ozgirl

Hello fellow fodorites,
Next summer (? June/July) my DH and I will be visiting son and DIL in Seattle.
Current VERY draft itinerary involves flying into LAX and driving up coast to (eventually) Seattle. We will probably have a month to do it and will possibly take one week out of that time to do a horse ride that starts in Willamette Valley and culminates in a couple of days riding on the beach in the vicinity of Neskowin.
By necessity this will involve a series of overnighters en route but we would also like to include a longer (5-7 night?) stay on the Oregonian coast somewhere for a bit of "gazing out of the window at the windswept coast, with book in one hand and wine in the other."
Any suggestions for regions where we might find a nice vacation rental where our kids may be able to come down and stay with us so in the vicinity of hikes, nice towns, eating, drinking and photographic opportunities?
Don't have to take time out for LA or SF which we have visited previously.
More questions to come I'm sure when I firm things up a bit but thanks in advance.

Gardyloo

There are lots of places along the Oregon coast where you could find something to your liking. One factor would be ease of access for your family from Seattle; the northern part of the Oregon coast, say around Astoria and Cannon Beach, can be reached in 3-4 hours from Seattle. The southern coast, say from Bandon south, is a full day's drive from Seattle.

Generally speaking, the Oregon coast isn't a foodie destination. There are plenty of decent places to eat, mind, and a few good ones, but for the most part you're going to find "mainstream" offerings, with (naturally) an emphasis on seafood.

I'd do some research on these places; the list isn't exhaustive, but it's a start...

North - Astoria, Seaside, Cannon Beach; also Ilwaco WA
Central - Depoe Bay, Newport, Yachats, Florence
South - Bandon, Gold Beach

gailscout

You may want to check out Cape Kiwanda State Natural area/Pacific City on the Oregon coast. I drove through there a few years back and stayed at The Kiwanda Inn across from one of the most beautiful beaches I'd ever seen: Haystack rock formations, an active fishing fleet comprised of Dory flat-bottomed boats, kite flying and people just having fun.

The town was small and basic with a good brewery and good food. There was a housing development that rented houses - the vibe was so relaxing and didn't scream tourist-mania - I was there in late May. My friend and I never wanted to leave that beach!

ozgirl

Thank you gardyloo and gailscout. Now that I've started really looking I'm thinking we might drop the ride idea and have 4 full weeks from either LA or SF?

Next question - how to balance nice weather with big crowds?
Is June too early? When do the crowds hit the coastline?

I'm thinking now we could possibly include Olympic Peninsula and Columbia Gorge as well.
Son has also thrown in the idea of staying on a Lake Union houseboat for last few days in Seattle ! Does anyone have any personal recommendations there?
Thank you ��

Bobmrg

Allow three full days for Olympic National Park.

ozgirl

Thanks bob, any particular area to base ourselves?

Fodorite018

The OR coast is busy all throughout the summer. As for good weather, that is typically from July through most of September. June is still a transition month typically for the coast. Because of that though, there tends to be a bit fewer crowds during that time vs later in the summer.

As for ONP, you do not want to try to base yourself out of one area as the area is so vast and you would spend hours just driving without seeing much. Two nights is good, 3 is better. Much depends on how much time you can allow for it. We just got back from there again last night, and just did 2 night, but we go there often so are not trying to see everything in one trip.

Bobmrg

ONP has three areas of interest: mountains, wild beaches, and rain forests. A base in Port Angeles (Olympic Lodge?) or Lake Crescent Lodge give you access to Hurricane Ridge. The beaches and rain forests are further west, so you need to base in LaPush, Forks, or Kalaloch.

ozgirl

Ok, have made the first definitive decision... flights booked into SFO and out of Vancouver - late June to late July.

Hardest decision now is how to allocate time - coastal route is priority but happy to divert to Crater Lake, Columbia Gorge and ONP time permitting (we will have a month.)

I have been reading other threads where suggested itineraries have been very helpful but most people don't have the length of time that we have. Gardyloo if you have time would love a suggested route with our time frame?

Family are happy to join us pretty much anywhere for our longer (5-7 days or 2 x 4 days stays??)and prefer a few 2 nights stays instead of moving on every day where appropriate.

I have seen a couple of nice rentals in Seal Rock area, any comments on that please?

Thank you again.

Gardyloo

With a full month you have enough time to zigzag quite a lot, so combining inland and coastal areas is quite feasible.

We can't predict how the coming winter and spring are going to be in terms of weather; last year saw record snowfall in the mountains, delaying spring significantly, while the year before the snowfall was way under average, making for an early spring.

This can potentially impact your planning in that higher elevation mountain areas, from Crater Lake all the way to Mount Rainier, might be very snowy in June - or they might not. And whether or not the snow is deep, the chances are higher that you can encounter cloudy conditions in the mountains, making the long detours less appealing. I've been at Crater Lake a couple of times in late July when you literally couldn't see the water from the rim; we were in clouds and fog that persisted the whole day. It makes hours of driving seem like a waste, considering those same hours could have paid dividends elsewhere.

So in planning a trip where you have the option to stay put for a few days here and there, I'd be looking at "bases" that offer a variety of experiences nearby, so that you've got the flexibility to do something else while you wait for better conditions at some destination.

To me there are several of these places between SF and Vancouver.

- Eureka and Humboldt Bay. Besides the redwoods that surround Eureka and Arcata, you can visit the edge of (or hike into) California's "Lost Coast" south and west of Victorian Ferndale - the last remaining coastal wilderness in California. Or you can go on an architecture tour; Ferndale, Eureka and Arcata have dozens of incredible Victorian buildings and houses. Or you can do a fascinating tour of Scotia, a "company town" just south of Eureka, which highlights a curious and regrettable aspect of American history.

- Central Oregon coast. I wasn't sure immediately where Seal Rock is, but seeing that it's near Newport, Yachats and Depoe Bay, I think that would be a great place to spend a few days. There are lots of beach walks and coastal activities, but you could also head inland on day trips, using US 20 or OR 34 to wind through the Coast Range to Corvallis in the Willamette Valley. Corvallis is a pretty town and home of Oregon State University, but the country around it (in Benton County) is quite lovely, with a number of antique covered bridges, farm stands and the like. https://www.coveredbridgemap.com/or/

- Hood River/Columbia Gorge. Fair warning, I tend to gush over this area. It's got so much going for it - Mount Hood, where there's even summer skiing (or you can ride the chairlift in the summer up to the permanent icefields.) Or the Hood River Valley "fruit loop" - orchards, fruit stands, wineries... You can visit the many waterfalls along the walls of the Columbia Gorge, visit Herman the Sturgeon at the Bonneville hatchery, walk around Lost Lake with its mirror views of Mount Hood, hike into the Mt. Adams wilderness from Trout Lake, wind- or kite-surf at Hood River, visit the remarkable Maryhill Museum and nearby Stonehenge replica... and on and on, all within an hour or so of Hood River with its brewpubs and wineries. See? Gushing.

- Port Angeles and the northern Olympic Peninsula. Alpine forest at Hurricane Ridge with its wildflowers and views of the Olympic mountain wilderness, Sequim's ("skwim") lavender festival, drive out to the Hoh rain forest or the beaches at La Push, hikes to waterfalls or hot springs, visit the Victorian seaport of Port Townsend, take a ferry to Victoria BC, go whale watching...

- San Juan (US) or Gulf (Canada) Islands - gorgeous rural islands surrounded by calm water populated by whales, go kayaking, hiking, visit the many galleries and farm stands, discover the "Pig War" in this historically fascinating region...

- Whistler. 90 minutes or so up the incredible "Sea to Sky" highway (BC 99) from Vancouver is the ski resort of Whistler, which in summer offers a vast array of activities - gondola rides, fishing, hiking, wildlife viewing, cycling... and all of it based in very comfortable accommodations (designed with winter crowds in mind) that are budget-priced in the summer. Whistler Village is full of fun pubs, cafes and shops, and of course the scenery is, well...

That's just a short listing of places where you could spend a few days and never get bored and never run out of options. If it was me planning a month, I'd be looking at a couple of these places to spend a few days rather than making the trip too go-go.

Hope this helps and doesn't just confuse things further.

Fodorite018

Yes, Seal Rock is a really cool area! It is very close to Newport, so you would have shopping/restaurants nearby. I am surprised more people haven't been there.

ozgirl

Thanks gardyloo, just what I was after. If we wanted to include all of these as 'bases' with the exception of the last two (we have been to Whistler and the Islands a bit too 'sedate' for the hikers apparently!)- how long would you allocate to each spot?

I have had a bit of a re-think about SFO, will spend first night there before driving off after long flight from OZ (and maybe 2?) and then will have a few nights at end for Seattle/Vancouver so probably have just over 20 nights to play with.

mms, thanks for the Seal Rock endorsement, rentals are booking out there in front of my eyes so keen to pin down when exactly we will lob there

ozgirl

In looking at available dates for the house I have my eye on, it would appear that is available roughly in the middle of our trip.. how would this look to start with..

Fly into SFO, 2 nights in San Francisco

7 full days to make our way up to Newport area (maybe with a few nights in Eureka area/? Crater Lake)

5-7 days Newport vacation rental

8 days to get from Newport to Seattle (inc Portland/Columbia Gorge/ONP)

couple nights Seattle then train to Vancouver for flight home

If this seems reasonable I will book rental and then start working on the rest