Hello - I'd love some input on a trip I'm putting together for late July. I've not yet booked the airline tickets but I'm estimating 9-10 days for this trip. I'm traveling with my husband and 14 year old. We all love outdoor and adventure. The first draft of my itinerary looks like this:
Day 1-3 - Arrive in Portland - spend first few nights on the coast maybe in Astoria, Seaside or Cannon Beach
Day 3-5 Drive along coast to get to next destination, I'm thinking maybe around Newport then spend 2 nights in that location
Day 6 - Drive to Crater Lake and spend 1 night in the area
Day 7-8 Bend
Day 9-10 Explore Columbia River Gorge, make base camp in Hood River?

We're coming from Boulder, CO so I think we'll skip Mt. Hood. I've hear a lot of good about Bend but I've also heard that is very similar to Boulder so I'm wondering if we'd be better off to skip it and spend the extra night on the coast or along the river. I'm also wondering if Crater Lake is worth the day trip. We'd like to see it but we try not to overbook ourselves during our travels so that we can really enjoy an area and relax as opposed to trying to see too much of an area and not really having enough time or energy to see anything.

I'd really like to hear some feedback on the coastal towns to use as our base camps. We'd prefer an area that is not too crowded but we would like for it to have restaurants within walking or biking distance as well as outdoor activities, even just a nice walk on the beach. Farmers Markets would be a great bonus. We stay away from luxury accommodations, we prefer local lodging as opposed to chains and will even look into VRBO. I've done some preliminary lodging research and it looks like we could find something for our taste within our $150 (ish) per night budget.

I'm looking forward to getting some feedback from those of you with insider knowledge of this area!

Overall this looks good. For the first few nights on the coast, any of those areas would work. Do be aware though that both Seaside and Cannon Beach are very popular and many places require 2-3 night minimums, and book far in advance so I would get that booked asap. Your budget of $150 for that area in the summer will be very tough though. We go to CB often, and have for many decades. The places we have stayed and that I recommend include Surfsand Resort (our #1 pick, much higher rate than your budget but if you can swing it it is so worth it!), Blue Gull Inn, Cannon Beach Hotel, and Schooner's Cove. All of these are great properties and would work well for being close to the water yet walkable to downtown. Rates will vary quite a bit.

Newport is a good area, lots to do and see. We like either the Elizabeth Street Inn or the Holiday Inn Express (South Beach area). Again, might be tough with your budget, but take a look and see.

I would absolutely NOT drop Crater Lake. It is fascinating and the boat tour is not to be missed. Allow a full day there to do that and drive around the rim. Make reservations yesterday Even if you can't get a room there, find whatever you can, even if it is in Bend, and make the drive. It is worth it.

I have not been to Boulder so can't compare, but we do love Bend and Hood River. I would allow at least one night in Bend, and a couple in Hood River. HR with the gorge is very unique.

Thank you MMS for the quick reply and the lodging options. I'll look into all of the ones you suggested, we may need to increase the lodging budget by the sounds of it. Glad to hear Crater Lake will be worth it, I know my husband and daughter would be disappointed if we didn't make it there I just wanted to make sure it wasn't "just another lake" and something we could drop from the itinerary.

Glad to help Gosh, no, Crater Lake is not just another lake! So beautiful!!! Buy tickets for the boat tour ahead of time, and you might want to incorporate the time to get off at Wizard Island and do a bit of hiking there. Another boat will come get you, but you need to buy your ticket for that and not just decide that day. When our son took a friend from Germany there, it was the highlight of her 6 week trip to the PNW, to give you an idea of how impressive it is.

That is good information to have! We'll make sure to get the boat tour scheduled as soon as we lock down our dates.

We spent time in Oregon in the fall and we were able to do Crater Lake as a day trip from Bend. You might find more lodging options there and there is plenty to do in and around the town. You may find that it is easier to get to Bend from the coast and from there explore the interior.
Agree with making Hood River a base for that region -- note the fruit and winery drives there as well.
I'd vote for Cannon Beach, too. We used it as a base for the immediate area.

My secret for a cheap nights stay for the northern coast of Oregon is a small hostel in Seaside. I've stayed there by myself and once with my wife. The hostel has several kayaks and a couple of bikes for guest use.
There is a good "prom" at the edge of the beach. Toward the south end of the prom is a monument marking the spot there members of the Corps of Discovery boiled seawater to get salt to preserve elk meat for the trip back to St. Louis. In Cannon Beach, be sure to stop and photograph Haystack Rock. At low tide you can walk out to it.
On the way south from the Seaside/ Cannon Beach area, stop in Tillamook at the cheese factory. In addition to cheese and curds they have great ice cream.
Just south of the big bridge in Newport, see the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Continue south from Newport to the Oregon Dunes NRA.
Continue south to Reedsport and turn east on OR Rt. 38. About 4-5 miles east of Reedsport, stop at the Dean's Creek Elk Viewing area. Usually you can see from 4 to 30+ Roosevelt Elk there. On the east end of Elkton turn right onto OR route 138 which takes you along a stretch of the Umpqua River before getting to I-5. Take i-5 south to Roseburg where you get on the east section of OR 138 which also is near the Umpqua River with several nice waterfalls. If you can't get a reservation at the Crater Lake Lodge, try for lodging at Diamond Lake. In addition to the typical motel rooms they have a few small cabins.
By all means get the boat tickets to go out to Wizard Island.
Leaving Crater Lake it is 90 miles from the north entrance to Bend. While in Bend, see the High Desert Museum and the Lavalands Visitor Center. If you want to find a cool place in late July, visit the Lava River cave not far south of the Visitor Center.
Leaving Bend heading for Hood River, you go north on US 97 to Madras and go straight on US26 which takes you to Government Camp on the SE flank of Mt. Hood. Take OR Rt. 35 north to Hood River from US 26.
Hood River is well known for wind surfing on the Columbia River which should interest your 14 year old.
On the way back to Portland, stop to see Multnomah Falls. There is a parking area in the median of I-84 (left exit) for Multnomah Falls if you don't take the old highway past several other waterfalls.
I'm hoping that you don't encounter too much wildfire smoke on your summer journey. It has been a problem in several of the past 5 years including Crater Lake NP.

Newport is a good place to stay- also just south of there is Yachats. Yachats is much smaller- there are 3 waterfront motels, The Adobe, Fireside and Overleaf- the Overleaf being the most expensive. The Adobe has an ocean view dining room. Its an easy walk into town from there and there are several decent restaurants in town. The drive between Newport and Florence is pretty spectacular with many beautiful beaches. My favorite is Devils Elbow also called Heceta Head. Its on a small cove which is a bit more protected from winds than some other beaches. There is a trail up to a lighthouse and the lighthouse keepers home, which is now a B&B. I have stayed at the B&B and its a very unique experience. There are picnic tables and grills if you want to make a day of it. Florence Old Town area is fun to explore with many restaurants and shops- not on the ocean but on the river. If horseback riding is interesting to you, there are stables just north of Florence that will do beach rides- but my favorite thing to do is the dune buggy rides. Sandland Tours just a little south of Florence. I like going in the smaller buggies which only hold 3 passengers and you have a driver who takes you flying over the dunes. Make reservations in advance. Also south of Florence is Honeyman State Park which is an excellent place to go climbing on the dunes.

As you drive south from Florence, you go inland a bit so views not so spectacular - mostly just lots of trees.

In the Crater Lake area there are many great waterfall hikes just off of HWY 138. Some are just a few yards from the parking but others are a decent hike. Watson Falls and Susan Falls are a couple of favorites. I spent a weekend down there hiking the falls and I think we did 7 or 8 in the weekend. Its a beautiful area along the Umqua River.

So much to see and do around Bend. Sunriver is a resort close to Bend with many family activities and rentals available.

Enjoy! Remember the Oregon Coast is sometimes cold and windy in the summer so come prepared.

There is a great publication- the Highway 101 Mile by Mile Guide to Oregon Coast. They have a website with much information on lodging, dining and activities.

Also check the Travel Portland website for info on what to do in Portland

We took a two week trip to Oregon a few years ago with three girls (ages 6-10) in tow. I have also been there recently for a short visit, So I'll just give you what we did and you can see what appeal to you time and activity wise. Portland itself was not a big draw for us, but we stayed very close to there. The rose garden and Japanese garden are very pretty in Portland. But like your proximity to the mountains, we live near the coast and did not feel the need for a lot of beach time. As you can see below, we skipped Cannon Beach and headed east to the Gorge. There was no swimming in the Pacific because it was too cold when we were there in July. So be aware of that.

1)We spent a day driving up to and hiking around Mt. St Helens and back. There were a lot of overlooks and hikes on the way. Weather was iffy but cleared as we went further up. I highly recommend doing that, but I don't know if it fits your trip. Amazing to hear the stories of the eruptions and view the total destruction and new growth. There are no volcanos where we live!

2)We left Portland and drove along the Columbia River Gorge, stopping at several water falls, the fish hatchery and at a hotel on the Gorge(Best Western, maybe?) to have lunch and watch the wind surfers. Stop at Women's Forum and Crown Point after leaving Portland for beautiful views. You can no longer drive along the scenic road due to a mud slide that happened after forest fire I believe. So you need to double back to the highway. It does not take long. Multnomah Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and more are all walks/ hikes to take a long the way.

3)2 nights at Mt Hood (including the Timberline Lodge, a mountain adventure park and a hike around Trillium Lake (beautiful).

4)We drove to Newport. To be honest, I wasn't that impressed. I believe we went to the Aquarium.
5) Florence Sand Dunes-- very very cool and fun. Not something we could experience at home. Dunes that are several hundred feet tall. Sand buggy rides and "sand boarding" down the dunes. Stayed in hotel/motel on the beach (dated but clean) and had full living room, kitchen etc. I think it was the only one on the water.

6) Overnight stay somewhere on way from Florence to Crater Lake. Maybe in Bethel? Sorry, I do not remember the name of the town but it was about halfway in between and near the highway. Next day, we took a day trip to Crater Lake (there was no availability at the Park hotel at the Rim). Crater Lake was one of the highlights for me. But we also had to weigh whether we thought it was worth the significant deviation from our trip. Without a doubt it was. Half the rim was still closed when we went (in July) due to snow pack. But truly magnificent.

7)We drove down the other side and stayed overnight for a couple of nights in Grants Pass on the Rougue River at a park lodge. We went Jet Boating on the river which was a blast. Saw lots of eagles etc.

8)From there we headed back to the coast, through the Giant Redwoods and to San Francisco where we flew home. We stayed stopped at Crescent Beach and a town in Northern California along the way, but I think you are going back to Portland from the sounds of it.

Our goal generally speaking was to spend at least 2 nights in every location and to drive no more than four hours in any given day. This route worked for us. Our kids were a bit younger then so we also always stopped at a pool. It was the best trip we ever took as a family, and allowed us to see an amazing and beautiful part of the country. By the way, the trip started out as a long weekend, was extended to a week, then 10 days and finally two weeks. There is just so much to see and do in Oregon! Lol, who knew???

The Bend area is just fascinating; it is so volcanic. After visiting Crater Lake, this would be a perfect transition. Be sure to see the Newberry National Volcanic Monument, including the Big Obsidian Flow Trail (short hike, amazing formations and very educational), Lava Cave, and Newberry Caldera. We've done a similar loop on vacation in Oregon a few times, along the coast and inland through Bend and into Hood River Gorge; the difference between the coast and the volcanic areas is well worth the trip.

https://www.oregonlive.com/travel/in...one_of_or.html

https://www.visitbend.com/points-int...berry-caldera/

I'm going to suggest a change on this plan, just for your consideration. Map - https://goo.gl/maps/8aQ3ZvmDsak

As you can see, it skips the northern and central Oregon coast altogether. Why? Because it focuses on the southern coast, which, in my view, is the most scenic stretch of the whole coastline. It also allows time to visit some redwood groves in Del Norte County, California, including the kitschy but fun Trees of Mystery, a very old roadside attraction, but, more importantly, Jedediah Smith State Park, close to the junction of US 101 and US 199.

It uses the very scenic OR 38 highway from the Willamette Valley through to the coast, and focuses on Bandon for overnights. As stated, some lodgings in Bandon require 2- or 3-night minimums, but that's okay because Bandon is well situated for explorations on the coast north and south - Oregon Dunes to the north, incomparable coast to the south. The town also has a nice "old town" area with some good restaurants, and google Bandon Beach at sunset for an eyeful.

The map doesn't show Crater Lake Lodge or the rim drive because Google won't let you show roads that are closed by snow, but you can figure out the rest. It also includes Smith Rock State Park, a don't-miss location near Bend that's under the radar for many, but shouldn't be.

Gardyloo, our southern half of our trip did include the Trees of Mystery! Which absolutely was "very kitschyand very fun." We also went the Jedediah Smith State Park. We continued south and flew home from San Francisco. After all of our time in the great outdoors, we were not fond of San Fransisco!

I remembered the name of the Florence Hotel-- Driftwood Shores. It was clean, on the water. Easy walks on the beach right outside your door. Wherever you stop on the coast, watch out for sneaker waves!

In Grants Pass- We stayed at the Lodge at Riverside.

Whatever route you choose, you will have a great trip. Oregon and the Pacific Northwest is truly beautiful.

Meant to tell you in my previous post - Take US 26 from Portland to the coast and not US 30 to Astoria. US 30 is dangerous and has too much traffic. Enjoy your time in Oregon.

Tom--What? 26 is MUCh busier than 30. I think you have it backwards. That said, 26 is just fine as long as you are paying attention, like on any road that you normally would.

Edjim - I like that suggestions. It looks like it's just 3.5 hours from Newport to Bend and we could make the 2 hour drive to Crater Lake from there for a day. I'll look into that as a possible option.

tomfuller- thanks for all the suggestions. I'll research each of them in more detail. I'm definitely finding my $150 lodging budget for the coastal town is too low I've now modified my expectation for $200+. I appreciate the suggestion for the cave in Bend and windsurfing in Hood River. My husband and I have tried it before and would love to try it again with our daughter. I know I'm not interested in surfing the cold waters of the Pacific hopefully the river is a bit warmer or is a wet suit typically worn?Multnomah Falls is on our list of must see places this visit. I've been reading about the wildfires last year -Fingers crossed this fire season will be calmer.

Sunbum1944 - I may need to expand our drive down the coast to Florence. We were planning horse ride on the beach but the dune buggy ride sounds fun too. I'll look into that as well. Sounds like Florence would be as far south as we'd explore the coast before heading East to either Crater Lake or Bend.

here4now - I'd love to see St. Helen's but I think it will be too much to try to fit in this trip. What did you not like about Newport? What was your impression of that area? We've been to the Monterey Aquarium so I don't think we'll visit the one in Newport. There's never enough time to do everything. Thanks for the confirmation of Crater Lake being worth it. We will definitely keep it on our itinerary. Yes to clarify we'll fly into and out of Portland and make it big loop. Your trip planning is identical to mine. I'd like to try to stay in a place for 2 nights and drive no longer than 4 hours in a single day. I'm finding 9 days doesn't seem like enough time to see everything! I'll check out Driftwood Shores as a lodging option in Florence.

sludick - thanks for the links! Lots of good information in both articles.

Gardyloo - I think this route takes us too far outside of our top sights / areas to visit and it makes the drive time too long. We've done the redwoods in CA on a previous trip so we hadn't included them on this trip.

I truly appreciate all of this personal insight. I need to continue to do some research but having all of this information will be extremely helpful!! Thank you all!!

Just to confirm the route from Portland to the coast - I thought 30 would be more scenic route with maybe a chance to stop at some towns along the way to the coast?

On the redwoods/south coast - fair enough.

On the route to the coast, I'd strongly suggest following the north shore of the Columbia out to Ilwaco and Cape Disappointment, then across the (awesome) mouth of the river to Astoria and south from there. There are several interesting and historic towns along the way, including Ilwaco itself, and the route is quite scenic in parts. Cape Disappointment, with its lighthouses, waves on rocks, and Lewis and Clark interpretive center is a don't-miss. You can also visit Waikiki Beach... the other one.

Map - https://goo.gl/maps/pxTHQY4rBos

Cape Disappointment (not my pictures)





Ilwaco

I'd love to see St. Helen's but I think it will be too much to try to fit in this trip. What did you not like about Newport? What was your impression of that area?

I totally understand the desire to see more than you can fit into a trip. You do have to choose what is important to you. Just to let you know, Mt. St. Helen's took us only one full day, including drive there and back from Portland. It did not require an overnight. And we also stopped a lot to let the kids run around and stuff, so you may be able to do it a bit faster than we did- although it still is a long day and you do need to prioritize what you want. But perhaps you could fit it in on the front end or back end of your trip. Just a thought. Mt. St. Helens, Crater Lake, the Florence Sand Dunes and Mt. Hood/Trillium Lake were the highlights of our trip. But, I don't live near any mountains and I do live near the ocean. So we are opposite in that way.

My memory of Newport is: strip malls. I almost wrote that in my first post but was afraid that some would tell me I was way out of line. I remember thinking it was going to be a seaside town and felt more like I was in a busy commercial area with tons of traffic and strip mall stores. I have so many wonderful memories from that trip-not one is in Newport. But it could have been the area we were in or the rainy day we had.

here4now--I am not a huge fan of Newport either. It is fine for what it is, but it does not draw me like some of the other towns along the coast. Growing up, Newport was much closer to our home, yet we drove to Cannon Beach most of the time as our family enjoyed that more. Don't worry what others think We all have our preferences and dislikes and that is ok

I agree with Gardyloo about the north shore of the Columbia and Cape Disappointment. The bridge over the mouth of the Columbia at Astoria is impressive. In Astoria, see the Astoria Column and Fort Clatsop.
US 30 from the west end of Portland (industrial area) to Clatskine is not scenic IMO.
Check for lodging in Yachats (pronounced YA-hots).. I remember a church there with an agate window.