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Portland-Seattle and lots more: Itinerary comments requested

Portland-Seattle and lots more: Itinerary comments requested

Old May 27th, 2016, 01:38 PM
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Portland-Seattle and lots more: Itinerary comments requested

My husband and I are taking our first trip to the Pacific Northwest for 10 days in August. We've found a huge amount of helpful info on the forum and appreciate comments on our last post.
Here is our preliminary itinerary. We'd really appreciates any comments or suggestions regarding our plans. We will have a car for the entire trip.

August 8: Arrive Portland
Hotel Reservation: Double Tree Portland 1000 NE Multnomah St.

August 9: Spend the day in Portland
Hotel Reservation: Double Tree Portland 1000 NE Multnomah St.

August 10: Drive to Hood River- spend day in Mt. Hood and Columbia River Gorge.
Hotel Reservation: Best Western Plus Hood River Inn

August 11: Morning in Mt. Hood, drive to McMinnville late morning and visit wineries.
Hotel Reservation: Comfort Inn and Suites 2520 SE Stratus Avenue

August 12: Drive to Oregon coast (Not sure which town to stay in)

August 13: Day on Oregon coast

August 14: ? Olympic National Park (could use suggestions on lodging)

August 15: ? Olympic National Park

August 16: ? Mt. Rainier (could use suggestions on lodging- Paradise Inn is not available.

August 17: Seattle

August 18: Seattle

questions:
Which town should we stay in on the coast that allows us to see as much as possible? Cannon Beach sounds a bit touristy for us.

Can we do Olympic National park in 2 days?

Is 1 day enough at Mt. Rainier?

If we do both Olympic and Rainier should we switch the order?

Should we try to squeeze in Crater Lake?

Thanks in advance!
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Old May 27th, 2016, 02:02 PM
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I would not go to both Mt. Rainier and Olympic. The problem with Olympic is that it has no through roads. If you drive to the end of a road you end up backtracking.
Seaside (north of Cannon Beach) is a bit cheaper than CB.
Drive down to CB to see Haystack Rock and Ecola State Park.
I would return the Oregon rental car and take the Amtrak Cascades train to Seattle and then rent a car downtown to go for a day trip from Seattle to see Mt. Rainier if the weather is good. (often rainy).
If you gave up the Washington part of the trip, you could go to Crater Lake. August 14 is the last day for the boat tour out to Wizard Island on Crater Lake. They will begin construction work on the Cleetwood Trail down to the dock on August 15.
The boat will not run again until late spring 2017.
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Old May 27th, 2016, 03:09 PM
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i enjoyed staying at Lake Crescent Lodge. Lake is beautiful, they have kayaks for rent There is a nice hike - you can walk to trailhead from lodge.

There are cabins at Sol Doc Hotsprings but have not stayed in them.
I did not enjoy the Hotsprings. Too many bodies, butt to butt and thigh to thigh for me- maybe we just hit a bad day.
I loved the hike to Hurricaine Ridge- so beautiful!
Pt Townsend is a great little town to spend some time in!
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Old May 27th, 2016, 03:41 PM
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Thanks tomfuller: Where would we drop the car and pick up the train? And are you recommending the train because it's inconvenient to have a car in Seattle?

Thanks also sunbum1944: where would we fit in the visit to Pt Townsend? Not sure of the location. Thanks!
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Old May 27th, 2016, 04:55 PM
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Seaside is just as touristy, if not more. If you mean quieter- maybe somewhere like Manzanita? Seaside and Cannon Beach are better if you you like to eat out, though. Port Townsend is in the direction of the ONP.

Maybe drop rainier in favor of one more night for the ONP, and no, I don't think you've got enough time for Crater unless you want to drop ONP. My preference would be ONP as there is more to see and do. (Rainier, as mentioned above, really depends on weather).
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Old May 27th, 2016, 06:42 PM
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You don't really need or want a car to park in Seattle.
The bus system is OK and there is light rail out to the SeaTac airport.
If you fly into PDX you can rent a car at the airport or take the TriMet red line from outside baggage claim into the city if you want to rent downtown. A single ride is $2.50 or all day is only $5/person.
The Amtrak station is close to downtown in Portland.
Renting downtown is generally cheaper than renting at an airport. Choose a good weather day to go to Mt. Rainier or Mt. St. Helens.
If you make it as far south as Tillamook in Oregon, stop at the cheese factory north of town. It has great cheese and ice cream too. (free samples)
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Old May 28th, 2016, 06:15 AM
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Can I suggest you update your previous thread - http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...st-10-days.cfm - rather than starting a new one? It can be quite confusing to keep up with two threads.

With this itinerary you're not (in my view) allocating enough time to the Olympic Peninsula, and will be spending a lot of time in the car rather than seeing things. But I'll reserve my comments for now.

Note Tom is very enthusiastic about train travel, even when it's not especially in line with your plans.
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Old May 28th, 2016, 07:47 AM
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A great view can be had of Mt Rainier by taking the ski lift at Crystal Mountain to the top lodge for lunch... well worth the side trip...
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Old May 28th, 2016, 08:07 AM
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Pt Townsend is on the Olympic Penninsula- it's 69 miles to Lake Crescent and about an 1 1/2 hr drive to Hurricaine Ridge. We just spent an afternoon there before heading to Lake Crescent Lodge.
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Old May 30th, 2016, 09:09 PM
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That is a lot of ground to cover. Personally, it would feel too rushed to me with way too much driving and I might eliminate a thing or two. Definitely save Rainier for another time.

I think it would be tough to do both Mt Hood and the Gorge in one day. On your way to Hood River, maybe do the Columbia Scenic Route, stopping at Vista House and a few other falls along the way like LaTourelle. Most people like to see Multnomah. Be prepared for crowds. The earlier you set out that day, the better. I love Wahclella Falls, btw, further down 84 near Bonneville Dam. Nice two mile easy loop with a stunning waterfall (take the right fork on the loop if you go). I would save mt hood for the next day. And just enjoy hood River and relax after the Gorge day.

Manzanita is a cute town but the beach is kinda blah. Personally, I would walk through the old growth forest to Oswald West Beach and/or go to Hug Point during low tide and explore the beach around the point (careful of tide changes). And/or go to Ecola State park (it's north of Cannon Beach) -- it's stunning! Cannon Beach is not a bad place to stay (but $$$) as a base to explore the beaches I mentioned. I'm not a fan of seaside. Driving up north to Olympic peninsula, you might want to stop by Astoria. Very cool town with interesting history.

I would add a day to the Olympic peninsula. And Port Towsend is a sweet spot to go before you head to Seattle.
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Old May 30th, 2016, 09:15 PM
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P.S. No way should you squeeze in Crater Lake. That is another trip entirely and many many hours from where you will be.
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Old May 31st, 2016, 06:23 AM
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Thanks nixiefoo,
That's really helpful info. We've eliminated Mt. Rainier and Crater Lake and added a half-day to the Hood River/Gorge day. We're thinking about staying in Astoria, but not sure it's a good base for the area... Appreciate all your other suggestions. Appreciate your thoughts!
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Old May 31st, 2016, 04:07 PM
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The main thing I don't like about Astoria is that it's not a beach town. But it would be a decent base and has some great history if the lack of beach isn't a problem.
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Old May 31st, 2016, 04:27 PM
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Astoria is a good base for expeditions north to Cape Disappointment (don't forget Waikiki Beach) and the Long Beach peninsula, and south to Cannon Beach and Ecola State Park.

(Waikiki Beach - http://www.outdoorproject.com/sites/...?itok=eGA24-Ej )
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Old May 31st, 2016, 06:00 PM
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Astoria is north of some of the better sights on the coast. But if you made a long day of coast fun and then headed to Astoria, I suppose that could work. It sounds like you won't even have a full day at the coast, though, is that right? Oh and I wanted to mention that while cannon Beach is not my favorite, it might be worth popping by if only to see Haystack rock which is amazing and iconic. And just an FYI, Oswald West is just south of Cannon Beach and Ecola is just North.

Also, in the Gorge, Eagle Creek trail is an amazing hike -- an embarrassment of riches. Taking it to punchbowl falls and back gives a nice peek at a pretty portion. But it is hugely popular and can be very hard to nab a parking spot in August. So, it may be tough to do but I wanted to put it on your radar, nonetheless.

If you are going to try to do the Olympic Peninsula, I would recommend you book something at the lodges there ASAP (both Lake Quinalt and Crescent Lake if you are going to do the whole loop) or a cabin or whatever you can find as there are not a lot of options and they book up fast. And I'm sure you can learn more about the highlights in terms of hikes and sights if you do a search on a 3 day itinerary.

Timberline is worth a stop if you have the time and there are endless amazing hikes in the Mt Hood area. Views of Mt Hood from Lost Lake -- where you can rent a canoe and/or hike an easy loop around the lake -- are spectacular. Trillium lake (almost at the base of Timberline Lodge) is an easier access bet for views and an easy lake loop hike. Crowds, though. I can recommend lots of hikes if you tell me what you are looking for and how strenuous you want it to be.
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Old May 31st, 2016, 06:06 PM
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I agree that Astoria is not a good beach town (although I personally love the nearby Fort Stevens -- especially the beach at the end of the point at the mouth of the Columbia -- it is remote and wonderful for birdwatching) and the bunkers are fun and creepy to explore. But maybe too much to add to this particular trip. But Astoria might be worth a stop on your way into the Olympic Peninsula if you are planning to head into it from that area.
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Old Jun 4th, 2016, 11:31 AM
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I grew up going to Cannon so I love it. But you can stay just south of it in Manzanita which is less touristy.
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