We have decided to vacation this summer in the Pacific NW with our family of 4 kids ages 17, 15, 13, & 10. We love hiking, biking, swimming & horseback riding. My tentative itinerary is as follows...

Day 1 - Fly into Portland
Day 2 - Columbia River Gorge
Day 3 - Mt.St. Helens
Days 4-6 - Mt Ranier National Park
Days 7-8 -- Seattle
Day 9 Drive down Oregon Coast to Long Beach
Day 10-12 -- Cannon Beach
Day 13 Fly out of Portland back to Lancaster, PA!

Actually after writing this out I realize I need to shorten it a little because really we only have 10 days. What should I cut out? Am I crazy to so close and not get to Victoria or Vancouver? Please help since I am just starting to plan this & welcome all suggestions. Also would welcome advice on nice places to stay that are affordable & fun for a family of 6. Pools are a must! Oh, speaking of pools & beach, will it still be pretty cold up there in early June?

Let me know of any "must do" attractions and also where is a good place to go horseback riding.

Thanks for any and all advice. Also, realize that we are looking for a vacation that gives the kids an overview of the area. I completely realize that we ought to be spending a lot more time in each area, but it is more important to see a lot than see it all. Thanks wonderful Fodorites!

Okay.... first things first; Long Beach is in Washington! ;-)

I'm thinking you should try and trim this trip down to just either WA or OR, Lou. If you picked WA, you could maybe include Victoria and/or Vancouver, the Olympic Peninsula, and possibly a day or two in the San Juans. If OR, you wouldn't have to short-change yourselves on the coast (THE best reason to visit here), include Crater Lake, and a bit of the Bend area.

To be honest, my first thought upon reading this, We love hiking, biking, swimming & horseback riding. was Sunriver Resort (http://www.sunriver-resort.com/) or Black Butte Ranch (http://www.blackbutteranch.com/). Either would be great.

As for weather, it kinda depends on what you decide, but if you stick to the west side of the Cascades, highs should be in the upper 60's. And plan for rain....

Looks like a reasonable itinerary to me. The only way you could do Vancouver/Victoria is if you cut out too much of everything else. I'd leave it as is.

Consider taking the 'back way' into St. Helens, from the Columbia Gorge. You would take the narrow and twisty Wind River Rd, out of Carson, on the WA side of the river. That puts you onto Swift Reservoir, just south of St. Helens. From there, you take Forest Road 25 that runs along the east side of the mountain. This is not the way most folks go - they enter from I-5 on the west side and drive up to Coldwater/Johnston Ridges for the best views. However, the east side offers the opportunity for fuan and easy cave exploring at Ape Cave, as well as a drive right through the blast zone, where you still can see the blown down and scorched trees. Drive up Forest Rd 99 to Windy Ridge for great views. You can take a short climb to the top of Windy Ridge for a better view, or a hike down to Spirit Lake.

From there, you can continue northward on Rte 25 to Randle, which is just north of Rainier. Again, most folks enter Rainier from the west or north, but you can enter from the south. Just take Rte 12 West to Packwood (probably the best overnight choices are there), then Rte 123 into the Park.

The Stevens Canyon Highway should be fully repaired by then (it got washed out last year), which will take you to Paradise, where there are toms of great hiking trails. In early June, there will no doubt still be quite a bit of snow up there, and it will probably be too early for wildflowers. One great stop along the way that is missed by most travelers is Box Canyon. This short walk is very worthwhile.

The road to Sunrise might not yet be open in early June. If it is open, you should definitely go up there too - and then go out the north entrance to head to Seattle. Otherwise, go down to the west entrance from Paradise, then out toward Tacoma.

If you want to stay inside Rainier Park, there are only 2 choices (http://rainier.guestservices.com): Paradise Inn is scheduled to re-open in May, after 2 years of renovations. If you want to go there, you better reserve a spot now. The National Park Inn is much lower down and less expensive, but it is small and fills up rapidly too. There are tons of accommodations just outside the west entrance in Ashford, and some lodges just outside the north entrance, near Crystal Mtn.

Well, that's a start!

You can easily stop and visit Mt St Helens on your way from the Gorge to Mt Rainier so there's no need for an overnight there. And you may not need to spend more than a night at Mt Rainier before heading to Seattle late the next day, since it's doubtful many of the hiking trails will be melted out by early June esp. with the high amount of snowfall we're getting this year.

And you can also skip staying a night at Long Beach (stop on the way to Cannon Beach) and depending on what time your flight gets in, head right to the Gorge from the Portland airport (it's only about an hour's drive although of course you'll want to stop at the waterfalls and hike).

I'm assuming seeing anything of Portland is not a priority from what you've mapped out.

I would leave out Oregon and drive around the Olympic Peninsula. The rain forest is definitely worth seeing, as is walking/hiking around Hurricane Ridge. You might want to go to Neah Bay and hike to Cape Flattery (sp.?). In any case, do not count on swimming on any Pacific coast beaches, the water is too cold.

I don't think you are crazy to skip Victoria and Vancouver. I've lived here 20+ years (Seattle) and only been to each of them once.

Where are staying in Cannon Beach? You should find a place asap, things book up quickly for the summer months. About ten minutes away is Seaside, your teens will have a wonderful time there. Enjoy your trip! ***kim***

Thanks for all the advice! This is so helpful. NWWanderer, your suggestions help me a lot in cutting a few days from our trip. ALF, your detailed driving instructions will really help. The only reservations I've made so far are at The Ocean Lodge in Cannon Beach which looks like a nice place. I'm really excited to go -- if, that is, I can convince the troops that we are heading to the Pacific NW. I've never been there but the pictures of it are so gorgeous and like nothing we've seen before, and I want my kids to see as much of this beautiful country as possible. The kids are pulling for a warmer place, but maybe that's just because it's ten degrees and snowing right now! They don't like the thought of seeing snow on a summer vacation! But I hope it works out for us to head out that way.

Thanks again for all your help!
Martha

This past August we did the opposite loop - we flew into Seattle and out of Portland. we've been to Seattle before, so we only spent 1 day there - I think 2 days is just fine for Seattle proper as part of a longer trip . . .

I think with that number of teens you could easily spend more time in the Gorge and less time in the car. This past August we had a great time whitewater rafting (class III and IV) in the White Salmon River - with the Wet Planet outfitters - they were great - it was incredibly fun - our 13 year old loved it. We also loved hiking up Multnomah Falls. We only spent a day there and could have easily spent 2 or 3.

Here's a link for wet planet:
http://www.wetplanetwhitewater.com/

We spent a 2 days in Cannon Beach, also - it's quite pretty, but the swimming is for hardy souls - the water is cold. It's gorgeous though.

And don't shortchange Portland - it's a fun town and it might be worth looking a couple of colleges while you're there!

With 10 days, I think you are covering a bit too much. I agree with beachbum and would pick either OR or WA, and also agree with his suggestion on the Bend area of OR. Plus, in the summer it is really warm there, so your kids would be thrilled But really, there is so much to do in that area for hiking, biking, rafting, etc.

Even with 10 day in either state, you will be wishing you had more time here.

It often gets HOT here in Seattle in the summertime. You'll only see snow if you go out of your way to do so... it could easily be 90 degrees here in August.

The Ocean Lodge is in a beautiful location in Cannon Beach. Don't miss Ecola State Park and Indian Beach! Have a great time! ***kim***

I agree that you should fly into Seattle & out of Portland (or vice versa). Lack of backtracking will help you maximize your time in each location.

Here is another itinerary to consider:

Day 1 - Fly into Portland
Day 2 - Columbia River Gorge
Day 3-4 -- Cannon Beach
Day 5 - Mt.St. Helens
Days 6-7 - Mt Ranier National Park
Days 8-9 -- Seattle
Day 10-13 - Vist the Olympic Peninsula. Stop to see the Hoh Rain Forest near Forks, Lake Crescent, Sol Duk Falls. The northern coast beaches are the prettiest (Rialto, Ruby, the numbered beaches etc).
Day 13 Fly out of Seattle back to Lancaster, PA!

If you go to the Olympic Peninsula and your kids really want to swim, there is a nice aquatic center in Sequim (pronounced skwim) with a water slide your kids would enjoy.

http://www.sarcfitness.com/aquatics

In Port Townsend, there Marine Science Center offers cruises that are educational and entertaining. The cruises are run on smaller boats, not huge ferries.
http://www.ptmsc.org/education/cruises.html#cruise
Other whale/wildlife watching cruises are listed here:
http://www.ptguide.com/recreation/whale.html

Other things to do in the OP besides the activities listed in this thread include visiting llama and alpaca farms and taking in the many festivals that run in the summer. The Port Townsend guide is a great resource for that part of the OP and their staff are very helpful with individual requests.
http://www.ptguide.com/