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Portland to San Fransisco in 7 days in mid March

Portland to San Fransisco in 7 days in mid March

Old Mar 1st, 2015, 07:16 AM
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Portland to San Fransisco in 7 days in mid March

With stops in silver falls, crater lake, redwood forests on California coast. Any suggestions on where to stay and things not to miss. Especially need help with crater lake since some things will be closed.
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Old Mar 1st, 2015, 08:26 AM
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Crater Lake will be a bust and IMO not worth the (very long) detour. The lodge and rim road will be closed and even if you can get to the lake the odds are high it will be socked in. Note too that while this has been (so far) a terrible winter for snow pack in the Cascades, rental car companies don't allow the use of tire chains, another consideration.

May I ask why Silver Falls? In March the many waterfalls along the Columbia Gorge walls will be full of water, very spectacular, and far more convenient than Silver Falls.

My recommendation would be to take a day (at least) to explore the Columbia Gorge and Hood River Valley (this is an early spring so the orchards might be in bloom) then head to the coast and stick to US 101 all the way to San Francisco. You won't have difficulty with finding accommodation anywhere along the route.
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Old Mar 1st, 2015, 09:45 AM
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I completely agree that Crater Lake would be a waste. Very little of the area will be accessible and it is a loooooooong trek for not much.
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Old Mar 1st, 2015, 02:30 PM
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The south entrance to Crater Lake NP is open at least 350 days per year unless the rotary snow plow is working on the road up from the Visitor Center to the lodge parking lot. You never need chains to get up to the lodge parking lot. You might have to climb over a snow bank to get to see the lake.
Last April I went on a Ranger led snowshoe hike on a Saturday afternoon. I brought my own snowshoes but you can use the snowshoes provided for the hike by the Ranger.
In no case will you ever have to put on tire chains to get up to the parking lot of the Crater Lake Lodge.
If you really want to play in the snow, come to Bend and then drive or take a ski bus up to Mt. Bachelor. We had some snow last week and the base at Bachelor is up to 53". It is normally over 100" at this point in the winter.
With the low snow totals, I expect that the north Entrance of Crater Lake (off Rt. 138) will open sometime in June.
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Old Mar 1st, 2015, 07:32 PM
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The chamber of commerce should pay tom - but sorry Bend, Mt Bachelor, Crater Lake . . . all are miles out of your way and just because the south entrance to Crater Lake is open, doesn't mean it is a good time to visit.
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Old Mar 2nd, 2015, 05:18 PM
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Kabuki dance.
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Old Mar 2nd, 2015, 06:26 PM
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Crater Lake is actually quite beautiful in the winter - the ranger led snowshoe trips are fun

For a place to stay I would check into the Prospect Hotel in the very small town of Prospect- they also have a restaurant and fantastic meals.

You could spend a day checking out the waterfalls along HWY 138 - my favorite is Watson Falls
Many falls, some just a short walk to view, others more of a hike.

However, I agree with the others, that it is quite a bit of a drive to do all this and you might enjoy the Gorge or the coast more
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Old Mar 10th, 2015, 01:04 PM
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Thank you all for your suggestions!
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