We will be in Portland 6th/7th June which I understand will coincide with the Rose Festival. Will this curtail normal sightseeing for us? On Sunday we plan to drive to Bend have an overnight stay then on Monday drive via Crater Lake for an overnight stay in Ashland before spending the last few nights of our holiday in Northern California. We are from UK and from previous experience in the US know that even in June the roads in the mountain areas can still have snow. Also we do tend to underestimate the time it takes to travel what seems to us to be relatively short distances on a map. Any advice to help us plan a safe journey would be appreciated

June 7th is the Floral Parade, the highlight of the entire Rose Festival. So expect everything to be super busy and full. Lots of tourists in town for the parade will be going to the same places you are going - e.g. stop down at Crater Lake.

As long as you have hotels and a car booked now, you should be fine. Just be patient when driving around, give yourself extra time to get from place to place. Expect traffic and it will be nice when sometimes there isn't any.

Yes, this is a busy time here with locals and visitors alike converging on downtown. As long as you realize that it will be busy and don't get annoyed, you will be fine

It is very early for Crater Lake. Double check that the north entrance is open. We have had a lot more than normal snowfall this year, coming from Bend to the north entrance may not be an option. They try to open by early June, and since that coincides with your timing, I would call and see if it is open before making the drive. You can come from the south entrance, but that is quite a bit out of your way. Crater Lake is beautiful though, so if you can work it in I highly recommend it. And if the boat tour is operating, that is really interesting and gives a really different view of things.

Thanks for the valuable info. We have decided to stay at Lake Oswego. I imagine some of the roads in Portland will be closed for the parade so it will be easier for parking. I assume there will be public transport into Portland on Saturday (or we can taxi)where we can pick up the flavour of the Festival. We then plan to pick up the car at the hotel to go to the End of Trail Museum in the afternoon. We will book a hotel in Bend with flexible rate and if the road is not opened we can then change plan. I really appreciate your advice.

Lake Oswego is not normally a tourist destination, but rather just a nice suburb. For your situation though it works just fine. It is a short drive into downtown for when you want (about 15 minutes) but really easy freeway access which will be nice for you when you leave for Bend. I live just a few minutes from LO as does beachbum (another poster here).

When I think of experiences that really carry the flavor of America, one is watching parades. (The other is sitting on the bleachers in the school gymnasium, sweating, bursting with pride as I listen to my kids play John Philips Souza marches in school band concerts.)

The Rose Festival parade is one of the very best in America. Please do not miss it. Do not be put off by people saying it is crowded. We always found a spot with a good view and did not stay up all night on the route to do so. (We went every year when we lived in Portland)

The Rose Festival parade is the second largest floral parade in the US, with the floats all made from flower petals. Many of the floats are tested in this parade, and if well received, are taken from this parade to Pasadena CA for the Rose Bowl Parade on the new year. (which is the largest floral parade) Many of the floats are sponsored by major companies, and are very impressive. Lots of local school bands participate, community organizations, etc. Truly it is one of the best parades in the US.

If I were you, I'd be staying in downtown Portland and walking to the parade (if its not too late to book a hotel....). There are plenty of locations in the downtown that are not directly on the parade route, that are on lovely parks close to the waterfront.

Just my 2 cents worth.

I SO agree with Orcas.
We had such a great time watching the Rose Parade, the horses, the kids , the people from Chinatown..then the Starlight Parade that night..

We lived blocks from the parade route so I never dealt with traffic but I know it was difficult for people to come into the city and leave due to streets that were closed..traffic was a mess in some places.

You can certainly take a bus from Lake Oswego into downtown. I encourage you to enjoy the Rose Festival parade, and everything associated with it while you're here. The transit website is
http://www.trimet.org

Portland has a downtown that's easy to navigate, since our streets are short (200 feet, not 400 feet long). Finding your way around won't be difficult. I'm glad you're seeing the End of the Trail Center. That's part of our history, too.

You may want to pick up some picnic supplies/car snacks in Bend before you leave.

The route from Bend to Ashland doesn't give you many food options, and it will be a long day for you before you reach your final destination.

I used to live in Portland and now live 10 miles from Ashland. It would generally take us about 3-4 hours to get from Portland to Bend taking the highway over Mt. Hood. If this is the way you are going, you should definitely try to stop at the Lodge at Mount Hood and possibly Trillium Lake if you have time. They are both great.

The trip from Bend to Ashland would normally take about 5 hours but with your scheduled trip to Crater Lake it will take longer. When in Bend, check out Sisters, a great little town just outside of Bend with fantastic atmosphere and shopping. Also, a warning about Crater Lake, we drove my uncle up there once on a beautiful day to find the crater completely fogged in as if a cloud were sitting on the lake. He didn't get to see anything but the gift shop.

Enjoy your trip, Oregon is beautiful from top to bottom.

The timing to Bend for you depends on a few things. From Portland itself, yes 3-4 hours is correct. But from Timberline Lodge it is much less, and that is the time frame that I gave is from the lodge. I just wanted to clarify that for you so you can plan your day.

Gosh! What a great bunch you are. Thanks - your info is invaluable. We will certainly see at least part of the Rose Festival and the End of Trail is a must. The transport link is so useful. Great suggestion about taking a picnic from Bend. We will leave early Sunday morning to drive up there and fit in as many sights on the way as we can. Overnight in Bend and then we have the full day to get from there to Ashland. Taken on board your suggestions for Sisters, Timberline Lodge etc and we must see the Black Butte - evidently the same lava rock that our own Edinburgh Castle stands on - how about that! Any advice on what the road is like through the mountains - we have driven up to Yosemite before and imagine this will be the same. Have to say I don't like it much but do love what I see along the way.

Where are you staying in Ashland? We have stayed over a dozen times at the Plaza Inns & Suites, we stayed there twice this past March when traveling up to Seaside to our beach cottage, very nice propety!

The Ashland Springs Hotel is also great, in downtown Ashalnd, walking distance to Chateaulin and Amuse where we have enjoyed good meals. We enjoyed the Winchester Inn this past trip for food and wine. Liquid Assets Wine Bar is also a fun stop for a bite to eat in Ashland and they are open late which is convenient if you arrive after 9:00 when the majority of the restaurants close.

Enjoy your trip! ***kim***

Thanks for that Kim. I have already booked the Phoenix Inn - so good to know your recommendation. Will take a note of the eateries too.

Too bad you probably won't have time to hike to the top of Black Butte. Really amazing views from up there! Just like Edinburgh Castle, actually. We loved that as well as Arthur's Seat.

"The Black Butte"? The only one I know is a cinder cone about 10 miles west of Sisters. It gave its name to Black Butte Ranch, a favorite central Oregon resort destination, but otherwise, I don't know if it's worth your time. http://www.pbase.com/smg9774/image/47604584. I think you'd more enjoy visiting Dee Wright Observatory, near the summit of McKenzie Pass. http://www.pbase.com/smg9774/image/46579470

What's your route from Bend to Ashland? As has been mentioned, don't expect that Crater Lake's rim road will be fully cleared, though I'd expect you could get in from the north entrance and drive the west side of the lake to Rim Village. Best to check though as you get nearer your travel date. This has been a strange winter. And if there are clouds surrounding the peak, it may not be worth the drive to the rim, as chances are you won't see the lake. Unless you're planning to drive over McKenzie Pass, you shouldn't have any other problems with snow on the road. Again, check a couple days prior to your travel date.

"Arthur's Seat"? Do I want to ask? ;-)

The McKenzie Pass is not expected to open until VERY late this year if at all because of all the snow this winter - so the Dee Wright Observatory will not be an option

beachbum--LOL! You would love it.
Great place to hike up and amazing views...you truly feel like you can see for hundreds of miles.

I thought inglewood might be able to get up to Dee Wright from the east, but you're right sunbum. That's not expected to be open until mid-late July. Bummer!