Finally some sort of itinerary - advice, suggestions?

Okay, here goes. Hopefully I get it right this time. I will post on the Oregon, Washington and Vancouver forums. The trip is set for August.

Day 1 - 7:00 am flight from Newark to SFO

Hotel Vitale, Giants Night Game

Day 2 - Oakland A%26#39;s afternoon game

Drive to Santa Rosa (best route),

stay overnight Hotel La Rose

Day 3 - Drive to Gold Beach

Overnight at Tu Tu Tun Lodge

(Where to stop on way to Gold Beach? Would like to see Redwoods - where would it fit in?)

Day 4 - Drive to Florence, Lunch and Dune Buggy

Then drive to Yachats, overnight Overleaf Lodge

Day 5 - Drive up to Newport, then to Portland

(is there another route, should we cut across at some other point) Walk around city, 2nights Hotel Monaco Portland

Day 6 - Mt.Hood, Columbia River Gorge, Falls Tour

Day 7 - Drive from Portland to Mt. St. Helen%26#39;s to Seattle (another thought was to do mt. st. helen%26#39;s, then mt. rainier, then seattle?? all in one day - too much right) 2 nights Seattle Sheraton

Day 8 - Space Needle, Waterfront, Pike Place, Pioneer Square, etc., Mariners night game

Day 9 - Drive to Mt. Rainier (original plan was to drive back to Seattle, stay one more night and then to Port Angeles for the ferry in the morning, but in order to get the early ferry we would have to leave too early, so the new plan is that I booked the Olympic Lodge in Port Angeles for the night so we will be close to the ferry) Does this make sense and is it doable to drive from Mt. Rainier to Port Angeles. It looks like it is about 4 hours.

Day 10 - Port Angeles to Victoria 8:20 am ferry with car. Would like to do Butchart Gardens this day? Possible? 2 nights Fairmont Empress

Day 11 - Whale Watching

Day 12 - Victoria to Vancouver (ferry with car)

Stanley Park/Granville Island, 2 nts Westin Bayshore

Day 13 - Capilano Suspension Bridge, Grouse Mountain

Day 14 - Drive back to Seattle, stop at Boeing Fact. Mariners night game, overnight Silver Cloud/Stadium

Day 15 - 11:00 am flight Seattle to Newark

How does this sound so far? Any changes and advice is greatly appreciated? Also, best routes to take to make the most of the trip and most scenic. I am traveling with my husband and two boys 12 and 16. Thank you so much for any and all help. I truly appreciate it.

Finally some sort of itinerary - advice, suggestions?

I have never done anything like this trip, so I am not sure if it is good time-wise but I think most of the places where you will be staying are very good to great :)

But this one -

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Day 7 - Drive from Portland to Mt. St. Helen%26#39;s to Seattle (another thought was to do mt. st. helen%26#39;s, then mt. rainier, then seattle?? all in one day - too much right) 2 nights Seattle Sheraton

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I am not sure if there is time .. Mt St Helens from downtown Portland and back with all the stops etc, was pretty much a full day .. But there are others who will no doubt know better ..

This seems like an awful lot of work, planning and figuring but you are doing a huge trip with all the stops etc, so I am impressed with how you have gotten it all together :)

I am sure it will be a fabulous trip .. the places you will see! the kids will remember this for a long time :) and so will you ~

Finally some sort of itinerary - advice, suggestions?

%26lt;%26lt;Day 7 - Drive from Portland to Mt. St. Helen%26#39;s to Seattle (another thought was to do mt. st. helen%26#39;s, then mt. rainier, then seattle?? all in one day - too much right) 2 nights Seattle Sheraton%26gt;%26gt;

Too much for one day.....two mountains....one day...too much.

If you want to see both mountains....plan to see St Helens while in Portland and Rainier while in Seattle.

Assuming on Day 3 you are traveling on Hwy 101-

I%26#39;d recomend Prairie creek State Park for redwoods in California.

Day 10 Buchart Gardens doable with the ferry ride.

Good job, gapper ;-)

Day 3 - This will be a long day of driving. There are several places to see the *really* big redwoods, but rest assured that Hwy 101 will go right through the redwoods for about a 40 mile stretch, north of Trinidad (CA) up to Crescent City. I have driven that road many a time in a large RV and growled at parts of it where the trees are crowding the lanes!

If you have the time, north of Garberville, CA, you%26#39;ll see signs for the Avenue of the Giants. This is a 30 mile section that winds through some very large trees. It%26#39;s actually old 101, and is a loop that will return you to the highway.

North of Orick is Prairie Creek and you%26#39;ll see more good sized redwoods and most likely the elk. The gather around the red barn place and there is off-highway parking to stop and take pics.

*You do know that Tu Tu Tun is inland about 7 miles? Not on the ocean. And there are no services near the hotel, so you%26#39;ll need to eat in Gold Beach.

Day 5 - I%26#39;d suggest staying on Hwy 101 past Newport to the north side of Lincoln City, then take Hwy 18 east. You have two choices, stay on Hwy 18 and go up through some of the wine country, or take Hwy 22 which takes you to Salem and I-5. The latter route is faster.

* Any interest in the Spruce Goose? It is in a museum on Hwy 18 - you%26#39;ll go right by it if you choose that route, but can%26#39;t see inside the building unless you pay and go inside.

I agree with all the feedback so far.

Two mountains in one day is not doable.

The night game at Safeco will be a hit...watching the sun go down from the stadium, with the city lights and the water is really beautiful.

The BW Olympic Lodge in Port Angeles is a nice place, and only a few minutes from the ferry dock. Have you made reservations for the ferry yet? Definitely do that. You need to be there a full 60 minutes before departure or you lose your spot. Butchart Gardens is easily doable that same day.

I am going to be in Cannon Beach in the morning, then driving to Columbia River Gorge, then Mt. St. Helens, then Seattle in one day. So it may be possible, but I just see all the highlights of each area and don%26#39;t explore the whole thing. And I plan a schedule and stick to it, but that is me..and alot of people don%26#39;t like to do that. MY point is that it depends if you really want to explore the areas or just do a brief stop.

';Day 5 - Drive up to Newport, then to Portland

(is there another route, should we cut across at some other point) Walk around city, 2nights Hotel Monaco Portland';

Another option, if you are hurting for time, is to take Hwy 20 over to Corvallis, then hop on I-5 north to Porland.

';Day 7 - Drive from Portland to Mt. St. Helen%26#39;s to Seattle (another thought was to do mt. st. helen%26#39;s, then mt. rainier, then seattle?? all in one day - too much right) 2 nights Seattle Sheraton';

Two mountains in one day is too much. Rather than your day 9 itinerary, I would move Mt. Rainier to day 8, stay somewhere between Mt. St. Helen%26#39;s and Rainier. Get up early, go to Mt. Rainier. Then you should have plenty of time to make it to Seattle before your game. Then spend the morning of day 9 exploring Pike Place, Waterfront, Space Needle, etc. Then leave from there for Port Angeles.

Just my two cents.

You suggested changing the day we go to Mt. Rainier. I cannot change my Seattle hotel, so you do think on Day 8 if we leave early from Seattle to go to Mt. Rainier, we can make it back for the game. How long to MT. Rainier, visit for a while, then to the game?

Honestly, I am thinking trying to fit Mt. Rainier in might be a little too much. It would be an all day trip from Seattle. It has been several years since I have driven it, but as I recall it would be at least two hours each way. One of the experts in that area would be able to provide more assistance in that area.

If you weren%26#39;t already locked in to a hotel in Seattle, it might be doable. But, since you are already planning on seeing the other two mountains in the area (Hood and St. Helens), my best suggestion would be to skip Rainier, spend a little more time in Seattle or taking in the sights on the Olympic Peninsula on the way to Port Angeles. There are plenty of things to see there and keep you occupied.

Ok, as noted on WA and BC Forums, I%26#39;m going to try to limit my comments in each forum to the appropriate state/province, so see my responses in the other forums.

I wish you%26#39;d posted earlier in the process that you were thinking about staying at Tu Tu Tun--it%26#39;s a shame to not stay an extra day there and do the jet boat trip up the river! The kids would really like that i think. But oh well I guess it%26#39;s too far along in the planning process to change things now.

There%26#39;s a very good dining room at Tu Tu Tun Lodge unless something has changed from last summer so I would just plan on eating there (unless they don%26#39;t take kids or something? But presumably if they meet the age limit to stay there they are ok in the dining room).

To add to the other suggestions re the redwoods, I also really liked the short hikes I did at Founders Grove (Ave of the Giants) and the Lady Bird Johnson Grove further north.

I believe I%26#39;ve already suggested that you include stops at Cape Perpetua south of Yachats and at the aquarium in Newport.

Looks like you%26#39;re still planning a tour on Day 6 even though you%26#39;ve been advised that%26#39;s not necessary? Your choice obviously ;-) but unsure as to why you think you need that.

Lots of very long, full days, that%26#39;s for sure. Presumably you guys like to be constantly on the go with little to no down time since that%26#39;s the type of trip you%26#39;ve planned.