Oregon Itinerary - Too Ambitious?
 

Hi all -

I'm visiting Oregon for the first time in February (brr!). I'm wondering if I'm squeezing too much into my first trip -- I fly into Portland on Thursday around noon and fly out on Monday afternoon. I'd appreciate any feedback on my current itinerary....

Thursday: Explore Portland
Thursday night accommodations: Portland
Friday: Explore Columbia River Gorge and Mt Hood
Friday night accommodations: Portland
Saturday: Wine tasting in Williamette Valley
Saturday night accommodations: Portland or possibly somewhere in wine country??
Sunday: Cannon Beach
Sunday night accommodation: Portland
Monday morning: Explore Portland

Any thoughts? Any sites I should drop off this trip to save for a future one?

Thanks!!

If you feel you will be too rushed, I suggest you do <u>not</u> trim the Columbia River Gorge or the coast from your itinerary.

Also, I would arrange my time to spend at least one night on the coast. Saturday?

HTTY

I'd suggest that if you spend any of those nights outside of Portland, it be in Cannon Beach. So, you might switch your beach and wine tasting days, and drive directly from Cannon Beach to wine country on Sunday morning (wineries don't open until late morning anyway).

I see you know it'll be cold; but plan on wet too. So bring layers, at least one of which sheds water. There'll be lots of snow on Mt. Hood, and still the possibility of some in the coast range.

Have to ask; why February?

On your way east on I-84 stop at the viewing area for Multnomah Falls (Oregon's tallest).
For Saturday night consider the small town of Seaside. There you can walk the Promenade and see the spot where Lewis & Clark's saltworks was. Not too far from Cannon Beach.
Depending on the weather, you may want to skip Mt. Hood. Watch for it in the last 10 minutes before landing.

I don't think I'd spend a night on the Oregon Coast in February. It will be dark 5pm, and after dinner, what is there really do to? In Portland, there are plenty of things to do, of course, including spending time at Powell's (open til 11pm, every day). Some people like to be on the Coast during heavy storms, but that's hard to plan if you don't live here.

In the Gorge, don't just take I-84 and stop at Multnomah Falls; drive up the Columbia River Scenic Highway through the woods past numerous other falls including Multnomah Falls. It can get icy in the Gorge though, so you can adjust that based on the weather. I wouldn't want to be winding along the Scenic Highway in snow or ice. Even I-84 occasionally closes due to freezing rain, snow, etc. out that way.

A typical February day in the Portland area would be mid-30s at night, mid-40s during the day. It can get colder or warmer than that - and as noted, it may be rainy and overcast the whole time. Snow is certainly possible but unlikely. But it's not unusual to have clear, sunny days in February - and they can sometimes be very cold or very mild (mid-50s). Just be prepared for a whole range of weather.

Hi everyone!

Thanks so much for your feedback and advice! I'm going to take some time to digest the information and make adjustments to my itinerary.

@passerbye: Why February? Well....I found an inexpensive flight on Southwest and I booked it w/o doing any research. Coming from San Diego, the cold Oregon air will be refreshing! ;)

nothing to do in portland ! why so much time there ??
if you go to cannon beach you will regret not spending
more time there.

I, too, was surprised when somebody discouraged the OP from spending time in Cannon Beach.

Who discouraged the OP from spending time in Cannon Beach?

Anyone who thinks there's "nothing to do in Portland" probably wouldn't be visiting the area in February, then. Unless you are planning to ski, February is one of the worst times to enjoy Oregon's natural beauty outside of the city of Portland. But much of Portland can still be enjoyed even without great weather. And you can feel less guilty spending a few hours in Powell's when it's dark and rainy outside. :-)

"Unless you are planning to ski, February is one of the worst times to enjoy Oregon's natural beauty outside of the city of Portland."

Note that Karen plans to spend most of her time outside the city, Andrew. Which is exactly the reason I asked, why February?

Passerbye, she's spending three of her four nights in Portland. She said she got a cheap Southwest flight; seems reasonable to me if you've never been to Portland. Hotels will be cheaper too most likely. (OP: if you are budget conscious, also consider Priceline for hotels in Portland.) I think doing day trips and spending the evenings in Portland is perfect for February. You can certainly check out the Gorge and the Coast in overcast or even rainy weather though it's not ideal. She might luck out and get some nice weather, too. I had friends visit last March for a few days and they got decent if not perfect weather. It happens.

<i>"I don't think I'd spend a night on the Oregon Coast in February."</i> I took this as discouragement in comparison to, <i>"Also, I would arrange my time to spend at least one night on the coast. Saturday?"</i> My apologies if I misconstrued what I read.

HTTY

I think Cannon Beach is great even when it is chilly - at least for a couple of nights- and you never know about the coast- I have been there in Feb when its warm and sunny - not something you can count on but it does happen

I wasn't discouraging the OP from visiting the coast or Cannon Beach, just not spending the night there. I'd do it as a day trip in February especially with only a few days. If the weather happens to be nice, I'd watch the sunset at Cannon Beach (which should be by 5PM), then drive back to Portland for dinner.

I'm with you sunbum; unless it's gale force winds, I'd much rather walk the beach than wander the aisles of Powells. Which is pretty much the only unique place Portland has to offer when the weather's lousy.

Andrew, I think you need to read more closely what you and others have written.

passerbye: <i>I'm with you sunbum; unless it's gale force winds, I'd much rather walk the beach than wander the aisles of Powells. Which is pretty much the only unique place Portland has to offer when the weather's lousy.</i>

I'm going to take a wild guess that walking the beach at night (in February) wouldn't be a unique experience for someone visiting from San Diego, but walking the aisles of the one-of-a-kind Powell's Books might be.

[I'll take the high road and ignore your slur about Portland.]

<i>Andrew, I think you need to read more closely what you and others have written.</i>

You first.

<i>"I'm going to take a wild guess that walking the beach at night (in February) wouldn't be a unique experience for someone visiting from San Diego, but walking the aisles of the one-of-a-kind Powell's Books might be.

[I'll take the high road and ignore your slur about Portland.]"</i>

Again, I think you need to read more closely what you and others have written, Andrew.

You might want to have a plan A for good weather and a plan B for bad weather. Canon Beach and Seaside are hugely wonderful, but you don't want to be driving on highway 26 in "iffy" weather and it can get "iffy" in a heartbeat on that road. Driving to McMinnville might not even be advisable. Not knowing your interests, one idea might be to drive I-5N to Olympia, WA to see the state capitol. Conversely you could drive I-5S to Salemn to see the state Capitol there. Another would be to drive to Tacoma to see the glass bridge, the Glass Museum and the Tacoma Museum of Art which feature Dale Chihuly's amazing glass. I-5 will be well maintained in spite of bad weather.
If you have an interest in micro brews, Portland is the city to indulge that interest. Research the various breweries online in advance.

I'm OK with the idea of someone from pleasant and moderate San Diego needing to go SOMEwhere during February, and choosing to head due north vs. repetitive Arizona or Texas, and vs. cold and icy climates further inland.

SO, Oregon it is... a San Diego resident does not need to be laying out on the beach on the Oregon Coast. Just to see it and drive it in heavy winds and likely rain could be a nice diversion.

Indeed there is a chance that snowy winter weather could inhibit Portland itself and certainly could impact a trip east from there. (Play some of that by ear) Oddly, Portland gets considerably worse winter weather at the extremes than does Seattle, 150 miles north of there.

Indeed it might even be fun to be thrust into trudging about with the locals on a snowy, socked-in sorta day, again, just as a diversion from San Diego.

and @ hotzim:

Somebody from San Diego visiting Portland in February need only have a plan for bad weather and another for 'worse' weather.

If you do decide to spend the night in Cannon Beach, which I highly recommend, you should look into a dinner show at the EVOO Cannon Beach Cooking School. My husband and I did this last time we spent the weekend there and I'm kicking myself that we hadn't discovered it earlier! It's a very enjoyable way to spend the evening...and the food was fabulous!! I find the Oregon Coast wonderful, no matter the weather!