5 or 6 day road trip from Seattle
 

My husband and I will be attending a family funeral in Seattle on Oct 22. It just so happens that we both have the following week off. We'd like to rent a car and see the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. Any suggestions on how to spend our time? Have always been interested in seeing Oregon. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Open to other nearby states as well. Interested in nature and scenery.

In that time you could visit the Oregon coast from Cannon Beach to Florence and the Columbia River gorge as far as Maryhill. HTTy.

Consider taking an Amtrak Cascades train from SEA to Portland or even Salem and renting a car there.
Fly home from PDX after seeing as much of Oregon as you have time for.

By late October weather can start to be a limiting factor; rain in the lowlands and and especially on the coast, rain, clouds, even snow at higher altitudes in the mountains.

If you want to see Oregon, then I'd follow tomfuller's advice and take the train from Seattle to Portland. It runs several times a day, isn't much slower than driving, and is fairly scenic in parts. http://www.amtrakcascades.com/ This will eliminate a very expensive one-way rate on the rental car, or a couple of tedious drives.

Then get a car and spend the next days touring around, maybe something like this: https://goo.gl/maps/2KkYL3UUVuo Visit the Columbia River Gorge with its vista points and waterfalls (which ought to be decent if it's started raining) and the beautiful Hood River Valley, where the orchards and vineyards should still be in autumn color. Head east to visit the eclectic Maryhill Museum (Rodin in the sagebrush) and the nearby Stonehenge replica. Head out to the coast via Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood.

I've shown Yachats on the map as your initial destination, but playing it by ear is okay, too. If the weather forecast is poor, you could abbreviate the time on the coast - for example start with Ecola State Park at Cannon Bay instead of heading farther south. You could use the extra days/hours to visit the Willamette Valley wine country around McMinnville.

Visit Cape Disappointment at the mouth of the Columbia River, then follow the north shore of the river back to I-5 and Portland to close the loop. Fly home from Portland.

This will give you a real feel for the region, with mountains, rocky coast, lighthouses, cowboy country, orchards and vineyards, and the great river of the West. Highly recommended.

If it was a different time of year, I'd sent you over the Cascades Loop. That is a spectacular drive.

But in October heading to Oregon is a better idea. I love anyplace I've ever been on the coast there. Willamette Valley is nice to drive thru as you head south and west.

Thank you everyone! Gardyloo, your itinerary is wonderful and one that we plan on using. Looking forward to seeing all the beautiful sights in Oregon!

Gardyloo, you seem to know the area quite well. I've made all the flight arrangements but now need to check out accommodations. We are taking the train down to Portland on Monday morning and flying out of Portland Saturday morning. Can you help me determine where we should plan on spending the night along your itinerary? Are there places along the way that we could spend numerous nights and do day trips from? I'm not sure how busy the area is this time of year and would feel better have some reservations in place. Is Cannon Beach a good place to stay?

Yes, Cannon Beach is beautiful. I'm no expert on how it fits with the rest of your itinerary, but it's a lovely place to stay.

<i>Can you help me determine where we should plan on spending the night along your itinerary? Are there places along the way that we could spend numerous nights and do day trips from?</i>

First, you aren't going to need advance reservations; it's definitely a slow time of year throughout the region.

The weather is going to determine how much time you want to spend in some of these places. Out on the coast, it could be lovely, or stormy, or just plain blah.

I'd probably spend a couple of nights based in Hood River because it offers some good flexibility. You can head up the Hood River Valley through orchards to Mount Hood, or head west along the Columbia to the heart of the Gorge, or if the weather's poor on the west side of the Cascades, you can head east toward Maryhill where there's a much better chance the sun will be shining. I like the Best Western Hood River Inn; it's right on the water and quite comfortable.

Out on the coast, I like the Fireside Motel in Yachats, but if you don't want to go that far south, Cannon Beach is fine - there are numerous places to stay.

I'd look at the terrific McMenamins hotels and pubs if your tastes run to the eccentric and funky. In Troutdale, on the west edge of the Columbia Gorge, the Edgefield is a remarkable place, with on-site brewery, distillery, winery, movie theater, golf, spa, cool art everywhere... Or in Portland, the Kennedy School - a converted primary school - is similarly fun. McMenamins have properties around the state, including a hotel in McMinnville in the heart of the wine country.

But really, you'll be fine winging it.

Links:
http://www.hoodriverinn.com/
http://www.maryhillmuseum.org/
http://www.firesidemotel.com/
http://www.mcmenamins.com/
http://www.mcmenamins.com/Edgefield
http://www.mcmenamins.com/KennedySchool

Cannon Beach is a fantastic place to stay for a night or two. Places that we have stayed and really enjoy include Surfsand Resort (stayed numerous times over many years), Cannon Beach Hotel (great little boutique place right next to Surfsand), Blue Gull Inn (older motel that has been redone and is quite nice, although a block from the water), and Schooner's Cove. They are all great, just in different ways. Cannon Beach is only about 90 minutes from Portland via highway 26, which is the most direct route. We live in the Portland area so make the trip quite often.

I agree with the McMenamin properties. We have stayed at almost every one of them and have never been disappointed. Most of their rooms have shared baths, which have not been a problem for us but I know it bothers others. FWIW, the bathrooms have always been clean, and we have never had to wait.

The map that Gardyloo put together is a nice loop. The only thing I would change is I would head directly over to Cannon Beach the most direct way, as the scenery with the extra included in the map is not very exciting, IMO.

If you are interested in wine at all, the Willamette Valley is a must. We have over 400 wineries in this region alone.

If you have other questions let us know.