What is the best time of year to head out West? We were thinking of getting an open jaw ticket to Seattle and Portland and driving from one to the other. Interested in the wineries and the scenery and any other can't miss things the Fodorites would suggest. Thanks in advance!

If you want summer weather, mid-July through August would be the best time.

Well, the wineries are open year-round, and the scenery doesn't change much, so just about any time should work for you!! ;-) Sorry!

Seriously though, I think summer is the best time to be here (Portland). It really is glorious. Just know that summers don't really start until about the middle of July, and last only through the middle of September.

How much time do you have? It's only a 3 hour drive from Portland to Seattle, so unless you're thinking about the wineries in central Washington, I'm not sure why you'd want an open jaw ticket.

And BTW, the real can't miss things of Oregon are its coast and the Columbia River gorge. Were it not so far out of the way, I'd also include Crater Lake.

I hear it is a scorcher right now in Portland - very uncomfortable!

Actually not, nanabee. Mid 70's as I write this, and forecasted low to mid 80's for next week. I doesn't get much better than that around here.

thanks beachbum for the updated weather. my daughter lives in NE and she said it was high 80's low 90's. but she said it was nice to have the warm weather.
we (on the other hand) here in San Diego have had weather in the 90's and very humid.

September is good too, if that fits your schedule.

Geez, there is a Portland in Maine, and another Portland in Oregon, as well as still others in Michigan, Missouri, Connecticut, Indiana, and Arkansas, etc.

While it makes sense to just say "Portland" in reference to either of the Maine/Oregon ones and not have others in either area get confused, it probably isn't a good idea on an international travel board.

***this is NOT a reference to the original poster, but to someone else below them.

nanabee- What do you mean by "NE"?

If you mean east of the mountains in either Washington or Oregon, there are entirely different climates between Cascade range on the inland side and on the Pacific coast side. Just because it's a scorcher in Wenatchee or Spokane, for example, does not mean it will be hot in Seattle.

your right Suze: sorry for the confusion. Portland is divided into quadrants (Northeast or NE is one of the four sections of Portland, Oregon.)

Northwest Male: you make a good point about clarifications. Suze was confused by my response to Beachbum (which he of course understood, being from the Portland area). And we all assumed everyone else understood the referenced to Portland here being in response to the posters trip to Oregon & Seattle.

I had no idea there were more than two Portland's either!