susanpa

We are a 60 ish couple coming to the northwest I nearly June. Want to do onp, rainier, mt St. Helens, columbia river gorge, portland, willamette valley and maybe oregon coast . We are flying into seattle and home from portland or possibly the reverse. Onp is our primary interest.
Itinerary so far-open to suggestion june 5- arrive seattle late-stay near airport
June6- explore seattle, pikes place, downtown, needle . Ferry late afternoon and drive to lake crescent
June 7 explore hoh and hurricane ridge, stay at crescent
June 8travel to lake quinnault lodge 1 or 2 nights to explore area and beaches
June 9 or 10 go to mt rainier overnight at paradise, if available
June 10 or 11- mt St. Helens and drive thru columbia river gorge
June 11or12 either willamette valley or over to oregon coast and tillamook
June 13 portland, evening flight home
We like nature, short easy hikes, scenery and off the beaten path stops. Any Native American culture spots of interest on our travels?
Thanks for your help

tomfuller

I would go to Mt. Rainier or Mt. St. Helens but not both.
June 11 return the car where you rented it (downtown Seattle) and not the airport. Take an Amtrak Cascades train to Portland. Rent a car in downtown Portland for your trip to the Willamette valley and over to the coast perhaps as far south as Newport.
Returning the car in Portland is simple. You can take the TriMet light rail red line with your luggage out to the PDX airport ( end of the line) This way you avoid drop off fees which may be more than your train tickets.

happytrailstoyou

If you drive to Lake Crescent on your second night after a day of sightseeing in Seattle, you won't be able to go to Hurricane Ridge. To see Hurricane Ridge, you will have to backtrack 25 or move miles over a not-very-interesting highway. And then retrace your backtracking.

Lake Cresent is not a base for exploring the Hoh Rainforest, and Lake Quinault is not a base for checking out ocean beaches.

Don't miss the easy hike to Marymere Falls from Lake Crescent.

I would visit the Hoh Rainforest on the way to Lake Quinault, or I would skip the Hoh and go to the Quinault Rainforest instead.

On the way to Quinault, Rialto Beach, La Push (Native American town), and Kalaloch are worth a visit.

A visit to Mt. Rainier on a clear day is an unforgettable experience. If you must choose between Mr. Rainier and Mt. Saint Helens--choose Mt. Rainier.

In the Columbia River Gorge we like to stay in a room on the river at the Best Western Hood River Inn.

If you are interested in spectacular scenery, go to the Oregon Coast. Ecola State Park, Cape Perpetual, and 101 north and south of Cape Perpetual are among the most scenic places on the northern Oregon Coast.

HTtY

happytrailstoyou

Cape Perpetua, AutoCorrect changed it to Cape Perpetual, which is incorrect.

HTtY

lenlu

Willamette Valley is nice but it's not unlike other areas. I'd do the beach (Cannon Beach isn't far from Portland and is beautiful) but happytrailstoyou mentioned Cape Perpetua which is pretty but a bit of a drive south.

sunbum1944

Native American cultural spots- you might enjoy Tillicum Village. You will take a boat over from Seattle( Argosy Tours) - do a a little harbor tour and then land on Blake Island. You will be entertained by the NA and have a fabulous salmon dinner cooked on cedar planks. There is also a show of native dancing- afterwards you are free to roam the island for awhile or take the boat back to Seattle.
I really enjoyed this experience.

The Oregon coast from Newport to Florence is spectacular- if you do this, plan some time for stops. If you decide on a drive-by, you will miss a lot and should consider a different option.

Hurricane Ridge is beautiful. You should spend most of the day there if you are going. The hike to the top appears steep but it really is not bad if you are used to doing any hiking at all. I am older than you, had to intention of making it to the top, but I did with only slight huffing and puffing. You can see over to Vancouver Island from the top.


Don't try to do too much in one day- you will see a lot of territory but not experience much!

marvelousmouse

NA:

First link is most promising, recent museum near seattle and looks very interesting. Next 2 are general list and sights, 2nd of which all appear tribal ran.


I think I've been to most of these except the suquamish, but it's been so long, they are all sort of muddled together in my head, so I'm afraid I can't help with specifics, sorry!

Last link is for the wa state history museum, has a pioneer exhibit and museum, has native artifacts. Would probably give you a great overview of regional history. Lastly, possibly check out seattle Art museum. I remember some neat native artifacts on display and that museum has an amzing collection in general.



http://www.suquamishmuseum.org/getting_here.htm


http://www.travelportland.com/articl...rican-culture/

http://www.burkemuseum.org/ethnology...native_museums



http://www.washingtonhistory.org/vis...its/greathall/

susanpa

thanks all for the wonderful info. we have booked some nights in onp and will see what we can, taking time to enjoy what we do see. the oregon coast sounds spectacular. thanks for the native american info. mu husband had mentioned some of the sites near seattle. I am leaning towards mt ranier, husband's preference is mt st helens, so that remains to be seen. both sound like winners. so much to see, so little time.I am sure we will have to narrow things down so we get to savor what we do. I appreciate all the feedback that will help us narrow our list. some days are fixed but we hope to remain flexible to take advantage of our moods and the weather.
thanks all