Hi PNW and Oregon experts,

My daughter and I (66 and 35) are looking into a weeklong trip possibly to the Oregon coast in early June. Including travel we can commit to about 9 days total as she has a pup to get back to.

We’ve never been and are wondering about the drive from Portland to say Yachats or anywhere that has hiking and kayaking and a nice place to stay. We both enjoy natural beauty and good dining experiences and exploring new places.

We’d prefer not to take two flights, but if we need to in order to avoid extensive driving we will.

My daughter will fly out of the DC area and I’ll fly from the NYC area.

Sorry if this is a bit vague. We’ve already looked into Norway, Slovenia, Vancouver Island … and for one reason or another can’t seem to commit. I’d head back to Scotland, but somehow that doesn’t seem very Millennial-ish 😊 (My other daughter and I enjoyed the San Juan islands and Vancouver but she’s not as outdoorsy as this daughter who is more interested in hiking and kayaking than walking around Vancouver or whale watching.) I like a nice pool but I see they are not typical for Oregon.

We really enjoyed traveling in Iceland as an example of things we liked together. But, admittedly some of the driving in one lane around mountain passes was a bit too dramatic for me as I’m a tad acrophobic so if the coastal drive involves that I may need to rethink. My daughter is a city girl so not much of a driver and that will fall to me.

Thanks for your gentle opinions.

Just quick -- but IME/IMO Scotland seems TOTALLY Millennial. More outdoorsy stuff to do than even in Oregon - Plus the flight times from the east coast are almost the same.

But re Oregon -- I love the Oregon coast but it might not be 'balmy' in June. It might be less pronounced than along the California coast (I tend to avoid both in June/July) there is this thing called 'June Gloom' with cool/cold even/foggy conditions on the coast due to higher temps inland. Not a deal breaker and the fog usually burns off by mid-afternoon-ish. (IME the best time to visit the NorCal/Oregon coasts is early Fall when the weather is gorgeous)

The coastal drive is nothing like Iceland (or Scotland for that matter). Easy except for holiday traffic in some places.

PDX is the obvious airport and I'd guess you can get non-stops from NY/DC. I've spent much more time along the southern Oregon coast and find it very scenic plus being close to the fabulous Redwoods in far northwestern California. Only visited north of say Newport/Depoe Bay a couple of times (years ago) so others will have more knowledge of the northern OR coast.

Meant to add -- the drive along the coast is fine, but some routes to get to the coast from inland over the mountains might be more worrisome for you. Not terrible but some twisty turny bits.

I'll echo Janis about June Gloom, which is not uncommon along the Oregon coast (or indeed the whole Pacific coast.) But a second issue is the length of your trip. While you certainly could spend a week or more on the coast, I personally think it would be a shame to miss out on some other places that you might enjoy a lot.

Case in point, June is a fantastic time to visit the Columbia River Gorge and Mount Hood country, just east of Portland airport. In June the many waterfalls along the Gorge rim will be at spectacular peak flow with spring runoff. The gorgeous Hood River Valley will be in bloom, with Mount Hood looming at the head of the valley. There will be kayakers, windsurfers, SUP and kite boarders navigating the Columbia at Hood River, the Hood River "fruit loop" - past orchards, vineyards, lavender fields, fruit stands...

An hour east of Hood River (thus around two hours from PDX) is the very cool Maryhill Museum, with an eclectic collection including numerous works by Rodin. Nearby is a strange replica of Stonehenge, sitting in the sagebrush cliffs overlooking the great river.

With nine days, you could easily split your time between the coast and the Gorge, which I'd recommend.

Hi Janis and Gardy - thanks for your quick responses! I’ve already read your advice on some other threads and was hoping you’d chime in here.

Janis - I would look into Scotland but I’ve been a few times in the last few years and thought I should broaden my horizons. Thanks for the warning about the weather because I’m never ever going back to Ireland because I have no luck there with the weather.

Gardy - would the June Gloom be a factor in the area you mentioned?

I love travel in Autumn the best but my daughter is a PhD student and I’m an educator so summer is when we both can get away.

Thank you both!

Gardy - would the June Gloom be a factor in the area you mentioned?

June gloom, when it happens, is usually limited to immediate coastal areas. The "classic" occurrence usually means it's overcast and chilly until around sunset or a bit before, when things have warmed up enough to burn off the low clouds. By "warmed up" I'm referring to temperatures in the low 60s F.

The area I'm describing is quite a way inland from the Pacific, and usually enjoys sunnier and warmer temperatures than the coast. The Columbia Gorge cuts through the Cascade mountains, so that there's a "wet" and a "dry" side, with Hood River more or less at the dividing line. In June the average highs in Hood River are in the mid-70s.

The Gorge looking east



Latourell Falls, in the Gorge



Mount Hood from Hood River Valley (early May)



Columbia River at Hood River

Agree June weather could be sketchy on the coast in June- or it could be great. There is a better chance of good weather a little inland. As Gardyloo suggested, the Gorge could be sunny and probably more options for hiking and kayaking. In Portland, Alder Creek Kayak has rentals and also guided trips.
I am most familiar with the coast from Florence to Newport. There is not a lot of kayaking along the coast but south of Florence you can rent kayaks and do a lake. river trail to the beach.
Also, inland is a great hike Trail of the Ten Falls in Silver Falls State Park which is close to Salem- its a great hike. About 8 miles if you do the whole thing with options to shorten it.
Once you decide where you are going- I could make other suggestions.

Can you wait until late July which the potential for gloomy weather is lower? In the north along the Oregon Coast are Canon Beach, Seaside and Astoria. They are all cool places. There are state parks with great hiking and beachcombing such as Oswald West SP south of Cannon Beach.

I think June is fine. It's a toss up whether July would be better or worse. It often rains on 4th of July for example.

Overleaf Lodge in Yachats is very nice.

Portland would have more flights. Eugene is a nice, small airport and closer to the coast but likely would then require an additoinal flight.