suesox

I am planning a trip for mid-September of 2015, flying from Massachusetts to Portland, OR. I have 6 or 7 nights to spend in the state and would like to do/view some of the following:
travel down part of coastal OR, travel along part of Columbia River coast, visit Crater Lake (already made reservations for 2 nights there, so that we can have a full day to relax in the Park), and perhaps see Bend and/or Mt. Hood and/or Shaniko. I would like to avoid interstates unless necessary in the interest of time.

We would prefer to drive no more than 3 hours per day unless necessary to accomplish our "goals."

I welcome any suggested routes or tips (including in which towns to spend nights).

Thanks you!

tomfuller

This is my favored counterclockwise route. You could reverse it if you wanted to for some reason.
Land at PDX. Take the red line from outside baggage claim to downtown Portland. Get a hotel near a TriMet red line stop.
Rent the car next day for a week from downtown location.
Drive west on US 26 to US 101. Spend a night in either Seaside or Cannon Beach (both are OK IMO).
Next day drive 101 south to Newport making a stop at the Tillamook cheese factory on the way for cheese and ice cream.
Just south of Newport is the Oregon Coast aquarium. Either spend the night in Newport or continue south to Reedsport.
Spend a little time at the Oregon Dunes before heading east on Rt. 38 from Reedsport. About 5 miles east of Reedsport stop at the viewing area to see if you can spot some Roosevelt Elk. In Elkton turn off 38 onto Rt. 138 to I-5 south to Roseburg where you will take Rt. 138 east all the way to the north entrance to Crater Lake NP.
Spend your 2 nights and one full day enjoying Crater Lake.
Leave Crater Lake by the north entrance going east on 138 to north US 97. It is only 92 miles from the north entrance to Bend. You may want to check out the High Desert Museum before checking into a Bend hotel.
Shaniko is nearly a ghost town with no lodging. The town has the oldest fire hydrant still hooked to a water system (19th century) in Oregon. There is also an antique fire engine sitting out in the open.
From just west of Shaniko, take the Bakeoven Road west to Maupin. From just west of Maupin take Rt. 216 west all the way to US 26. I know this will be a long day but there are few places to stay in this section of Oregon. Either stay at Timberline Lodge or take Rt. 35 north to Hood River.
From Hood River take the old Rt. 30 to see the waterfalls including Multnomah. Return the car to where you rented it and see any of Portland you missed on your arrival including Powell's Books (10th & Burnside).
Enjoy your week in Oregon.

sunbum1944

One of the most scenic parts of the area is Hwy 138 from Glide to Crater Lake and I think it is frequently by passed. I have lived here for 20 years and it was not until last year I took the time to really explore.

There are many beautiful waterfalls along this strip- but you need to stop and look or take a short walk- some of them are just off the road, some require a short hike.

Susan Falls, Watson Falls are a couple of favorites.

Stop at Steamboat Springs Resort for a lunch/snack/ beer - whatever. Its a beautiful setting.

suesox

Thank you both. Tom, this is probably a silly question, but can we see Mt. Hood from your suggested route in your last paragraph? Also, is Shankiko worth driving through, or would it make more sense to bypass it in favor of seeing something else? (There are no ghost towns in New England that I know of, so it might be cool to see one somewhere other than on TV, but I just thought I'd ask, since it's sort of out of the way...)
I really appreciate all the help I'm getting here.

tomfuller

I would skip Shaniko. Take US 97 to Madras. Stay straight ahed onto US 26 instead of taking the right on US 97. Coming out of Madras you will see Mt. Hood for a few miles if the weather is clear. The top could be shrouded in clouds.
Timberline Lodge is on the south slope of Mt. Hood. Visit it even if you can't get lodging there.
The real ghost town to visit, either on the way out of Portland or after seeing the waterfalls would be Champoeg (Sham-poo-EE)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champoeg,_Oregon
This is the spot where Oregon became a state on February 14, 1859. Oregon is the only state with two different sides to its flag. The back side of a genuine Oregon flag has the image of a beaver. I have stayed a night or two in a yurt at Champoeg State Park.
On the way up US 97 just north of the town of Terrebonne, make a stop at the Peter Skene Ogden rest area and see the 300' deep Crooked River gorge. You can walk across the old US 97 bridge.

happytrailstoyou

I agree that Shaniko is not worth a detour.

Oregon is a beautiful state, which, living in Seattle, we have visited many times. As visitors (rather than residents), we never tire of the Oregon Coast from Cannon Beach to Brookings, the Columbia River Gorge, the town of Hood River, Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood, and the city of Portland. (We are also particularly fond of the Wallowa Mountains, in the far NE of the state). Were you my friend, I would suggest that rather than detour to Crater Lake, you visit the magnificent redwoods of northern California.

Crater Lake is interesting to see, but it is thrilling to walk and drive through the redwoods. You can't walk or drive through Crater Lake, and trying to sail on the lake is a major hassle: http://www.craterlakelodges.com/acti...-boat-cruises/

HTtY

PS To those who feel I should apologize for not encouraging suesox to go to Crater Lake, I apologize.

suesox

Dear happytrailstoyou... I appreciate your suggestion, and it's quite interesting. It was hard for my husband and me to decide which of the nation's National Parks to visit this time 'round. The redwoods and sequoias are trees we absolutely want to see at some point, and it was pretty much of a toss-up as to where we'd choose.

My sister said that Crater Lake was her favorite Nat'l Park (mine, so far, is Yellowstone, trite as that may be). She said the blue of the lake is bluer than blue. I would like my eyes (and spirit/soul) to drink that in.

It's frustrating, in a way, being way out here in the East, so far from the grandeur of many of the Nat'l Parks. If I were younger and had more money, my "bucket list" would consist of visiting all 58 of them.

But, I will put CA NPs on my travel list for next year.

Thanks again.
suesox

sunbum1944

I think Crater Lake is beautiful- its really beautiful in winter when you can snowshoe along the rim-but I think I would get a bit bored there for 2 days- unless you do the side trip to explore the waterfalls along Hwy 138 or if you like to bike, there is a nice trail around Diamond Lake and bikes for rent at the store.

Agree the Wallowa's are beautiful-

Oregon is a very diverse state- just when you think you have seen it all, you discover something new.

happytrailstoyou

My favorite national and state parks are Mt. Rainier in WA; Ecola in OR; Redwoods and Death Valley in CA; Grand Canyon in AZ; and Zion and Dead Horse Point in UT.

I like Arches, Yosemite, and many other parks as well--but they aren't my favorites.

Many of the most beautiful places in these states are not parks: The Columbia River Gorge in OR and Highway 1 in CA, for instance.

HTtY

suesox

The reason I booked 2 nights at Crater Lake Lodge is because it seems check-in time most places is 4 p.m. and check-out is at 11 a.m. I thought that pulling in late afternoon and pulling out the next morning might get a little much for so many consecutive days. I figured if we got to C.L. half-way through the trip, we could rest and have a break from driving (except for around the lake) and take in the view if that's all we felt like doing.

Do others feel that doing this would be a mistake?

My husband and I are in good health, but we will be 71 and 62, respectively, at the time of the trip, so we won't be doing any strenuous hiking and such.

tomfuller

You might save a bit of $ if you booked a night at the Diamond Lake Resort. They have small cabins and rooms. The next day get out early and spend your whole day at Crater Lake including the Pinnacles area which many people miss.
I like Sunbum's idea of seeing waterfalls off Rt. 138 on the North Umpqua River before you get to Diamond Lake. Watson Falls is very nice with a short hike from the parking area.

happytrailstoyou

No, it is not a mistake to book two nights at Crater Lake. That will give you a full day to explore what makes the place so appealing to your sister, and you will have time to take the cruise on the lake.

When we take road trips in the USA, we book most rooms for two nights so one day we don't need to move and run the risk or arriving at the next hotel before our room is ready.

Traveling in Europe, it seems our rooms are ready no matter how early we show up. Perhaps hotels in Europe are more eager to treat their guests well.

HTtY

suesox

Thanks. By the way, I booked a night at Timberline Lodge near Mt. Hood, and because I made the reservation so far in advance, they upgraded our room. Also, they said we could call to see if we could check in earlier than 4:00, because we most likely could. Also, I was told that they were going to extend our check-out time to noon (rather than 11:00) as a complimentary bonus.

happytrailstoyou

Sounds like a good deal. Enjoy.

tomfuller

When you leave Timberline, plan on going a short distance east on US 26 to take Rt. 35 north to Hood River. Make sure to see the waterfalls and then decide if you have time to go to see Champoeg which is not far from Newberg Oregon.