Seeking Advice/Itineraries
 

My wife and I want to visit for the first time. We will be leaving Los Angeles 6/13, and be back 6/18 or 19. Please provide feedback and or suggest must see highlights for travel by car from L.A., which means we will likely experience the southwest portion of Oregon.

Compare that with flying into Portland, renting a car, and viewing the state from there.

We have lived and traveled in CA for decades, so we would love to see as much of Oregon as time permits.

I appreciate this community very much. Thank you in advance.

<so we would love to see as much of Oregon as time permits>

Certainly you would maximize your sight-seeing time by flying from LA to Portland then.

If you drive, in the time you have you could include Highway 1 from Jenner to Leggett, the redwoods, the Oregon Coast from Brookings to Port Orford, Ashland (the Shakespeare Festival), and Mt. Shasta.

If you fly to Portland, you would have a much more leisurely experience. You could visit Portland, the Willamette Valley wine region, the Oregon coast from Florence to Cannon Beach, and the Columbia River gorge from Portland to Maryhill, WA.

They are both good trips, but the one that includes Portland would likely leave you more satisfied that you have "seen" Oregon.

HTtY

If you dislike flying (I do), consider taking the Amtrak Coast Starlight from California to Eugene Oregon.
Rent a car and head for Portland and the Columbia Gorge.
Spend a night in Hood River. See Multnomah Falls before heading back into Portland. See what you want of Portland before heading for the Oregon coast.
See the coast at least as far as Reedsport before heading inland. about 5 miles east of Reedsport you will be able to see some Roosevelt elk from the Dean's Creek viewpoint.
Do you have a desire to see Crater Lake?
Take the car back to the Eugene airport and either fly back or take the train back.
The northbound Coast Starlight arrives in Eugene about 12:30PM.
The southbound Coast Starlight leaves Eugene shortly after 5PM.

As I understand this you either want to drive from LA up to Oregon and back or fly to Portland, visit the OR coast and drive down to LA . . . in 5 or 6 days. Is that right?

Sorry but that is not nearly enough time to drive up and back and only barely adequate if you fly to Portland and then drive back.

Flying up and back and renting a car for 5 days is your only option really. I wouldn't consider the train - if it is on time (and there are no guarantees of that) it takes 1.5 days each way.

Since you wanted to see southwestern Oregon, Allegiant flies from LAX to Medford on Sunday Monday Thursday and Fridays.
Allegiant.com
The fares are cheaper than Amtrak. Allegiant also flies to Eugene.