Oregon's Bavarian-Style Mountain City Is A Quick Getaway From Portland Brimming With European Charm

Between the Cascade and Coastal ranges in Oregon lies the picturesque Willamette Valley wine region that's as scenic as Napa without the crowds — home to Portland, over 700 wineries, and a small, cozy getaway that feels transplanted from the German Alps. Mt. Angel, about 50 minutes south of Portland on Interstate 5, draws hundreds of thousands for their annual Oktoberfest as well as year-round for the town's Bavarian architecture, German food, and a Benedictine Abbey that brews their own beer in the European tradition.

Getting to Mt. Angel is easy by car and makes a great stop when exploring North Willamette Valley wineries or as a day trip from Portland. While technically the "city" of Mt. Angel, this is a really small place, so lodging is limited with no hotels or motels, though rooms in the White Corner Inn can be rented via Airbnb. Nearby Woodburn, Salem, and Silverton have more options, from hotels to resorts. Woodburn itself is a great stop for shopping and outdoor activities to pair with your Mt. Angel visit.

May through September offer warmer temperatures and a break from the Northwest's well-known rainy season, though even the winters are relatively mild with minimal snowfall. July and August are the hottest months with highs in the mid-80s, though nights are still cool and pleasant with lows in the high 50s.

While Mt. Angel is probably best known for their Oktoberfest, which balloons the town population from just over 3,000 to 350,000 for four days of food, drink, and dance in September, the Bavarian charm is available year-round. Four times a day, the town's glockenspiel (essentially a giant cuckoo clock) plays its bells with animated carved wood figures representing the town's history.

Shops and restaurants carry on the theme and tradition of the town, which was settled in large part by German and Swiss immigrants. At Mt. Angel Sausage Company, you can browse European delicacies in the market and sit down for house-made sausages or a traditional schnitzel plate in the Bavarian restaurant. Wednesday through Sunday, Touch of Bavaria (in the building that was once Windischar's General Blacksmith Shop) will get you outfitted in traditional Bavarian hats, lederhosen, and dirndls.

A stop in Mt. Angel wouldn't be complete, however, without a visit to the Mt. Angel Abbey. Founded in 1881 by monks from the town's Swiss namesake, Engelberg, the Mt. Angel Abbey is a seminary, monastery, retreat center, and — most interestingly for visitors — a brewery. The tradition of monks brewing beer dates back to the Middle Ages and the Abbey's Taproom is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday serving German lager, Belgian tripel, and pale ales with locally grown hops. If you want to experience Mt. Angel at its most Bavarian, Oktoberfest runs the second week of September complete with 30 food vendors, copious amounts of German beer, music, and games. To avoid scrambling for limited lodging, consider staying in Portland or Salem and taking the shuttle bus which costs $5-$20 and runs on Friday and Saturday.

Thanks to its location on the eastern side of the Willamette Valley, Mt. Angel is also a jumping off point for exploring the Cascade Mountains. Just 25 minutes further south sits Silver Falls State Park, Oregon's largest state park and home to ten different waterfalls, including the 177-foot tall South Falls. Take the Trail of Ten Falls on a 7.2-mile loop hike to view them all. After (or instead of) your hike, head southeast to Detroit, Oregon, and travel back towards Portland via the Cascades Scenic Byway, a scenic route full of emerald forests, rivers, and mountain views.

If you opt for the highway route North toward Portland, there are hundreds of Willamette Valley vineyards to visit, and though most are west of Interstate 25, several sit just north of Mt. Angel. For an off-the-beath-path self-directed wine trail, visit one or several of the East Willamette Valley wineries including Hanson Vineyards, St. Josef Winery, Whiskey Hill Winery, and Pheasant Run Winery. These are mostly smaller wineries that don't get the attention–and crowds–of more popular wineries closer to Portland. And if you're looking to stay longer in the Eastern Willamette Valley, less than 10 minutes south is Silverton, – Oregon's Garden City — that makes a perfect weekend getaway with wineries, galleries, trails, and food trucks.