gcap

We are planning a 10 day trip this summer to Oregon and Northern California. I would like to get some suggestions about possible itineraries. In 10 days, how much of the following could we hope to accomplish: Portland, Columbia gorge, Mt. Hood or Mt. St. Helen, Crater Lake, a taste of the Oregon coast, Redwood Nat'l park, some of the north Cali coast and a little of San Fran? would the total drving time be? What locations would it make most sense lodge at? Are there any other sites not to be missed in Central and west Oregon and Northern California?

Answers to any of these questions would be very appriciated.

happytrailstoyou

You have a very ambitious itinerary.

San Francisco is about 625 miles from Portland on the shortest route. You will probably have to either forget about going there or lop some of the other time-consuming places off your list (Mount St. Helens or Crater Lake, for instance).

Also, bear in mind that driving on the Oregon Coast is slow going.

A day-trip to Mt. Hood and the Columbia River Gorge is a good posibility from Portland.

It would be great to drive the coast from Cannon Beach to Eureka, but you may not have time for that.

For driving distances and times see maps.Yahoo.com or similar source.

beachbum

I'm not sure how to answer this, so:

Portland - plan 1-2 days
Mt. Hood and Columbia gorge - 1 day
St. Helens - 1 day
Crater Lake - 1 day
"Taste" of Oregon coast - 1 day to 1 week
Redwood Nat'l park - 1 day
N. CA coast - not a clue!
San Francisco - at least 2 days.

Add drive times, and you're well over 10 days. So, you've got to make some choices. If I were choosing, I'd nix Crater Lake. It's just too far out of the way of the rest of your itinerary. You'd end up with something like:

3 days in Portland, including St. Helens, Mt. Hood, and Columbia River gorge

5 days along the Oregon and California coasts, including Redwood Nat'l Park (and maybe a little CA wine country?).

2 days in San Francisco.

If you agree in general, we can help you flesh it out.

Orcas

Day 1 - Portland
Day 2 - Mt. St. Helens (night in Portland) - full day trip
Day 3 - Columbia R. Gorge/Mt. Hood Loop (night in Portland)- full day trip
Day 4 - Canon Beach - 1 1/2 hours from Portland
Day 5 - Yachats - 4 hours
Day 6 - Visit Oregon Caves - Night in Ashland (See a Play) (Return to I-5 to do this. Coast driving is slow)
Day 7 - Visit Ladybyrd Johnson Grove in Redwood Natioanl Park - CA Coast
and Patrick Point State Park - http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=417 Fabulous! Stay in Eureka
Day 8 - Mendocino (Stay at Little River Inn. Walk to Van Damme St. Pk)
Day 9,10 San Francisco

Throw something out to spend more time in San Francisco.
Gain a day by driving from Canon Beach to I-5 and spend night in Ashland for Day 5. (This would take about 5 1/2 hours of driving)

Michael

I posted a trip report about two weeks of a round-trip covering about what you covered. So it is doable, although SF was not part of the itinerary, just the point of departure.

rain_monkey03

Since I'm not sure where you're coming from I'm going to start at Crater Lake. So, Do Crater Lake then drive up to either Eugene or Salem (I recommend Salem) and stay the night. That morning you leave and head for Mt. Hood and come down to the Columbia River Gorge Highway, be sure to get on the CRG Hwy and not the interstate because you won't see anything from the interstate. After that go through Portland and stay the night there do your research though because some places in Portland aren't the greatest. After that I would recommend going to Astoria and driving down the coast. There are a fair amount of lighthouses and gorgeous view so plan to spend around 3 days on the coast. Hotels in Eureka are easier to get but if you want to stay North of Redwoods go to Crescent City. Then go south to San Fran. Hope this helps.