Wekiva

As part of an anniversary trip we may take a drive from Seattle down to Portland. I'd like to get out to the coast to see some things along the way. My preference would be to spend about a day for the entire drive...which gives us about half a day to see several sites along the way (assuming we get early start out of Seattle). The sites we'd be interested in would be a nice, medium hike for an hour or two and maybe a museum/cultural center. But anything interesting along the way is game. I know that's rather general but anything that is unique to the northwest would be interesting to these Floridians. At least one hike is a must.

The route we'd probably take would be from Seattle to Olympia to Aberdeen and then along the coast down to Astoria, Seaside and then over to Portland. Google maps is telling me this route takes about 6 hours. If this route became too long then we could head down I-5 for part of the way to speed things up.

Thanks for any advice.

sludick

We drove from Astoria to Forks as part of a vacation (I'm not a local). As I recall, the drive was pretty uninspiring until we got north of Aberdeen. There were a lot of marshy, muddy areas where a lot of oysters were harvested, but no real ocean views that I remember. So, I can't say as I would want to drive from Aberdeen south again (having done it twice).

The Oregon coast is an entirely different matter.

Wekiva

Thanks sludick, great info.

We're playing around with all sorts of options for this trip. We may end up simply going to Vancouver and Seattle. But as a side issue I'm trying to visit Washington and Oregon since they're my last two unvisited continental states. But I'm not willing to bring down an anniversary trip to fulfill that goal. I just thought a drive along that coast in that area might be a beautiful drive. Maybe not.

sludick

Weeeell... The drive along the Washington coast in the Olympic National Park area is gorgeous, and there are some turnoffs for the short hikes you are interested in. But yes, the southern part is just pretty drab. Our trip was part of a 2-1/2 week loop through Oregon with a detour up to Forks, so that part of the drive was inconsequential.

Personally, I'd concentrate on the Vancouver, BC area. No end of gorgeous ocean/mountain views, and a wonderful city. If you have time, though, you could just go from Seattle to Portland via I-5 in just a few hours, and then from there over to the coast or to Hood River.

Happy anniversary!

Gardyloo

As mentioned, the drive down US 101 from Aberdeen/Hoquiam to Astoria is not particularly scenic. However, here's an alternative which is much more scenic, also comparable in terms of hours on the road.

Take I-5 south to Longview, then WA Hwy 4 west along the north bank of the Columbia River. The north shore of the river is quite scenic and quite historic.

SR 4 connects to SR 401 which will take you to the bridge over the mouth of the Columbia, but don't cross the bridge. Instead follow US 101 (north/west) to Ilwaco, a fairly attractive fishing port, but then on to Cape Disappointment State Park.

Cape Disappointment has it all - waves crashing against rocks, a couple of fine little lighthouses, and a terrific story - Lewis and Clark, shipwrecks, etc. http://www.nps.gov/lewi/planyourvisit/caped.htm

Then cross the (awesome) bridge to Astoria and make your way into Portland.

It's a full day's drive, but a very rewarding one.

sludick

Gardyloo, I think you helped me out with our trip a couple of years ago. Thanks for that. We stayed in Astoria, but did cross that awesome bridge to Astoria.

Wekiva, for what it's worth - we stayed our first night in Astoria, and have wished we planned on 2-3. If you have time to get that far, there is so much:

We stayed at Clementine's B&B - it will probably be a 2 night minimum stay. Perhaps humbler than some, it was still the best one we stayed at - and the owner is an absolute hoot (don't take her seriously, she has a dry sense of humor and is a wonderful chef).

She sent us up to the Tower, and we climbed to the top (inside). Absolutely a must. Expect to be sore, and probably drive to it and don't walk (it's all uphill).

We ate at the Silver Salmon - really wish we were closer to that yummy place. Only warning - portions are huge, consider sharing.

There is a museum that we couldn't get to, but a lot of movies have been filmed in Astoria. We did visit some sites where Goonies and Kindergarten Cop were filmed.

I want to plan another trip, and this time plan several days at Astoria. Personally, I liked the vibe much better than Hood River, but they are both awesome (I would do the drive Portland - Hood River as a day trip just to stop at the waterfalls).

If you don't have enough time for all that, then best thing is to plan a repeat trip. WELL worth the trouble to fly cross from Florida.

Bobmrg

Let me add to gardyloo's suggestion that you visit the Lewis and Clark Discovery Center at Ilwaco.

lcvcb

Happy anniversary, Wekiva! I work for the Visitor & Convention Bureau in Lincoln City (approx. 2 hours south of Portland) on the Central Oregon Coast and while it sounds like you might not be able to travel this far south on your road trip, I wanted to let you know that Lincoln City has some beautiful hikes (5 that I can think of off the top of my head - Cascade Head, Drift Creek Falls, Regatta Park, Friends of the Wildwood and Silver Lake Trail) and an awesome Cultural Center with an art gallery, live concerts and art classes going on almost daily. Lincoln City itself has several art galleries, glass blowing and glass fusing studios, a playhouse for live theater . . . and more than 7 miles of walkable beach with gorgeous views. If you and your husband ever decide to do an Central Oregon Coast road trip, there is A LOT to see and the scenery is pretty spectacular.

Let me know if you want any more info or you can check out our website at www.oregoncoast.org. Have a great time on your upcoming trip!

Wekiva

Thanks everyone for your input on this trip. We've decided to scale the trip back and possibly go to Quebec City instead. But we do intend to do the Vancouver/Seattle trip at some point so this is still useful. Thanks again.

brendonb28

I am sorry to say, Southern Washington is very ugly and dry. Not much to see at all, unless you go to Mount St. Helens by Kelso. Why don't you head up to North Western Washington around Forks and go to Saldoc falls and the beaches.