Help with August Itinerary

Dear TA Friends,

We are so thrilled about our first-time 8 day trip to Oregon in mid-August. Do you mind helping us with our plans? We are two married teachers in our early 50s, love to go on long hikes, and are on a bit of a budget. So far:

Day 1%26amp;2 in the Skamania, we got a great mid-week deal, a real splurge for us

Day 3 Timberline

Day 4 Bend

Day 5%26amp;6 up the coast (via Crater)

day 7%26amp;8 Portland

Does this make sense? We had a night in Crater, but the Forums vetoed this. Are 3 nights in the Mt Hood area too long? More Bend area? Are there towns near the coast that are less expensive to stay in? Anything else we should not miss?

Thank you so much for your wonderful help.

Regards,

Kathleen

Help with August Itinerary

Since you like the hike, the gorge and the Bend area are natural fits. I would split the time between the two, so add another night in Bend.

Help with August Itinerary

You%26#39;re driving from Bend via Crater Lake to the coast in one day? Have you planned which route? That will be a long day.

My only thoughts on this relate to the weather. In mid-August, even Oregon can get hot...and the high desert around Bend especially. If it looks as though that might be the case, you might consider reversing part of your route if you don%26#39;t have locked-in reseervations and go from Timberline DOWN the coast, cross over to Crater Lake and, then, decide whether you want to go up through the desert or not. If you choose to go up I-5, you might still have some sightseeing opportunities and a hike at Silver Falls State Park east of Salem is nice at all times of the year. At any rate, you can check your outside temp, your body temp and your preferences on the return from Crater Lake and even shoot right back up to Portland if you wish. If you did manage to squeeze out one extra day, I%26#39;d say Mt. St.Helens would be a good fit for it.

Piggy-backing on others%26#39; comments.....

Bend to the coast via Crater Lake (or the reverse) WILL be a long day, no matter which route you take. The negative there is that it limits your time on the coast. If hiking is more the focus of your trip, the Columbia River Gorge, Mt. Hood, and Bend areas are great choices, but for most first time visitors, the coast is the highlight of the trip. And, it%26#39;s not as if there%26#39;s not good hiking along the coast, so I%26#39;d suggest adding at least a day. Maybe take it from Portland. Nice city, but not that much to see here.

With Crater Lake in your itinerary, the central coast is the best fit. Towns like Yachats and Newport are well-situated for lots of great sightseeing and activities.

Thanks so much everyone!

Should we just skip Crater Lake and do it another time? After Bend, drive to Eugene for the night. Then three days to do the coast from Florence to Seaside. Back to Portland for the duration.

Will we be disappointed to miss the coast south of Florence? or Crater?

Thanks again for your help.

Regards,

Katheen

I would not skip Crater Lake. And while a long day, you can make it to the coast without staying over in Eugene unless you want to. That would give you more time at the coast. But again, I think Crater Lake is a must see.

If you are staying at Skamania Lodge, you have to try the salmon. I don%26#39;t know what exactly they do different there, but it is some of my favorite!! I don%26#39;t know what category of room you booked, but if you splured for the fireplace, I would skip it. And keep in mind the forest view rooms are really just a view of the parking lot, though, there are some nice trees around it.

I can%26#39;t help much with the whole Crater Lake thing. My suggestion would be, if we do happen to have a rainy snap, to check conditions before making the drive up there. About 2 years ago, we drove there on our way back from the Oregon Caves, and it was mid-August. The lake was completely fogged in and couldn%26#39;t see a thing. So, if you do plan to head there from Bend and then the coast, keep that in mind. Don%26#39;t make the drive unless it is going to be clear there, then the long day is not worth it!

One of the great things about Crater Lake is that you could as little as five minutes there and still create mind%26#39;s-eye images that will last for years. So I agree with Mtngrl that it%26#39;s a ';must see';. Also agree with her about Eugene.

Best route from Crater Lake would be hwy 138/38, which puts you on the coast at Reedsport. Much more scenic than route usually recommended by mapping websites, and doesn%26#39;t take any more time.

Three days on the coast is much better than one or two! I think you%26#39;ll be perfectly happy with seeing from Florence north, and in fact suggest you consider just staying in one spot, using that as a base. While there is some great scenery on the north coast, it%26#39;s not that much different than what you%26#39;ll see on the central coast. And you%26#39;ll want to spend as little time as possible in the car.

(cue sad music)

Hello, I%26#39;m Sally Struthers, and I want to talk about something called RandMcNallyitis, which is a disease that affects millions of people east of the Rockies each year.

Meet Jeremy. A native of New Hampshire, he had no idea that Oregon was so big. You see, regardless of how large a state is, it still takes up the same amount of page space in the Rand McNally atlas. Thinking the distance from Portland to Grants Pass was the same distance as from Nashua to Londonderry, Jeremy planned his trip accordingly. He now roams the dilapidated streets in the Oak Patch neighborhood of Eugene, occasionally asking directions from coeds and hippies, never able to return home again.

Meet Darlene. Originally from South Carolina, Darlene planned to drive from John Day to Florence in the span of two days--just two days!--and now her RandMcNallyitis affliction has doomed her to a lifetime of operating a small B%26amp;B just outside of Sweet Home.

For the price of a cup of coffee, your generous donations can help people like Jeremy and Darlene realize that Oregon is the 9th largest state in the US. For just the price of your daily newspaper, you can assist people like 2wjts from Madison, New Jersey in skipping Crater Lake and seeing it next year.

Call us today and sponsor a traveler with RandMcNallyitis. You%26#39;ll receive a picture of your tourist, as well as monthly hand-written notes on their progress. So sponsor a traveler today.

Oregone: My coworkers are staring at me because they can%26#39;t understand why I am laughing uncontrollably at my desk!! Thanks a lot. I am waiting for my pink slip to be delivered to my desk!!

Honestly, if the lake is out, I am sure it is goregous and a not miss. We, unfortunately, just ran in to some freak weather. I honestly thought it was going to start snowing. You couldn%26#39;t even see any lake next to the shore. That was how fogged in it was, and the wind was really blowing. Not a pleasant day at all.