Laura O. Foster

Laura O. Foster has written 8 guidebooks about Portland, Oregon, and the nearby Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.

In 2019 her latest book, Portland Stair Walks, will be published by Microcosm Publishing. With 18 new routes, it's a complete revision of her popular Portland Stairs Book, first published in 2010 by Timber Press.

Her book's routes intertwine urban and natural areas in Portland and nearby towns, focusing on the offbeat and arcane. Each route explores local geology, architecture, human history, changing infrastructure, horticultural treasures, and places to eat and drink along the way.

Foster also writes for Travel Oregon, Friends of the Columbia Gorge, Portland Parks and Recreation, and Metro (the Portland area regional government). She has been featured on OPB TV's "Oregon Field Guide" and "Oregon Art Beat," and is an occasional guest on KATU's AM Northwest morning news magazine show.

Occasional blog posts appear at https://medium.com/@lauraofoster

An Oregonian since 1989, Foster was born in Aurora, Illinois (home of Garth and Wayne) where she learned to love dead-ends, alleys, architecture, and river beaches.