nightxsky

My husband and I (early 20s) are planning a vacation to Oregon in early or mid June of this year. We were thinking possibly during the Sand Castle competition on Cannon Beach, which is June 19th this year. We'd be staying 7 days.

What we'd like to see:
Cannon Beach
Crater Lake (is it worth the drive this time of year?)
Seattle (DH's pick)
Columbia River Gorge
Mt Hood

Any other recommendations for places to see? We love the outdoors (hiking, etc.), so I would love to hear your thoughts!

spirobulldog

Crater Lake will most likely be closed until July 1. Hike Eagle Creek Trail in Columbia River Gorge. Skiing would still be great at Mount Hood. You might add Mount St. Helens to your list as well, very interesting. Portland, itself is very nice for a 2 or 3 day visit. Rose Garden, Stumptown Roasters, and Powell Bookstore are not to be missed.

Fodorite018

Crater Lake is open year round, however the north entrance doesn't normally open til around late June. That said, with only 7 days I don't think Crater Lake is a good option for this trip.

Along the same lines, trying to add Seattle might not be the best option.

With only 7 days here, I would stay in Cannon Beach for 3 nights and then spent the rest of the time in the Portland/Gorge area. Since you are a fellow hiker, I would suggest staying in the gorge for a couple nights, around Hood River. So far we have had a very light snowpack, but who knows what the rest of winter will bring to Mt. Hood. That said, hiking on Mt. Hood in early June will most likely have quite a bit of snow. It is however, a great tiem fror hiking in the gorge and there are numerous trails there to keep one busy for weeks

Mt. St. Helens is a good suggestion, but make sure that it is not a cloudy day. The last visitors center is up at Johnston Ridge and is a must see. The short movie there is a must, and definitely allow time for some hiking.

Another area that is about an hour south of Portland is Silver Creek Falls. It is a 7 mile loop that encompasses 10 waterfalls and is a nice hike. The Oregon Garden is nearby in Silverton, so those 2 would make for a nice daytrip from Portland.

Enjoy your time here

spirobulldog

I don't like the movies at NPS Visitor Centers, However, DO NOT MISS the one at Johnston Ridge. Yes, Crater Lake is open year round, but really it is only open about 3 months out of the year, beginning sometime around July 1 each year. Why go if you can't see the lodge, take the boat tour to Wizard Island, etc.

Fodorite018

spiro--OR in the winter is amazing! Snowshoeing and cross country skiing around Crater Lake are draws outside of the usual summer tourist season.

spirobulldog

Original posts asks if it "worth it" to go in Mid June. I don't think winter or summer activities to be good at that time. While, I haven't been there in the Winter, I am sure it is amazing. I would think the average tourist would want to see it in the summer for a first visit.

happytrailstoyou

I would skip Crater Lake that time of year, visit more of the Oregon Coast, and go to Mt. Rainier and/or the Olympic National Park in Washington State.

HTTY

beachbum

Just to clarify, it's the eastern side of Crater Lake's rim road that sometimes isn't completely cleared until July. But, the Lodge and other tourism services at Rim Village are open from mid-May on. That said, I agree with mms and others, with the rest of your itinerary and only 7 days, Crater Lake wouldn't make much sense for this trip.

spirobulldog

Volcano Boat Cruises
The 2009 Volcano Boat Tours season is scheduled for July 2nd through September 20th (weather permitting).

above was copied from Xantera Website. We were there this past July 09. The boat tours didn't start until July 10th. To me, the boat tour with stop @ Wizard Island is a must for your first time to Crater Lake. This would be like going to Disneyworld and not riding any rides, IMO. At least, we all agree that CL shouldn't be included on this trip.

Hundreds of waterfalls to explore along the Columbia Gorge. And they should be rollin at that time of year.

sunbum1944

I agree Crater Lake would be a lot of driving - stick to the Gorge and coast- as suggusted, Eagle Creek hike is very nice with a couple of waterfalls but my favorite is Silver Creek Falls as MMS suggested - there are 10 waterfalls in the park and easy to hike to all of them - some have trails going behind the falls - it is pretty spectacular

http://www.nwhiker.com/SilverCreekHike.html

If you like hiking you might enjoy a drive over to the Bend area instead of Crater Lake - lots of hiking and interesting things to do in that area

MMS- I went to Oregon Garden last summer and think they must be struggling - it was not real impressive so not sure 20 years olds would enjoy -

Fodorite018

Beachbum--Nice to see you back

sunbum--That is too bad, but doesn't surprise me. When they opened the hotel they were really struggling. But added into a day at SFSP it might not be so bad?

beachbum

spirobd - I've lived in Oregon for almost my entire life, and have been to Crater Lake many times. Still haven't taken the boat to Wizard Island but, you'd have a hard time convincing me I've missed much. And the analogy to Disneyland w/o going on any rides is beyond hyperbolic.

spirobulldog

mms on Jul 10, 09 at 3:38pm
CL is amazing and seeing it from the boat is SO different from up above!

couldn't agree more, than with mms, this is from a previous post that I asked about the boat tour. Yes, I went swimming in CL, hiked to the top of Wizard Island, and down into the cone at the top of Wizard Island. The bottom of the cone still had a lot of snow in it the last week of July. Picnic was great on the island, seeing the two waterfalls on the boat, and Shiprock within a few feet was pretty cool to me.

By taking the boat, several of us swam out to "the old man" and touched it. It was right near the boatdock.

spirobulldog

Eagle Creek has more than a couple of waterfalls. I remember 8 or 9 with 3 or 4 of them being outstanding, plus you are just around the corner from Multnomah Falls.

Punchbowl, Tunnel Falls, Twister Falls are the really good ones on Eagle Creek. I am sure that Silver Falls is great also.

Fodorite018

Spiro--Yes, the boat tour is great, but that doesn't mean it is the only good thing there. I still don't think that CL is the best use of time for the OP with only 7 days, but if you want to discuss other merits of CL, I suggest you come visit a few more times

spirobulldog

I never said that poster should visit CL. I was simply making my case that the best time to visit is July-Sept when everything is open, especially for a first visit. I guess it might be all right to drive to the rim and look at it, but that isn't really experiencing it, IMO. I certainly can't imagine living there and not ever doing the boat tour, unless I was physically unable to make it down to the boat on the Cleetwood Trail. When you are a visitor and not a local, the one thing in Oregon that seems like a "must see" is CL, it stands out above all else.

beachbum

"I guess it might be all right to drive to the rim and look at it, but that isn't really experiencing it, IMO. I certainly can't imagine living there and not ever doing the boat tour..."

Of course you'd love to think that your experience is the only way to experience Crater Lake. But I could just as easily say that, since you've never ridden a bicycle around it, you've not "experienced" Crater Lake either. And both of us would have millions who disagreed. Never-the-less, I'll defer to your obvious superior expertise. BTW, how long was that one-time visit to Oregon?

spirobulldog

All of the travel books and websites(sites like tripadvisor) that I look at say the top experiences at CL is The Rim Drive and Boat Tour. There is a reason that most of the visitation occurs in 3 months and there is a reason that The Boat Tour is almost always sold out. I did say that I am sure there are other great ways to see, enjoy, and experience CL. I think I put IMO, in most of my comments. I would love to see CL different ways and seasons, but for a first trip I am glad I saw it the way I did and when I did.

Since you asked, we were in Oregon for 13 Days. Portland 3 days, St Helens day trip, 1 night @Timberline Lodge/ Mount Hood and hiked a little there, 15 miles of hiking @ Columbia River Gorge, Fruit Loop, waterfall hiking and rappelling near Detroit Lake, 2 nights @ Crater Lake, Jet Boat on Rogue River, 1 night @ Oregon Cave/Chateau, Day in The Redwoods, 2 day coast drive(stopped @ Tilamook- would have liked to have seen Cannon Beach and other Northern area along the coast).

Oregon/Redwoods Pics
http://www.photoworks.com/slideshow/...6?source=pw980

Waterfall/Rappel/Hike
http://www.photoworks.com/slideshow/...F?source=pw980

Fodorite018

Wow, Spiro, you didn't even get to the rest of the state! So much to see and do here BTW, the reason that most of the visitation is in the summer months is because the north entrance is closed in the winter.

Beachbum--I think riding around the rim would be amazing. Like you say though, there is no one way that is THE way to see anything.

beachbum

"Like you say though, there is no one way that is THE way to see anything."

That's what I thought too, mms, but as I said, I'll defer to superior expertise. Kinda makes me wonder why they bother to keep the park open year-round, though.

I apologize for the hi-jack, nightxsky. So, back to your itinerary....

The Sandcastle Contest in Cannon Beach is lotsa fun, and wildly popular. Expect that most places in town will have minimum stay requirements. Which is possibly another reason to limit your itinerary.

On the other hand, you could divide time between Portland and Seattle, doing Cannon Beach and the Columbia River Gorge as day trips. And, if you're interested, visit St. Helens on the drive to/from Seattle.

Truth is, you could easily spend a week or more in either northwest Oregon or Washington. So, you'll have to determine priorities.