It's a spectacular tour if you're interested in where Portland Water Bureau get their water. Run by the Bureau themselves, it's more of a community outreach than anything else. I doubt our $10 tour fee covers their cost of the nice mini bus (fits about 26 people), the driver and the guide. Both our driver & guide are retired employees. They were VERY knowledgeable about how the system works. It's a very protected piece of land (with an interesting history) which is restricted to the public. There's a 9 mile section of the 2000+ mi PCT that cuts through it, but no one else is allowed to trespass.... except for us :) We even get to walk inside the service tunnel of the dam. We started with a short hike to a water spring, followed by lunch at the cabins next to Bull Run Lake and then visited the Chief Engineer's house near biggest Reservoir #1 and the Hoover Dam-like Dam #1. I can't recommend this tour enough. The only downside is that it's quite popular and the weekend tours will be sold out within a day - you can ask to be added on their mailing list though, then they'll send you an email when they posted new tours. read more

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This is a review of a watershed. Or rather visiting a watershed. Which you can do too. And you might want to, because it's an educational tour of where and how Portland, Oregon gets its water, its ultra pure water. It is also one of the reasons our microbrews are epic. It all started with citizen volunteers in the 1890's to find a clean supply of water for the City. Think we have a lot of pollution from cars now? Back then it was horses. Horses eat and " ". All that " " runs downhill. To where? The river. So not such a great idea to get your drinking water from the Willamette, or any stream with horses nearby. They found a completely isolated watershed near Mt Hood. It gets three times Portland's annual rainfall, but is independent of Mt Hood glaciers, which someday may be no more. They built pipes and dams, and the rest is history. Recently the Portland Water Bureau started bus tours of Bull Run. (By the way, on the bus they have a small scrapbook of historical photos, including horses used for logging in Bull Run, wearing diapers. I kid you not. They are very serious about keeping that water clean! No " " in those waters!) Leaving from Portland, we traveled toward Zigzag then onto Forest Service roads. Through a secure gate we dropped down into the watershed's steep terrain. We visited the source of the Bull Run River, a substantial spring. Bull Run lake with some very old cabins where original builders lived. The we visited the reservoirs and dams and a beautifully restored home where the dam's chief engineer lived. Throughout the tour, you'll hear about the area's natural history, the unique legal history protecting the watershed, including some presidential proclamations, how the water is treated, and the best thinking on future developments. The trip leaves 8:30 or 9AM and you are back by about 4. Bring a lunch. The bus is very comfy, not your childhood school bus. There are two lunch spots used. Because of the rain we chose indoors at the chief engineer's house which is up to date with a microwave. So if you prefer that to the other lunch outdoor picnic table spot, discuss it with the tour organizers in advance. I recommend the engineer's house for lunch. It is a geeky outing, but because the watershed is closed to campers, hikers and visitors, and guarded, the tour is your only opportunity to see this virgin forest, catching 140 inches a year of pure Cascade rain, connected directly to your tap. The City has 3 videos, with this first, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10wrNwyXmmk, made in 1959! read more

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This may be lame to review a watershed, but this is a great place to visit if you happen to find yourself in this area of Oregon, and it is an AMAZING place to take kids. It gives you a great opportunity to talk to them about water and all the amazing animals that live in and around the watershed. I could go on and on about the plants, too! It's insanely exciting what a great learning opportunity this is! Take your kids! Or hey- give me your kids for the day and I'll school them on trees. I can't promise they'll make it back alive, but it's all in the name of better education. read more

This was a fascinating look at how Portland gets its water. Briggy is a knowledgeable and entertaining guide. The scenery alone is worth the trip!! read more

What an incredible tour of Oregon's most precious natural resource. Everyone who takes this excellent educational tour will be awestruck by the stunning beauty of the reservoirs surrounded by ancient forest. read more