I am planning a trip to the PNW for this summer with our two millennial children. We decided on the PNW, because we have never vacationed in that part of the U.S., the great natural beauty and cooler summer temperatures (coming from Texas, St. Louis and SoCal). I wanted to spend a week in the San Juan Islands(Orcas), we are active so I was looking forward to hiking and kayaking, my wife, who is the wisest person I know, says our kids will be bored silly. Millennials value experiences not just the beauty of the locale. So know I am now looking at the PNW through different eyes and now thinking (we have 1 week):

Bend, Oregon - hipster town, kids love whitewater rafting and micro brews (The Ale tour looks awesome), and kayaking
Oregon Coast - I saw there is sand dune skiing in Yachats
Portland - hipsters
Mt. Hood - don't if we can fit that in all in a week.

So I am leaning towards flying into Portland, spending 3 days in Bend and 2 days on the coast. Any thoughts or suggestions?
Places to stay or other things to do that Millennials might like?

Not trying to be snarky, but why don't you ask YOUR millennials what they'd like to do?

So you aren't going to the San Juans at all?

I'm really not understanding... if your "millennials" will be bored in the San Juans why wouldn't they be equally bored on the Oregon Coast?

Millennial means they were born in this millenium?

"a person reaching young adulthood around the year 2000"

As a parent of two millennials and lives in both the Portland and Seattle areas, here is my take

The San Juans are great and I don't think they would be bored unless you just sat around. That said, if you want to do the SJ's, do that for a few days and then do Seattle itself for a few days. Our DD lives in Seattle and there is always so much going on that she stays very busy outside of work. Catching a Mariner's baseball game is always fun, riding a ferry, the Underground and Underworld Tours, the waterfront, Pike Place Market, Ballard Locks, Ballard and Fremont neighborhoods for unique shops and great breweries/restaurants. I could go on, but you get the idea that there is a lot that interests millennials.

Now for OR, again there is a lot to do. The Ale Trail is really cool, and I love the Bend area. Fantastic hiking! If you are up for it, the South Sister is amazing! It is not a technical climb in the summer, just one heck of a workout but with huge payoffs! It is our 3rd tallest mountain in OR. I have summited it a number of times and never tire of it, and our kids started hiking it when they were little and then as they got older did more and more until they were able to summit as well. Anyway, lots of great hiking options in this area.

On our coast, the dune is not in Yachts, but rather in Pacific City at Cape Kiwanda. Big dune, with great views on the back side of it. A haystack rock (different from the more well known one in Cannon Beach) is also there, and Pelican Pub where you can sit on the deck right next to the ocean.

Portland--Yes, hipster central

Mt Hood--Great hiking all around there, and I especially like the Timberline Trail. It goes all the way around the mountain, but you can just do part of it like to Paradise Park and it is excellent! Take in the columbia river gorge if you make it out this direction. Lots of beautiful waterfalls, view points, hikes and interesting places.

Hopefully some of this helps you decide what sounds most interesting to your family. Either way, you can't go wrong!

Let me make it easy for you. Fly to Portland and spend the first night at McMenamins Edgefield, in Troutdale around 15 min. east of the airport. http://www.mcmenamins.com/Edgefield

It's the former Multnomah County Poor Farm, converted to a funky complex that includes hotel and hostel rooms, several pubs, on-site brewery, distillery and winery, lots of food options, a movie theater, short golf course, spa, gardens... It's a total immersion on Oregon counter-culture.

Use the Edgefield or Hood River as launchpads for travels around the Portland area, the Columbia River Gorge, the Hood River Valley, Mount Hood and Mount Adams.

Hood River is a microbrewing center, an up and coming wine producing area, and also the "world capital of wind surfing" on the Columbia. There are numerous waterfalls and very cool hikes along the Gorge walls, white water rafting on the White Salmon River (on the WA side opposite Hood River) ziplines and even summer skiing on the slopes of Mount Hood. You can drive out to Maryhill Museum (funky and historic - Rodin in the sagebrush) and the nearby replica of Stonehenge. You can visit Herman the Sturgeon (ancient and enormous) at the Bonneville hatchery, hike into the Mount Adams wilderness, or drive the Hood River Valley "fruit loop" past umpteen wineries and orchard/farm stands.

If you're dying to see the Pacific, stay in Portland for a night or two and make a long but comfortable day trip out to Cape Disappointment on the Washington side of the (incredible) mouth of the Columbia River - Lewis and Clark interpretive center, a couple of lighthouses, waves crashing against rocks and cliffs, Waikiki Beach... and maybe continue down the Oregon coast to Ecola State Park near Cannon Beach before returning to Portland. You could also do an easy day trip from Portland (or from Hood River) to Mt. St. Helens.

Google the following places to see if anything appeals:

Oneonta Gorge
Timberline Lodge
Latourell Falls
Vista House
Lost Lake
Bridge of the Gods

And of course once you're back in Portland, let the millennials loose. They'll probably want to move there.

Bend and Sunriver both have good options for kayaking.
You can kayak on the Deschutes River going downstream from launch points in Sunriver.
You can also kayak on several lakes off the Cascade Lakes Highway. Do the adults have any desire to see Crater Lake NP?
You can purchase tickets for the boat trip out to Wizard Island in Crater lake.
I would not spend 3 nights in Bend or Sunriver.
The nicest sand dunes in Oregon are north of Reedsport.
East of Reedsport you can see Roosevelt elk from a viewpoint along Rt. 38.
The hike up to the top of Multnomah Falls is one that will be remembered for the view from the top of the Columbia Gorge.

We really enjoyed Orcas but it's very low key so a week may be a bit long. We spent 3 nights in Bend and ran out of time to do everything we wanted and wished we'd had a couple of more nights. There's a lot to do and see in the surrounding areas that makes Bend a good base.

Definitely stay at the edgefield, or any mcmenamins. Bothell has a great tiki bar. Crystal Hotel has a soaking pool and a great location in downtown Portland. Bend has a the coolest soaking pool.

I hate the word millennial but here's my take.

I like the San Juan Islands, but I agree with your wife. Unless they really like kayaking, they'll be bored silly after more than a few days.

Love Portland. And Seattle. Always something to do. I enjoy the coast, Bend, and Gorge. Bend has good recreation around it, but I think whether or not they'll like it depends on how they feel about beer culture. Portland is like that too- if you like food, booze and hipsters, it's awesome. Some people don't, though.

No on crater lake. I do enjoy theater, so I like Ashland.

Honestly I'd probably either:

Fly into Portland. a few nights there. Then either gorge and Bend or the coast. Depends on interests.

Fly into Seattle and stay maybe in the Whidbey Island or Anacortes area. plenty of stuff to do- you can go out to the Islands, or do other day trips. Lots of state parks and hiking.

If you have passports, fly into Seattle, take the clipper to SJI, 2 nights on the Islands. Continue to Vancouver Island. Victoria is a lot of fun and there are pretty much an endless assortment of recreation ideas in the area.

There are no ski-able dunes in Yachats.

You can sand board the dunes in Florence though.

They also might like dune buggy rides in Florence or horses back riding on the beach just a bit north of Florence.