Portland OR Sedona OR Nashville OR northern California (Mendocino etc)
 

Or all three...

Good morning!

I am going to have some time available in the coming months to take some short jaunts - 4 or 5 nights.

If you were to sort the above in order of preference, what would you pick first? I look like I'll have time starting in mid-April. I haven't been to any of the above places.

Would Sedona be beastly hot for hiking in May or June? I usually prefer morning hikes and I'd guess desert mornings are cool even if it's the hot season.

Mendocino looks gorgeous from what I've seen in photos and I'd also do a lot of hiking here, I'd think.

The other two destinations would be mostly for urban type pursuits although I think I can squeak in one hiking day for Portland at least.

I'd love to hear your opinions or stories to help me narrow it down. I haven't seen enough of the USA and I'm trying to fix that.

Thank you for any thoughts...

Are you renting a car or how are you getting around?
Portland you can fly into and get around on the TriMet system without renting a car.
There are some OK trails in Forest Park on the west side of the city.
If going to Sedona either rent a car or take a Pink Jeep tour. Early to mid May will be a little cooler than June in Sedona.

Thank you Tom!

I usually rent a car, but for a city I would try to avoid that. I imagine neither Portland or Nashville would need a car.

For the other two I don't think I have a choice but to rent a car.

Then again, I might do this as part of one big road trip, later, in which case I will have my own car. Still sorting things out. Flying to the different destinations is definitely easier if not cheaper.

Besides May, when would you have open windows?

Top of the head -

May - Sedona. Remember it's at high altitude so not as hot as lower elevations like Phoenix.

Nashville - anytime as it's more a city/indoor destination.

Portland - May or September. The waterfalls along the Columbia Gorge walls are spectacular in the spring, as are the blooming orchards in the Hood River Valley. In September the waterfalls are still flowing (not as heavily) but the Hood River Valley is full of orchards and vineyards (lots of good local wine) at harvest time. The Portland/Gorge/Mt. Hood area is an ideal 4- or 5-day destination; it's very compact and packs an amazing punch on the variety front.

Mendocino - October. The weather's still good but the crowds have dispersed. Do a loop from San Francisco - coast to Mendocino, north on CA 1 to US 101 and the Avenue of the Giants redwoods, then back to SF on US 101. (Or the reverse.)

We live in a Portland suburb and are big hikers. That said, spring here can be glorious or wet and chilly, but not cold. Right now we are getting dumped on with rain, but in a couple days it is supposed to be really nice. So if you come pretty much anytime before the end of June, this is typical weather for here.

In Portland itself is Forest Park which is a fabulous place to hike! Miles upon miles of trails, and unless you are on a busy one, you can have the entire place to yourself. A popular one, for good reason, is the Wildwood Trail between the zoo and Pittock Mansion. If it is a nice day, the view from PM across the city to Mt Hood are stunning. You do not need a car to get here from downtown.

If you do rent a car, definitely head over to the gorge. It starts only about 15 minutes east of downtown and you can go as far as you want. It is a beautiful drive with many wonderful stops such as Portland Woman's Forum, Crown Point Vista House Multnomah Falls and then numerous other falls. This is along the old scenic highway, NOT I-84, which parallels it. Definitely head to at least Hood River, if not The Dalles. One of my favorite springtime hikes in the gorge is Dog Mountain across the river on the WA side. It definitely gives your legs a workout, but sooo worth it! There are many more great trails but you get the idea.

I think all of those are worthy areas, but I, personally, would rather save Portland and Mendocino for longer trips so that I could cover a bigger area. We spent 8 days (which wasn't nearly enough time) and covered part of the Coast, Portland and the Gorge. We also combined Mendocino with San Francisco and Sonoma County over a 10-day trip that was one of my favorite vacations. There's just a lot to do in both areas. The Oregon trip was in September (we had good weather) and the No. California trip was May and we had perfect weather (perfect for us, not so much for drought stricken California).

Sedona, on the other hand, I see as a more discreet location, so I think 4 or 5 days there would be nice. Weather wise, I'd probably aim for April or May. But in saying that, I have to admit that I've never been there, so perhaps there's far more to see in do in the general area than I realize.

Purely from a hiking perspective, I loved, loved, loved Oregon. We did a couple of hikes in Mendocino that we liked, but the hiking itself wasn't spectacular. If I were going solo for a trip, I'd also much prefer Portland. There's just more to see/do to occupy oneself.

I have friends who spend most weekends hiking in the Columbia River Gorge (which just happens to be a beautiful place and could be combined with hiking on the coast).

HTtY

Residents of Southern AZ visit Sedona to the scape the heat. I vote for Sedona!

I haven't been to any of your other choices, but I do live in Nashville! With respect I'd possibly disagree with Gardyloo that it's an "anytime" destination - I think that depends on your tolerance for heat/cold. I'm not sure where you're from, but if it's anywhere that doesn't have lots of heat + humidity, I'd avoid July-August. The weather then doesn't bother me, but I'm a native. :) That said, a lot of the attractions are indoors, though we have several city/state parks both in town and a very close day trip away. And any time you're indoors, you'll be air conditioned to death.

<i>I imagine neither Portland or Nashville would need a car.</i>
Depends on what you want to do. If you're content spending your four days downtown, using the bus, the occasional tourist shuttle, cab and/or Uber, it's doable and possibly even preferable. If you want more flexibility or are more interested in things outside downtown, we are still a car-centric city - getting to places like the Hermitage or the Jack Daniels distillery (an hour or so away) are hard or impossible using public transit. What makes you interested in Nashville?

Thank you everyone! Wow, this doesn't make it any easier, they all sound great.

jent103, I have always heard that it is a really fun town. A former coworker who has great taste and travels a lot told me it's a place she tries to visit annually because she loves it there.

Gotcha! I agree with her. :) Mainly I was trying to gauge whether you'd need a car - some posters here who come to town are interested in the plantations or Civil War stuff, for example, or plan to go to Jack Daniels, and for those things you really do need a car; you'd also need one for any hiking or outdoor activities you'd be doing. If you're mostly interested in being downtown, though, you can manage without one! Downtown = the Ryman, the Country Music Hall of Fame/Studio B, the honky-tonks. I'm pretty sure there's also a shuttle between downtown and the Opryland complex, if you're interested in catching the Grand Ole Opry and/or seeing the hotel. (The Opry is downtown at the Ryman for a couple of months in the winter, though.)

Most of the best restaurants aren't right downtown (though there are some good options down there now), but many of them are a quick Uber ride from there. There's also the Music City Circuit bus between downtown and the Gulch area.

hey check this out:

https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nat...ton-providence

thank you jent for the update!

Sedona, for sure. IMO the red rock country is like nowhere else on earth. Don't pass up a chance to experience it.