Antares

I've studied the postings here & came up with a 2 wk (July 6-20) itinerary for my Husband & my trip to Seattle, Portland & the OR coast.

We love modern art, but other than that not much into museums. Love (easy to moderate)hiking, picturesque beaches and charming, artsy towns. Have tried to include as much as possible without being too rushed.

Would so much appreciate the opinions of those familiar with these areas.

Day 1-Arrive Seattle Airport 9:30 am - Rent Car-Drive to Seattle Hotel (3 nights)-Which one??????
Day 2-Seattle
Day 3-Day Trip:Ferry to Bainbridge Island
Day 4-Mt Rainier NP-Paradise Inn-Hiking
Day 5-Mt Rainier NP-National Park Inn-Hiking(Paradise fully booked that night)
Day 6-Mt St Helens-Hiking-then onto Portland for 1 night- Which Hotel???????
Day 7 - Drive Washington side of Columbia River Gorge then south to Timberline Lodge where we spend 2 nights-Hiking
Day 8-Hiking-Timberline Lodge
Day 9-Drive to Cannon Beach-Ocean Lodge (2 nights)Enjoy CB, Seaside, & Astoria
Day 10-Cannon Beach-Stay at Ocean Lodge-Visit Ecola West NP. Oswald NP, Hug Point, & Manzanita- Stay at Ocean Lodge
Day 11-Drive to and stay in Newport or Lincoln City???? Visit 3 Capes, Cascade Head Preserve, Devils Punch Bowl,Oregon Coast Aquarium
Day 12 - Drive to and stay in Florence-Visit Yachats, Cape Pertua & Hecceta Head State Park
Day



Questions-Should we do Olympia NP instead of Rainier? Are there any "Must-see towns/beaches" that are not listed?

Antares

ooops-Hit enter before I finished

Day 13-Oregon Dunes-Thought Sandrail ride would be exciting! Then take 126 to I5 & head north to Portland-Stop at a winery or 2-Spend the night at a Portland hotel & be ready to catch plane home next day
Day 14 - Flight leaves around 2 in afternoon

Are we trying to squeeze too much into any one day? Have we missed any favorite spots?

Should we stay in Lincoln city or Newport? Any recommendations for a mid-priced hotel? Same for Florence?

Most importantly - Should we extend our trip another 2 days to do the Jet boat ride in Gold Beach?

Are Coos Bay, Bandon, & Brookings must-see towns?

Thanks in advance! I can't wait to go!

OO

My DH flew from FL to Portland for one reason only...to go to Bandon! If you are a golfer, yes that is a must do! His pictures of the links style course are incredible.

Antares

My Husband loves to play golf. Is it a public or private course?

OO

He played both Bandon Dunes and Pacific Dunes. Both are public but he thinks you'd need to plan well in advance for tee times. I'm not a golfer but even I was in awe of his pictures from the courses. It was quite an experience...I hope your husband gets to play!

dsquared

Cannon Beach is about as picturesque, charming, and artsy as it is possible to be, so I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Couple of good places to eat are Lazy Susan Cafe and Bistro, both in downtown Cannon Beach.

If you haven't nailed down a Seattle hotel, do so immediately - it's a very popular place in the summer. Ditto Portland.

While I LOVE the Olympic NP, distance would be a problem with your itinerary (LOTS of driving), so I think you're better off staying with Mt. Rainier. Expect it to be crowded, though.

Newport is much nicer and has more of interest than Lincoln City, and I agree with the previous poster regarding Bandon's golf courses. I know people who go there only for golf!

Hope you enjoy.

Orcas

I believe I wouldn't stay 2 nights at Mt. Hood. After you've seen Mt. Rainier you will find Mt. Hood not so impressive. It is not a national park and doesn't have the ranger lead walks and other features of Rainier. (On Rainier, be sure to visit Ohanapakosh, the rain forest. Also, if it's overcast, drive to Sunrise on the east. It is usually sunny there and is as spectacular as the Paradise area, I think, with less visitors.
I think you might add the day you get from Mt. Hood to your coast stay. I think you might want to take an entire day traveling from Canon Beach to Newport, with stops along the way. I would not go to Manzanita or points south of Canon Beach until the drive to Newport.
I'm not that familiar with the coast south of Newport (been there once), but it is also beautiful.
You are planning a great trip.
I would not throw in the Olympic Peninsula, unless you were to skip Mt. Hood and the Gorge entirely. You could go to Mt. Rainier for nights 4, 5, 6, (maybe pick up Mt. St. Helens at Windy Ridge), then go to the Olympic Peninsula, staying in Port Townsend (night 7) and going to Hurricane Ridge, then Lake Crescent (night 8), Hoh Rain Rorest and down to the Oregon coast (Astoria night 9). Canon Beach (10). Just another way to do it.