You'll find Corvallis tucked neatly between I-5 and 99W, and the Coast Range, making it a great place to stop on your way out to the Oregon Coast. Enjoy a little break from the car and driving, do some exploring and stretch your legs, and get an amazing meal before you head towards the beautiful Pacific Ocean.
Oregon usually enjoys its peak fall color in the second half of October, and during the peak Corvallis is painted orange, red and gold.
There are a lot of great places in Corvallis to see our Fall color. The Riverfront Commemorative Park offers brilliant oranges and reds particularly along the south half of the park, and the Oregon State University campus offers plenty of lovely gold (especially through McNary Field), orange and red. Chip Ross Park is great if you're looking for a longer walk or a hike, plus you can get a nice look out over the town. Bald Hill Natural Area is another great spot that offers excellent hiking and gorgeous colors. Central Park, Peavy Arboretum, and the Crystal Lake Sports Field/Willamette Park complex also offer some beautiful color in October.
If the weather isn't cooperating with a walk - our rainy season sometimes shows up in the second half of October - then a drive up NW 29th Street, north past Walnut Boulevard and through Timberhill Park and Chepenefa Springs Park (map), is just the thing. Actually, you should plan to do that whether it's raining or not. This drive is stunning in Autumn. The street is lined with trees on both sides and positively ablaze with vivid oranges and reds. Another colorful drive is SW 30th Street, through the Oregon State campus (map), which is usually awash with golds and oranges.
Once you've had your fill of the fall color, you'll want some lunch, and one great option for that, at least on Fridays and Saturdays, is Sada Sushi & Izakaya, a family-owned resturant that specializes in sushi and Japanese cuisine in downtown Corvallis. Sada offers artful sushi rolls, an extensive sake selection, and small plates of clever Japanese fare in their warm, wood-lined restaurant. They also do amazing sushi - a personal favorite is their crunchy lobster roll, although their spider roll is a close second. They offer smaller-sized bento boxes during their lunch hours that make a great light meal, too.
To get back on your way to the coast from Sada, just take Jackson Avenue from 1st Street west to 4th Street, and keep right to turn onto the Corvallis-Newport Highway just before the overpass. You'll enjoy a drive through Philomath and at the western edge of Philomath you can choose to head to the coast on HW20 or HW34. Both are beautiful drives, but if you have a little extra time, we recommend taking HW34, also known as the Marys Peak to Pacific Coast Scenic Byway. This lovely, winding road offers great sightseeing opportunities.
Sada Sushi & Izakaya, located in the Water Street Market on First Street in downtown Corvallis (map), features a handcrafted sushi bar and authentic Japanese cuisine. They're known for their excellent sushi and extensive saké selection, as well as their traditional izakaya atmosphere.
Sada is open for lunch starting at 12 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. They're open for dinner, 4 p.m.-9 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday, and closed Monday.
Learn more at www.SadaSushi.com.
Some great places to take a walk or a hike to see fall foliage around Corvallis include:
Featured Photo: Fall foliage along the Riverfront Commemorative Park by Lainey Morse. Keep up with Corvallis news, events and happenings by signing up for our email newsletter.
