I am helping research a trip to the Portland and the Oregon coast for late June or July of 2010. We have a group of 10 traveling together and we have located a house in Gleneden Beach that we are considering renting for 5 days. We also plan to spend a few days in Portland.

How congested is the Gleneden Beach/Lincoln City area during that time of year? Is it best to avoid the area around the fouth of July? I would like to hear your thoughts and personal experiences about this area of Oregon and any good activities to pursue.

Alan

Yes, Lincoln City will be a bit congested around July 4th, but that doesn't mean you should completely avoid the area. It's not miserable, just busy. There's a reason lots of other people will be there in the summer!

Lincoln City is not a bad place at all (I have not really spent any time at Gleneden Beach besides driving past on US 101 a hundred times), but it wouldn't really be my first choice on the Oregon Coast. I prefer Newport, which is itself not really smaller but less sprawling with (in my view, anyway) more to do - the Oregon Coast Aquarium, the bayfront (cheesy as it is in parts), and the Nye Beach area, for starters. You can even take a whale watching cruise from Newport (not sure if July is the optimal time for that, perhaps not). Newport is quaint in parts but fast food-sprawling in others (especially along US 101), but there are some very beautiful areas and some nice beaches.

Wherever you stay, bring sweatshirts! The Oregon Coast - especially the central coast - is not exactly burning up in the summer. It can be chilly and overcast (and windy!) walking on the beach, when it's 90 degrees back in Portland. I always feel sorry for the tourists I see on such days who are wearing shorts and were probably hoping for "beach weather" when they planning a vacation stop at the Oregon Coast. This isn't the kind of place where you can count on sunning yourself on the beach all day in just a bathing suit and lots of sunscreen.

If you do wind up at Gleneden Beach for a week, you would have ample opportunity for quick day trips up and down the coast. I encourage you (if you are inclined to hike) to do a half a day hiking at Cascade Head, to the north of Lincoln City. There are a few ways to get up there, one involving a fairly long (but only moderately difficult) hike through the woods, only to be treated to spectacular views of the coast below.

As I tell others: if you are an AAA member, get a copy of their Oregon Coast tour map, which breaks out the various attractions of the coast pretty well.

Be sure to go to Cannon Beach--it's a lovely little town and Haystack Rock is worth seeing. Take a walk on the beach to it--very nice memory for me. Oh and another must do is a drive into Ecola State Park. It's a small entry fee to drive up to some seaside cliffs with fabulous views of the coast. A lot of movies are filmed right there and for a reason.

Heed Andrew's advice about warm clothes. We were there this summer when it was 102 in Portland. I don't think we ever got over 82 on the coast and it was often foggy and drizzly. We didn't mind--that was better than 102! We came north from Texas to get away from that!

I was disappointed with Seaside. I don't expect or prefer upscale but it was just a little low rent to me. It did have a small outlet mall but I have that here at home.

We enjoyed the Tillamook Cheese Factory in Tillamook but it's no big deal if you miss it.

I agree with Andrew; Lincoln City wouldn't be my first choice (close to last, actually). Gleneden Beach is better, but Newport would be better yet. And, if you're looking for something less congested, check for places between Newport and Florence. Yachats area would be perfect, IMO.

If you've got the flexibility, come in July. Better chance of getting good weather.

Activities? Besides the obvious - tidepooling and other beach stuff, Oregon Coast Aquarium, etc. - do a dune buggy ride. Great fun! And if any of you are golfers, you won't be too far from Bandon Dunes.

We love it here in Seaside! Cannon Beach is also very nice, we are taking first-time visitors from Seattle there later today. You may also want to explore Fort Stevens State Park and Astoria. This is a beautiful area to spend time in, I hope you enjoy your travels! ***kim***

Connie: I was disappointed with Seaside. I don't expect or prefer upscale but it was just a little low rent to me.

kimamom: We love it here in Seaside!

I agree with you Connie, but hmmmm..... quite revealing, kimamom.

Twoweeks, since it's a 2+ hour drive, neither Cannon Beach nor Seaside would make much sense if you're planning to stay on the central coast. I mean, it's not as if you won't find just as nice (or better) beaches and scenery along the central coast.

"We love it here in Seaside!"
this looks like a recorded message lol

Connie, "Low Rent" .. exactly. And I think they then suffer by comparison to Cannon Beach..

Thanks for you replies and comments. They do help. One of the challenges for this trip is finding a nice rental for a group of 10-12 people. We would like to find a 6+ bedroom house. So far Lincoln City has been one of the few locations that had a good place. Can anyone suggest a nice rental in Cannon Beach, Manzinita, Newport or one of the other locations mentioned?

Alan

If a 6+ bedroom house is a priority, I think your options will be very limited. If there's mention of being on the Salishan spit in the materials of the place you're considering, I'd suggest booking it now. Otherwise, maybe search for a while longer, but not too long. That place might end up being your ONLY option.

Presume you've checked on vrbo?

I don't remember the realtor but if you google real estate, Manzanita, you can find a bunch of good ones!
After spending a few nights at the Inn at Arch Cape in Arch Cape, which is about 10 min south of Cannon Beach and about 10 min north of Manzanita.. I wanted to look at homes for rent/sale.
They have all these really great houses, grey weathered shingles , very New England-y to me, and they are on winding lanes that look out at the ocean ..
I hope you find one .. it is sooo nice there
Also look in Arch Cape.. it is close enough and all residential .. beautiful.

"And I think they then suffer by comparison to Cannon Beach.."

Since I went to Seaside first, I didn't even know to compare it. I just wasn't impressed with it and was worried I would feel that way about the other seaside towns we were visiting. I had such an opposite reaction to Cannon Beach--I loved it at first sight.

Seaside and Cannon Beach are both nice beach towns, just very different. Seaside is a more traditional beach town - much more typical of many of the towns you find on the Oregon Coast, with a very seedy commercial strip along US 101 complete with a McDonalds, some dumpy 1-star hotels, etc. but much nicer away from 101 and close to the beach. Seaside has just a very tiny hint of what you would find on a boardwalk on an east coast beach town - kids attractions, for example - and a very nice conventional beach. But Seaside definitely has an appeal, and it's hardly run down all over.

Cannon Beach is removed from 101 entirely (one of the rare Oregon beach towns that is) and has a much more quaint, adult feel. The buildings almost all have dark wood siding (must be a building code) and it feels much nicer and artsy-upscale than Seaside. Cannon Beach's actual beach is amazing, though - sometimes world-ranked - and Haystack Rock is an icon of the Oregon Coast and Oregon in general. Cannon Beach feels more like a pure vacation town, like very few people live there who aren't part of the tourist industry (or retired, or use Cannon Beach as their second home). Seaside is where the high school is for the whole region, where the locals in Cannon Beach probably go to shop, since the two towns are fairly close together.

Seaside vs. Cannon Beach comparisons aside, I think the point for twoweeks is that s/he'll have trouble finding 6+ bedroom rental homes, regardless of where s/he's looking.

If you are interested in going farther south like the Yachats area- I did find some 6 bedroom houses on the beach -

I have found a big rental house in Walport that is currently available. How would y'all rate the Waldport area? It is close to Newport and the area that seems to be preferred.

Also how long does it take to drive from Portland to the Newport area in July?

Alan

Andrew -- I have gone to our local AAA office and also to the AAA web site and cannot find an Oregon Coast Tour Map -- is it called something else? Thanks

I have my map in front of me. It's called the "Oregon Coast Tour Map" and it has the AAA Oregon/Idaho logo near the bottom. If this helps, there's a number in the lower left corner - probably an ID number - that perhaps your local office can look up: 1807033 . The last printing was September 2006, which may not be as old as it sounds; they don't revise this particular map every year I think.

Further, I see the map is marked inside (c)2006 AAA Oregon/Idaho and C & G Write Cartography, Inc (Corvallis, OR).

I had an older version but I picked this one up in Coos Bay, OR at AAA in September 2008. I suppose it's possible they have stopped carrying this map but I highly doubt it. More likely non-Oregon AAA offices don't carry it. Call your local office again and give them that ID number above and see if they can try again. At worst, you can pick up a map at an AAA office in Oregon after you arrive here, but of course that doesn't help you plan now...

twoweeks, Waldport isn't far from Newport, but it's much smaller. I haven't spent any time in Waldport (except photographing their bridge a few times and stopping at the interpretive center - worth a visit, covers Oregon coast bridges) to be able to tell you much what the town is like. Probably a quiet, small town you may enjoy. If you are considering a stay there, I wouldn't necessarily pick it over Gleneden Beach, though.

Newport is about 2.5 hours drive from Portland. The best way is usually to drive Highway 99W west through (around) McMinville to Oregon Highway west to US 101, and down 101 through Lincoln City. 101 does get slow and congested in the summer so you might add some time for that (scenery is great past Lincoln City though!). I have driven between Portland and Newport 20+ times and gone several different ways, including US 20 through Corvallis between I-5 and Newport, and the 99-18-101 route (despite what mapping programs suggest) is always faster, unless 101 has a big traffic jam or something.

I agree with Andrew on the route, but whatever you do, do NOT get onto hwy99w where it meets with I-5 in Tigard. Wait until the north Wilsonville exit, which cuts through Sherwood and puts you on 99 just on the north edge of Newberg. You will save a lot of time this way.

Andrew -- I just called the 800 number on the aaa web site -- she's going to call Oregon and have them send one to me. I'll let you know how that works out. Thanks again.