Oregon Tails · About


About Oregon Tails

Oregon Tails is an independent Pacific Northwest hiking and outdoor publication. The site covers trails, gear, scenic drives, and the seasonal rhythms that make the PNW worth showing up for, with the goal of giving readers honest, field-tested guidance for their own time outside.

What you’ll find here

The site is organized around what people actually look for when planning time outdoors:

  • Hikes: trail-by-trail guidance for the PNW’s best routes, plus a Trail Finder quiz that matches you with an Oregon hike in three quick questions
  • Things to do: waterfalls, lakes, swimming holes, scenic drives, and lighthouses
  • Shop gear: tested recommendations across footwear, packs, tech, camping, and dog gear
  • Seasonal and regional guides: what’s good in spring vs. fall, coast vs. Cascades vs. high desert
  • Dog-friendly travel: because half the trips on this site involve a chocolate Lab named Sammy

How we cover what we cover

Two principles drive everything published on Oregon Tails.

The first is real field experience. Trail guides come from trails actually walked. Gear recommendations come from products actually used. If a hike or a piece of gear hasn’t been tested in real Pacific Northwest conditions, it doesn’t get covered as if it has.

The second is editorial independence. No brand pays for placement. Oregon Tails participates in the Amazon Associates program, which means the site earns from qualifying purchases when readers click affiliate links and buy products. That commission has no effect on what gets recommended or how it gets reviewed. Read the full testing methodology.

Who’s behind it

Will Morriss at Mount St. Helens, Washington

Oregon Tails is run by Will Morriss, a Pacific Northwest hiker and outdoor writer with over 20 years of trail experience and hundreds of articles published for outdoor brands. Sammy, the resident Lab, serves as the unofficial trail correspondent. Read more about Will.

Supporting the trails this site is built on

Trailkeepers of Oregon

A portion of every Amazon affiliate commission earned through Oregon Tails is donated to Trailkeepers of Oregon, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that builds and maintains hiking trails across the state.

Get in touch

For collaborations, story tips, or trail recommendations, reach out anytime. You can also follow along on the social channels linked at the bottom of every page.