I think you would make better time going through Bend. The trip is estimated at 7 hours 40 minutes of driving on maps.yahoo and an hour longer on maps.google

Also, going via Bend roads are more likely to be open and in repair, causing less wear and tear on your car.

HTTY

Most important piece of information is when are planning this trip?

The drive you are describing is one of the most stunning I have ever taken, but if you are on a schedule there's no reason to do it.

August.

Stunning in what way, and where in particular?

Also, please comment on this busy itinerary, which happened because we had to trim the night in Portland and consolidate two days:

Leave Mt. Rainer campsite by 9:30 AM and drive to I-5.
Arrive Multnomah Falls by 12:30
Leave Vista House by 2:30
Arrive Florence via Eugene by 5:30
2 hours exploring the coast just north of Florence
Arrive Coos Bay by 9 PM

After that we have two nights in Crescent City and two nights at Crater Lake.

Let's start over. Where are you coming from, where are you going, and how long do you have?

It's a 2-1/2 week monster drive from the Midwest. The 3 areas I am concentrating on are

1. Seattle (relatives) and Mt Rainier
2. south Oregon Coast, Redwoods, Crater Lake
3. Tetons and Yellowstone

So just trying to make the connections as interesting as possible. Doing justice to everything along the way is not possible, and breaking up the 2-1/2 week drive into driving every day for 3-4 hours and setting up the tent every night is less desirable than staying put 2-3 days and then long 8-10 hr drives.

Waiting for a reply.

This is a very ambitious trip in 2 1/2 weeks.

I suggest you pick up the Oregon Coast at Newport--the stretch south through Yachats and Cape Perpetua to Florence is particularly beautiful.

And, I still think your best bet from Crater Lake to Boise is through Bend.

The beautiful drive from Boise to Yellowstone is the long way--up 21 and 93 through Stanley and Salmon and then east to the north entrance of the park. It is very much worth the detour, if you have the time.

HTTY

Not so ambitious, 5000 miles in 18 days = 4 hours per day of driving on average.

I like the idea of going thru Newport, but it adds maybe an extra hour. Guess we can try to leave Rainier early, say by 9, and do that.

Crater Lake to Boise: There is a middle way, thru Christmas Valley on a paved county road, then up to Burns on US 395 to rejoin US 20. It appears to be shorter, certainly lonelier.

Interested in setting up in a yurt 1 night- Umqua State Park has some nice ones- and its on your way down the coast around Reedsport? If not, at least its a nice place to set up a tent- its on a lake stocked with fish, and you can walk up to the lighthouse at night which is really magical- like a laser carousel.

I have stayed in a deluxe yurt there and thought it was very fun!

I like the yurt idea, too bad the Oregon Parks reservation site is down till the 14th so I can't check availability. This night is preceded by 3 nights camping and followed by 4, so a real bed and shower are a must, and the deluxe yurts have that.

The deluxe yurt was great! Indoor facilities- small kitchen-no stove- but grill out on deck
even a TV- but only to play DVD's- we really enjoyed!!

sounds like after all those days of camping with more to come, it would feel good

Also looking for a bit of feedback. In zooming in on Google Maps and looking down the Oregon Coast via satellite imaging, it appears that the real scenery (sea stacks, high cliffs, sweeping wild beaches, minimal development) is at the very south end, south of Port Orford. While the section around Yachats is often recommended for beauty, this appears to me a less wild and more built up area, maybe more like Cape Cod or Lake Michigan (Door County, Traverse City) with a lot of towns and more traffic and fudge shops and $5 ice cream cones than wilderness and beauty. Is this correct?

I would say that is correct-

The towns and driving experience on the Oregon Coast is nothing like Cape Cod.

We like road trips, recently returning from a three-week, 3,500-mile exploration of Southeastern states. starting in Atlanta (to which we flew).

Nonetheless, IMHO you will have a much better NW experience if you trim your must-see list and spend more time in the Columbia River Gorge and the Oregon Coast, starting even father north than Newport (which I suggested earlier in an attempt to cater to your preferences).

That's good 'cause I would not return to Cape Cod, too far to go to deal with so many people/high prices/traffic.

Considering staying farther north than Coos Bay to get more coast time, a free hotel stay isn't a good enough reason to rush.

I have been to the Columbia Gorge twice previously and don't think that boys ages 8-13 would appreciate it especially. Of course they will love a waterfall and I do plan to see that. I know how quick it is to visit, right off the interstate.

Has no one driven across Christmas Valley?

Now you've got kids. How about the aquarium in Newport?

Never have been to Christmas Valley but I bet its pretty desolate- I have been to French Glen and Diamond which is similar I suspect - and does have a beauty of its own but I bet pretty boring to an 8 and 13 year old -

They might enjoy sandboarding outside of Florence or a dune buggy ride which is one of my favorite things to do

There are 3, ages 8, 10, and 13.
They would love sandboarding and probably the aquarium. I'll look into it.

Christmas Valley saves about 30 miles over going thru Bend, and any time associated with traffic lights with Bend. But there's a gravel stretch of 15 miles to cope with.

Stay at the treehouse in Takilma.
Kids love it.
http://www.treehouses.com/

Ha! that would be fun, but August is entirely booked up.

link to sandboarding

http://www.sandmasterpark.com/

The deluxe yurts are also booked up I see now that oregonparks.gov is back up.

Now looking to spend the night either in Newport or Florence. Leaning toward Florence even though more expensive since it gives us part of two days along the coast in case one day is rainy.

Now need to decide where to stop between Newport and Florence for a hike or 2 in the evening.

Also need some suggestions to hike between Florence and Brookings.

Or have you looked at Yachats?- between Florence and Newport- I like the AdobeMotel- right next door is the Fireside- both right on the ocean- with a paved path between. From there you can hike/walk into Yachats- its a cute little town- just fun to walk around. Spent 1/2 a day doing that not long ago.

A nice hike starts from Heceta Head ( just north of Florence) from the beach up to the lighthouse- behind the lighthouse, there is a trailhead that takes you down to a secluded beach only accessible by walking in and connects to a trail called "The Hobbit Trail" Nice hike. My favorite coast hike and beach.

Also some hikes around Cape Perpetua- you can gets maps at the visitors center at Cape Perpetua- one trail takes you to a lookout spot on top of the mountain, another will take you under the hiway to a coastal walk - and dow to the Devil's Churn.

South of Florence you could stop at Honeyman State Park- fun to climb the sand dunes- not exactly a hike but it is a good work out.

Sorry the hike info I gave is not between Florence and Brookings- but its close to Florence.

Keep ckecking on the yurts- I got mine by someone canceling at the last minute.

sunbum,

We've stayed at the Overleaf and Fireside but never at the Adobe.

Does the Adobe have balconies with ocean views? That's what we like about Fireside.

And, is the Adobe restaurant a good place to eat? We usually eat at Drift Inn because it's a real local hangout and there is often live music there.

HTTY

While Multnomah is one spectacular waterfall, I wonder if it is worth the effort to see it, since you will have seen a lot of other waterfalls already on this trip.

Some of the rooms at the Adobe have balconies with ocean view- if I remember right, its the corner suites that do.

I think the food at the Adobe is OK- not fantastic but a good variety and great to watch the waves roll in while you dine.. There is a bar upstairs with great views too and I believe they have live music on weekends.

spiro: you may have a point, it adds a couple of hours to the drive and takes away from time on the coast, where I expect ther are many waterfalls along the coast.

We plan to visit the east side of Mt. St. Helens as a day trip from Rainier. Why? My wife and I visited the main part of Mt. St. Helens, the west entry off I-5 in 1996 and were disappointed. We got to the end of the road, Johnston Ridge, and we saw... nothing. It was heavily overcast, any blown down trees or other damage was all cleaned up: fresh trees planted in rows was all we saw, and a video at the visitor's center. And the clouds. An hour's drive in to see nothing. So we are trying the east side (Windy Ridge) this time to hopefully see more blast impact even if the sky is overcast and the mountain hidden. I have been told that this side has not been cleared and planted with douglasfirs in neat rows.

I'm a little concerned about the live cam from the Fireside Hotel. The coast here looks exactly like the Minnesota shore of Lake Superior: trees, rock, and surf. We want to concentrate on the part of the Oregon cost that is the most different from our normal: sea stacks, wide sandy beaches with driftwood and tidepools, mountains in the distance.

Well there isn't any major falls along the Oregon Coast. But there are nice ones in Yellowstone, Tetons, and Mt. Rnier. A lot of those are around 200 feet and very powerful when flowing good. Multnomah is 600+ and more of a graceful type of waterfall. We spent a couple of weeks in Oregon this past July. The coast was very nice, but probably our least favorite area. We aren't really beach/ocean people though. The Dunes were interesting and we rode 4 wheelers there.

Well, actually in Yachats, the mountains start on the east side of 101.

The live cam at the Fireside does show a rocky coastline- but the trail you see does lead down to a sandy beach great for walking on.
Make sure you stop at Heceta Head lighthouse - its my favorite beach- you will see tidepools, mountains, driftwood, nice sandy beach-
There are not any waterfalls at the coast that I can think of

I remember that my parents' 1956 World Book encyclopedia had a picture of a concrete arch bridge on the Oregon coast with a waterfall both above the road and below. Right? It's famous?

We climbed the dunes at Great Sand Dunes NP in Colorado last July, so dunes will not be something we seek out. We were lucky that it had rained the night before: the sand was firm, and we were able to hike to the highest dune in the middle of the dune field-- where most of the NP rangers had never even been.

Look forward to Haceta Head, sounds like a perfect hour long hike for after dinner as the sun goes down.

That famous bridge is Multnomah Falls on the Gorge- it is pretty spectacular. Its not a road above and below the falls though, its a walkway

There is kind of a cool bridge at Heceta Head - its old, nice arches - goes over a little river which leads down to the beach -

Here is a link to photo of Umqua Lighthouse at night. It was
really a magical place to visit at night

http://www.shutterpoint.com/Photos-ViewPhoto.cfm?id=773007

Alright, so I jiggered the itinerary and so now we have an extra day in Oregon. Here's the middle part of the trip:

2 nights Seattle
3 nights camping @ Rainier
1 night Portland
1 night Florence
2 nights camping @ redwoods
2 nights camping @ Crater Lake
1 night Boise, 1 night Jackson, 1 night Rapid City....

So after Rainier we are thinking (w/ 3 boys ages 8-13):

Day 8: morning break camp at Rainier, then to Mt. St. Helens, afternoon Multnomah Falls and old US 30 to Vista House, maybe Bonneville dam or Washington Park if time allows, night in Portland

Day 9: morning drive to Newport via Corvallis, maybe see the aquarium, afternoon exploring the coast between Newport and Florence (suggestions for lunch in Newport, beaches to walk on?)

Day 10: all day driving down the coast from Florence to Crescent City (suggestions for hikes or state parks?)

That's better, not so rushed, we achieved the extra day by cutting Wyoming to 1 night. We'll see Yellowstone another trip.

My favorite beach is at Heceta Head ( just north of Florence)- nice cove, trail up to the lighthouse, there are some caves kids would love playing in and rocks to climb on, also a shallow stream kids love playing in- there are picnic tables and grills to cook on-

you could spend a day there

The Adobe, the Fireside, and the Overleaf sit side-by-side on the same stretch of beach, so your choice should not be driven by access to walking trails or the beach.

The Adobe Inn was the only place we found in Yachats that had cloth-napkin/tablecloth ambience. We would go back.

If you are camping in Florence area check out Honeyman State Park - lots of sand dunes to climb and play on.
For dining in Florence- I like Travellers Cove - has a variety from burgers to Mexican food and they have a nice deck with views of river and the bridge - I think its the only place in town where you can sit outside on a nice day.

opps- just read your previous post that sand dunes are not an interest.


Just back from Crescent City- due to rainy weather did not get in as many hikes as we would have liked- Jedidiah State Park has lots of short trails through the redwood groves - maps available many places in town - and there is a great Park Headquarters in town with lots of info and staff who were great on providing info.
The hike we planned to do was on the coastal trail overlooking Crescent Beach - directions should be easily found in town- could not go because of rain that day- darn!

Great place to eat in town was the Great Harvest Restaurant- we all thought the food was great and reasonable - breakfast was huge- easily shared
One of my friends had abalone steak which she thought was fabulous.

If you want a momento of the area we discovered the Bay Studio- great pottery, art work at very reasonable prices and interesting owners. We spent a long time there and helped support a local business.