Go to a Forest. Walk slowly. Breathe. Open all your senses. This is the healing way of Shinrin-yoku Forest Therapy, the medicine of simply being in the forest. The idea is simple: if a person visits a natural area and walks in a relaxed way there are calming, rejuvenating and restorative benefits to be achieved. John Muir wrote, “Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home. Wilderness is a necessity.” We invite you to visit the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and Mt. Adams Wilderness Areas for your forest therapy. Stop by our Visitor Center for directions and details including old growth timber areas.

Our mighty Columbia River and the lands that surround her offer you a diverse map of options from old growth timber stands to high prairie wildflower patches. Look up at the skies. See the clouds and the colors ever changing from dawn to dusk. Breathe. Be serene. 

There are over 800 species of native flowers in the Columbia River Gorge; fifteen of these are endemic and not found anywhere else in the world. This is a special part of the planet and we hope you will respect our natural sites and resources while you are here. Thank you.