When temperatures become stifling and roads swell with traffic, it can be hard to find the motivation to venture out of town for an epic Oregon adventure. Thankfully, summer is when Portland gets awesome.

You don't have to leave town to enjoy the outdoors—we're home to the country's longest urban hiking trail, a world class rose garden and an expansive arboretum. If even that's too ambitious, there are plenty of patios where you can do absolutely nothing except kick back with a tallboy and bask in our five months of sunshine.

While the city packs with tourists, you can either run away or join in on the fun. Visitors come from across the country and around the world to explore Portland. For those of us lucky enough to live here, all it takes for a getaway is a trek across town.