Husband & I will be traveling from Monterey, CA to Mt. Hood, Oregon. Stops: Monterey, San Fran, Wine Country, Mendocino, up CA Coast ??, Redwoods, then what?? Should we drive up Oregon Coast to Portland or go inland to see Crater Lake (is it worth it?) We have 10-12 days for this trip? Looking for interesting stops & lodging on latter part of trip. Up to Mendocino is pretty well planned. Thanks all, I love this site!

What time of year is your trip? The road to Crater Lake is closed for most of the winter I think.

Hi Maura.

I have done both more than twice. IMHO The coast wins hands down. Coast can be foggy but still outstanding. Nothing wrong with Crater Lake, it is nice too but the coast is much better.

Tough decision! Normally I would choose the coast route since it is so pretty but Crater Lake is pretty awesome too. Perhaps do both. The southern portion of 101 is mostly inland anyway so you could go up I5 from the Redwoods and cross to Crater Lake and back to I5. In Eugene you could detour to the coast again to 101. It is about 1hr from I5 at Eugene to Florence on fairly easy road.

Crater Lake is amazing and the lodge is fun (make reservations early) but probably only 1 day to see it all. Diamond Lake is close and more resort-like. I really do recommend the lodge though - it has so much history and has beautiful views.

I don't suppose I helped in your decision making.....

Enjoy your drive!

It pains me to think that you must make an either-or decision. If I had to make such a decision I would cheat and drive a little ways down the coast and then turn east at Newport and go to Crater Lake, even if I had to leave at 5 AM.

There is no comparision.....the coast is a million times more interesting and beautiful than Crater Lake. 10 minutes at Crater Lake after many, many hours from anywhere to drive there and you've seen it all.

OK, some say Coast, some say Crater Lake, some say both!! I think we may try to do both. Can anyone give me the 4 or 5 best towns to stay on the Coast or inland?

I've lived in Oregon most all my life. If you're going to be traveling in the Summer I'd highly recommend a jet boat trip up the Rogue River. A great place to overnight would be at Tu-Tu-Tun Lodge five miles upriver from Gold Beach. The jet boats can pick you up from their private dock. Great food, setting, hospitality, rooms,,,they have it all.

Ahhh....A 12 pack of ice cold Oly, big sack of sunflower seeds, and a full moon along the banks of the Rogue River in Shady Cove, Ore...Good times. Beautiful place.

I have friends that speak highly of the Brookings area on the Ore coast.
Good luck!
Kal

Bandon - Florence - Newport - Seaside

And don't forget to stop at Mo's in Newport for chowder - no trip on the coast is complete without it!

I agree that both the coast and Crater Lake are doable in one trip. One of the places we chose along the coast was Tyee Lodge, a B&B on the ocean near Newport, in a beautiful location, nice hosts and great breakfast. We also drove the Columbia Gorge Trail and stopped at the waterfalls along the way, and spent a couple of hours hiking at Mt. Hood, staying overnight in Bend. We also spent a day at the Mt. Hood Jazz Festival in Portland and went to the gardens there (the Japanese and Rose gardens are close together, and the Art Museum). We never felt rushed.

Oregon is varied and the roads were scenic and easy to navigate.

Enjoy your trip,
Karen