthusiast who has roamed into the wild and far-off places of Oregon for many years, I have a secret way to make them even better — tea. I’ve found that making and savoring the perfect cup of tea in beautiful places allows you to take your time to uncover a deeper sense of the place. The effect hits all your senses — the deep, earthy smell of forest and the often-sweet fragrance of tea mingle on your palate as your eyes and ears take in the sights and sounds of falling water or the birdsong of tiny Pacific wrens.
To inspire your own slow travel, here are some of the experiences I’ve enjoyed recently, paired with curated tea from Oregon shops. For more tea pairings in beautiful settings, check out my YouTube series here.
Tea and Waterfalls in the Willamette Valley
Western Oregon has more waterfalls than you can experience in a lifetime — and they’re robust and beautiful when the fall rains come.
Soda Creek Falls, a former state park, is located in Cascadia County Park, 15 miles east of Sweet Home on Highway 20. I brought some genmaicha — a rich, green tea with popped rice — from the Tao of Tea Leaf Room in Portland and invited a colleague to explore with me. You have to situate yourself almost perfectly below Soda Creek Falls to see the whole thing as it cascades down a rocky ravine. We sat on wet rocks and sipped toasty genmaicha, and soaked in the sound of roaring water and the rhythm of dripping moss, and we embraced the damp — warmed, as we were, by the tea and the intensity of the beauty around us.
McDowell Creek Park, about 16 miles east of Lebanon, is one of my favorite beautiful places in Oregon. Standing on the viewing platform above Majestic Falls as it cascades over black basalt into the splash pool far below is as close to standing at the edge of a waterfall and looking over the edge as you can safely do. My daughter and I drink honey orchid oolong that I bought at Wabi Sabi Tea in Salem. While waiting for the tea to steep, I notice the way the creek runs placidly just to the point where it drops away into a veil of white as the rest of the water falls nearly 40 feet. I take a sip of hot tea and move my eyes to the next section of water as it reaches the precipice.
If you can’t make an extended trip like mine, take a walk through Salem’s Minto Brown Island Park with a green, white or black tea grown nearby at Minto Island Tea Company, the first commercial tea grower in Oregon.
Tea and Beaches on the Oregon Coast
Whether storm watching, agate hunting or tide pooling, Oregon beaches are a wonderful place to make tea, if you don’t mind a little sand with your tea leaves.
Many people love casually strolling down the long stretches of Oregon’s beaches, but I love to bring a thermos of hot water, find a nice, surf-flattened drift log and make a Cooked Beauty aged puer from Eugene’s J-Tea while watching the way the waves run up onto the beach. Indian Beach, at Ecola State Park north of Cannon Beach, is a particularly fun place to watch wildlife. Slow down with a small pot of tea and you may be able to watch a pair of ravens collecting sticks off the beach for their nest or notice the harbor seals popping their heads out of the water to watch the surfers ride the waves. You can steep puer teas many times, so there’s even more time to enjoy what’s happening — and there is so much more happening than we know.
Looking for more tea-on-the-beach ideas? Try catching a sunset at Sunset Bay State Park near Coos Bay with a vibrant peppermint and lavender tea from Sakari Farms in Bend.
Tea and Mountains in the Columbia River Gorge
Tom McCall Preserve in the Columbia River Gorge attracts hikers for its volcanic peaks and striking views of the Columbia River. After a 2-mile hike up to McCall Point, consider a quiet, reflective tea ceremony attended by two white-clad volcanoes, Mt. Hood to the west and Mt. Adams to the north. I chose the Ally from Wild Coast Brew — a company based on the Oregon Coast that makes its own blends from foraged and other ingredients — for my hike. With a sip of this spiced and fragrant jasmine green tea, the other hikers seemed to fade into the colorful landscape. I notice the contours of the land around me shaped by ancient, ice-age floods and the groves of white oaks we had hiked through. It’s equally nice with wildflowers in spring after opening March 1 and with fall vibes until the seasonal trails close on Oct. 31.
Another fantastic location for viewing Mt. Hood is a clear morning at Trillium Lake with a cup of a brisk breakfast tea from Portland-based Steven Smith Teamaker.
Tea and Oregon’s High Desert
A trip to the sagebrush-scented high desert of Central Oregon is always a ray of sunshine, and ours started, as it often does, with a stop in Sisters for pastries at Sisters Bakery. I bought a tin of Sweet Bee from Metolius Tea Co., a green tea scented with vanilla and infused with lavender grown in Central Oregon. My son and daughter had planned to hike and make tea with me in The Cove Palisades State Park, high above Lake Billy Chinook.
Aside from its warming properties, tea has a way of sharpening all the senses, especially when you’re on a promontory overlooking a vast canyon filled with water. We watched people on a canyon rim across the lake make their way up a switchback trail like what we had hiked, and we gained an appreciation for our own journey to that spot. When a lone hiker stumbled upon our flat rock covered with tea paraphernalia and apologized as if he had disturbed a sacred ritual, we all laughed. It was sacred, but he hadn’t disturbed us.
If you haven’t visited Oregon’s Crack in the Ground, near Christmas Valley in Southern Oregon, this unique geologic formation takes you deep underground where you can view spectacular wind- and water-shaped rocks. This 2-mile hike goes perfectly with the dark and roasted flavors of a Wu Yi oolong tea from Oregon Tea Traders. You’ll relish the tea when the temperature dips as much as 20 degrees from the surface.
How to Make the Perfect Cup of Tea for an Oregon Adventure
Tea may be fancy or ceremonial in parts of the world, but it’s also very easy to make. You’ll need two things: hot water and tea.
Bring a thermos of hot water or a way to heat some water on the go. Though some teas are temperature-sensitive, there isn’t as big of a worry when making tea outdoors. A travel mug or a mini-travel tea set work well. Just steep your tea bag in hot water or add loose-leaf tea and let it settle to the bottom before enjoying it.
Choose your perfect tea for the setting and season. Black teas are dark and rich and pair nicely in cooler locations; green teas are lighter for spring and summer; and white teas are light and floral — great for people who are new to tea. Or branch out into the world of oolongs, semioxidized teas with comforting flavors, or puer tea (fermented or not) that produces very robust flavors.
