LPF

In mid-April we will finally be taking a LONG-awaited trip from NY to the Pacific Northwest Not knowing the area, I am at a loss as to how to budget our time and/or driving distances while seeing the areas we'd most like to visit. Any advice will be most appreciated!

This is what I have to work with so far: As of now we plan to fly into Portland, rent a car, and spend two or maybe three days exploring the Columbia River Gorge & vicinity. Have never been to the West coast, so from there will head towards Cannon Beach, then make our way up to WA (via what route I'm not yet sure) and probably depart for home from Seattle 8 or 9 days later.

The thing that most excites me about this trip is the scenery and chance to do some light hiking (not camping) . In Portland, we can choose the better-weather day or two for exploring the CRG, and the other for seeing the city. After that I could really use some input, re: both timing and destinations. Cannon Beach is a definite, as is a trip to Anacortes or the San Juan Islands later in the trip for a killer whale watch. The last couple days will be spent in Seattle. As for lodging, we are on what I'd consider a moderate/medium budget. I've waited so long for this trip that I don't mind splurging a little on occasion. I'm not a fan of chain hotels, and was looking online recently, and thought condos/vacation rentals in the CRG vicinity might be a good deal.

"Maybes" on our visit list, in no particular order, include:
Olympic National Park
Hoh Rainforest
Hurricane Ridge/Mt. St. Helens (dep. on weather?)
Mt. Rainier - or rather drive close to - (doubtful that time of year?)
Crater Lake
San Juan Islands or vicinity
Anyplace beautiful and accessible. Am not a fan of driving on narrow, scary mountain roads

All suggestions and opinions will be most welcome. Thanks

directions

Welcome to the PWN and you are right so much to see and do. You might want to check out www.tripadvisor.com for a lot of suggestions on the area. I know you'll love it here.
Cheers

directions

Geezs I meant PNW lon day,lol.

LPF

Thanks! Except for a trip to Disney World about 10 years ago, it's been 25 years since I've been on a "real" trip of my choosing, so I am excited.

I've used Tripadvisor only for hotel searches, but will give it a look.

tomfuller

The Portland (PDX) airport and the Sea-Tac (SEA) airport are a little less than 3 hours apart by car. Considering the drop off fee you will want to fly in to the same airport you return from. As much as I love Oregon's only National Park, Crater Lake is too far from the other beautiful parks and sights you want to visit. Crater Lake will only be acessable by the south entrance until July. You may want to go south along the coast to the Oregon Coast Aquarium just south of Newport. Come back to I-5 on US 20 from Newport to Albany. If it is rainy, and you are near Portland, make a stop at Powells bookstore. East of Portland on I-84 you should see Multnomah Falls (Oregon's highest).
Consider carrying a handheld GPSr on your hikes. People get too far from their car and get lost.
I'm hoping that when you come back again (you will) you can come and visit southern and central Oregon.

Orcas

The area is quite large and you don't have a lot of time. The mountains will be covered with snow in April and visibility may be limited. Check out when the tulips will be blooming in the Skagit Valley and visit the fields on your way to the San Juan Islands: http://tulipfestival.org/ Tulip Town is a good stop. Bring your camera!

You will not get to everywhere you intend. I'd do the Columbia Gorge/Mt. Hood loop in one long day, from a Portland base, then head to the coast, maybe starting in Newport for one night (take I-5 and cut across) and then driving up to Canon Beach. Then up to the San Juans via the tulip fields. Maybe stay the night in LaConner, then spend a few nights in the San Juans. If it is clear, you might hit Mt. Rainier, but it will be very, very snowy. It is a beautiful sight, but it will not be hikeable. Still, it is worth the visit, if clear. You may want to leave some nights open so you can be flexible, depending on the weather. I agree Crater Lake is way too far away.

POlson

A whirlwind tour through the PNW along the lines you mentioned might look something like this:

Day 1 - fly to Portland, explore city, Pearl district, Powell's bookstore (a Portland icon), enjoy a nice dinner at one of Portland's many great restaurants, hotels depends on budget (we usually stay at Hotel Monaco)

Day 2 - day trip to Gorge, see Multnomah Falls (nice day hike from the falls parking lot: short hike to the lower falls, longer hike to the upper falls, moderate day loop hike also available), overnight in Portland (the entire Gorge, while beautiful, can be a long drive, and if you also wish to visit the coast and yet have enough time to visit Seattle/San Juans, you will need to forego more than a day in the Gorge)

Day 3 - drive to Cannon Beach with stops in Astoria, Seaside. Stay at one of the charming little inns in Cannon Beach (consider the Stephanie Inn). Shop, walk on the beach, enjoy the galleries.

Day 4 - enjoy breakfast in town, then drive south to visit the other beach towns (Newport is some distance; Tillamook cheese factory a little closer, Manzanita has some funky little shops and restaurants); Haystack Rock and Ecola Beach are cool local attractions, great photography opportunities. Overnight in Cannon Beach.

Day 5 - Big choice to make here:
1. To visit the Olympic Peninsula (2 days at least): Drive back north to Astoria, cross the Columbia River and follow 101 north to Lake Quinault; stay the night, hike, visit some big trees and rain forest (Lake Quinault Lodge is fantastic) then work your way over to Seattle (or via the Port Townsend ferry to Anacortes and the San Juans) either traveling north along 101 around the mountains and then across the Bremerton ferry (6-8 hours, give or take), or south via Olympia and I-5 north (3-4 hours). If you do the peninsula, you will likely have to skip Mt. St. Helens.
2. If you choose to skip the peninsula, cross the Columbia River about 50 miles east along Hwy 30 at Rainier (i.e., don't go back through Portland), drive through Longview and connect with I-5 north; this route allows you to take the side trip to Mt. St. Helens (maybe 2-3 hour distraction). Spend the night in Seattle. However, Mt. Rainier is south of Seattle, and so if you wish to do a day trip you would be better served staying the night in Washington's capital Olympia (roughly 3-4 hours from Cannon Beach; Phoenix Inn is a decent place) and take your day trip to the mountain on Day 6 before heading up to Seattle. In April, it might be tough to get to Paradise, which is a worthy destination, due to snow. Definitely check the anticipated conditions (contact the national park service for an estimate for that time of year) before you make your plans.
3. If you choose to fly to Seattle, you can make your way south to Olympia and around the Peninsula, or head north and use the time in Seattle. The drive back to Portland, flight, new rental car pick-up at Sea-Tac and drive to next hotel will take the better part of a day.

Day 6 -
If you go to the peninsula: morning hike in Hoh Rain forest. Drive to Ruby Beach or Second Beach, Hurricane Ridge and overnight in Port Townsend, then on to Anacortes via Whidbey Island and the San Juans.
If you skip the peninsula (and Mt. Rainier), explore some of Seattle's wonders in the morning (Pike Place Market, original Starbuck's, the whole drill), then head north. Anacortes is less than 2 hours from Seattle, depending on traffic, and ferry lines tend to load up fast; in summer this is a real problem, but in April maybe not so much. You may be best served leaving Seattle today or early the next morning to ensure getting to the islands. Overnight in Seattle or points further north.
You might instead choose to stay this night on Whidbey Island (we recommend Inn at Langley but very pricey; also consider stop at Meerkerk Rhodedendron Gardens in full bloom in April and May) or detour to the Skagit Valley/La Conner area- depending on when in April, you might be treated with tulips in the valley (look for info on the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival)

Days 7 & 8 - head out to San Juans either from your peninsula tour via Port Townsend (ferry to Whidbey Island, north to Anacortes; Deception Pass is a cool bridge crossing), or from Seattle. Getting to the San Juans will take much of the day; you will need two nights on San Juan Island or Orcas Island. San Juan has more lodging closer to the ferry, while Orcas lodging (and restaurants) is mostly a drive along the island. Whale watch, hike, enjoy yummy food, relax with a glass of wine by the fire; all of this can be centered out of Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. (That said, when we go, we usually stay on Orcas, in Eastsound.) Two nights on island (but really only one full day because of travel).

Day 9 - return to Seattle via Anacortes: morning ferry, 2 hours via I-5. If you fly out this day make sure it is a late flight as this is another long travel day and you would be better served with another night in Seattle, flying out on day 10 after a leisurely morning in the city.

We have spent time in most of the areas you've described though usually on separate trips. It is going to be very hard to see all that you want to see in 8 or 9 days, with a few days in Portland, a few days on the Oregon coast, a few days on the Peninsula, a few days in the San Juans and a few days in Seattle.

About the weather - assume it will rain, do all that you want to do anyway (that's what the locals do), ditch the umbrella and just wear layers and a raincoat (gortex) with a hood, polar fleece pullovers are also nice if it is chilly.

We love the Pacific Northwest. It is one of the most beautiful places we've visited. Obviously the above is just a suggestion but it might give you some idea of how to tackle the trip. Others will I'm sure provide more advice and once you have a general outline we can make more specific suggestions on food, lodging and attractions. Have a wonderful time planning and a great trip.

justmy2cents

"The thing that most excites me about this trip is the scenery and chance to do some light hiking..."

Then I think you should give yourself time to enjoy these, which I don't think you'll have if you try to jam too much in. As has been said, Crater Lake is too much of a detour from any route you'd choose. I also don't know if the San Juans fit very well, both because of the time it takes traveling to and from, and the possibility that you may not even see orcas. All this is my way of saying that, with 8-9 days, I think you should visit Oregon or Washington, but not both.

Bobmrg

A suggested modification to POlson's day 5 second option: Don't take US 30 from Astoria to the freeway. Take it only as far as Westport, OR, which is a wide spot in the road but is the southern terminus of the Puget Island ferry, which for a measly three bucks will take car and passengers across the river on a wonderfully scenic 15 minute trip across the river to Cathlamet, WA. A relaxing break on a day of driving. From Cathlamet, go east to Longview and the freeway.

spirobulldog

We enjoyed Eagle Creek Trail. The trailhead is down the road a couple of miles from Multnomah. It is an easy hike, but it is 12 miles round trip. You pass by 5 or 6 big waterfalls. Tunnel falls is about 6 miles and it is the best one. You actually walk behind the fall.

I agree with justmy2cents. I would stick with Washington or Oregon. We haven't been to Washington, but we did Oregon in 09 and were there for 12 days. It was probably the best trip we have ever taken and we travel 3-4 times per year(usually just quick long weekend trips).

LPF

Wow - so much great information here. Thank you, all!
It looks like Crater Lake is out, and that's fine. And if we need to forgo the San Juan Islands and whale watch it wouldn't be the end of the world. I'll be traveling with my daughters who are keen to see Seattle, though, so that must stay on the list. I just want to make sure we have time to get out and about, rather than just watching scenery whiz past the window of our rental car.....

Orcas

I didn't notice you were going to the San Juans to watch killer whales. While they are considered resident pods,they don't live there year round. They generally return mid-April to May and many tours don't even start until May. So, since you are coming in April, that does work too well.

Orcas

Sorry, meant to say that does NOT work too well.

POlson

If you drop the San Juan Islands I think you would have enough time to do Portland, the Oregon coast, see some of the Peninsula with a little hiking thrown in and Seattle. Days 7-9 in my original response could be used for exploring Seattle. You would probably have time to drive around the Peninsula to see the rain forest and washington beaches (with a stop in Forks if you have any Twilight fans).

Two nights Portland - with day trip to Multnomah Falls
Two nights Cannon Beach - Oregon coast hikes and beach walks
Two nights on Peninsula (maybe one at Quinault or Kalaloch and one in Port Angeles or Port Townsend) - do a rain forest hike, stop at one of the beaches, and enjoy Hurricane Ridge hike
Two or Three nights in Seattle.

On Day 7 - you could head back to Seattle from Port Townsend via ferry to Whidbey Island, drive north to check out deception pass, visit La Conner, Skagit Valley and tulips, then head south to Seattle or you could ferry to Whidbey island (watch for Bald Eagles, we saw three on our last trip), check out Greenbank Farms (great pie and art galleries) and Meerkerk Rhodedendron Gardens, head south to Langley (a cute little town with some terrific restaurants) and ferry to Mulkiteo, then south to Seattle.

POlson

Lodging suggestions:
Portland - Hotel Monaco (this is where we usually stay), we've also stayed the Govenor (old historic hotel) and the Heathman is quite nice, but we've only been there for tea and brunch.
Cannon Beach - Stephanie Inn (this can be expensive, there are other options in Cannon Beach but this inn is highly regarded, you can also find more, less expensive lodging in Seaside including a Worldmark timeshare/condo on the beach that we stayed at for a week with family)
Peninsula - as I noted above, we love Lake Quinault Lodge. This is a national park property and I just love the old lodge feel. They also had a terrific rain forest ranger led tour from the hotel. Also check out the World's Largest Spruce tree - a short walk through the forest. Kalaloch is also a national park acommodation, on the ocean. We've not stayed there but we did enjoy a decent lunch after a day at Ruby Beach. As for Port Angeles and Port Townsend we've only stopped for shopping, meals etc., not overnight. I know Port Townsend has an amazing ice-cream shop (Elevated ice-cream) on their main street (Water Street) and lots of cute B&Bs dot the Victorian hillside.
Seattle - lots of lodging choices in many price ranges. We've stayed at the high end (Edgewater, Four Seasons) and at the medium range (Hotel Monaco, Vintage Park, W). I've always wanted to stay at the Inn at the Market or the Four Sisters run Inn at Harbor Steps but it never seemed to be available or in that trip's price range. You can get lots of good advice on the board re Seattle lodging options. Silver Cloud Inn is an oft mentioned budget choice.

justmy2cents

Another thing you should know is that Johnston Ridge Observatory doesn't open until May, so even if weather permits, I don't think a detour for Mt. St. Helens would be worth your while.

"I'll be traveling with my daughters..."

Well, if not for the fact that rates there are outrageous, that should put the kibosh on Stephanie Inn. Definitely more a couples-oriented place. But its sister property, Surfsand Resort, is very family-friendly. And it's got a better location, closer to Cannon Beach's charming little downtown. But it's a bit of a budget-buster too. There are other good options though, without having to go to Seaside.

For a taste of Portland funky, have a look at Inn at Northrup Station, a bit outside of the downtown core, but close to good shopping and dining (Pearl District and "Nob Hill"), and on the streetcar line. Free parking too.

jfawp

Spent a couple of weeks in Oregon and Washington this past Sept. We loved Olympic N.P. and Hoh Rain Forest. We also hiked out to Cape Flattery, which was beautiful and the northwestern most point in con.U.S., Astoria was our favorite small 'town'. Crater Lake was a must for me, so we went out of our way to see it, actually debated on not going, but was SO glad we did. However, we had more days than you are planning. I thought Crater Lake was the single most beautifuly thing I had ever seen, (but I may have thought that about a lot of the National Parks we've been in!). Columbia River Gorge was beautiful. We didn't spend a lot of time in Seattle or Portland, we wanted to focus on God's natural beauty. Did however visit Pike's Market and Space Needle in Seattle and Portland's Rose Garden, which even thought it was Sept. and lots of roses were through blooming, it should not be missed (in my opinion). Have fun planning and going.

LPF

Spoke with the girls (13 and 16) and they are OK dropping the San Juan Islands, (possibility of) seeing orcas, etc. The older one is a music nut and has a life-size poster of Kurt Cobain on her wall, so Seattle is a must-visit. If traveling alone I might choose a different itinerary, but I want to make sure everyone is happy. I decided I wanted to visit the Pacific NW back when I worked for the Nature Conservancy over 20 years ago, and it's been on my wish list ever since. Haven't been on a "real" (i.e. non-driving) trip in 12 or 13 years, so decided to splurge for my 50th birthday

Thanks also for the lodging suggestions. And Polson, your itinerary suggestions are invaluable!

sunbum1944

You might enjoy a day at Tillicum Village- you would take a boat over from Seattle and they include a tour of Elliot Bay, then drop you off at Blake Island - There is an Indian Longhouse on the island where you will have a great dinner ( salmon cooked on planks) I think the best salmon I ever had, and there is a show of Indian dancing and music.
There are some trails on the island and you can stay out there all day if you want
We were there on a beautiful day and we really enjoyed the whole experience
I believe the company running the trips out there is Argosy Tours - check out their website

traveler24

VERY important issue in Mid-April is WEATHER..check weatherunderground.com scroll to 'trip planner' and type in dates of your trip.(they allow a 2 week span)
The results are "averages'--of course there are always "unusual" happenings. Ex; few years ago Seattle in early May was 90 degrees. The next year overcast almost all of May. Dressing in "layers", disposable rain ponchos are a good idea. Multi-level shopping(Westlake Mall ) where you catch the Monorail to the Space Needle, has an awesome food court.
"Personal opinion'--my kids at your's ages were really bored with Tillicum Village while my Mom loved it..
We found Silver Clouds Inns(check Trip Advisor)to be reasonable, very comfortable and a free shuttle to drop you off at various sites.
Hope you have a great time.