Oregon
Flights run from mid-March, when Portland Rose launches from Wooden Shoe Farm during its tulip festival, into October. Shared seats cost $248 to $260 per person, less for groups.
| Operator | What you get | From | Length | Group | Min age | Weight limit | Cancellation | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hot Air Balloon Ride Adventure (Group Flights) |
$248 per person |
About 1 hour in the air; plan for 2.5 to 3 hours |
Balloons carry 2 to 10 guests each |
No minimum age; at least 40 inches tall | No individual limit on group flights; each balloon has a total weight limit | Change or refund up to 72 hours ahead ($10 fee); no refunds within 72 hours; weather cancellations fully refundable. | Check dates | |
Sunrise Flights (Willamette Valley)Includes Check-in and pilot briefing, Watching balloon setup and inflation, Post-flight champagne toast, Return transportation |
$260 per person |
45 to 60 minute flight; about 3 hours total |
72 hours notice to cancel or change, otherwise 100% liability; deposit refunded for weather cancellations. | Check dates | ||||
Tulip Flights (Wooden Shoe Farm)Includes Post-flight champagne toast, Return transportation |
$275 per person |
45 to 60 minute flight; about 3 hours total |
72 hours notice to cancel or change, otherwise 100% liability; deposit refunded for weather cancellations. | Check dates | ||||
Private Flights for Two |
$690 per group |
About 1 hour in the air |
2 passengers plus pilot |
No minimum age; at least 40 inches tall | Up to 225 lbs per passenger, possibly less on very hot days | Change or refund up to 72 hours ahead ($10 fee); no refunds within 72 hours; weather cancellations fully refundable. | Check dates | |
Private scenic balloon ride for twoIncludes Chase crew, Help packing up, Transport back to the launch location |
$875 per group |
About 1 hour of flight; about 2 hours 30 minutes total |
Two guests maximum |
No minimum age; at least 52 inches tall | Combined passenger weight under about 500 lbs | Full refund if cancelled 2+ weeks out, otherwise $775 fee; weather cancellations 100% refundable or rebooked. | Check dates |
From each operator's own website, checked October 21, 2026. How we compare.
Vista Balloon Adventures launches from Sportsman Airpark at 1050 Commerce Parkway in Newberg, which it places 35 minutes from Portland city limits. Wikipedia puts Newberg about 25 miles southwest of Portland, on the west bank of the Willamette River. Vista's FAQ says little about the route. It does point guests to nearby wineries such as Argyle, Domaine Drouhin, Rex Hill and Stoller Family Estate, and to Champoeg State Park and the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum.
Portland Rose Hot Air Balloons starts its season at Wooden Shoe Farm during the farm's tulip festival, then moves to Aurora Airport, just south of Wilsonville, once the festival ends. It goes back to Wooden Shoe for sunflower flights in July and August. The company lists hazelnut orchards, hop fields, vineyards, Mount Hood and the Cascade Range among the sights.
Willamette Valley Balloons launches from the Albany or Salem airports in most cases and names the site in the reservation. It can use other fields with a grass surface and room to land nearby. The route changes daily with the wind, and most flights cover 3 to 6 miles before the chase crew collects the balloon.
Portland Rose asks guests to reach the launch site about 30 minutes before sunrise, with the exact time given at booking. Check-in and a pilot briefing come first, and guests watch the crew lay out and inflate the balloon. Flights last 45 to 60 minutes and end with a champagne toast and a ride back, about 3 hours in all. The balance is paid after the flight, and the company suggests a 10 to 20% tip.
Vista flies once a day, shortly after sunrise when the wind is calmest, and posts arrival times for each date in a spreadsheet linked from its FAQ. It tells guests to plan on 2.5 to 3 hours for check-in, inflation, about an hour aloft, deflation and the van ride back to the field. Its crews are volunteers paid in free flights and coffee, and the FAQ puts average tips at $10 to $20 per passenger. It mentions no toast or breakfast.
Willamette Valley Balloons' crew starts setting up about 30 minutes before sunrise, guests arrive about 25 minutes before, and the balloon lifts off at sunrise. Guests can help inflate it: a gas-powered fan fills the envelope with cold air on its side before the burner heats it upright. The flight lasts about an hour. The chase crew watches for power lines and antennas, asks landowners for permission to land, then helps pack up and drives guests back to the launch site.
Portland Rose's current schedule lists tulip flights from March 19 to April 25 and sunflower flights from July 9 to August 15. Its regular sunrise flights run April 26 to July 22 and August 23 to October 3. Vista flies every weekend from mid-April through September and adds weekdays as summer weather settles. Willamette Valley Balloons flies June through October, calls July and August the most predictable months and says cancellations are common early and late in its season.
Vista needs surface winds below about 6 mph and dry conditions, and it does not fly in rain. Willamette Valley Balloons explains that a wet envelope can mildew and be ruined, that FAA rules bar flying in or near cloud and fog, and that wind usually rules out mid-morning flights. It suggests flying early in the season, when crops are still in the fields and there is time left to reschedule.
The Tigard Festival of Balloons at Cook Park runs June 25 to 27, 2027, with tethered rides from 6:30 to 7:30 am included in admission. Portland Rose sells the festival's untethered flights. Albany's Northwest Art & Air Festival returns to Timber Linn Park on August 27 to 29, 2027, with morning launches all three days and a Friday night glow. Entry is free and parking costs $10 a day.
Vista Balloon Adventures, which says it has flown since 1989, charges $248 per person for up to five adults, $230 each for six or more and $220 for children under 100 lb. Its private balloon for two costs $690, with a limit of 225 lb per passenger that can drop on hot days. Shared flights have no individual weight limit, only a total per balloon. Vista runs six Ultramagic balloons with baskets for 2 to 10 passengers, four of them split by T-partitions, and can fly 38 people a day.
Portland Rose charges from $260 for sunrise flights and from $275 for tulip and sunflower flights, with a $225 rate per person for groups of three or more. It takes a 50% deposit at booking. Willamette Valley Balloons sells only private flights for two, at $875, and schedules one flight a day. It caps combined passenger weight at about 500 lb and requires a height of 52 inches, since its basket stands 47 inches tall.
Vista refunds or changes bookings for any reason up to 72 hours ahead for a $10 fee and refunds weather cancellations in full; groups of 10 or more pay a 50% penalty inside a week. Portland Rose also wants 72 hours' notice, then charges the full fare, and refunds the deposit when weather cancels. Willamette Valley Balloons refunds in full until two weeks out, then charges a $775 fee, and refunds or rebooks for weather. Vista requires a height of 40 inches and bars babies in carriers.
from $248 per person
Hot Air Balloon Ride Adventure (Group Flights) and 1 more option
Flying since 1989
from $260 per person
Sunrise Flights (Willamette Valley) and 1 more option
Advertises its 30th season
from $875 per group
Private scenic balloon ride for two
Flies only two guests at a time
Prices and policies come from each operator's own pages, read on October 21, 2026. Seasons, rules and local details come from the pages below.