My friend and I are going on our annual Girl's Trip at the end of the month. We will be arriving Friday the 24th and leaving Tuesday early morning, so that leaves Sat, Sun, and Monday to explore.

We are looking at flying into Bend, and would like to do a doable roadtrip loop that consists of all things nature and exploring between Bend and the Coastal Highway(Cannon, Bandon)...(short hikes, breathtaking scenery, waterfalls, coast, hot springs, little towns to stop, eat, browse). I realize this is a lot to put into 3 full days, but I am hoping for suggestions to make the use of our time productive. We don't mind the driving but would also like to see as much as possible as well as get out and explore a little.

We are also looking into getting a camper car so our accommodations will most likely just be a camping spot-- if there are must-stay(coast/lake/river/off beaten path camping spots, please do tell!

Thanks in advance!

this reads like you have no accommodations and no car reserved for a trip at the end of this month. and it's to take place over a weekend and to include Oregon coast stay. I think you may find that this will be a VERY tough to accomplish at this late date. camping spots for your desired area fill up as soon as they are offered. so do vehicles that fit your description. lastly let's look at a projected loop drive-Bend to Cannon Beach=4.5 hours/Cannon Beach to Bandon=5hr 15min/Bandon to Bend=5 hours.
looks like a lot of road time each day and only a small amount of time to stop and enjoy anything.
i would scale your plan way back, get whatever car you can reserve, and look at maybe a drive that takes you south toward Crater Lake, possibly then making a loop west and north through Eugene and back to Bend. do as much research as you can on small towns and park areas where you might get lucky with finding a room/cabin/?? to spend your nights. it will probably be pretty difficult on such short notice.

Mel is right: State parks will long be reserved for a summer weekend. Also, roundtrip flight for PDX will be far less than Bend Redmond. Saves drop fees for the car. Stay in cabins or more rural hotels/lodges. You'll spend more on renting a "camper car" (I presume you mean RV) than you would just getting lodgings.

My suggestions:
1. Ditch the RV/camper car idea.
2. Stay in either cabins, hotels, or vacation homes. You have far more options.
Go to Booking.com, homeaway.com or airbnb.com especially if you are worried about cost. KOA cabins mostly are reserved although Bandon appeared to have availability. The camps I like in Thousand Trails were mostly full.

3. Give us an idea of you budget for lodgings total for the 3 nights, including the extra money you were planning to spend on an RV or similar.

Thank you for your replies!



I didn’t mean to mislead you. I was just seeing if it was doable.and apparently all signs are a No lol.




We have already booked flights and a car rental but flying into Medford for $940. We saw as an option that renting a camper car (or camper van) that has pop up tent on roof with bedding and kitchen supplies for $400 25th-27th but pickup only in Bend. We wanted it also for the experience and adventure. We were willing to park the car anywhere safe and legal for the night, or to a small bit cool private campground, or any car camping spot. Turns out we can’t switch our flights, so on to Medford it is!




We arrive 12:30am in Medford On 25th. After sleeping on plane, we can either start driving then or we may stop at Grants Pass to visit a friend and can possibly stay there until a decent time in the morning to continue on. Give or take 6-8 hrs we will have all day Sat, Sun and Mon...our flight leaves at 6am Tues, so we can drive through night or arrive at airport early so no accommodations needed that night.

Im used to driving long distances alone or with kids, 5-8 hours straight a day several times a year and was still productive when I got there. And I only say that because while I don’t mind driving all around Oregon because that’s part of the experience but we would also like to explore. I imagine most would be stops to take pictures...spend 30mins-2hrs at each stop then drive another 2-3 hours up the coast, stop and go or eat lunch and then drive another 2 hours etc. Then another day would be getting to the place early for waterfall hike or zip line tour(3-4 hrs) then drive 2-3 hrs to next stop spend 30-2 hours then find a place to stay for the night.

We just got back from staying at a no frills motor lodge with our kids and said that we wouldn’t mind staying at another place like it for our Oregon trip bc it’s just a place to sleep and shower before our next journey or maybe it’s at a place near a town we can explore and have dinner.

With saying all that, we are kinda winging it and I know we can’t fit everything in one trip, with your help I am hoping to narrow down my want list to a more manageable and realistic itinerary lol




Driving up the coast-walk around a small town, explore different areas on coast-must sees, Cannon, Bandon

Visit Astoria/Goonies

Mt.Hood

Zipline

Waterfalls and/or hikes

Hot spring

Local eats!




We are there to soak it all in and appreciate all the beauty!




Thank you again!

Another thing to keep in mind is that the annual Hood to Coast road race takes place August 24-25. The race starts at Mt. Hood and travels through Sandy into Portland and out Hwy 30 before going off on a secondary road towards the finish line in Seaside. There are 1000 teams of 12 runners each, so lots and lots of congestion on the northern coast. Seaside is 15 miles north of Cannon Beach and about 15 miles south of Astoria. All of these cities will be very, very busy with the runners and their entourages making this perhaps the busiest weekend of the year for the north coast.

Flying into Medford would put you close to Crater Lake. It’ll likely be crowded there, too, but much less than the north coast. Crater Lake is beautiful and from there you can go to Bend where there are a lot of things for you to do. I’d probably save the coast for another trip.

>>With saying all that, we are kinda winging it >We arrive 12:30am in Medford On 25th. After sleeping on plane, we can either start driving then

I’m here to help you. I’m in Ashland. Plenty of options. Let me think a bit.
up for an air b & b or ranch experience?

Hi there!

Wow-- thank you for the heads up about the crowds that weekend I'

Where I live now is rural and have lived in the mountains of WVA and VA, so I'm used to backroad driving.

What kind of Air B & B experience? Haven't done that before?