chayes

I was planning a trip to the Olympic Peninsula in October and THEN I started reading about Oregon. I saw so many places I wanted to visit. We have 13 days in the 2nd two weeks in October so hoping for lots of fall colors. We love to hike (moderate hikes) and love waterfalls. The Columbia River Gorge looks awesome, but there are so many other Falls in Oregon to hike to. If we spend 4 days at ONP and 2 days at Mt Ranier, how’s the best way to tour Oregon in 6 days?? We planned to fly in Seattle and fly out of Eugene?? What would be the best way to maximize our time in Oregorn for hiking and seeing all the beautiful places?? Hopefully the trees will be changing. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

tomfuller

My advice is to fly into and out of Portland. If you fly out of Eugene, you will have a drop off fee and the flight will likely cost more too. The hardwood trees which change color are in the coast range and the west side of the Cascades. . See the waterfalls from the Old Columbia Gorge Highway (parallel to I-84). Multnomah Falls is the tallest in Oregon.
I'm hoping that the smoke from the large wildfires will be cleared by the middle of October.
The problem with Olympic National Park is that there are no through roads. Choose which part of the park you want to see.

Gardyloo

A couple of thoughts...

The Pacific Northwest's forests are primarily comprised of evergreens - cedars, firs, etc. - so autumn color is nothing like you'll find in other parts of the country. At higher elevations there will be some color in deciduous trees - vine maples etc. - but again, nothing like New England or the Smoky Mountains. The exception will be areas with orchards, and of course there will be autumn color here and there as birch, poplar or other trees turn - on farms, in cities etc.

Second, by mid-October conditions in the mountains and in Olympic National Park will be moving into their winter stages, meaning an increasing chance of rains and clouds. Of course, in Olympic NP they don't call them rain forests for nothing, but the clouds issue is important with mountains; the chances that the scenic views on Mt. Rainier, at Hurricane Ridge in Olympic NP, and other areas will be obscured by clouds rises dramatically. These places require long drives and if you're hiking in fog or rain (which also is more frequent at higher elevations), well...

One other issue regarding Olympic NP - the Hoh Valley road (between US 101 and the visitor center) will be closed to traffic starting next week and will remain closed through mid-October. Thus you won't be able to visit or hike in the Hoh rain forest on this trip, which is a big loss.

So to sum up, the impact these things will have on your plans MIGHT be unfortunate. No Hoh Valley in Olympic NP and possible fog/mist/rain obscuring Hurricane Ridge, ditto fog and rain at Mt. Rainier, and not much fall color anywhere west of Portland. Now, the Olympic NP beaches will still be available, and they're terrific, as is the Quinault rain forest inland from Lake Quinault, but will those things be enough of a draw for you to engage in the (long, blah) drives that they'd require?

Not trying to replan your trip, but some ideas:

The Hood River Valley will be in full harvest mode - orchards and vineyards in fall color, apples and pears being harvested, with Mount Hood looming over everything. And if it's NOT socked in, Mt. Hood has tons of hiking options, as does the Hood Forest that surrounds it.



Assuming the rains have started by then, the waterfalls in the Gorge will have decent flows, although nothing like the spring or earlier in the summer.

It's a great time to head east up the Columbia and into eastern Oregon. You could visit the Maryhill Museum and Stonehenge replica, at Maryhill an hour east of Hood River (thus two hours from Portland.) Or, if you want a higher chance of mountain scenery and some autumn color, keep heading east to the Wallowa Mountains in extreme northeastern Oregon. The town of Joseph, Oregon, is very pretty - full of galleries and sculptures - and the surrounding countryside - mountains and Wallowa Lake - are relatively undiscovered gems. They don't call it "America's Switzerland" for nothing.







So with two weeks I'd be tempted to stay inland, or if you want to see the coast, limit yourselves to the coast around the mouth of the Columbia River - say Ecola State Park near Cannon Beach and Cape Disappointment on the Washington side of the river, opposite Astoria. A couple of days there, them focus on the Hood River Valley (including the area north of Hood River, up to the Mount Adams wilderness north of Trout Lake) and then maybe head east to Joseph and come back through the glorious Palouse country in Washington, maybe including some wineries around Walla Walla. Map showing these places: https://goo.gl/maps/p6YPUDv8ryv . Don't forget to stop in Pendleton, Oregon, home of the iconic Pendleton woolen mills - blankets, clothing.

Cape Disappointment -



Walla Walla vineyards

sunbum1944

If you like waterfall hiking in Oregon, I would check out Silver Falls State Park- it is east of Salem. There are 10 waterfalls and an easy trail. At some of the falls, the trail goes behind the falls so water is shooting out over your head.

If you fly out of Eugene, you drive down the McKenzie Hwy and hike part of the McKenzie River Trail where you can see Sahalie Falls and Koosah Falls.
From there it is a short drive to Clear Lake which has a beautiful trail around it- no falls though and at that time of year, the vine maple will be turning red.

More Oregon waterfall hikes can be found on Hwy 138 on the way to Crater Lake- There are many falls along that route, some just a short walk, others a couple of miles. Watson Falls is a favorite.

Enjoy!

suze

Have you checked flights out of Eugene? It's a very small and limited airport. And most often you'd end up flying to Portland or Seattle for a connection. with 13 days in the fall I suggest just flying in and out of Portland and doing Oregon only. Plenty to keep you busy in that state alone. Or you could still drive up to the Seattle area for a few of the days, it's only ~3 hours in a rental car using I-5 freeway between the two cities.

chayes

i really wanted to visit both states since I’m flying in from Texas. If it is too late in the season for ONP and Mt Ranier, I am willing to come earlier next year. If the Hoh road is closed during this time, that will be too disappointing. Also, if Mt Ranier will be socked in with clouds that would be very disappointing. I knew that weather would be variable, but I don’t want to come all that way and have road closures and clouds obscuring everything. Should I wait??

Gardyloo

There are no guarantees regarding weather in the mountains. The key is to be flexible with your plans and not put too many eggs in the same basket. If you want to delay the trip, that's your call. For Mt. Rainier remember that the main visitor centers are at high altitude, so there's still several feet of snow on the ground on July 1, and by mid-October the snow might be flying again.

Look, if you want to come in mid-October, just do Mt. Rainier first and the Hoh rain forest last; hopefully the road work will be done by then. And if it isn't, then swap the Quinault rain forest for the Hoh; they're both fabulous and not totally different. And the reason I promote the Hood River Valley and Mount Hood so much for a fall trip is that Mt. Hood, while not a national park, is still downright spectacular, and while I wouldn't say it's an even swap for Rainier, if your aim is to see a big, glacier-covered volcano up close, and it conditions on Mt. Rainier aren't favorable, then it's a whole lot better than skipping the mountain(s) altogether. The main advantage of Mt. Hood over Mt. Rainier is its location - if you're visiting the Columbia Gorge and the forecast is for clear conditions, it's an hour up the road from Hood River, whereas Mt. Rainier is 2 or 3 hours from anywhere, so your reaction time is compromised.

The time you're proposing to come is well past the peak visitor season, so you really wouldn't likely have big problems in arranging accommodation within reasonable driving distance of the various destinations. So why not book some plane tickets and leave the detailed day-by-day plan until you can get 10-day forecasts and plan your route accordingly? It's a very changeable time of year; you can have sunny, clear weather in the morning and clouds and rain by the evening, with several cycles in between. "If you don't like the weather, wait ten minutes" is a common and apt saying hereabouts.

suze

Mt Ranier will be socked in with clouds ... clouds obscuring everything.

But really that can happen at any time of year. In Seattle, we call it "out"... as in "Is the mountain out today?" meaning can you see it from the city.

chayes

Well, I’m feeling better about this. Could anyone give me a possible 6 day route thru Oregon where we could hike to lots of waterfalls and visit the Columbia River Gorge for sure. Also, will the Falls be really low because of the late season. I had focused so much time on Washington that I didn’t even considered Oregon until I came upon some pictures...Oh My Goodness...so pretty.

Gardyloo

Here's a map to consult - https://goo.gl/maps/wGVt5MwLpWk . Make the choice of direction (clockwise/counterclockwise) on the basis of short-term weather forecasts.

I'd allocate two or three days to the Columbia Gorge and Hood River Valley with a base at Hood River; visit Latourell and Multnomah Falls (at least) during a tour of the central Gorge, and extend your visits east to Maryhill for its museum and Stonehenge. Note some of the waterfall trails in the main Gorge are going to be unavailable as they're still recovering from last year's big fires.

I'd head south past Timberline Lodge to Silver Falls State Park east of Salem, then out to the coast. Visit Ecola State Park near Cannon Beach, and Cape Disappointment at the (awesome) mouth of the Columbia, then, if the weather's okay, stop at Johnston Ridge overlooking Mt. St. Helens on the way back to Portland.

Columbia Gorge/Hood River area - 3 days
Gorge to coast via Silver Falls - 1 day
Coast back to Portland - 2 days

In either order, depending on weather. If the forecast for Mt. Hood is clear or partly cloudy, go there then; the other places are not dependent on good weather.

5alive

You've got a lot of great advice already and a solid itinerary from Gardyloo.

One suggestion I have is that you make some cancellable reservations for your lodgings. This way, if the weather report looks favorable and you want to add more time to the Oregon Coast or go up to Mount Rainier, you could make a change.

I like booking.com but I also use travelocity and a couple of others. I have cancelled both. But be aware that airbnb and homeaway would not be good choices--mostly are not cancellable at all.

I always make a meeting notice for myself of the day before something needs cancelled.

Oregon has hit the radar of more travelers--I blame Instagram--and coming in October has a plus that less out-of-state tourists are here during your trip.

But many Oregonians do love to visit the Gorge in the fall. We went for a weekend last fall. As Gardyloo says, Hood River is gorgeous in the fall and a drive down 35 and over Mount Hood, stopping in Parkdale is really nice.

A few lodging tips for the Gorge should you have trouble (especially if on a weekend):.

• In Hood River, the Columbia Gorge Hotel and Spa has a LOT of rooms. I think it would take about 5 weddings in a weekend for them to be entirely full.
• Skamania Lodge over the river and a little further west in Washington State is also quite large and is a lovely property. Both properties are on the online travel sites, often on sale.
• The Dalles is only about 10 miles up the road from Hood River, and there are some cute and fun lodgings as well as traditional chains there. As an example, we stayed at a B&B in The Dalles in part because I waited too long to decide, but honestly, I really loved the place and would go again. They happened to have a room or two still open last minute.