Yet another "What to photograph around Portland" question (but with a twist)

Hello from a RMNP member.

I'm going to be in Portland Dec 18-20 for non-photography work, but will have a few sunsets and maybe one sunrise available to get my camera out. I've searched the forum (that's the twist by the way, since my pet peeve is people asking already answered questions) and found the typical recommendations around the beach and river/gorge, but I'm curious if anyone has any specific recommendations for this time of year.

I live in a ski town in Colorado and normally would be up for a snowshoe hike, but for this particular trip I have to pack very light and likely can't fit them in carry-on.

If I can't get any nature images in...I'll just revert to some cityscapes to at least get out of the hotel.

Thanks in advance!

It all depends on the weather. Sometimes we don't get sunrises or sunsets visibly in December. So far, we have been lucky (sun or fog for over a week). Waterfalls in the gorge are good in overcast weather, as is the Japanese garden, although that's better in the fall and spring. If you do get a decent sunset opportunity, the Crown Point area of the gorge is good (or the Women's Forum park west of Crown Point). BTW, I'm thinking shooting east during sunset in those cases.

If you can do a sprint to the coast (Cannon Beach?) in a sunset situation, that's another good option, but check the web cams to see what the coastal weather is like. It can be very different from the valley.

How much time will you have to reach locations?

Should have between 60-120 minutes to reach locations, thanks!

Wow....up to 2 hours to get to a location...that creates a big list. You could get to some snowshoe locales if you wanted. That is including getting rental shoes. Government Camp is only about 1 1/2 hr. away in snow. You could get all the way out to The Dalles in 2 hours...so really anywhere in the gorge is an option, but for sunset, you might be limited to Cape Horn, Crown Point and a few others. Next, the coast, Cape Kiwanda up to Cannon Beach is all reachable in that time frame also. I am assuming that you know the sunset times and so forth, so right now I think leaving PDX at around 1:45 -2:00 will give you a 1/2 to 1 hr. to find a comp. In the city, the promenade on the east side of the river is nice. Also, the St. Johns bridge is a great subject. And really anywhere downtown can be good, especially if your into street photography. There are lots of interesting people down there. Good luck and have fun!

Thanks everyone. As luck would have it, my work schedule has been altered such that I have no spare time in Portland to shoot. Oh well, hopefully this trip will go well and lead to a second and third opportunity. Thanks again!