parosblue

I'd like to drive from San Francisco to Portland. How much time should I plan and what do you recommend for stops along the way? We'll visit a son in San Francisco and friends in Bend, Oregon. Other than that, we have no plans yet but would like to see the coast.

PaulRabe

> what do you recommend for stops along the way?

It would help us give to give more useful tips if we had some idea on what sort of things you are interested in experiencing. A place I would find enthralling, you might find excruciatingly boring; and vice-versa.

Between SF and Portland is nature, scenery, history, wineries, charming places, isolation, beaches, mountains, volcanoes, forests, etc. Any in particular that interest you?

islandaze

What time of year, and how many days, including the planned stop in Bend?

parosblue

We are still in the flexible planning stage - maybe 2-3 weeks and probably in July as I teach so summer is my vacation time.
Lots of choices of course.
We are definitely interested in wineries, scenery, history, charming places, beaches, and good food. We like to walk but not rugged hiking.
Thanks for your ideas about places you would go back to.

PaulRabe

Can't help you with wineries or food.

Scenery: Point Reyes National Seashore; any park with redwoods; any park on the shore (Humboldt Lagoon, Boiler Bay, Heceta Head); Crater Lake NP (a bit inland but may be worth the trip)

History: Silverado Museum, Saint Helena; POSSIBLY Fort Ross State Park

Charming places: Eureka, Mendocino

Beaches: Yaquina Head

parosblue

Thanks PaulR, Those ideas will help me to start map out a route.

spirobulldog

I would vote for
Point Reyes-full day there. Good tidepooling there at McClures Beach during low tide.

Patricks Point State Park-tidepooling there at Palmers Point(which is at Patricks Point). Check tide tables and be there at low tide.

Redwoods National Park-specifically the Prairie Creek section
Hike James Irvine Trail all the way to the ocean via Fern Canyon. If you don't want to hike that far then just drive to Fern Canyon. You can just do the Fern Canyon hike. If you don't do the James Irvine, then just pick a trail right behind the Prairie Creek Visitor Center to do. The Stout Grove in Jedediah Smith is a great drive and a great short hike/walk. Probably a full 1 or 2 days at the Redwoods. Keep in mind that 3 state parks comprise the national park.

Burney Falls is really cool and easy to see, but it is out of the way. I would consider it the best least known waterfall in the US. If the waterfalls at Yosemite are 10's then this one is a 9.5 and you can get up close and personal with it. Lassen Volcano National Park is really neat. Somewhat like a Mini Yellowstone. You can stay at the lodge there that is different. You feel like you've stepped back 100 year. The doors didn't even have locks on them. Lassen has several good easy hikes. And the horse riding at the lodge there is cool because it takes you right to a thermal area in the park. So you can ride if you don't want to hike. It has everything Yellowstone has except the geysers. Of course, it is on a much smaller scale. But any place that has steam coming out of the ground is pretty neat to me.
You would need 2-3 days there. The main attractions of the park aren't really near the lodge though. The entire coast of Oregon is great. Crater Lake is fantastic and can be done in a day. Oregon Caves is pretty good and is 1/2 day deal. The historic lodge there is as unique as Old Faithful Inn, IMOP. Maybe take a jet boat tour @ Grants Pass.

Silver Falls State Park is on the way to Portland as well.

On the coast you can do several lighthouse, the dunes area, Tilamook Cheese Factory, and a host of other things to see along the way.

Your best bet for Crater Lake and/or Lassen would be Mid to Late July depending on how much snow they have received this year.

Assuming you aren't from the Portland area, then Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens, Fruit Loop, Columbia River Gorge, Rose Garden in Portland, Stumptown Roasters Coffee, Powells Bookstore.

spirobulldog

Link to our pics - Oregon and Redwoods from 2009
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...0IatW7FqybsWRL

Link to Redwoods,Lassen, Burney Falls from 2011
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...0IatW7FqybsWRa

parosblue

Spiro - Thanks for the terrific details and photo links. You info really helps to get us excited and started on the scooping out this trip. Do you think we need to make reservations to stay in the lodges you mentioned? I imagine they might be busy in July. We are from Vermont and unfamiliar with the northwest.
Thanks again for taking the time to share all these great leads.

spirobulldog

Crater Lake coule certainly already be full. Mt Hood might be too. I imagine that Oregon Caves wouldn't be. You'll just have to check and see. Even if you can't get reservation now, keep trying. People often cancel within the last week.

charnees

If you are in southern Oregon near US highway 5, do stop in Ashland. It's a wonderful town with a college, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, which is a superb repertory company. Not just Shakespeare. The town is small, cozy feeling, and has some great restaurants, mostly fairly informal. If you want to stay over there, do reserve ahead. There are tons of B&Bs there. We like Tudor House, which is about a twenty minute walk from the center of town. Only 5 rooms, not expensive, with great breakfasts. If you are not going to a play, schedule dinner for 7:30 or later. All the playgoers jam he restaurants around 6, and then clear out just before 8 pm. But go to a play if you can. They have an outdoor Shakespearean theatre, plus two others.

tomfuller

The lodging places if Crater Lake is fully booked include the Prospect Hotel and a variety of cabins and hotel type rooms at the north end of Diamond Lake (Diamond Lake Resort).
What type of activities do you want to do in the Bend area?

Tomsd

If you want to visit some wineries while in Oregon - they start around Roseburg and continue up the Williamete Valley to Portland. Outside of Eugene - a cute college town - the University of Oregon is there - there are a number of good ones - and Kings Estate is big and there are others. The Chards, Pinot Grigio and the Pinots are usually the best vintages. It's also a lovely drive from Eugene over to Florence - where during my grad school year, '69-70, we would celebrate a big Saturday - by driving over to the Coast and picking up some fresh crab, loaves of bread and cheese and some beverages - and build a fire on the beach and have a grand old time on our threadbare budgets.

Here is a general map/info about the wineries in Oregon.
http://www.oregonwines.com/

I also recommend staying up at beautiful Timbeline Lodge on Mt. Hood, about an hour outside of Portland, and the drive east of Portland - along the Columbia River George - and Multnoma Falls has a restaurant/coffee shop with a glass roof and you can look up at the falls. http://www.timberlinelodge.com/

Tomsd

This might be a better map of Oregon and the various wineries.

There are a number. And agree - that Diamond Lake is very beautiful and a good lodging alternative if Crater Lake is booked. It's also a great place to fish and if you get a guideboat - fairly inexpensive - you will almost certainly land some beautiful Rainbow Trout.

There are also other beautiful lakes in the area - and I grew up in Klamath Falls and Crescent Lake was where we went for our summer Boy Scouts Camp,and nearby Odell Lake is also pristine. Around Bend there are also a number of nice lakes and just east of Bend is a mountain of obsidian/sharp lava that Native Americans visited for their arrowheads. There is a cute lodge by a couple of lakes next to Newberry Crater also. http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/...framework.html

Tomsd

Egads: Didn't post this Oregon winery map:

http://www.oregonlive.com/wineries/

Tomsd

BTW - it's a beautiful drive from Bend over to Eugene - and in the summer - there is an incredible road open that goes past the big lava flows where the Astronauts trained before the first moon flight.

And here is a better map for the Eugene area wineries, and besides Kings Estate - we also liked Sweet Cheeks and had a nice picnic at Hinman. http://www.google.com/#hl=en&sclient...w=1440&bih=717

Tomsd

Here is the great drive - via hiway 242 - from Bend to Eugene, only open in the summer months. At the top - as I recall - you drive through a beautiful park, as well as the other marvelous sights along the way. The rule used to be - if on a narrow rise - the downhill car has to back up and find a place to pull off - as the uphills car can't do that as easily.

http://www.924board.org/viewtopic.ph...67e7f9988c62fc

tomfuller

The place mentioned above: Dee Wright Observatory
http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/...servatory.html
In May ODOT runs a rotary plow through one way. When they are done with that, they open the highway to bicycles.

parosblue

These are all terrific leads and tips. Thank you all!
I teach a drama unit on Shakespeare so am excited to find out about the theatre in Ashland.
Lots of good tips on scenic spots and wineries.
Any more leads on inns or hotels?
Thanks again!

tomfuller

What you need to know about entertainment and theater in Bend:
http://www.visitbend.com/Bend_Oregon...rforming-Arts/
Bend is only 90 miles from the north entrance of Crater Lake NP.