Hi - Need some help with our itinerary. This is what we planned in mid July:
Day 1 - Arrive by Amtrak train in Portland. How is Hotel Moderna? Others? budget of $150/night
Day 2 - What are must see sights for day 1 and 2?
Day 3 - Was thinking of eco-tour of columbia river gorge/mt hood? Or should we drive?
Day 4, 5, 6 - rent a car and drive to coast for 3 nights. Was thinking of Cannon Beach for 1 night but no one rents for one night. Then thinking 2 nights in Depoe Bay area. Are these good coast places? 3 nights are flexible. And what are must see sights on the coast? Would like lodging on the beach. Help!
Day 7 - drive back to Portland airport for an evening flight.
Thanks.

You can get a room for one night in Cannon Beach. It is more difficult to do so on the weekend, but you will find a room for the night you want if you keep searching.

Our favorite places to stay in the stretch of coast you mention are Cannon Beach, Newport, and Yachats. Yachats is a small town, whereas Newport has a first-rate aquarium and many hotels and restaurants.

Be sure to drive as far south as the Sea Lion Caves, which are just north of Florence.

HTTY

My husband and I just returned yesterday from a Portland/Coast tour. I'll be posting a trip report of sites, lodging and food in the next day or so. We spent 2 days in Portland, drove up to Mt. St. Helens and then the entire Coast-Astortia to Brookings into the Redwoods, then back thru the interior. In the meantime, what kind of things do you enjoy?

What's the eco-tour?

Thanks. I did a search on tours and eco tour came up.

The Modera is a good option on a moderate budget.

I'd probably stay in one place on the coast and do day trips rather than move. But if you're going to do 2 places, I'd go for Yachats over Depoe Bay.

I really like the Modera. Go to travelportland.com and you can usually get a package which includes breakfast and parking. The location is good for walking downtown. It is also on a bus/tram line. Nice reataurant/bar and outdoor area (if it is not raining.) Enjoy! CJ

Do the gorge and Mt. Hood with a rental car instead of a tour. It is very easy to do, and there is so much to see. You don't want to be limited as to where and when to make stops. Many things will catch your eye and you will be stopping a lot

I agree with NWWanderer on Yachats over Depoe Bay.

One night in Cannon Beach in the heart of summer will be very tough to find. I won't say for absolute that you won't find a place, but you would need to get on it right now. You might want to consider 2 nights in Cannon Beach and your other night further down, say Yachats. That would open up more hotel options for you. Also take a look at Manzanita, which is just a few minutes south of Cannon Beach.

The travel portland website is a good place to start. Many hotels will match the same breakfast/parking packages that are on that website, so you could call and ask. Even with living here, we stay overnight in downtown on occasion and calling the hotel directly has always gotten us the best price.

Just came back from Oregon. We absolutely loved the southern coast from Bandon south and Bandon was a great little town. The coast and towns north of that was not as interesting to us. Don't expect to sunbathe - it rarely gets warm enough and the water is always cold.

We drove the gorge - it was pretty and the kite and sail boarders were out in force. We liked the view from the Washington side better than the highway on the Oregon side.

Not only do you bump into minimum stay requirements in Cannon Beach, lodging there is generally higher than anywhere else on the Oregon coast. So I agree with mms's suggestion of Manzanita, and more specifically would recommend the Sunset Surf. It's an older motel-style place, but across the street from the beach, and rates are low.

On the central coast, it's hard to imagine a better setting the one at Overleaf Lodge and/or Fireside Motel, just north of Yachats.

Another place to check in Portland is Hotel 50, which opened a few years ago after a major renovation/conversion; on the river in the downtown core.

You're not saying labern116 shouldn't take the Historic Highway out the Columbia River Gorge, are you christabir? The view might be nice from the Washington side of the river, but you won't feel the mist from the waterfalls on your face from over there.

I don't understand, passerbye. I preferred the view from the WA side. I experienced many falls at Silver Falls SP, not just one or two. What's the problem? I didn't know you could get mist in your face from the comfort of a 6 lane highway.

No problem, christabir. I would agree that if all you're looking for is a drive-by view at 65 mph, it might be better from the WA side. But, that 6-lane highway is I-84, not the Old Columbia River Highway, which meanders along the base of the canyon walls, sometimes within a few yards of the waterfalls. And I didn't notice that labern116 will be visiting Silver Falls SP.