In late September, we will be traveling to Oregon & Washington. What coastal areas in both states are "must sees". We will be traveling with my husbands 75 year old parents so we will do more riding and looking than hiking this trip. When we leave Crescent City, CA-- should we travel up Oregon coast or head to I-5 until we get further up Oregon coast? In Washington-- when to follow the coast and when to travel inland. We'd like to see Mt Rainer and St Helens for sure along with Seattle.

Any ideas of scenic routes or routes to avoid would be appreciated. This is our first trip to NW.

Also -- Suggested lodging near Pike St Market in Seattle. -Restaurants?

Thanks!

You can't do better hotel wise than Inn at the Market.
If you're doing more driving than looking, I'd stay on the coast, especially since you're already going to be at Crescent City. Just be prepared for slow traffic in the many towns.

Inn at the Market was our second choice over the Edgewater Hotel. www.hoteledgewater.com We chose it for the location of being directly on the water and it was an amazing stay.

The rooms are very nice, decorated in PNW decor. Teddy bears on the beds are a nice touch and the furry bear footstool in front of the fire was great for reading the comfy white robes they provide.

The property has gorgeous water views, and the restaruant Six Seven is very good. I also appreciated the fact that the concierge ordered us a limo from Salty's free of charge and the hotel shuttle service took us everywhere, so we didn't have to drive in the traffic at all.

Our favorite restaurants were: The Dahlia Lounge, Flying Fish and Salty's on Alki Beach. Enjoy Seattle! ***kim***

If time allows, there's no good reason not to stay on the Oregon coast for it's entire length. Depending on what route you take inland, you might have to backtrack a little to get to St. Helen's, which is about 40 miles north of Portland. Other options are to head inland from the Oregon coast on 18, just north of Lincoln City, 6 from Tillamook, or 26 from north of Cannon Beach.

The Oregon Coast is prettier than our Washington Coast. Do that and come inland to come up from Oregon.

Lincoln City, Newport, Tilamook, Cannon Beach are the best areas to drive through and to stay. Astoria, Washington is the last place I'd be on the coast before hitting I-5.

JMHO

Have fun!

everyone says the southern oregon coast is the prettiest--i like a lot of it myself--it also depends on how much of a hurry you are in. i just drove around the coast and the bigger towns especially can be slow going on the coast route. I found ft. clatsop (sp?) around astoria to be a very interesting museum-ish display pertaining to lewis adn clark.

If your stay in Astoria, I would recommend the Hotel Elliott, www.hoteelliott.com or the Clementine B&B. Judith Taylor is an excellent chef who used to cook in Seattle. They used to have a cafe called The Langiappe Cafe which closed a few years ago, but we had some of the best salmon chowder there!

I enjoy the WA coast for the bike trails along the beach there and we found a new gem, the 42 Street Cafe where we love to go for dinner. The SAnctuary in Chinook, WA is also wonderful. They have a great clam bisque there and the salmon was so fresh, the owner had just caught it and filleted it that morning when I called to make a reservation. Both of these places serve a really nice vanilla creme dessert with huckleberry sauce that I would recommend.

Lincoln City is flat and just basically ugly, IMO. Newport is much nicer and at least there is an aquarium there for something to do.

Cannon Beach has Ecola State park that is really pretty. Take the hike back to Indian Beach, a nice beach for surfing but don't expect any sand there, basically lots of rocks!!

Seaside has a gorgeous stretch of beach down by Avenue 12 or Avenue U. The rolling waves here are just gorgeous, with Tillamook Head in the background.

Take a walk on the prom, that runs along the beach, it's gorgeous. You're traveling in September, so the teenagers will be back in classes. Still a very popular time to vacation, tho, our beach cottage is already rented out through the majority of next month.

Take your parents through the Maritime Museum in Astoria, it's very informative. Also, Fort Clatsop has become a major tourist destination in the area. www.oldoregon.com Enjoy your trip!! ***kim***