Going to Portland is June. Will stay a week in Orgeon. Would like to see as much as possible: beaches, historic sites trails and all there is to see. Help me find moderate hotels along the way.

thanks

Brenda,

There's much to do and see in Oregon. First you must go to the coast, starting in Astoria all the way down. That could take a week itself. You could spend some time on Mt. Hood, spectacular views. Downtown Portland is really cute now, small shops, nice ambiance. Can't help with hotels since I usually camp on the coast and in the mountains. AAA ususally has good recomendations for hotels and B&B's.

Mike

I agree there is so much to do here. I will be spending 10 days.We arrive in Portland,but we will be heading right to Hood River. The highway there has many scenic spots to stop along the way, also waterfalls. We will overnight in Hood River and next day go Mt.Hood supposed to be spectacular scenery on the way up also historic lodge at the top. From Portland you should visit Mt.St.Helens in Washington you can still see the damage from the volcano. Astoria on the coast visit Ft.Clatslop where Lewis and Clark spent the winter in 1806,also has a good Maritime museum. You travel down the coast there is so much to see. If you have time go to Crater Lake.

I just moved to Portland in January and I'm still feeling very much like a tourist. Outside of Portland we have explored some of the Columbia River Gorge, and there's some great hiking to be done around the waterfalls there. The coast is beautiful, even for me (I lived on Vancouver Island for seven years). Try dune-buggying in Florence--it's super fun! Also there's an aquarium somewhere along the coast north of there that's supposed to be excellent. In Portland check out the Saturday Market, downtown. They have great stuff, and the prices are reasonable. You won't find any crochet toilet paper covers there; the stuff could be classified as 'art' rather than 'crafts'. Good food, too. If you're a big reader check out Powell's City of Books. It's the best bookstore I've ever seen, with new and used books. It's HUGE!!! It's at the corner of Burnside and 10th, downtown. There are usually things going on at Pioneer Square downtown, too...concerts, ethnic cuisine, lots of stuff, every day in the summer. I think the Rose Festival is in June, too, but I'm not sure. I've never seen it but it's supposed to be great fun. The zoo is a decent one. There's also an art gallery with Pacific Rim art, an Impressionist collection, and a visiting exhibit of stuff from Ancient Egypt until August; a science centre, many museums...none of which I've seen yet.
Have fun and let us know what you end up doing -- I have two and a half years left in Portland!!

To add to the other posts on this topic, I would like to add that the rose gardens in Portland are wonderful. I am not much of a garden person, but the test roses grown in the park on the mountainside west of downtown are fabulous.

I agree, the Oregon coast is worthwhile. Many areas of high interest. I would like to add that southeastern Oregon is a high desert. Steens Mountain rises up like a gigantic wall. And Crater Lake is a very scenic place to visit. Eastern Oregon is rugged hillsides and tight valleys and dry. One can see why the Oregon Trail turned north to follow the Columbia Gorge. Those hills are a tangle.

As for budget motels, good luck. A high standard of living, many tourists year 'round, and relative scarcity makes for high prices. We stayed at the Fireside Motel in Yachats on the coast, right out on a lava spit that juts into the ocean. The sound of the surf pounded musically all night. Great place if you like the sound of the waves.

Went to OR/WA in July of 1995 for one week with my brother and loved it! Started in Portland went down along Coumbia River Gorge to Mount Hood, had lunch in the lodge continued back through Portland to Astoria. Then went down the coast (I tried to get him to stop at everyone lookout and lighthouse)wanted to get to the granite beaches at Bandon but couldn't
and eventually got to Crater Lake. Stunning! On up through Bend (check out the lava fields) then for interesting scenery take Rt.124 through the McKenzie Pass. We then headed up to Mt.St.Helens (Awesome) and Mt.Ranier (beautiful sight, nice easy trails and a great lodge again for lunch!) We had perfectly flawless weather even on the mountains! I can't wait to go back!