Need Help With Oregon Coastline itinerary.
 

We have six days (Wed-Mon) to explore the Oregon Coastline. Does anyone have an itinerary that they can recommend? Any tips on where to stay,eat,what to do would be much appreciated. We both our active and we can use Seattle and/or Portland as our arrival/departure points. Thanks for any help.

I suggest you arrive/depart from Portland. It is a beautful new airport with many,many fewer travelers.Then drive due West on Hwy.30 to Astoria. Eat at the wharf. Then take the coast highway (101) south from town to town and lighthouse to lighthouse..what scenery. You could go as far as Newport and see the Oregon Coast Aquarium (where "Free Willy" star used to live..Keiko)Then you can go farther to Florence and the dunes. Then back across to Eugene and north on I-5 back to Portland( 2 hrs. from Eugene)Too many good restaurants along the coast to pick one or two. Have fun.

Can I make a suggestion? If flying into Portland, take a day and loop part of the Columbia River Gorge. As far as the coast, I enjoyed Cannon Beach, Newport and Ecola State Park (probably the prettiest scenery on the coast). Also, the cheese factory in Tillamook has some of the best ice cream I have ever had (touring the factory was interesting too).

While at the Tillamook cheese factory, make sure to try the Brown Cow flavored ice cream. Yum!

If you are "fairly active" I suggest you get a copy of one of the hiking trail guide books including hikes on the Ore. coast. It is quite possible to walk a few miles and vastly improve the quality of your experience. The guide book will include pictures and detailed descriptions and there are many places to walk. There are a couple of 3-6 mile walks from the parking lot of the Oswald West State Park that I think are among the most beautiful, but there are many other opportunities for hiking on or near the coast.

Tillamook cheese is fantastic- my wife and I still order Christmas cheese from there. Just west of Tillamook is some sort of 18 mile scenic drive along a small peninsula. There's also a nice park overlooking the Pacific. Cannon Beach is rather expensive; Rockaway Beach is pretty without being so expensive. It did, six years ago, lack a very good restaurant. Went to a restaurant at Garibaldi instead and my wife and I were on the receiving end of the worst service in culinary history.

I definitely second the vote for brown cow ice cream if you're heading through Tillamook. Even if you don't head that way, you can find Tillomook ice cream in most supermarkets in NW Oregon as well as along the coast. Ecola state park is also wonderful. Astoria, OR makes a nice base to work from for a couple of days -- convenient to Portland (60-90 min drive along highway 30), close to Seaside (20-30 min), Cannon Beach (45 min), and Long Beach (20 min -- this is on the Washington side). In Astoria there are TONS of lovely, reasonably priced B&Bs and some fine views to be had (especially from the top of the Astor Column). The people are laid back and the town itself can be kind of sleepy, but for a fun night, catch a performance of "Shanghied in Astoria" -- the ongoing local show. Kooky and entertaining.

Excellent travel plan! Strongly suggest Portland for arrival for proximity. <BR>Portland only 1 1/2 hr drive from coast, <BR>Seattle is 6 or more from Or. coast. Most commenters have focused on Northern Oregon Coast towns, don't miss out <BR>on the Middle and Southern Coast. Suggest you try to view "Oregon Coast Magazine", either on line or a copy, for good suggestions on towns, restaurants, activities etc. (And restaurant reviews) <BR> If you are near Depoe Bay on Friday, <BR>Friday night "All You can Eat <BR>Seafood Buffet" dinners at Gracies's <BR>Sea Hag restaurant are great...She sometimes plays the spoons! Have a great trip. K <BR> <BR> <BR>