Need help w/Oregon trip
 

Will be in Oregon in July/Aug for 4 nights with husband and 18, 13 & 8 year old kids. They have traveled extensively and are used to long road trips. Anyway is this itinerary doable?
1st day -drive from SF to Medford area,(looks like a 7 hr drive) stay there overnight since Crater Lake accomodations are booked solid.
2nd day -tour Crater Lake (do you have to o buy boat tickets by 8am to secure a spot?) leave late in the day then drive to Yachets and stay at Overleaf Lodge. (3+ hr drive?)_
3rd day -tour coastal area, inc. dunes, sea lion caves?, Newport, Cape Perpetua. Stay at Overleaf again??
4th day - not quite sure what to do. Don't have time to do Portland justice, so do we have time to go to the Columbia Gorge or should we go directly to Mt. St. Helens. We need to be in Seattle late the following day and would like to see Mt. Ranier and possibly Mt. St. Helens in route or is this nuts? Would you recommend the gorge, Mt. St. Helens or Mt. Ranier? With limited time what do you recommend? Thanks!!

We have family in the east bay that makes the drive up here quite a bit and they usually allow for 6 hours to Medford. So depending on where in the SF area you are coming from, the 7 might be right on.

As far as the boat tour at Crater Lake, no you don't have to be there right at 8, but I would suggest no later than 9. We went last summer and by 9 they only had afternoon tours left. The tour is very much worth it, so do not skip it! Take a lot of water and sunscreen with you. From where you park and buy tickets to where the dock is, is 1 mile and goes down 700ft. Some people have trouble on the way back up if they are not used to this. You can also get off the boat at Wizard Island and hike around and catch a later boat back. You need to decide on this before you purchase your tickets though.

As far as covering the gorge and the mountains, you just don't have time to do it all. Mt. St. Helens is pretty much a full day event, and worth it!

The gorge is beautiful, and is an easy day trip from Portland. You could also do the loop of the gorge and Mt. Hood.

Again, Mt. Rainier would be at least an all day affair. It is another beautiful area, but if you are not wanting to get out and hike a bit, you may want to skip it. Don't get me wrong, I love it, but it is not a place to drive a long ways to and then not go explore it further.

I agree with mms, do the Gorge. With the amount of time you have, it wouldn't be worth rushing through Mt. St. H OR Mt. R. Save it for another visit.

Enjoy!

emh

I don't know if it would be of interest, but Prospect Hotel is just 25 miles from Crater Lake: http://www.prospecthotel.com/. I've never stayed there but have friends who've said they had the best steak dinner of their lives in the Hotel's restaurant. Plus, it's just a cool place. Otherwise, I'd stay in Ashland instead of Medford. They're only 10 miles apart, and Ashland is much more interesting. Maybe even get tickets to an Oregon Shakespeare Festival play.

On day 4, I'd stay on the coast until early-mid afternoon, then head to Portland, maybe in time for a nice dinner. The drive's 3 hours +/-. There's a lot to see in the Newport - Florence area; one day won't be enough.

Portland to Seattle is about a 3 hour drive, so you'd certainly have time for a detour to St. Helens. But not Rainier.

The Columbia River Gorge area is very nice, I would try to fit this in. Walk up to Multnomah Falls, it's a great place to take photos. We enjoyed our time there last summer. :)

I would stay in Ashland, a quiant little town with lots of culture and charm. Even if you can't fit in a play, the shopping and restaurants are fun there and Lithia Park is a nice place to relax. If you're looking for a great meal in Ashland, the Peerless and Chateaulin are two excellent choices for dining in Ashland. Have fun! ***kim*** ((l))

As of today, Mount Rainier National Park is closed except for some hike-in trails....the storms washed out all of the roads. Federal money has been found to begin rebuilding/rehabbing, and some private funds are available, but in your place I would monitor its web site to see what is available at the time of your trip.

Crater Lake to the Overleaf would be more like a 5 or 6 hour drive. You would not be on freeways.