Kelly1212

My husband and I are planning our first trip to Oregon for 8 nights in early October (Oct. 1 - 9). Thanks to all the helpful posts on this board, I think I've put together a realistic itinerary that allows us to explore Portland, see the beautiful Pacific Coast and see wine country and the Columbia Gorge/Mt. Hood area as well.

I'd love any feedback you have. Thanks in advance!

Here's our itinerary so far:

Fly into Portland (arrive in late morning/early afternoon)

Nights 1 & 2 - Portland

Rent car and drive to Cannon Beach area

Nights 3 & 4 - Cannon Beach

Drive down coast

Nights 5 & 6 - Yachats (Or is there a better place to stay further down the coast?)

Drive up to wine country and visit wineries.

Night 7 - Wine country (What town?)

Drive up to Mt. Hood/Columbia River Gorge area and hike area

Night 8 - Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood

Drive to Portland airport and drop off rental car; fly home.

tomfuller

I'd suggest spending night 1 in Portland and see as much as you can see and make a list of what you still want to see.
Early day 2 head for Cannon Beach or Seaside (cheaper).
At low tide you can walk out from Cannon Beach to Haystack Rock.
Make a stop at the Tillamook Cheese factory for some great ice cream or cheese to go with your wine.
Just south of Newport stop to see the Oregon Coast Aquarium.
Instead of Yachats continue south to Reedsport. About 5 miles east of Reedsport on 38, there are 2 elk viewing areas.
Head up I-5 to the McMinnville area for the wineries. The Evergreen Aviation Museum is known for the Spruce Goose and a few other planes. For your hike, I suggest the paved path/steps up to the top of Multnomah Falls (Oregon's highest). Depending on when you have to turn in the car, you could drop it off and ride the red line light rail from the airport into the city to see what you missed on day 1. There is a slim chance that there might be some fresh snow on Mt. Hood by October 8. I have seen it snow in Oregon as early as September 15 and as late as May 8.

Kelly1212

Hi Tomfuller,

Thanks much for your feedback. I was wondering if perhaps we were allowing too much time in Portland, so I appreciate you mentioning that one day (with perhaps a half day at the end of our trip is enough). I have a couple question about your recs:

- Are you suggesting we spend two nights in Reedsport instead of two nights in Yachats? I've read quite a bit on this board and Yachats seems to get good marks.

- Since we'd now have three nights left after 2 nights in Yachats or Reedsport, how would you recommend we divvy them up? One night in Oregon wine country and two at Mt. Hood? Add another night to the coast?

Thank you!!

tomfuller

I was hoping someone with more nights spent in Coastal Oregon would respond. I usually travel on a limited budget and have stayed in Winchester Bay, Yachats, Newport and Seaside.
If you have an "extra" day, think about spending a night near Roseburg or Diamond Lake and visiting Crater Lake the next morning.

sunbum1944

I would choose Yachats over Reedsport for sure-

bbqboy

Where are you coming from?
What interests you most:
Ocean, mountains, food, wine?

Kelly1212

We're coming from Minneapolis, so we definitely want to make the most of our time near the ocean. That said, we don't exactly have wineries or mountains here either!

I've read a lot about Crater Lake but that seems like it would put us on a really tight schedule given the long drive from Yachats, to there.... What do you think?

In terms of stuff to do, is wine country basically just wineries or is there more to check out? That might help us because I don't need more than a couple hours checking out wineries.

Thanks!

sunbum1944

If you would like to do something special- look into spending a night at the Heceta Head Lighthouse B&B - it may be all booked by now though- it is an old Lighthouse Keepers house and very charming - fabulous breakfast in the AM - you would be on your own for dinner but they do have a kitchen you could use ( you would have to share with other guests) Stayed there once with a group and loved it - a couple of nice hikes around here too if that interests you.

It is located between Yachats and Florence
You could stop in Old Town Florence - for lunch or dinner. There is a great restaurant in Florence " The Waterfront Depot" reservations required and only opened for dinner. Will be having dinner there on Friday so can give you more details after the weekend.



Wine country is around McMinnville - many wineries and B&Bs. The Black Walnut is always recommended as a B&B but I have not stayed there myself.
I believe wine country is mostly about wine and food - but the Spruce Goose is close by so can combine the two.

Hope weather will be nice for you in October.

I think Crater Lake would be a long drive - and it could even be cold and snowy by October