The Long Way
Washington County
A field of red clover flowers in front of a rustic wooden barn.
Plate I. Clover field and barn, Vineyard and Valley Tour Route. From tualatinvalley.org
A cyclist rides down a path lined with bare trees.
Plate II. Cyclist on the Vineyard and Valley Tour Route. From traveloregon.com
Three people carrying buckets through a vineyard.
Plate III. Grape harvest along Vineyard and Valley Tour Route. From traveloregon.com
A misty vineyard at sunrise.
Plate IV. Misty vineyard, Vineyard and Valley Tour Route. From traveloregon.com

Vineyard and Valley Tour Route

Sherwood, Washington County, Oregon. Tour Routes & Trails; Year-round.

Details

Map. Sherwood, Washington County, Oregon. Larger map
Where
Sherwood, Washington County, OR. No street address stated. Directions
Getting there
Urban sights quickly give way to rural delights as you wind north and west from Sherwood.
Access
Driving time: 2-5 hours.
Website
traveloregon.com

Handpicked produce, carefully crafted wines and bucolic beauty will tempt you at every turn on this 57-mile/92-kilometer route through the Tualatin Valley — an easy side trip from the Portland metro area.

Notable Events

  1. 1800sThe scenic tour route passes three pioneer cemeteries with adjacent churches that connect to the late 1800s, when German and Dutch immigrants carved farms from the lush woodlands. oregonlive.com
  2. 1860Local history has it that Charles Cowaniah, an Indian homesteader, organized a group of white and Indian residents to repel Klickitat invaders; the brief battle occurred in 1860, and Cowaniah had his horse shot out from beneath him. helvetiacommunity.org
  3. 1873The earliest Swiss-German homesteaders began to arrive in the Helvetia area in 1873-1874, and over the next 25 years more than 70 families arrived from Switzerland and Germany. helvetiacommunity.org
  4. 1978Tualatin Vineyard was established in 1978 and its 200 acres of vines later came under the umbrella of Willamette Valley Vineyards. oregonlive.com

People

  • Charles Cowaniah, Indian homesteader on what was to become Helvetia Road who organized white and Indian residents to repel Klickitat invaders (the late 1850s).
  • Jacob Yungen, built his home on Yungen Road and grew wine grapes on the land that is now Helvetia Winery; the winery's tasting room is in that house.

Sources

  1. traveloregon.com/things-to-do/trip-ideas/scenic-drives/the-vineyard-and-valley
  2. tualatinvalley.org/trip-ideas/vineyard-and-valley-scenic-tour-route
  3. oregonlive.com/terryrichard/2011/09/washington_countys_valley_and.html
  4. helvetiacommunity.org/helvetia/heritage.php
  5. traveloregon.com/wp-content/uploads/pdf/Oregon-Scenic-Byway.pdf