Hey all,

Planning an absurdly short Oregon vacation. Arriving Portland late on a Sunday, leaving Portland early Friday in August. Would like to get some wine country in and some nice driving/exploring on the coast, maybe with part of a day/night in Portland. Would a trip going West on 26, then south on 101, then end the triangle going East/North on 6 be recommended? Doable in 4 days?

Have heard great things about area around Cannon Beach, but that town itself sounds a bit expensive/touristy for me. Open to other ideas, any recommendations at all would be much appreciated!

Very doable.

However, on 101 I suggest you go as far south as Florence because the stretch between Lincoln City and Florence affords excellent ocean views--including Cape Perpetua.

Our favorite places to stay on this part of the coast are Cannon Beach, Newport, and Yachats.

Rooms are expensive in July and August. One of the best deals is an ocean front room at Fireside in Yachats: http://www.firesidemotel.com/Firesid...st_Room_Rates/

If you stay in Yachats, have dinner next door at Adobe.

The loop Portland-Cannon Beach-Florence-McMinnville-Portland is about 425 miles without side trips.

HTTY

I agree, very doable. We very much enjoy Cannon Beach, but on short notice you might have a tough time finding a spot to stay. I would book asap for that. FWIW, we have stayed at the Surfsand numerous times, as well as the Cannon Beach Hotel and Schooners Cove. All are great, and prices can be all over the board. Most places in town have a 2-3 night minimum, but call and see if you can fit inbetween other bookings.

That said, I would also go down to Newport. From there, head back inland towards McMinnville to our big wine area. There are over 200 wineries in this area alone.

Doing the loop in this direction works well for a couple reasons. One, you are heading south along the coast, so it is easier to pull over for viewpoints and get back on the highway. Also, that puts you in the wine area later in the week, and more wineries are open then than earlier in the week.

MMS, I was literally about to reply asking if wineries would be doable on this loop. Thanks so much. So you're recommending I go east on rt. 20 and north on 99 back towards McMinnville?

Any favorite wineries and/or places to stay around that area? Other stops on this route? thanks again.

Stop at the Evergreen Aircraft Museum near McMinnville to see the Spruce Goose and a few other goodies.
If you want some cheese to go with your wine, make a stop at the Tillamook Cheese factory. They have great ice cream too.

ODBS1515--Yes, that is the way I would go. It is a bit longer than going back up through Lincoln City and over, but there is no reason to backtrack. Take 20 over to Corvallis and then head up 99. If you like fudge, definitely stop in Amity at the Brigitine Monks place. Amity Winery is there too, which I like.

The suggestion of the Evergreen Aviation Museum is good. It is on hwy 18, which loops around McMinnville, basically bypassing the heart of downtown. If you do the museum, then definitely stop by Seufert Winery which is just off 18, north of the museum, although in Dayton. VERY good wine, the winemaker is very nice and friendly, and the prices are incredible. A must.

Other very good wineries, that we frequent, are in Newberg. Check out Arbor Brook and Brick House, which are pretty close to each other. Others that are quite good, and right near both of those places are Adelsheim and Aramenta. We live near here, so visit many of the wineries in this area. My best advice is to hit the smaller ones as their wines are better and prices more reasonable, and you are not paying for the facility. In downtown Dundee there is Argyle, which makes very good sparkling wines. Then in Newberg, Chehalem has a tasting room right in downtown. You might also consider a slight detour to Carlton. The downtown is only a couple blocks long, but is chuck full of tasting rooms. I like Seven of Hearts here, and the winemaker is married to the chocolatier who runs Honest Chocolates in the same space. They pair the chocolates with the wines too and are very good!

One word of warning on hwy 99. There are lots of smaller towns along here, so the speed limit changes frequently between 55 and 25, and is heavily patrolled for both speeding and DUI. Also, Newberg and Sherwood have red light cameras on Hwy 99, and tickets are almost $250 a pop.

When you head up hwy99 and are done with the wineries and need to head back to Portland, use the back roads through Sherwood instead of heading up through Tigard. It will save a ton of time and avoid what we locals refer to as "stop light h*ll in Tigard, lol. Or from Newberg, head over to Wilsonville to I-5.

In Portland, there are a handful of urban wineries that have popped up in the last few years. One of my favorites is Grochau Cellars, which is in the NW industrial area, pretty close to the shopping areas of NW 23rd. His wines are like Seuferts in that they are very good and so reasonably priced, and a very personable winemaker.

If you have any other questions, just ask. I have probably given you way more than you asked for, lol!

MMS: Thank you SO much. Incredibly helpful and believe me all the detail is great (going to print this!). Heads up on the law enforcement is a good reminder! Planning out my itinerary and reservations now. Might come back with more questions. thanks again!

Hey All/MMS,

So I'm finalizing my itinerary and hoping for some final advice. Trying to pack a lot in.

MONDAY: Portland to Astoria via 30 West. Lunch there or down in Cannon Beach. Then drive south to stay in Cape Lookout (one night of camping!)
TUESDAY: We're planning to rent RTVs at a place called Sand Lake Dunes early that morning. Never done something like that before (feels like a guilty pleasure) but it looks pretty fun. Hoping to be done but 11am or so, then drive south down to Newport, then cut over and head east on route 20 to the wine country. Planning to stay at Youngberg Hill Vineyards which looks nice (and is booked other days this week). Hoping to get there to check in by six or seven to make it worth it. Doable?
WEDNESDAY: Check out the vineyards listed above (thanks MMS!), stay in Mcminnville at the Grand Lodge.
THURSDAY: Early start and drive up north to White Salmon, WA and try rafting. Spend that last night in portland before flying out crazy early friday.

Am I crazy to try to pack this much stuff into 4 days? My wife and I have 3 kids and trying to make the most of a short trip...Suggestions welcome!

ODBS1515--I think it sounds good I would personally do lunch in Cannon Beach. I have not stayed at Youngberg Hill, but it gets great reviews from locals here. A friend has stayed there and he and his wife liked it. In Mac, I think you mean the Hotel Oregon. The Grand Lodge is also a McMenamins, but is in Forest Grove. Anyway, the Hotel Oregon is fun! I have stayed there and the rooftop bar is great (in nice weather of course). Great location for being in the heart of downtown.

Yes, Hotel Oregon is what I meant! I almost booked the wrong place. Will shoot for lunch in Cannon Beach. Hopefully we get an early start from Portland. Will let you know how it goes, thanks again!

Hey MMS/All,

So I'm close to my trip! Very excited. Rethinking our first morning. We have practically no time in Portland at this point besides basically a late dinner the night before we leave. So I'm thinking of skipping Astoria, spending the morning and maybe having lunch in Portland, then driving straight to Cannon Beach, hanging around there for the afternoon and dinner. Then driving to Cape Lookout after that as it seems not too far. This make sense?

If so any Portland recommendations for a half day? We're staying at a place called the Ace hotel.

Portland is a beautiful city- nice to spend some time there. One of the things I like to do is walk the paths along the river- there is a paved path on both sides of the river- you can do a loop by walking trail on one side, cross over on one of the bridges , walk down to the next bridge and cross back again- or you can rent bikes and do the same route.

From the Ace you will be close to an area called the Pearl where there are lots of shops and restaurants or I have done the Epicurian Walking tour of Portland which takes you to several sections of the city with stops at a variety of places for tasting local foods, wine , beer - I thought it was a fun thing to do.