Where to pick berries within a 90-minute drive of Portland
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Picking your own berries allows you to grab the ones most appealing to your eye. Photos: Meira Gebel/Axios
Summer is slipping away, but there is still time to savor its sweetness: blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and late-season strawberries are all ripe for the picking.
The big picture: While many area markets carry multiple varieties of local berries, the best Pacific Northwest experience is plucking them off a branch yourself while supporting small farms.
Here are five U-pick farms within a 90-minute drive of Portland.
Pro tip: Bring your sunscreen, hat and bandana, as well as cash.
- Don't wear white.
Topaz Farm
This beloved Sauvie Island farm boasts 130 acres dedicated to blackberries and marionberries, plus a U-cut flower field for crafting your own colorful bouquets.
- Bring your own supplies, such as containers or gloves (if needed), or pick some up at the on-site market.
Columbia Farms
On the other side of Sauvie, near the banks of the Columbia River, there are 15 types of berries at this three-decade-old, 80-acre farm.
- Cost is by pint, not weight. No pets allowed.
Majestic Farms Blueberries
Grab a five-gallon bucket and make some room in the freezer before a day of picking here. This family-run, 12-acre farm up in Brush Prairie, Washington, has been a staple in the community for decades. Berries are priced by the pound.
Hood River Fruit Loop
Go on a self-guided tour of more than two dozen farms surrounding Mount Hood and find endless fields dedicated to all kinds of produce — not just berries — like cherries, lavender, pears, apples and plums.
- Montavons Berries offers sweeping views of Oregon's favorite active volcano from its blueberry patch, while The Gorge White House makes a family-fun day trip on its own.
Hoffman Farms Store
Over in Washington County, you can enjoy your choice of berry-flavored milkshake before hitting the rows of blackberries and blueberries to grab a flat for yourself.
- In the fall, return to find U-pick tomatoes, corn and pumpkins. Don't leave without visiting the bakery section inside.
The bottom line: Wild berries also grow throughout the city — overgrown bushes can be found along bike paths and by waterways for those interested in urban foraging.