We have a trip planned in mid October to visit Portland and hike along the areas on highway 84 and then drive south towards Brookings. Would you guys suggest we cancel our trip or do you guys think the fires will be done by October?

I know it's hard to forecast this type of stuff but can wildfires go on for a whole month? Serious question.

Fires can go on for a lot longer than a month, I no live in Montana and we have fires that start in the early summer and don't go out until it starts raining or snowing in the fall.

As far as hiking in the gorge, it is going to be a tough one this year, the area that the Eagle Creek Fire is currently burning is or was some of the best hiking along I84 so those trails will probably remain closed for a long time to come.  By reading the reports this morning, it does not look good for the fire to be done before October and perhaps longer.  I grew up in that area and the fires are really taking a toll this year, it is currently burning right above the Multnomah Falls lodge which sits at the base of Multnomah falls the lodge has stood since it was built in 1925 and currently safe, but no one can say if that will remain when this all said and done.  I also read this morning that the Vista House, which is another historical building along the old gorge highway is also in jeopardy right now.

So, from a person that used to spend a lot of time hiking, hunting and camping in that area, I would not count on being able to do much in the way of hiking next month.

Good luck on your trip.

The fires are really bad. This is 40 miles away downtown and you can't get away from the smoke. The brookings fire is massive and going to burn for a long time. The eagle creek fire is 0% containment and will likely burn for a long time as well.

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Doesn't even look like oregon out.

Damn that is some crazy smoke in the air. Thanks guys for giving me the quick rundown. At this point we're just gonna cancel our flights and get the refund. I don't want to take my chances with wild fires and driving in areas I've never been.

My Father in law lives in Brookings and he's staying with us. The fire jumped the lines yesterday and started towards his house. We think it's still there, but we haven't heard. That fire has been burning since early July and they don't figure to have a handle on it until mid October.

The Eagle Creek fire ran our daughter out of job corps this morning. They've decided to close the facility for a week and it's 0% contained. Her campus is 30 or so miles from where that fire started but the winds are jumping that one from ridge top to ridge top and even got it over the Columbia river over night. I wouldn't expect them to get that one under control for at least another month.

There's ash all over everything here in Yamhill County and I'm surprised that we don't have a fire going in the old Tillamook burn already.

I ran out to Yamhill county last night to drop off a dump truck and couldn't believe how bad it was out by Trask. You could taste the smoke and it was damn near dark out at 5pm.

The moon is fairly difficult to see here at night when it starts out low on the horizon because of the smoke.

We're supposed to maybe see some rain on Thursday and Friday. But of course it's starting out with a good chance of thunder storms...probably that's more bad news than good.

The smoke is really bad in the Medford/Ashland area, since its a valley the smoke sits and stagnates.

I'll be back out there on Friday...  Looks like another smokey visit.  

This seriously bums me out.  I couldn't say enough good things about hiking in the Gorge.  If I lived on the east side,  I would have been there every weekend rather than every few weeks during the summer.  

Stay safe out there guys!

I went fishing out at Pacific City yesterday.
Between the smoke and the stench of cowshit it was still worth going. Attached File

I almost thought about going to the coast yesterday, but I wasn't sure if it would be hazy or clear.

Also? I never have much to do over there because being on the ocean makes me vomit

Went up the hill today around the McMinnville reservoir.

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What building are you in?  Looks like my office view in WTC1.

Smoke seemed to be clearing some by this evening, near Newberg.  Sun disappeared for a while... behind some honest-to-goodness real clouds.  There's a bit of a breeze up right now.  Supposedly the weather is starting to turn, now through the weekend.

I like summer and don't mind the heat, or even the smoke too much, smoke being an occasional fact of life on the east side.  But I think I'm about ready for fall.

The smoke has cleared here in Eugene the last two days but previously was the worst that I have ever experienced in town.   I was up the Mckenzie working on evacuation notices Tuesday and Wednesday and it was real bad.  I wouldn't expect that the fires in the cascades will be out until major rains and snow come in November.