Hello everyone

[rahul_1]

Hello everyone I will be moving to portland from texas in may for work. Me and my wife both have done a significant amount of dayour hiking but have never done backpacking which I we would like to venture into, now that we are in the wonderful PNW .

I just had a question for you guys. We are planning on buying a car once we get there. Do I need a vehicle with high ground clearance like a jeep to get access to most of the nice trailheads ? We are planning on an awd vehicle just for the snow but do not want a huge SUV unless we really need it.

Will look forward to being very active in this forum since we will be arriving in the beautiful summer months .

[Webfoot]

In my experience, no, you do not need a Wrangler to get to the trailheads. The most common vehicle seen at trailheads is probably a Subaru.

[retired jerry]

yeah, I used Camry for years, now Ford Ranger - neither has 4 wheel drive or high clearance

and welcome! you will love it here! unless you become overcome with depression because it rains so much and it's always dreary

[rahul_1]

yeah, I used Camry for years, now Ford Ranger - neither has 4 wheel drive or high clearance

and welcome! you will love it here! unless you become overcome with depression because it rains so much and it's always dreary

Ha ha I actually lived in Portland for 3 months during 2015, but I guess those were the nicer summer months , so excited to be back and explore.

[retired jerry]

3 months is misleading

you really have to live here several years - some years are drearier than other years

Oregonians are know for exaggerating how bad it is here so too many people don't come

[RobFromRedland]

3 months is misleading

you really have to live here several years - some years are drearier than other years

Oregonians are know for exaggerating how bad it is here so too many people don't come

You really do have to be OK with day after day after day of gray skies. It isn't so much the rain as the lack of sun for days (and even weeks) on end that can be difficult for some people to deal with. Many people are accustomed to "rain" being done in an hour or so, not something that continues all day long, day after day.

[Webfoot]

Jerry may be a better driver than I am and able to get by with 2WD but I would still recommend AWD/4WD. It's easy to get stuck in sand, snow or shallow mud with only 2WD. Not being able to drive back up the hill you came down would really cramp your style.

[retired jerry]

or, I just don't go to places that are too difficult

4wd/awd is good

[K.Wagner]

Welcome!

My vehicle for years was a '91 Toyota 2whd pickup, and there were very few places I could not get to with that trusty truck. But then, Don might have a few words about the sanity of where I did take it. I just upgraded to a new Jeep Cherokee. 4whd but not particularly high ground clearance. At any of the trail heads, you will see a high percentage of Subarus. I have also seen a surprising number of Mini Coopers, on roads where I felt like I was pushing it with my truck.

I always carry an ax, a come-along, a couple of chains, and shovel. I recently got stuck (in my new unstoppable Jeep) in a plowed TH parking lot! Fortunately, no one else was around to see my embarrassment! Turns out that as I was parking, I rolled over a little block of ice. I couldn't move forward to get any momentum to back up over it. With out the shovel, I would have had to get cold putting on the tire chains (which I carry year around).

Cleared out, ready to drive again

All this is a way of saying that it is not what you drive, but rather using some intelligence about how & where you drive. And being prepared, because you never know 100% what you are going to encounter, and I feel very strongly that every driver has the responsibility to be able to get themselves out of whatever they get into.

[rahul_1]

Welcome!

My vehicle for years was a '91 Toyota 2whd pickup, and there were very few places I could not get to with that trusty truck. But then, Don might have a few words about the sanity of where I did take it. I just upgraded to a new Jeep Cherokee. 4whd but not particularly high ground clearance. At any of the trail heads, you will see a high percentage of Subarus. I have also seen a surprising number of Mini Coopers, on roads where I felt like I was pushing it with my truck.

I always carry an ax, a come-along, a couple of chains, and shovel. I recently got stuck (in my new unstoppable Jeep) in a plowed TH parking lot! Fortunately, no one else was around to see my embarrassment! Turns out that as I was parking, I rolled over a little block of ice. I couldn't move forward to get any momentum to back up over it. With out the shovel, I would have had to get cold putting on the tire chains (which I carry year around).

Jeep-oops.jpg

All this is a way of saying that it is not what you drive, but rather using some intelligence about how & where you drive. And being prepared, because you never know 100% what you are going to encounter, and I feel very strongly that every driver has the responsibility to be able to get themselves out of whatever they get into.

This makes sense to me. Solid advice. I was planning on getting a golf sportwagen, which fits my needs for space and everything else (has awd too), except I guess the ground clearance (5.5 in). I probably am thinking about an outback now.

I would love to have the peace of mind that I could go to most of the trailheads I am interested in. I guess it's upto me to make a decision .