Advice on Four Days in Oregon in June
 

My husband and I will be in Portland, OR in June for a symposium. Anything we do in Portland will be in the evening.Afterwards we are staying on to see some of Oregon before flying home.We will have four full days to explore the area (Sunday-Wednesday) before flying home on Thursday. And yes, I wished we had extended the trip a few more days. We would like to see some of the coast as well as a bit of the mountain/valley areas. A friend suggested a doable one-day trip for the northwest corner of the state by taking US 26 to 101 to Seaside, then Astoria and then back to Portland on US 30.

That would leave three more days to see the area. We, of course, want to see Mount Hood as well as enjoy some wine in the Williamette Valley area. I have seen suggested routes of going to Hood River, then heading south through Madras to Bend. Afterwards, head west out to Newport and up to Otis, before returning to Portland. I have looked at the miles/drive times for this portion and realize there would be a fair amount of time spent in the car, depending on how the trip was broken up.Quite possibly, this is too much for three days .My question is about the jaunt to Seaside on the coast, is there anything unique about it and should it even be considered since we would be seeing the coastline between Newport and Otis? If we eliminate it and use all four days for the second route above, how do you suggest we best split out the four days?

The coast in June can be great or it can be cloudy and rather meh. No way to know, but if it was me, I'd plan a day trip to the coast and spend the rest of the time elsewhere. Pay special attention to the "if it was me" part, because many people will disagree quite strongly in this, and they can offer their own suggestions. For a day trip, I'd do something like this - https://goo.gl/maps/2JXbRX7eDfJ2 . Travel west to Cannon Beach and Ecola State Park, then north to Astoria and cross the (awesome) mouth of the Columbia River to the funky fishing village of Ilwaco, then visit Cape Disappointment for its Lewis and Clark interpretive center, lighthouses, trails, and Waikiki Beach (the other one) -

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e1f75cdcb0.jpg

I'd then follow the north bank of the Columbia back to I-5 and Portland. The north shore road (WA 4) passes through some interesting and very historic old towns, and offers good views of the river.

If you want to spend a day visiting some wineries in the Willamette Valley, fine, but also be aware that there are also numerous wineries in the Hood River/Columbia Gorge area, as well as breweries, red-rock cliffs and canyons, whitewater rafting, windsurfing, waterfalls, lakes, a stratovolcano, vista points, orchards, a museum full of Rodin sculpture, Herman the Sturgeon, and a copy of Stonehenge, all within an hour's drive of Hood River. Map - https://goo.gl/maps/tN18mf7bxjw

Google the places shown on the map; I'm not advocating this route per se, but only to illustrate where things are.

Terrible fires last year damaged a number of trails on the Oregon side of the Gorge, and part of the "historic" Gorge highway remain closed, but there are still numerous areas that remain fully accessible, and the entirety of the Hood River Valley and the Gorge east of Cascade Locks or so, as well as the beautiful Trout Lake area in Washington with its views of Mt. Adams, the Hood River "fruit loop" with its wineries and orchards, chairlift rides up to the permanent icefields on Mount Hood from iconic Timberline Lodge (used in The Shining) and more wineries, the Maryhill Museum and Stonehenge on clifftops overlooking the big river farther east.

The weather will also be warmer and drier than on the coast or probably in the Willamette Valley.

Hood River Valley -

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9f7fb3ca9b.jpg

Some links to review -
Wineries Map - Columbia River Gorge wine region - Washington and Oregon
Hood River County Fruit Loop, Hood River, Oregon
https://www.mcmenamins.com/edgefield
Maryhill Museum of Art
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attracti...ks_Oregon.html

Thanks Gardyloo for the suggestions and links, I will check them our further. It is definitely beautiful there!!

Definitely choose WA-4 over OR-30 if you want scenery. For most of its length the river cannot be seen from US-30.

Great, thanks Bob, so noted.

Christine, yes I too search the internet when I have never been to a place as well as possibly purchase travel books on a location if the trip is a substantial one.:) I planned the itinerary for our 2 1/2 week trip to New Zealand this spring, including making all reservations. However, I have always valued input from those that participate in the Fodors forums for tips or fine tuning travel plans, especially from the locals living there or those who have traveled there since they seem to provide insight that you don't normally find on the tourism site for a locality. Of the travel forums available out there, I have found Fodors to be the best. It has the most active participants who share and seek reliable information.

OK, I am a fan of Gardyloo's advice but I will dissent here on his advice a bit. I would go to the North Coast, like he says, Cannon Beach and Ecola State Park are good.

If you are able to leave Saturday night, you could potentially stay at the beach or closer to it. Taking US 26 out in the evening is not a bad drive. Yes, there are some curves and inclines, it's coast mountains. And, it will be light until 9:30 or so at the summer solstice. So if you can stay at Cannon Beach Saturday night, that would be a bonus.

Otherwise, leave on Sunday morning for the beach. Finding a one-night stay on a Sunday should not be as hard. If you can't find one in Cannon Beach, look at all the little towns--and make sure they are actually on the ocean. A few like Netarts are on the bay. Some good choices: Arch Cape, Manzanita, Rockaway, Oceanside, Pacific City.

Yes, I'm sending you south. And that puts you right toward the Willamette Valley wine country for the next leg of your trip. Come up Highway 22 or Highway 18 from the coast. So your Monday would be doing the Willamette Valley wineries.

I realize there are more winery events on a summer weekend, but truthfully the traffic along highways 18, 22 and 99 has gotten out of control.

Monday night, I'd suggest you stay east of Portland--McMenamins Edgefield would be my pick--and do the Columbia Gorge/Mount Hood until you fly out.

Thanks 5alive. Unfortunately we can't leave until Sunday, but still looks like we have some good options. I need to sit down today with my husband and look at the suggestions.

I tend to agree with 5alive. Cannon Beach is a great area, IMO. It was a draw for my family growing up, and then again after marriage and kids. So even after decades or visiting, it is still a draw for us, FWIW. While many place there (and even Seaside now) have 2-3 night minimums, we have almost always been able to call last minute and get a night squeezed in-between others reservations. Plus, most people end their trips on Sundays, so that is in your favor as well. Just in case you decide to stay there, a few places we have stayed and can vouch for include Schooners Cove, Blue Gull Inn (motel that has been very nicely redone), Cannon Beach Hotel and then the Surfsand Resort. The Surfsand has been our favorite place for many years and is almost always our first choice. As far as the Willamette Valley wineries, those are heads and shoulders above anything you will find in the gorge. The WV is known world wide for Pinot Noir, but also other varietals that are quite good. The thing is, overall the quality in the WV is significantly better than the ones in the gorge. The gorge is a wonderful day trip, don't get me wrong, but if I only had one area to go wine tasting, it would be a very easy decision.

Thanks for the hotel recommendations.