Mt Hood Timberline Lodge or Crater Lake Lodge

My family will be visiting both in July, but which lodge should i try to stay or should i stay in both if possible or myabe neither....simply opting to visit both areas and stay somewhere else nearby????

Mt Hood Timberline Lodge or Crater Lake Lodge

If you post your itinerary as best you know it, our responses will be more reasonable. You might not, for example, need to stay at either, depending on your route, timing and desires. Or, ???

Mt Hood Timberline Lodge or Crater Lake Lodge

If you are at all interested in staying at Crater Lake Lodge, you had better make reservations soon. I wouldn%26#39;t be surprised if it has filled up already for the weeekends in July at the very least. You might find something during the week. Check online for your dates and that might make the decision for you.

Hi Randall. Welcome to the forum.

I think that the previous posts are good advice- if you let us know a bit more about your trip then its easier to give you pertinent information...for instance- how many in the family, ages, your itinerary to date...all that helps.

Given that, I thought I could tell you a little about Timberline to give you something to consider, anyway. If you have ever stayed at a National Park lodging facility then you may have an idea about my thoughts. Most of the facilities were built back during the Depression era, so the concept of large rooms with private baths was not prevalent. Many of my family members stayed over at Timberline last July, and the biggest complaint was the size of the rooms and especially the miniscule bathrooms. There are rooms with spectacular views available, and the building itself is very interesting with lots of history attached, but you pay a premium for the history, not for the comfort. For myself, I was feeling that the place has begun to look tired and unkempt ( I was there many years ago as a young teen) so I was somewhat disappointed, but the views are unbelieveable, and as you are from Texas I bet the idea of spending time in the snow in July would be a really teriffic memory maker for your family.

If you choose to stay at Timberline, do expect to hear the crunch of snowboots on the gravel VERY early in the morning as the folks who participate in the ski school/ training are up and at it around 6 am if conditions permit. Anyone is permitted to ride the chairlift up to the glacier for sightseeing, but only skiers of very high ability are allowed to ski as the summer conditions are not for the inexperienced.

I have not been to Crater Lake, so I don%26#39;t have any info on that facility, but maybe this will give you a starting point for comparison.

Sorry about that, I guess I should have been more specific...........I have 3 to 4 weeks of time to spend in the area. The first week, I have two nights booked at the Paradise Inn, Mt Rainier, WA Afterwards, will check out San Juan Island and Olymic Natl Park, since my daughter is a huge Twilight fan (of the books and the movie). I have my vacation arranged with several free days here, just going where my interests and heart take me. After a week in Washington, I will work my way slowly back south, through the Mt Saint Helens %26amp; Columbia River Gorge and to Mt Hood, then to Crater Lake. I have one night already booked at Crater Lake Lodge, but i was debating over Timberline Lodge, since I have already visited Paradise Inn.I like the old national park lodges, have stayed El Tovar in Grand Canyon, Old Faithful Inn, in Yellowstone, so I don%26#39;t mind the rustic arrangements. After Crater Lake, I will drive to Rogue River Jet Boats, Redwood Natl Park, down Hwy 1 to Big Sur, back to Texas via Yosemite Natl Park. Its alot of miles for sure, but I have alot of time to do it. I never have been to either Washington or Oregon, so that is why asked for opinions. Thanks.

I left this out, my daugher, who is 17, and I will be going. She and I both love the national parks and scenry with wildlife viewing. Her favorite place to go is Yellowstone, we have been several times. But she wants to try the Northwest this year.

We both like mountains, waterfalls, lush green forests, none of this can be found where we live. Hope this helps you guys.........I really appreciate the advise...........

Thanks for the information. Sounds like a great trip. You might find the need for trade-offs, as you suggested, to give you more time in certain locations.

This area is replete with incredible sights, so I%26#39;m suggesting that you see the Oregon Coast, at least Newport, Yachats and Cape Perpetua.

I would not stay two nights at Mt. Hood, rather prefer Mt. Rainier (spring flowers BTW, perhaps in July), Mt. St. Helens, Olympic National Park.

Here is more information than you probably want to read, but it will help you plan an itinerary or, at least, know more about key areas to visit.

tripadvisor.com/Travel-g58824-s2/Whidbey-Isl鈥?/a>

tripadvisor.com/Travel-g58727-c102104/San-Ju鈥?/a>

tripadvisor.com/Travel-g60878-c112037/Seattl鈥?/a>

If you wish to consider a day or overnight trip to Victoria, BC, one way to get there from ONP:

http://cohoferry.com/main/

Olympic National Park

http://www.olympicpeninsula.org/

http://www.nps.gov/olym/

In WA, information on the ferries; an easy and fun ride is to Bainbridge Island and back, walking in the little town of Winslow (Now called Bainbridge Island)

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/

gonorthwest.com/Washington/puget/Bainbridge/鈥?/a>

Well worth seeing, very interesting, each visitor center leading to the top worth a stop:

Mount St. Helens National Monument

http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/mshnvm/

Mount Rainier National Park

http://www.nps.gov/mora/

Victoria

hellobc.com/en-CA/RegionsCities/Victoria.htm鈥?/a>

Oregon, Central

http://www.visitbend.com/

Oregon Coast

www.visittheoregoncoast.com

Newport, OR

http://discovernewport.com/

Yachats/Cape Perpetua fs.fed.us/r6/鈥?/a>

Columbia River Gorge

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

Crater Lake National Park

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

If you are interested in staying at the historic lodges, then I say why not and stay at Timberline as well. Glad to hear you already made your reservations at Crater Lake.

If you are heading towards the redwoods, the Oregon Caves is a spot that gets little mention around here, but is definitely worth the stop. They also have a rustic, yet scenic lodge there. Keep in mind, if you do the cave tour make sure to wear something warm. Even if it is sweltering outside, it is quite cool in there.

http://www.nps.gov/orca/

ivcdo.projecta.com/sectionindex.asp鈥?/a>

If you daughter is a Twilight fan, she is going to love the Columbia River Gorge. Alot of the outdoor scenic shots were filmed in the area. Of specific note, the prom scence was filmed at the View Point Inn.

http://www.theviewpointinn.com/

I 2nd the Oregon Caves Chateau if you like historic buildings-althought it is really off the beaten path and the caves are cool, but if you%26#39;ve been to some of the big ones like Carlsbad, you may be dissapointed. Doesnt the stream go thru the dining room too???

It is off the beaten path, and the road gets a narrow and winds, but nothing worse than the historic gorge highway. It really is a pretty drive up there. If you are not in a hurry, and want to get off the beaten path, it is worth a stop.

As I recall, the stream does run through the dining room. There is a small waterfall right outside as well.