Portland and the Coast - a Couple of Questions
 

Having previous help on this forum to sort out our Portland to Yosemite road trip in August; I now have a couple of further questions.
We are arriving in Portland early afternoon Aug 1, staying at Inn at Northrup Station for 2 nights.

What would be a good itinerary for the afternoon / evening in Portland. The following day we are heading out to tour the Gorge.

On August 3 we are heading to Yachats for 2 nights. I have read on a trip report that you can bike on the beach, on the coast. Where is a good place to do this? The ability to rent decent bikes would be the only way I could get my husband to agree to this. We are avid cyclists and he refuses to ride terrible rental bikes. ( He will be in for a treat in Yosemite lol .)
Thanks in advance.

I cannot think of anywhere to ride bikes on the beach around Yachats. nor a place to rent them.
Many people do bike along the Hwy 101 but I think it is curvy and dangerous and there is very little shoulder.

The Inn at Northrup is not far from 23rd St where there are many restaurants and shops- I have walked there from the hotel in the past but that was a few years ago- might ask hotel staff about the safety of doing that.

Hotel is not far from an area called The Pearl- more restaurants and shops and one of the "in" places in Portland.

Also, I believe the trolly stops beside the hotel so you could take it downtown to see the sights there.

If yu want to bike, you could do that in Portland- there is a paved trail called the Springwater Corridor - rent bikes down on the waterfront.

I will just say ditto to what sunbum wrote;)

Further north in Cannon Beach, you can rent fun cycles to ride on the beach at low tide. That is a lot of fun! But they are not regular bicycle styles.

Most of Highway 101 from Yachats to Florence skirts the ocean--it is spectacular. On two recent trips I don't remember seeing bicyclists on that road, and I know I've never seen anybody bicycling on Oregon beaches.

On your first afternoon in Portland I would explore the neighborhood around Northrop Station, the Pearl District, and the downtown. Portland is a very walkable city.

When we show friends the Columbia River Gorge, we take I-84 to Corbett to access the Historic Columbia River Highway for Vista House and the waterfalls. After enjoying Maltnomah Falls, we return to I-84 and drive to Hood River--a delightful town to visit. 
 From Hood River we drive out Highway 35 for great views of Mt. Hood and, on the return to Hood River, great views of Mt. Adams (in Washington). From Hood River we drive on I-84 to Biggs Junction, cross to Maryhill, and return to Portland on WA-14. We never tire of the views on this drive. (Maryhill is home to an interesting museum and a winery.)

You can also turn south at Hood River and in 45? minutes - be on the "other side" of Mt. Hood - and look up at the glacier from the classic Timberline Lodge - one of our favorite places of all. (And I grew up in Oregon).

From there back to Portland - along hiway 26 - a little over an hour.

Thanks Everyone.
I will bookmark that route for the gorge. Is the rose garden worth a stop for such a short visit in Portland?
I have little interest in biking on a busy road. I wanted to bike right on the beach , on the sand. We have done this before on Lake Huron and it is so much fun. I guess it's not happening on this trip.

I think the Rose Garden is worth a stop - so is the Japanese Garden.

You could do a nice walk along the waterfront in Portland- there is a paved pathway. You can do a loop by crossing over one of the bridges, continue on the pathway and then cross back over another bridge.

Sorry you won't be able to bike on the beach- but there are some great walking beaches.

One of my favorite beaches is Devils Elbow - also know as Heceta Head. It is south of Yachats but before you get to Florence. It is a nice quiet cove with a trail going up to the lighthouse and the lighthouse keepers home which is now a B&B. The lighthouse has recently been restored and is one of the most photographed in the US.

Since you can't bike on the beach, you could horseback ride on the beach if that interests you or try dune buggy riding south of Florence- it is very fun!!

The Rose Garden would be a nice, albeit uphill, walk from your hotel. You can also catch the streetcar right at your hotel and ride the loop through town. It is a great way to get around the Pearl/NW/Downtown.

You could also hit the Farmer's Market early Saturday morning and pick up provisions for a picnic in the Gorge.

Your hotel is right next to our favorite restaurant in Portland - Paley's Place.

Thanks for the ideas. It's getting closer now, so I'm getting excited.
Uphill walking is not an issue. We live in a valley, so we are always walking either up or down.
I love the market idea , but I might get carried away and stay too long, or buy more than we can possibly eat.
Would there be fruit stand along route?
The restaurant looks yummy.
Thank you!

There will be many fruitstands in the Gorge!

Where are the fruit stands? Are they on the side of the road, or do you have to drive to them off the main road as those in the Hood River Valley?

HTtY

It has been a few years, but I remember there being a few on the side of the road - or signs for them.\

Hood River is only an hour from Portland, so you aren't going that far.