Itinerary help please

Hi we%26#39;re flying into Portland on 23 June and planning to spend 2 nights there, either the Inn at Northrup Station or the Hotel De Lux (comments on both please)for a 17 day road trip. The plan is to then drive to Cannon Beach for a couple of nights (should we just hire a car at the airport on arrival or can we pick up a car in the city then drop off at the airport?) We then want to travle all the way down the coast but have no idea how long we should allow for that, we%26#39;d like to stop off for maybe two or three days before staying at Gold Beach (couple of nights) but we%26#39;ve no idea how much time we should allow. are there lots of nice places to visit along the way?

After the coast wewant to make our way towards Crater Lake via Crescent City, are there any must see/stay placeson the way (we love nice scenery and short hikes). After Crater Lake (couple of nights) I thought that a stop off in Bend would be good (any comments?)We would then plan to travel up to Columbia River Gorge for the remaing time before flying back home from Portland on 10 July.

Thanks in advance.

Itinerary help please

Ah, the Oregon ';circle route'; ;-)

Okay, 2 nights in Portland, 2 in Cannon Beach, 2 in Gold Beach, 2 in Bend, 1 in Crater Lake, 1 more in Portland before you fly out. That will leave you with a net of 6 nights, correct?

Note I allowed one night for Crater Lake. Unless you are avid hikers, one night is plenty.

Newport or Yachats is a central-ish area to stay, and you could use up 3-4 nights there easily enough. I%26#39;m not a city person, but I might suggest one more night in/near Portland to visit Mt St Helens, if that is of interest?

Then I would probably add a night in Crescent City, as that would give you time to really see the impressive redwoods, rather than just zooming on by in the car.

So how are those ideas for a first draft?

Also, a bit about yourself would help us help you. Children? Interests?

Oh, car rental. There is public transport to the city via ';MAX';, and car rentals would most likely be cheaper there, but I don%26#39;t know about returning to the airport - whether or not they%26#39;d charge you for that.

Itinerary help please

Hi There-

It looks like you have about 2.5 weeks- excellent! You will get to see alot without feeling rushed.

There are alot of great places to visit along the coast with tons of hiking and views to take in. I think you%26#39;ve started on the right track with regards to time on the coast. Since you have 2.5 weeks, I think spending 2 days in Cannon Beach would be good, perhaps 2 days in Newport/Yachats and then on to Gold Beach.

Just to make your head spin, here is the State Park website with the hundreds of parks to visit along the coast.

www.oregonstateparks.org/searchpark.php

Make sure to remember that you will be here during July 4th- Indepenence Day-which is a Saturday this year so hotels may be booked up already or very soon to be!!!

I dont think you need more than 1 full day at Crater Lake. It is absolutely amazing, but not much to do, other than gawk at the sight and take a boat ride-if you want. As you probably know, there isnt much lodging near Crater Lake, some posters recommend the Prospect Hotel, but I%26#39;ve never been there. Crater Lake Lodge is pretty nice, and is definetly a National Park Lodge- meaning clean and comfortable with not alot of ammenities for large sums of money-but the view is amazing.

Crecent City to Crater Lake is a doable long day, but really no other way to do it-so just expect that. I would check out Jeddidiah Smith State Park in CA right along 199 for some pretty cool Redwoods.

Bend/Central Oregon is a great place to explore- I would spend more time here than Crater Lake. I know alot of people like Bend the town, but I dont care too much for it, since it is quite large. But I do like SunRiver or Sisters/Metolious area. Im not sure if Century Drive or McKenzie Pass would be open by then, but that might be worth checkinig out as well.

www.tripcheck.com/Pages/SBcascadeLakes.asp

http://www.tripcheck.com/Pages/SBmckenzie.asp

Unfortunately, the boat tours do not start until mid-July.

nps.gov/crla/planyourvisit/guidedtours.htm

The Inn at Northrup Station is a quirky smaller hotel on NW Marshall , which is also the Streetcar line.. so you can easily get around town by Streetcar.

The DeLux is a tiny bit more out of the way but not too. Our DE mistletoe has stayed there and can tell you more, if he notices this ... if he is not in Hawaii or Japan or somewhere :)

I would pick up the car in the city. You don%26#39;t need one while there, you can easily get the car delivered to your door and not have to deal with parking in Portland.

It is a 90 minute drive from downtown Portland to Cannon Beach/101 and a very nice drive.

There are 2 night minimums in Cannon Beach, make your reservations asap.

You will be there over the Fourth of July, figure out where you will be on that date and book it fast.. everything is hopping during that time as well as wherever people can see fireworks.

Enjoy your visit :)

Two nights in Cannon Beach would be very nice, you could also visit nearby Seaside, Gearhart and Astoria. Fort Stevens State Park in Warrenton is interesting, the wreck of the Peter Iredale is there, Coffenbury Lake and lots of fun trails for walking or bike riding. Have fun! :)

I think the advice to spend '; 2 days in Cannon Beach perhaps 2 days in Newport/Yachats and then on to Gold Beach.'; is good... continuing on South on 101 makes sense..

Thanks for your advice. Based on what you%26#39;ve said about Crater Lake, how about going from Crescent City to Klamath Falls (Waterfalls is one of my things!) and then just pass through Crater Lake

(obviously stopping to take in the view) on our way to Bend? I%26#39;m travelling with my sister (we%26#39;re in our late 40%26#39;s, no kids and we enjouy beautiful scenery and shortish walks.

Cheers for the advice Chinookgrrl, I think we will probably make a stop in Yachats (2 nights?) I definately want to see the Redwwods so we%26#39;ll make time for that, and we%26#39;re going to adjust our Crater Lake visit to passing through rather than stopping over. I%26#39;ll check out all the websites you%26#39;ve given me.

thanks again

That would be NYC, Scarlett. But, I wouldn%26#39;t call herding a large group of teenagers around a pleasure trip! ;-)

Yes, I have stayed in the De Luxe. Nice place, themed after 1940s - %26#39;50s Hollywood. Nice period-styled furnishings and decor, with photos of popular movie scenes and stars of the day lining the walls. It%26#39;s in a quieter part of the city, so there%26#39;s not much in the immediate area, but the downtown core, Pearl District, and NW 21st and 23rd are all easy walks (10-15 minutes). And Hotel De Luxe is on the MAX line, which connects to the streetcar. I%26#39;ve not stayed at Northrup Station, but friends describe it as 1970s retro funky. They loved it. As most(?) rooms there have a kitchen, it might work well for you. Neighborhood-wise, I%26#39;d pick Northrup Station, but I think the De Luxe has a slightly better location. It%26#39;s also more a traditional hotel.

I think the advice was for two days in Yachats, which really means three nights. There%26#39;s a lot to see/do in the area, and you shouldn%26#39;t short-change it. If budget allows and it%26#39;s available, stay at Overleaf Lodge, which I think has the best setting on the entire coast.

Don%26#39;t let the name Klamath Falls fool you. The town got its name from a small waterfall, but that was long ago covered by a damn dam. I%26#39;m not sure how/if it fits with your current thinking, but I%26#39;m fairly certain that you%26#39;d prefer a night near Crater Lake to a night in Klamath Falls.

Kirkhill, here%26#39;s a little joke that we Oregonians play on visitors . . . there are no waterfalls in Klamath Falls ;-) Seriously!

http://www.klms.net/waterfalls.htm

If you like waterfalls, you%26#39;ll enjoy the Columbia Gorge with Multnomah, Bridalveil and several other big falls. Also, you might want to try to fit this in, the State Park is located about 1.25 hours south of Portland:

http://www.silverfallspark.org/

If you have time along the coast, the following state park with two big waterfalls is really lovely. It%26#39;s about 45 minutes from Coos Bay, nice driveon paved roads with about 6 miles of good gravel road. Very few visitors. You can walk up what is now a trail, used to be a road in the early 1900%26#39;s:

http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_96.php