madhooder

My husband and I along with our 14 and 16 year old kids have booked a flight to Portland from June 26th to July 5th. We've never been to the Northwest Coast and would like help planning our time there.

Were thinking of a route that includes Portland, Coast (Astoria to Newport), Williamette Valley, Mount Hood and Columbia River Gorge. Need help with specific towns to visit, hikes to take, beaches, accomodations, places to eat, etc.

Any insight is appreciated!

Scarlett

Our first trip to Portland, we stayed in Portland for the whole time ( at the Monaco Hotel)

www.monaco-portland.com

and did all the trips as day trips.

The Coast (Cannon Beach) is 90 min from downtown Portland..if you want to go from Cannon Beach south..there are 2 sometimes 3 night minimums on the Coast and they book up fast so you would need to get on that quickly.
Astoria is north and not on the Ocean..if that makes a difference.

Willamette Valley as in wine country?
That is easily doable in a day trip..
The Gorge, is a fabulous day , 30-40 minutes from downtown..go along the Historic Highway, past the Womens Forum lookout, stop at Vista House, drive along this winding road past green green forest and huge waterfalls..it is wonderful..

Decide exactly where and how you want to do it and then you can get better recommendations.
With the 2 kids..you might also like the Inn at Northrup Station in town ..
www.northrupstation.com

Restaurants can come last, once you know where you will be. One thing Portland has plenty of and that is restaurants

Fodorite018

Well, our summers don't typically start til July 5th, so bring layers

Cannon Beach is a great town for families, and is not far from Portland. It takes us about 90 minutes to get there, and we always stay at the Surfsand. It is the only resort on the OR coast with cabana service.

For the 4th of July there are quite a few options. There is a huge event just over the river from Portland in Vancouver, but it is HUGE and so the crowds can be overwhelming. Downtown Portland, on the river just south of downtown there are fireworks on barges. A lot of people gather in the park down there, and it is fun. Corbett, a small town in the gorge, puts on an awesome show as well. Surfsand books far in advance and has minimum stays, so call now.

We have a great wine area, but with teens I would skip that. Unless they are interested in aviation at all. Then you could stop in McMinnville at the Evergreen Aviation Museum (home of the Spruce Goose) and then stop at either a tasting room in the downtown area, or head to a winery. I know with our teens they would not enjoy the wineries, but if you can compromise it might work.

Mt. Hood is great. Timberline Lodge would be fun for a night, possibly two. We love hiking on the Timberline Trail. June is early for it, but for a day hike you might be ok. There are loads of trails in the area, so you could always pick another.

The gorge is chuck full of trails as well. Definitely take a drive on the old scenic highway that Scarlett mentioned. After the gorge, you could continue and come around the back side of Hood and get to Timberline that way.

Definitely take a day and head to Mt. St. Helens. The kids will love it! We have been quite a bit and it never gets old. There are several visitors centers, but the best is up at Johnston Ridge and is a must see. You can hike up there as well, which really gives you a feel for the destruction that took place.

madhooder

Thanks for sharing! If we do decide to take all as day trips, is there a town near Portland that you would recommend. We'd prefer to stay in a smaller town vs the city. Or are there vacation rentals that would have more room for the 4 of us vs a hotel? Thanks again!

trippinkpj

We were in Portland in late May last year and had temps in the upper 80's to low 90's. Though to concur with MMS, that would be very unusual.

Vttraveler

I also recommend a trip to Mt. St. Helens. I'd try to do an overnight if possible--a lot to see
We also enjoyed the Fort Vancouver National Historic site

If you've never seen one of the big dams, the Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River Gorge is interesting

Scarlett

You can rent a home or apt through VRBO.com
I just looked at the Portland homes today that are for rent, wow... you definitely should look into that, great when traveling with the family.http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/oregon#4216

madhooder

I agree. We've had great success with VRBO in the past. But we would like to stay outside of Portland in an area that will still provide easy access for day trips. Looking for a more relaxed atmosphere. Any recommendations?

SuziePDX

Madhooder,
I've lived in many cities, and Portland is the most relaxed and friendly - almost a small town with city amenities. And it's beautiful. I would recommend staying in Portland proper...depending on exactly where you are it's easy to walk or take light rail to restaurants, Washington Park, Powell's Books, etc.