EcoTours of Oregon Day Tours

I wanted to take my boyfriend on a cool tour around Portland and luckily, I stumbled upon EcoTours during my search. Even tho my planning was terrible (called 1 day prior… yikes!), it was a good decision because we got two spots for the Mt. St. Helens tour. We enjoyed learning so much about volcanoes, the history of Mt. St. Helens, got to see amazing views, and had a great time. Totally not a nature person but it was enjoyable. Thanks Jeff!

We had a great time touring wine country with Jeff. He was very knowledgeable and offered a good overview of Oregon’s wine industry.
He polled our small group on our preferences and then picked several places that we all enjoyed. In all we did three vineyards and a tasting room as part of the tour, and we went to another tasting room on our own during lunch break in a charming little town.
All the people at the wineries knew Jeff, and we were treated well. Most or all of the tasting fees were included in the price of the tour, so my wife and I felt like we got a great deal for an all-​day adventure that saved us the trouble and risk of driving to the wineries ourselves. We were picked up and dropped off at our hotel.

Had a spectacular scenic tour of vineyards in the Dundee/​Forest Grove area. Jeff was a seasoned tour guide & provided excellent info on the area. Loved the wines we tasted, so much so the I bought a variety of bottles.

Took loop tour 4÷24÷15: Jeff and tour were wonderfully memorable.

We took the Mount Hood Loop and Columbia River Gorge tour and it was fantastic. Jeff was extremely knowledgeable about the area and history, gave real insight into the controversy over environment and business issues that have gone over the years and persist today. I will be back to take other tours and eco tours will be the first one I book.

My company has students[often between 4 to 9] traveling in from across the US and across the world.
I count on Eco-​tours to be able to show the sites in the Pacific NorthWest, and leave them amazed during the weekend gaps.
We have had the Eco tours take the students to Mt St Helen’s, the gorge, and the“whale watching” tours. I go as well, and always learn something new.
Jeff and his staff are very welcoming, diplomatic, and sensative to all cultures, putting these teams of strangers at ease quickly. The students are quite a team by the end is the day and very ready to learn.
All have yielded a great experience and been praised in the evaluation forms at the end of the 2 week training.
Very worthwhile and I am a die hard repeat customer.

As we made our plans to visit Portland for the first time, we did some research on tours to help us get the most from our visit. We read the great reviews for EcoTours and decided to book a tour of the Columbia River Gorge and the Mount Hood Loop. We chose EcoTours based on reviews here, as well as being recommended by the concierge at our hotel. The price of this tour, at $ 80, was far and away the best available. Everything about the tour was excellent.
Jeff picked us up right in front of our hotel. The van was comfortable and there were about a dozen of us in the group. As we drove, Jeff had handouts which were passed along at the perfect time, to show us photos, maps or charts. All corresponded to his very interesting narration teaching us about everything we were seeing, or not seeing. His love of the area and the environment were apparent and he was always ready for questions which made this a much richer experience than if we had ventured out on our own. We stopped at an overlook of the Columbia River, and Jeff set up a couple of powerful telescopes to allow us to view the sights up close.
There were stops at stunning waterfalls, a fish hatchery, and of course Mt. Hood. The group chose various places for lunch in Hood River after Jeff gave us a quick overview of the cute town. The stops on the tour were frequent and always interesting, so it never felt that we were in the van too long. Jeff has a lot of experience and it shows.
Without describing every moment of this tour, I can only say that it is the very best way to see these sights and we loved our full day! We were so impressed that we booked his Mt. St. Helens tour for two days later. At $ 95 each, it was also a wonderful value! This group, just six of us, was smaller, which was nice too. Jeff has an extensive love and knowledge of all things volcano! The highlight of the traveling part, in conjuction with the beautiful scenery, was the incredible audio he played for us from CB radio transmissions that described what was happening during the eruption… live…as it was happening back then. We felt the suspense as the people were discovering just how devastating the impact was becoming.
It wasn’t just playing the recordings, it was all mixed in with Jeff’s descriptions of the different areas we were passing through, history and lots of questions answered. The views at Mt. St. Helens Johnston Ridge Observatory were spectacular. Again, the scopes were set up along the way at a couple of spots and we were able to see wildlife and waterfalls that were not visible to the naked eye as we took in the landscape. On the ride back, we were able to hear more audio with people who were interviewed and shared their experiences of being there. There is no way we would have had the kind of understanding of everything that happened at Mt. St. Helens had we done this trip on our own.
So, decide what you want to see and book the tour with EcoTours. Jeff may not take your call immediately, since he is often on the road with the tours. Sometimes he has to wait to confirm until he has enough people who want to take the tour, I think 5 is minimum. But he will get back to you and you will not regret the time spent with him! Our one regret is not having the opportunity to do the coastal tour with him as well. Next time.
Thank you, Jeff, for the best tour experiences ever!

Did a Mt. St. Helens tour with Eco Tours today.
Great presentation of background information, very informative.
One of the highlights was listening to the taped personal accounts of the 1980 event
in the vehicle on the way back to Portland.
Highly recommended.

I had been searching for tour companies months before I was planning this trip, I was trying to squeeze as much as I could into our Portland trip. I knew for sure I wanted to see the Columbia River Gorge as well as the coast, most of the tour companies were charging around $ 225pp for an all day tour. I found Eco Tours on Unilocal,and for the same tours, they were only charging $ 75. I called about two months in advance to book, but was told he cannot confirm the tour until he has at least 5 people, but if by chance he couldn’t book a tour he would help me find another company. So I put in for both the Gorge tour and the Coast. I kept calling to check the status, and about a week out I got a confirmation for the Columbia River Gorge, but only a few days from our trip, we were informed he wasn’t able to do the Coast tour because of a work issue, which was a bummer.
So we are picked up at our hotel, and we pick up the rest of the people joining us and head off to the Gorge.
Our first stop is Vista House at Crown Point, we were able to get out and take some photos, use the facilities and what not. We headed off to the waterfalls. We were able to see:
Latourell Falls
Wahkeena Falls
Multnomah Falls
We had enough time at each to get photos and walk around.
Next we stopped at Bonneville Dam Fish Hatchery. This wasn’t really my thing, I could’ve skipped this and been ok. We were able to see some salmon and learn about the fish latter.
Next we taken into Hood River for lunch, the downtown center was small enough we were dropped off and were able to walk to wherever we wanted to eat. After about an hour, we loaded back in and headed to Timberline Lodge. On the way up, we were able to get out and take some really nice shots of Mt. Hood. It was snowing up at Timberline Lodge, and I was freezing my butt off, so we found the bar and had a Bailey’s & Coffee while the rest wondered around.
The trip back to our Hotel wasn’t as long as I anticipated it being. But I did discover I am starting to get a some motion sickness. We were traveling a medium sized passenger van, and there were 13 of us. So every stop, people were climbing over each other and I was stuck in the last row. At the end of the day, I was ready to puke. My friend ended up having to take anti-​nausea pill, while me being stubborn and thinking I could just «ride it out» I was almost green.
Couple of tips:
*If you have any kind of motion sickness at all, get your doctor to write a script for scopolamine and bring some ginger chews to settle your stomach.
*Bring an umbrella (he does carry some in the van with him)
*Dress in layers
*Where shoes you don’t care if they get wet
*Don’t forget to tip

A friend and I took the Brewery/​Winery tour on a lark (and with a Groupon). Staff was quick with responses to questions prior to the tour. The day of the tour we met the van and our fellow tourists and received a fantastic day around the area with several different brewery and winery stops and learned a lot of about the area. Great wines and beers. Can’t wait to go on another of EcoTours adventures (Sasquatch Tour next?).

This was a simply amazing full day tour. Jeff picked my girlfriend and I up on time from our downtown Portland hotel in the 15 passenger van. We proceeded to pick up another couple at a nearby hotel and then a short trip to suburbia to get a large group that rented a house. We had no idea where to go and just wanted to taste some excellent pinot noir, the large group had requests and Jeff was so knowledgeable that he discussed their choices to let them know which vineyards had the best year so that the experience not only tailored to their desires but would surpass it. We ended up visiting Elk Cove, Argyle, Willamette Valley Vineyards & Winter Hill. The lunch stop was also next to Ponzi tasting room, across from Argyle, so my girlfriend and I stopped in there also. Some places prefer a single payment from Jeff for a reduced rate which he adds to the bill which is great. In order to taste all the amazing wines without getting wasted my girlfriend and I often split a tasting and both Jeff and they vineyards were cool about it and actually recommend it. It’s all about flavor. Settling up at the end of the day was totally smooth. This is by far the most affordable way to get an exceptional day at the vineyards. Keep in mind that this is a one man show so if you don’t get Jeff on the phone during the day call back again after 6pm PST.

I’ve wanted to go back to the Columbia Gorge since I drove to Portland from Florida a year ago, catching only glimpses of these iconic views. I moved to Portland for it’s Eco-​Consciousness, so I was delighted when a friend invited me to join her for the July 6 tour. When I called to place my order, I could tell that this was no call center, but a real person who knew whereof he spoke and answered questions patiently. To be picked up in front of the apartment was a treat!
The tour was SPECTACULAR, and Jeff is knowledgable and passionate about nature, and I learned (as I had hoped, this being ECOTOURS) so much about forests, salmon, and the history of Oregon and the Northwest that I thought I was on an easy-​going Smithsonian tour with an NPR announcer. Perfect.
Then, there’s the spectacular scenery and many stops, where we had enough time to take the uniqueness of each experience. Jeff even brought his own scopes and knew precisely where to place them to see nesting hawks about a mile away — such a delight to see the baby’s head appear! I added a picture of the scope to this listing.
He was generous with his time, so we got an extra half hour or so as well.
Needless to say, the waterfalls, forests and valleys were stunning and inspiring. When I land a full-​time job in Portland, I’ll be back with five friends!

Was in Portland for the Memorial Day weekend for a little relaxation and what better way to relax than with a nice glass of wine. Eco Tours helped us accomplish this goal! We hopped aboard the van guided by the very knowledgable, wine connoisseur Jeff. He mapped out an amazing tour complete with lunch at a great bistro and stops at four fantastic wineries in Dundee Hills including a special barrel tasting. The legs on the wines we tasted were long and luscious! Let’s just say, my bar is stocked for the rest of the year :) To top off the experience, we could not have asked for a more beautiful day because it rained every day except the day of our tour! I cannot wait to return!

We had our first wine tour this weekend so we really did not know what to expect. Jeff was very knowledgeable about all the vineyards. He asked us all what we wanted out of our tour and he did a great job choosing. My favorite was Bergstrom vineyards. Every single wine was delicious and the atmosphere was perfect. If I ever go back I will probably hang out there for a couple of hours.
As the tour ended we informed Jeff that we had to change hotels so he very kindly drove us to our previous location, picked up our bags and drove us to our new location.
I am trying to plan a family trip in the spring to go back and we will be booking with ecotours again.

My wife and I went on the Willamette Valley wine tasting tour and had a great time on our first wine tasting tour. Our particular tour group was full of people who enjoy wine but who weren’t aficionado’s. Jeff was able to gauge this by casually asking us what we knew about the area, and what we might be interested in seeing on the tour while on the way to the valley. We enjoyed the tastings, along with the beauty of the valley, and I now have a wonderful list of wines to order now that I’m back home. –Thank you Jeff

We took our second tour of the Willamette Valley with Jeff Davies of EcoTours on Fri., Sept. 7^th. The day started out with being picked up at our hotel around 10 a.m. in downtown Portland and taking a leisurely drive to the wine country. We toured four wineries and enjoyed a delicious lunch at Dundee Bistro. We toured Elk Cove, Colene Clemens, Thistle and Patton Valley Wineries. We were able to relax and enjoy the beautiful countryside of Willamette Valley without being worried about getting lost trying to find some of the smaller wineries. We returned back to our hotel around 6 p.m. Great trip and would highly recommend EcoTours.

I took the Columbia Gorge and Mt. Hood Loop tour with Jeff on 5/​26, and had a wonderful time. For those visiting Portland without a car, this is a great (and affordable) way to learn about the area and see the sites without any of the stress.

We took the Mt. Hood Loop tour with Jeff today and had a fabulous time! Jeff was very nice, very friendly, on time and full of knowledge about the area. Highly recommended.

I took the Columbia River Gorge/​Mt Hood tour. I learned a lot, saw a lot, got some great pictures, and had a lot of fun. Jeff Davies is a good guy and he really knows his stuff, he gives us handouts to look at while we’re in the van, he’s patient, friendly, and fun… once you’re on the tour.
Till then, though, hang on, because it’s gonna be a bumpy ride. Everything that Heather W. said a year ago in her review still seems to be true. Too bad. Jeff sorely needs to sharpen up his business skills, or get some smart help, or something. I had zero confidence that he had my reservation, made several weeks in advance, because he took it on the mobile phone when he was out somewhere and I never received a confirmation and had to call a couple of times. Other times that I spoke with him on the phone (except on the morning of the tour), I feared that whatever we decided would be forgotten. And, when we arrived back in the city after the tour, for some unfathomable reason he had to take more credit card information from each of us. That should all be automated. Fortunately it all worked out in the end, and I would do another tour with EcoTours because of the high level of knowledge and the great itineraries. But my expectations about business professionalism would be waaaay lowered.

I choose to go on Eco Tours of Oregon for a few reasons. I was only visiting Portland for two days and wanted to see as much as possible. I also didn’t have a car, and didn’t want to rent one, so seeing the beautiful landscape that I heard so much about wasn’t an option. Budget was a huge thing for me during this trip. Eco Tours of Oregon packed so much into each of their tours, picked me up from the front door of my hostel in Porland (for no charge) and was extremely affordable. I choose to go on the Columbia River Gorge Waterfalls/​Mount Hood «Loop» Tour and the price of the entire tour was cheaper then renting a car and driving along the same tour myself!
Our guide was Jeff and he was extremely knowledgeable and shared really interesting information with us the entire time. I am so, so glad that I did this tour and would recommend it to absolutely anyone. I went with six other friends and we all absolutely loved it. We’re in our early twenties, but there were people in our group from all ages and everyone seemed to have a great time. We were able to do SO much, but never felt rushed.
I would love to take another trip out to Oregon for a few days and do one of Jeff’s tours each day. Really, really wonderful experience. I couldn’t rate this high enough. Out of a 9 day trip to Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver — the day we went on the eco tour was my favorite.