we will start and finish in seattle. we have monday-friday to travel. (4 nights). looking for a general itinerary, perhaps with 2-3 recommended towns to overnight in. we can probably stretch to 6 nights if that would open more possibilities...............

Living in Seattle, we visit the Oregon coast and the Columbia River Gorge two or three times a year. Our favorite places to stay on the coast are Cannon Beach (Schooner's Cove) and Newport (Hallmark Inn). Other good options are Yachats (Overleaf Lodge).

Farther south, Bandon in a pleasant place to stay and the drive between Port Orford and Brookings is exceptionally beautiful.

We like to drive to Portland or Hood River via OR-38, which follows the Umpqua River, and, in Hood River, we like to stay on the river at the Best Western.

Our favorite scenic drive in the Columbia River Gorge is WA-14 from Maryhill to Washougal.

HTTY

thank you, happy! when you go down the coast, how many nights do you stay? in one town (and do day-trips), or multiple towns? when you do the CRG is it for 1 or more overnights?

Why are you flying into Seattle to visit the coast of Oregon? Why not Portland?

If you are flying into Seattle, why not explore Washington instead of Oregon?

By June, most places on the northern OR coast will require 2 night stays. When we head over from Portland, we usually head to Cannon Beach and stay at the Surfsand. The location is great as it is a short walk to the heart of downtown, but it is right on the water with great views of Haystack Rock.

In Newport, we have stayed at the Elizabeth Street Inn which was very nice too. All rooms are oceanfront, but it sits on a bluff so you either walk down stairs to get to the beach, or walk about a block down towards Nye Beach to walk right onto the beach.

You will get a lot of suggestions for places to stay. Just be sure to ask if people have stayed there or just driven past. A drive by is good for location, but it doesn't tell you what a hotel is actually like.

As for the gorge, it is easy to do as a day trip from downtown Portland, if that interests you. But if you want to hike and really explore, then stay a night over there. I like the loop where you head from Portland towards the gorge and then hop on the old scenic highway (at either exit 17 or 22), stopping at various points of interest along the way. Then continue on towards Hood River. That would make a good place to stay for a night. Then take HWY 35 along the back side of Mt. Hood, stopping at Timberline Lodge, and then heading back into Portland. You can do the loop easily in less than a day, but to hike or go at a slow pace a stopover is good.

What are your interests for this trip?

thank you, rm-mn and mms! our son lives in seattle so we plan to be with his family for 2 weekends, and do a "road trip" mon-fri. based on what "happytrails" said, we may want to go down to the port orford-brookings stretch ( in addition to cannon beach and newport.) what do you think?

I agree, although I haven't spent much time there in recent years. But it is very pretty so if you can do it then definitely go.

We did a similar trip last October, visiting on the weekend and days kids had off. We didn't get as many days in a row and not every road was open because of weather. We did a trip out on I-90 through Yakima to Toppenish, then down to Maryhill and west along the north shore of the Columbia to the Bonneville Dam, then back. Also did a day trip down to Mt. St. Helens.

One year we were going to spend a few nights in Cannon Beach but the hotels we wanted were full, so we drove 10 miles South.. between CB and Manzanita to Arch Cape. We stayed at the Inn at Arch Cape. . just beautiful ! and all rooms have fireplaces.

www.innatarchcape.com

My husband, dog and I are going to the Oregon Coast for the first time in September. I have been researching, reading and talking to as many people as possible. Here's the itinerary I came up with:
Cannon Beach (Surfsand)
Newport (Hallmark)
Bandon (Inn at Face Rock)
Ashland (Plaza Inn)--We will drive the coast between Cannon Beach to the California border before going inland to Ashland before. I've heard the most dramatic part of the coast is the southern stretch so I wanted to make sure we included this portion. You could easily go inland to pick up the interstate to head north again to Seattle.