Here you’ll get proximity to both Portland and PNW wilderness.
Part of the Portland metropolitan area, Hillsboro is a good base if you want to spend an equal amount of time in Portland, on the Oregon Coast, and in the Willamette Valley wine country. While it's very much a city with great restaurants and cafes plus lots of places to shop, Hillsboro's proximity to the Oregon countryside makes it feel a bit less urban than other mid-sized cities. Explore the many great parks in and around town, from Jackson Bottom Wetlands (a favorite among birdwatchers) to Rood Bridge Park, which offers an extensive trail system and lots of big open spaces for kids to play.
A half-hour drive from Hillsboro, L.L. Stub Stewart State Park offers nearly 30 miles of trails and great night-sky views. It's popular among day trippers, who come here to hike, picnic, mountain bike, and ride horses, but plenty of people choose to stay the night in one of the on-site cabins or campsites.
Hillsboro is a little over an hour away from the Oregon Coast via the Sunset Highway (26W), which crosses over the densely wooded Coastal Range, ultimately connecting with US 101. There are plenty of stops to stop and hike along the way, from Saddle Mountain just inland from the coast and Ecola State Park near Cannon Beach. There are also tons of state park-run campgrounds up and down the Oregon Coast, many of which offer tent and RV camping plus full hookups.
While Hillsboro has a few small wineries of its own, you'll find a denser concentration of wine-tasting options by heading a bit further south, either via Yamhill and Carlton on Highway 47 or by taking Highway 99W to Newberg and onwards to McMinnville. The Willamette Valley has about two-thirds of Oregon's wineries and is celebrated for its bold Pinots Noirs.
You'll get the best weather in Hillsboro if you visit between July and September, when the temperatures are generally warm and the chance of rainfall is slim. The rest of the year gets cold and rainy, and while spring and fall do get some pleasant days, it’s hard to gauge when they will be. While the area doesn’t get much snow, freezing rain is a major issue that can lead to dangerously slick roads.