Salem, Oregon may be known only as the capital of Oregon – that is certainly what I thought when I left Seattle for my epic two-week roadtrip on a Friday afternoon in early May. I had plans to see friends but was not sure what else to do once I reached Salem.
Heading off on my trip
My work calls had wrapped up surprisingly early, and I had done as much pre-packing of the car as possible. I grabbed the rest of my still-wet clothes and jenga’ed my luggage into the trunk, along with extra water, emergency jumpstarter, go-bag, box of wine, pillows and more (ignoring of the fact that my sister was planning on joining me in a few days, luggage tetris was a problem for Future Laura). The backseat wheel wells were also full of the dog’s toys, the cooler, and that sweater I might need it it cooled off. I loaded Trusty Pup into the car and made it three blocks away before I realized I had forgotten her dog food. After that short detour, we were on the road! Just *checks google maps* four hours to Salem, Oregon. No, make that closer to five hours. No matter, we’ll make up the time on the road!
Six hours later, I finally pulled into my AirBnb in northwest Salem. I had stopped to walk the dog at what I had thought was a large rest stop, and instead was a casino with a very stern looking security attendant who said I could walk her as long as I didn’t let her off leash. (By a highway? No, never.) I had hit rush hour traffic in Portland, and the normal hour drive to Salem took almost twice as long. Our AirBnb was a garage-turned-studio with a fenced in yard. A very large Great Dane shared the yard with us, but Ruby mostly had the space to herself. We took a long walk around the neighborhood and then I headed (alone) into the heart of Salem.
1. Time with friends
The first thing to do if you find yourself in Salem, Oregon, is to visit two of your dearest friends, W and A, and their two daughters. W was my manager at work, and last year I became good friends with his wife, A. I drove ten minutes over to their adorable house to eat dinner, play with their daughters, meet their pup, catch up, and quilt. Well, A did the quilting, not me. I stood around sneaking Girl Scout and Canadian Girl Guide cookies. I spent most of the weekend with them, eating food from all over Salem. The best place we ate was The Sassy Onion (1244 State, St, Salem, OR). Can confirm that their Sinnamon Roll Swirl french toast was amazing.
2. Riverfront City Park
The next morning I crashed hard in my AirBnB’s comfy bed (a Purple mattress as my host repeatedly told me. Whatever it was, it was amazing). The dog and I set out on a long morning walk. The only coffee place I could find within walking distance was Broadway Coffee House, occupying the bottom floor of an open-concept space with plenty of seating indoors and out. As it turns out, it is part of a mega-church that owns the entire building and block. It was such a cool space, though! Doggo and I walked towards Riverfront City Park (200 Water St NE, Salem, OR), a 23-acre park by the Willamette River. We ended up crossing at the Marion St Bridge to check out the ducks. The Riverfront City park has a carousel, a children’s museum, playground, splash pad, and I gather is where you can take a ride on the Willamette Queen riverboat. The park had nice walk and bikeways, so we walked here quite a bit. I would probably not walk here late at night, but at 8:30am on a bright spring morning, I felt fine. I had my fierce pup to protect me, after all.
3. Silver Falls State Park
The only thing W asked me while I planned my visit was, “Do you like waterfalls?” I mean, who doesn’t? We all piled into the car and headed a half hour out to Silver Falls State Park. The highlight of Silver Falls is the Trail of Ten Falls which… well, the name pretty much gives it away. The 7-mile trail begins by the Stone Circle at the South Falls Day Use area, although it’s a loop so you could start at any of the falls. We had kiddos with us, so we drove to two of the falls instead of hiking. We began at the North Falls trailhead, and walked to the Upper North Falls. Be aware that we were there in early May, and it was quite a bit chillier than Salem had been. The rocks are also hecka slippery – we saw one guy absolutely eat it in the water. Bring water shoes or dry socks if you are rockhopping.
Then we headed to South Falls, which has a much, much larger parking area, including picnic tables, restrooms, a gift shop (yay!), and a waterfall you can walk behind. The trail was fairly flat and mostly paved, and we saw families with little kids on it. The waterfall itself is stunning! It’s 177 feet high, and when I posted it on my instagram, people asked if I was in Costa Rica (nope, Oregon!). Silver Falls SP was a terrific day trip for us, and I’d love to do the Trail of Ten Falls some day.
You can also climb those hecka tall trees in Silver Falls. Several tour companies allow you to suit up in (safe) arborists gear and ascend to the top for a sunset tour (af link).
4. Wine Tasting
Salem is in the heart of the Willamette Valley, known for its wineries. I only had time to stop by the Barrel and Keg tasting room (1190 Broadway St NE, Salem, OR, Tues-Sat, 4-7pm, indoor and outdoor seating), which featured a number of local wines for sale and tasting. Part of the Internet tells me there is a “Salem Wine Trail,” but the other part of the Internet doesn’t know what I’m talking about. Regardless, there are dozens of wineries in the Willamette Valley a short driving distance away. Travel Salem has a list of tasting rooms, and Oregon Wine Country has itineraries for Pedaling for Pinot and Sip Between the Wonders Road Trip, where I imagine you’ll have to stop and ask for directions frequently.
Barrel and Keg – look at that selection 
mmmm goat cheese and dates
Salem sits in the Willamette Valley, which is home to many, many, many wineries (over 230!!). If you wanted to extend your trip, you could add on a trip to one of their many tasting rooms. The WV is known for its pinot noir, although they make white varietals as well. Jessica from Travel and Tannins liked Stoller Family Estate. If you do head out to Willamette Valley, be sure to pick up the 2023 Heart of WV Winery Pass (af link). For $40, you get thirteen FREE tasting flights. (Also if you fly back to Seattle, remember wine flies free on Alaska Air!)
Resources:
- Travel Salem is your one-stop shop
- Oregon Wine Country Guide has interesting itineraries
- Willamette Valley Wine provides info on the 230 wineries in the greater WV, including those close to Salem
- The Crazy Tourist shares 15 Best Things to do in Salem although doesn’t include any links to sites
- That One Adventure Couple lists fun things to do for a weekend, including the Riverfront and Silver Falls
More from my digital nomad road trip:
- It’s all here – follow the tag for the PNW Parks Trip 2021
