ladysunbug

Planning trip starting sept 8th. Want to do olympic np and travel the coastal route down. I would appreciate any suggested itinerary.. we plan on renting a car , despite the drop off fees. We have 12 days..

ladysunbug

Clarification : starting in Seattle after completing 7 day inner passage cruise.. and Set 8th. we have 12 days to explore.. and will return car to San Francisco and fly back to Florida from there. The more i plan and try to finalize an itinerary.. the more i read, the harder the choices are. We are hoping to stay one n
lake at Cresent lake lodge, one night at Lake Quinault Lodge and a 3rd at Kalaloch Lodge. then onward down we go... suggested itinerary, places to stay, things to eat, things not to miss please all thoughts and yiuy traveling wisdom welcome

traveler24

On this forum , there must be hundreds of inquires related to you subject..
Upper right corner of screen is " Fodorite Lounge Search'
type in 'Washington...Oregon coast"..you will be amazed at number of subjects..
My first thought about your subject..for first 3 days...seems to be concentrated in small area...beautiful . not a lot of miles between..But used up 1/4 of time..
While the Oregon Coast is so beautiful, I have spent 5 days from Astoria to Brookings and would have liked to make that 6-7..
Usually Sept. is a great month for beautiful weather..
Happy Trails...

ladysunbug

Thank you for this information... it is most helpful.. will take a day off that.. hoping to get into Lake Cresent Lodge overnight and Kalaloch the second... and no specific from there.. So any and all recommendations / suggestions.. places to stay, see and eat are welcome... I am new to any forum.. so i am learning..

Gardyloo

This is indeed one of the more frequently-mentioned road trip itineraries on Fodor's; unfortunately the site's search function is pretty broken (new site coming) so at the risk of repeating myself and others, here's a general idea of a route (one of many possible) for you to consider. This includes a fair amount of inland areas including Mount Rainier and the Columbia Gorge. I guess my view is that you'll have just spent a week of seeing some of the best coastal scenery in the world in the Inside (not "inner") passage, and the Olympic National Park beaches - those at La Push (Rialto Beach, First and Second Beaches) and Ruby Beach near Kalaloch, will outshine even the best of Oregon's beaches, so you can "afford" to skip the northern Oregon coast by substituting the inland loop.

Anyway, do a clockwise loop around the Olympic Peninsula, then head east to Mount Rainier. Visit the Paradise visitor center, Reflection Lakes, and the Grove of the Patriarchs in the national park, then continue east over White Pass (US 12) and down into the Yakima Valley, where the grape harvest for the many local wineries might be in progress.

Head south through the Yakama reservation and great "old west" scenery to the remarkable Maryhill Museum (Rodin in the sagebrush) and nearby Stonehenge replica. Then continue west along the Columbia River to Hood River. The Hood River Valley will be in full harvest mode (apples, pears, more wineries) and a drive through the valley to iconic and historic Timberline Lodge makes for a great day trip.

From Hood River, continue west through the Columbia River Gorge (waterfalls, vista points) to Portland, then southwest through the Willamette Valley wine country and out to the coast.

Follow US 101 all the way to the Golden Gate. You'll pass the most scenic parts of the Oregon coast (the southernmost 60 or 70 miles) and then the redwoods. Take time to follow the Avenue of the Giants byway (south of Eureka) and if time allows and you still want more vineyard country, a side trip to Napa, St. Helena or (my fave) Sonoma will generate more interest.

Here's a map of this route - https://goo.gl/maps/uDQrFL5aXDF2

And here's a possible timetable (overnight points listed.) You can vary this obviously - more time on the Oregon coast or more time in the redwoods, etc.

Fri 8-Sep Olympic peninsula
Sat 9-Sep Olympic peninsula
Sun 10-Sep Olympic peninsula
Mon 11-Sep Olympia
Tue 12-Sep Yakima
Wed 13-Sep Hood River
Thu 14-Sep Hood River
Fri 15-Sep Newport/Yachats
Sat 16-Sep Bandon
Sun 17-Sep Trinidad/Arcata
Mon 18-Sep San Francisco
Tue 19-Sep San Francisco

Gardyloo

Oops, no edit function yet. Counter-clockwise loop around the Olympic peninsula.

ladysunbug

Thank you much..., we had not considered anything but the coastal route.. may reconsider upon doing some research... we are traveling from fl, last year did the Nat parks in Montana and Utah.. would you suggest seeing the Columbia river Gorge area ?.. I am finding myself very surprised at the cost of lodging and can't even get a room booked in Olympic Nat park.. any suggestions there ??

I really appreciate your input.. this was trip planned 3 years ago and cancelled twice due to illness and death in family... had it all laid out and can't locate the notebook I put together..

ladysunbug

also I have read 2 days in the park, unless you are doing a lot of hiking is sufficient to see the beauty and nature of it all ??

Kathie

Lodging in ONP at this time of the year is at a premium - so, yes, it is very expensive if you can get a room at all. The Pacific NW is full of amazing scenery, so even in the nice amount of time you have, you won'r come close to seeing it all. As usual, Gardyloo has given you excellent advice.

Gardyloo

In my view the Columbia Gorge and Hood River/Mount Hood areas qualify as don't-miss stops on this route.

Let me address the Olympic NP part of this trip. Most people will say that the main attractions of the national park are the alpine scenery around Hurricane Ridge, the amazing Hoh or Quinault Valley rain forests, and the Pacific beaches, mainly those near La Push and Ruby Beach farther south, just north of Kalaloch. Crescent Lake is beautiful, but it's not that spectacular as lakes go.

Because these are very spread out around the edges of the peninsula, going from one to another is time consuming, and for the most part the roads in between are pretty boring - you pass through trees and that's it. Now for most people three days and two nights are enough to see the national park, but using one place for a base is inconvenient because of the distances. But accommodation in the area is quite limited and really only Port Angeles and Forks offer any variety at all, and places book up very early.

However in your case, you're coming from Alaska, so that might change things a little, depending on how you handle your cruise stops. For example, you can see plenty of alpine scenery (along with glaciers) in your Skagway or Juneau stops. So is that equivalent to Hurricane Ridge? I'd say so, but others might disagree.

As for rain forest, well Ketchikan is in the middle of one, and a few hours at, say, Totem Bight State Park, or on an excursion to the Misty Fjords, might well stand in as a substitute for the Hoh rain forest. (I'm NOT saying they're equals, but we're talking about time management.)

And as for rocky beaches, well obviously you could substitute the Oregon (and some Washington and northern California) coast which has no shortage of great beaches. None of them are in national parks, but again, there are some pretty impressive places.

All of which is to say that you could skip Olympic NP altogether and you might not feel that you're missing things you can't see elsewhere.

The two or three days you'd have spent on the Olympic peninsula could be spent elsewhere where there's more and cheaper accommodation, other things so see and experience that you won't get on your cruise or on the Olympic Peninsula.

So as a thought experiment, try this out. When you arrive in Seattle, get a car and take a day or two to explore the Puget Sound region. Google Whidbey Island and Port Townsend. Take a day trip to Mount Rainier, which is terrific in September. Stay somewhere outside of Seattle to avoid London-level hotel prices.

Then drive down I-5 to Portland, detouring en route to the Johnston Ridge observatory overlooking the Mt. St. Helens caldera. Spend two days in the Portland/Columbia Gorge/Hood River area, then follow the Columbia downstream (on the north bank - pretty and historic) to Cape Disappointment at the (awesome) mouth of the river. Cross the bridge to Astoria and follow the coast all the way to San Francisco. If you have an extra day you can take Calif. Hwy 1 south from Leggett in the redwoods to Mendocino and Bodega Bay on the coast; this too is a spectacular (if slow) drive. Google these places to see what I'm talking about.

Here's a map with this revised route: https://goo.gl/maps/mWoMoBHP4jv

This will give you more time on the coast with easier and cheaper accommodations than in the national parks, it will include the Columbia Gorge, and will let you see things that you haven't seen on your cruise.

ladysunbug

Wow, you are a wealth of knowledge : cruise includes Juneau, Skagway, Tracy arm Fjord and Victoria.... so much to think about !!! I am a beach lover, my husband enjoys the mountains.. we may never get back this way again in our lives. I lived in San Diego and have traveled southern California but he has not and the redwoods are a must.. Friends have raved about the Oregon Coast so we want to experience that also... so much to think / rethink.. i am so very appreciative of all your time with my post !!

Gardyloo

I've lived in Oregon, Washington, California and Alaska all my life (with some time out overseas) and have made the drive you're taking something in excess of 40 or 50 times, really. Back of my hand, as it were.

If some pictures could help, here ya go -
Columbia Gorge - http://gardyloo.us/wp-content/upload...0100509_5a.jpg

Mt. Hood from Hood River Valley - http://gardyloo.us/wp-content/upload...100509_85a.jpg

Mt. Hood from UO Medical school, Portland - http://gardyloo.us/wp-content/upload...100510_21b.jpg

Southern Oregon coast - http://gardyloo.us/wp-content/upload...116_84HD1a.jpg and http://gardyloo.us/wp-content/upload...116_38HD1a.jpg

janisj

I live in Northern CA and could not have given you better advice than Gardyloo's re ONP. Skipping that will give you much more (and more efficiently used) time for beaches. redwoods, mountains and the OR/CA coasts. IM(very H)O you need to allow at least 4 full days for the southern OR coast, the redwoods, and Mendocino/Ft Bragg areas.

If you do go down through Mendocino Country consider staying here instead of IN Mendocino https://www.littleriverinn.com

janisj

That should have said >>Mendocino County

ladysunbug

taking this all in.. but still want to see ONP.. but after that just may skip along.. hopefully , come Tuesday we will have the itinerary kinda set allowing a bit of flexibility.. Over the past several years , as i creep up in age, decisions become harder.. I appreciate all your knowledge Gardyloo and janisj.. still trying to get in Crescent Lake lodge...

ladysunbug

looking for those who have had similar trip... what was approximate cost ?????

Gardyloo

You'll be looking at a very high one-way surcharge on the rental car; I'd imagine you're looking at upwards of $1000 but that might be quite low; use Expedia or some such for a pinpoint number (it can vary with type and size of car chosen too.)

As for other expenses, I'd ballpark $150 - $200 for most motels along the coast, $250 and up in Seattle, Portland and San Francisco, maybe less in some places, more in others. Food is priced pretty typically. Gas prices will run around $3/gallon in WA and OR, a bit higher in northern California, and somewhat higher in very remote areas.

Hope that helps; the devil is in the details, of course.

ladysunbug

still working on the itinerary... and yes it is all in the details...

tomfuller

Consider flying to Portland (PDX) and renting a car for your Oregon and Washington adventure. Return the car where you rented it and take the Amtrak Coast Starlight south to Sacramento arriving early in the morning and renting a car there for what you want to see in California.
You save the drop fee and have 1 less hotel night (night on the train).

ladysunbug

originally , when we planned a month long trip, we had planned to end in san diego and take the train back up... but travel plans are limited now to two weeks..