kittygirl

Hi there!

We are flying into Portland with just 4 full days before heading back East.
We LOVE nature (love great cities too but time is limited) and want to check out the most scenic areas/views and get a bit of hiking in while seeing a much as we can.

On our list was Canon beach, Ecola state park, Mt Hood/Gorge area, and these waterfalls often mentioned. Just trying to consider in what order to see the locations, what weather to expect love great hotel recommendations. We figure we will spend 2 nights at 2 locations to hit as much as we can.

Would love some recommendations!
Wish we had time for Seattle/Mr Rainer as well but not this trip.

Thanks!

Fodorite018

When will you be here?

Cannon Beach is a wonderful area. Ecola State Park is on the north edge of town, and then on the southern end is Haystack Rock, which is not to be missed. If you can be there at low tide, it is even better. From Portland, take hwy 26 over to the coast, and then hop onto 101 a few miles down to Cannon Beach. After your time there, keep heading south to Tillamook and then take hwy 6 back towards Portland. It is a very pretty route, and will connect back with hwy 26 near Forest Grove.

The gorge/Mt Hood area is beautiful too. From Portland, take I-84 eastbound, and get off at exit #22 for Corbett. Go up the hill and at the stop sign take a left onto the old scenic highway. Must stops along here include Portland Woman's Forum (odd name but great views), Crown Point Vista House, and Multnomah Falls. There are many other great stops, but those are the obvious ones. Continue on this highway for more stops before getting back on I-84. I would continue heading towards Hood River and check out any water sports on the river. Then take hwy 35/26 around the back side of Mt Hood, which will take you to Timberline Lodge. After that continue on hwy 26 westbound and that will take you back to Portland.

kittygirl

Thank you! We planned the 1st week in September. Unsure of weather but hoping it's good and not so touristy.

Is this the order you would suggest? Start at Cannon Beach then loop back? Definitely want to see as much as we can. Where are these magnificent waterfalls/hikes I see mentioned? We love to hike but nothing too long given we have much to see....
thanks so much!

Fodorite018

For hotels, in Cannon Beach these are the places we have stayed and would recommend. 1--Surfsand Resort, which is near Haystack Rock and has great views of it. It is also a short walk to the heart of downtown. 2--Cannon Beach Hotel, which is next door to Surfsand, but most rooms do not have views. 3--Schooner's Cove, which is a block from the heart of downtown and most rooms have great views. The only drawback, if you will, is that is is further from Haystack Rock. Still very walkable though. 4--Blue Gull Inn, which is an older motel that has been redone. It is about 2 blocks north of Surfsand, but not oceanfront/view. There is a side street that take you right down to the beach, which is a block down. The rooms are nice and some have kitchens.

For the gorge/Mt Hood area there are 2 places I would suggest. Timberline Lodge is wonderful if you want to stay in a historic lodge. Then in Troutdale (off of I-84) is the Edgefield, which is a McMenamin property. Check out the website,as it is too hard to really describe it and do it justice. It is a great place to stay and always has so much going on. A real gem!

Fodorite018

The first week of September is usually our best weather of the summer. Plan on highs in the 80's, typically. Schools don't start back up until after Labor Day here, so there will still be quite a few visitors that first week, so book hotels now to get your first choices. The good thing though is our version of crowds really isn't much so don't let that detour you at all.

Yes, I would start in CB and loop back. Especially on the coast if you go from north to south, it is easier to pull over and then get back on the highway.

The waterfalls and such are in the gorge, along that old scenic highway. There are loads of them, so you will be wanting to stop every few minutes

kittygirl

This is great thank you! Weather sounds ideal. Less rainy by chance as well? Surfsand had great looking rooms, that seems like the place.

If you had to choose for views/nice property would it be the Edgefield or Timberline?

Do you think the 2 nights in each area should be good? Hiking/views are all over it's overwhelming!


I guess mt. st. helens would be pushing it.

Fodorite018

Yes, the chance of rain will be minimal.

I would opt for Edgefield, personally. Both fill up quickly though so take either one. Two nights in each area is good. Mt. St. Helens is a great place, and if you did the gorge in one day, that would still leave you a day to do St Helens. If you stay at the Edgefield, it would still be a good place to stay that night after seeing it. From Portland, it is about an hour to the exit, and then another hour up to Johnston Ridge Observatory. That is a must see place, as is the short film there. You can hike on trails there as well. For those of us that live here, the day the mountain blew is something we will never forget. We still like to visit the mountain to see how it is coming back, which is amazing, and you can see that for yourself at the visitors centers.

kittygirl

Timberline looks great maybe because of the web images, more scenic but we have been fooled in the past by websites.
It is our anniversary so we want something special.
Will check out Edgefield now.

Sure must have been an unforgettable experience, can only imagine! If we can, we will cram it in there, looks spectacular.

Hoping all goes smoothly with our flights so we don't lose time, always a concern. So grateful for your help, super excited now! Searching places to move to one day.
Would love to check out some of the organic herbal farms/suppliers and such but no time this trip.

kittygirl

We have the choice of Sat the 1st thru Thurs or Wed the 5th thru Monday.

Knowing the first option is over Labor day weekend we ran into surfssand having a 3 night minimum. Airfare was actually a lot less over the weekend but hotels may vary much. Any thoughts on avoiding Labor Day? Looking like it may be a must for us....

sunbum1944

I would not choose Labor Day because it gets crowded in the Gorge especially parking at some of the waterfalls you would want to see-

I love the Edgefield but if you stay there, request a room that is not over the area where there is live entertainment- a friend of mine said she did not get a lot of sleep when she stayed there.

And, just to let you know, many of the rooms do not have a private bath- you have to go down the hallway, they provide you with robes. Does not bother me but I know some people don't like to share.

kittygirl

Great to know, thanks!
We booked the 5th thru 10th.

Only concern is that flights get in at 9pm, are we missing any good sites to head to Cannon Beach/surfsand in the dark?
Hope nothing we cannot see the next 2 days.

We have 1.5 full days for Cannon Bach/Ecola then figure the next 2 days for Gorge/Mt Hood/Mt St Helens, if we can see a lot. Thanks!

Fodorite018

Yes, some of the rooms at Edgefield have the shared baths, but all McMenamin properties are really good at keeping them clean, and so far we have never had an issue with a bathroom not being available when needed. We have stayed at quite a few of the properties as well. Sunbum brings up a good point though about potential noise if a big event is going on. I still really like the place and would stay there, but it is a good thing to know.

From the airport, it takes about 2 hours to get to the Surfsand. No, you aren't missing much along that drive, and it isn't a hard drive. But since it will be getting dark, just be careful. The road isn't windy except for a couple small parts, so don't stress. But it is in the coastal mountain range, to give you an idea, so it isn't like a flat straight shot over all the way. The extra bit of time it may take going a tad slower will be worth it when you wake up to the ocean in the morning

tomfuller

When you leave CB, see if you can go as far south as Tillamook.
Stop at the Tillamook Cheese factory for some great ice cream and cheese. Take Rt. 6 back toward Portland.
There is a paved Forest Service road that goes on the east side of Mt. St. Helens between Carson and Randle Washington.

kittygirl

Well the bad news, seems hotels are booked on our nights.
As we fly out early on the 10th we don't want to be too far from the airport but we want to stay at a real nice place for the mt hood/gorge and possible mt st helens trek.

Ice cream sounds good to me!

Any other nice locations? We are splurging this trip.
Thanks

kittygirl

We just found space at Carson Ridge Cabins in Carson, WA, just not sure an ideal location for what we want to do.
Any suggestions?

tomfuller

From Carson go north on the Forest Service paved road that goes to Randle. Take the side road out to Windy Ridge which looks over the east side of Mt. St. Helens.

kittygirl

Will map out the distance there, thank you. Do you recommend the Carson cabins or know anything of them? We also found space at Columbia Gorge, a Best Western and a few others.
Columbia Gorge said Mt. St. Helens will be too far with just 2 days. So may great options.

tomfuller

Carson to Randle via NF 25 is 81 miles. 2 hours and 20 minutes.
The spur road over to Windy Ridge is about 10 miles. If you want to see Mt. Rainier, You could stay in Packwood or at Paradise.

sunbum1944

If you mean the Best Western in Hood River, I think its a nice place to stay, on the river,

I have stayed there a couple of time.
How about Skamania Lodge-?

Gardyloo

Although I'm not as crazy about Cannon Beach as many (I find it over-touristy) you can do a great loop by heading to Cannon Beach, then north through Astoria to the bridge across the Columbia to the Washington side. There, visit Cape Disappointment State Park, with North Head lighthouse - http://www.americapictures.net/wp-co...ted-States.jpg - and Cape Disappointment Lighthouse - http://pauldorpat.com/wp-content/upl...torm.-WEB2.jpg - easily visited. Then return to the Portland/Gorge area via the north bank of the Columbia, through some very interesting and historic towns, like Cathlamet. It's a long but quite grand day.