hikes to take and things to do

It appears we are pretty set with out itinerary. Now I would appreciate some help with the hikes to take and activities not to miss!

The itinerary is as follows:

2 nights Portland -- go to Mt St Helens

Drive the gorge -- which stops should we make -- waterfalls to hike to? We plant to take the day to do this and end in Hood River for the night

Nest a stop at Timberline and then on to Bend for 2 nights. Go to Sisters and go to the lava chutes -- what else should we do?

the next day drive to Crater lake and do the rim drive. Stay overnight so we can do a morning boat ride.

Then on to Grants Pass for 3 nights. Maybe a stop at Jacksonville and Asheville on the way. Don%26#39;t think we will do a play. Will do a jet boat on the Rogue and a trip to the caves -- and laundry here!

When we leave we will go to Jedidiah State Park -- which hike to do? Fighte 3-4 hours hiking after 2 or so hours driving to get there. Then up the coast to Port Orford. Where should we stop on this part -- or just pretty much drive straight through?

Port Orford is one night -- then up to Yachats for 2. Should we rent Dune Buggies on our own or do the tour? Want to see Heceta lighthouse. What else should we not miss?

Then to Cannon Beach area -- maybe Shaws -- for 2 nights. Should we drive to Astoria? Or are there other things to do here? I know to do the three capes loop.

Back to Portland for the last night before we fly out.

We love handmade things and seeing artists so if there is anything along the way that we should stop at -- please let us know. I am partial to glass artists but we like stone masons and wood workers and metal artists etc. Also places to stop for lunch or a dinner not to be missed. And hiking -- not necessarily all day hikes every day but stopping for a 2 or 3 mile hike to a great place would be great!

Thanks you all for your assistance. I am really looking forward to seeing Oregon!

hikes to take and things to do

Funny that you mention art; I just compiled a short list of my favorite galleries. I know someone will flame me for not suggesting a particular one in Cannon Beach; I think a few of the artists are good, but neither the gallery nor much of the art turns me on. There are several glass and metal galleries, including Cannon Beach, Newport and other towns.

Finer galleries along the Oregon Coast.

Freed (Lincoln City), Triad (Seal Rock/Windermere Office), Lawrence (Salishan), Earthworks (Yachats).

Unsure why Grant%26#39;s Pass for 3 nights.

Three Capes Loop: If hiking, sure; if just sightseeing, unsure if it%26#39;s worth the time with all other sights to see along this beautiful coast.

These websites will help with your planning. They are quite descriptive and will help narrow your choices, especially for the hikes.

Oregon Coast

http://www.oregoncoasttravel.net/

www.visittheoregoncoast.com

Newport, OR (Florence is nice also, for its old town along the water, but Newport offers quite a bit more.)

http://discovernewport.com/

Yachats/Cape Perpetua (fabulous)

fs.fed.us/r6/鈥?/a>

OR Coast Lighthouses http://www.nwcoast.com/lighthouses/oregon.asp

Columbia River Gorge

http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/columbia/

http://www.spectacularoregon.com/

Silver Falls State Park (only if you can squeeze it in)

http://www.silvertonor.com/

Crater Lake National Park

http://www.nps.gov/crla/

Oregon, Central (Quite an interesting area as you will read and see.)

http://www.visitbend.com/

hikes to take and things to do

The Oregon Caves are on your way to Jedidiah. Not sure why you%26#39;d want to make a day trip there and back to Grants Pass. Oh, and it%26#39;s Ashland, not Ashville.

Don%26#39;t rent dune buggies. Too dangerous. Let them take you. There is also nice hiking around Heceta Head, but you might not have time; you definitely want to do Cape Perpetua.

Glass blowing - lots south of Newport. Google: glass blowing newport oregon.

Didn%26#39;t I give you info about hikes/drives around Crescent City?

Lots of nice day use parks with short hikes in Samuel Boardman SP. Why Port Orford?

Why 3 nights Grants Pass?

Dune buggy rides are near Florence, not Yachats, but on the way. Also in Winchester Bay.

Voyaging gave you the lighthouse link above.

I think Syrahgirl talked her into staying someplace near Grants Pass.

Perish the thought, oregonpoppa! :-)

Re: Columbia River Gorge - voyaging has given you the website:

Take the scenic highway-Be sure to stop at the Vista House. Stop at each of the waterfalls. Most have short walks to the falls. There is a trail from Wahkeena Falls to Multnomah Falls, but it is mostly through the woods, not all that exciting IMO.

If you are feeling ambitious, hike to the top of Multnomah Falls, if not, at least hike up to the bridge. Eagle Creek is a good hike, but longer.

Suggest that you rent bicycles in Hood River and do the Twin Tunnels trail to Mosier. Or you can hike from Mosier up to the tunnels and back. About 2 mi RT.

Definitely hike to the top of Multnomah Falls. It doesn%26#39;t take that long and to see it from above pretty cool, IMO.

Another one in the gorge that we really like is Triple Falls. Only takes a couple hours and is quite scenic.

I agree with the other locals, I would not opt for 3 nights in Grants Pass.

In Bend there is so much to do! High Desert Museum, Lava Caves, Lava Butte (the paths at the bottom, the visitors center, and also drive to the top...all 3 are really good), loads of hiking in the area, white water rafting on the Deschutes, canoeing, etc. So two days will just barely scratch the surface.

I no lie...halfBrit...see this response to kapmap from syrahgirl on March 18:

Posted on: 11:57 am, March 18, 2009

Sounds good, we have done the jet boats on the Rogue River serveral times. Our favorite place to stay in Grant%26#39;s Pass is the Weaksu Inn, we have stayed twice in the River Cabins in the back of the property. This is a historic property and very nice, it backs up to the Rogue River, check out their website, www.weaskuinn.com Have fun! :)

Actually I was thinking Grants Pass before Syrahgirl. I chose it for location -- it will be about an hour shorter driving when we leave to go to the redwoods and it is on the Rogue River. We were not really interested in seeing a play and I thought we could stop in Ashland and Jacksonville on the way. Also, it was more difficult to find lodging in Ashland -- the places were already filling up. I did consider Jacksonville and there were a couple of places there to stay that were open and reasonable in price.

Port Orford is also for location -- after hiking at Josiah Park we were going to start up the Oregon coast -- The choices seem to be Brookings, Gold Beach or Port Orford -- I was thinkint it would take between 2 and 3 hours to get that far after hiking -- didn%26#39;t think we would want to drive more than that. Gold Beach did not have a place to stay that was under $200 a night and I did not want to spend that much. Another option would be to stop at Brookings -- and then drive to Yachats the next day -- how long is that drive? Would that be a better option?

Would it be better to stay in Florence over Yachats?

With limited time, we can%26#39;t do everything. Ideally, we would have more stops along the coast for 2-3 days each -- but we can%26#39;t take that much time away from work. I was trying to get diversity and balance in this. But the reservations are not yet made so I can change this if it would be better to do so.

Thank you

So y%26#39;all think we should do 3 nights Bend instead? 2 nights Jacksonville or Grants Pass and one night where -- Brookings or Port Orford -- then Florence or Yachats or even Newport?? Or should we not go as far north as Cannon City -- maybe just Otis or Newport or Depoe Bay? Perhaps doing a bit less of the coast would have it feeling less rushed.

I%26#39;d cut a night from Grants Pass and do 2 nights in Gold Beach and do the jet boat trip on the Rogue there.

And as had been mentioned, you%26#39;ll go by the caves on the way to the coast from Grants Pass.

I%26#39;d definitely stick with Yachats over Florence. Don%26#39;t miss Cape Perpetua south of there.