Help- what are Oregons must sees.

I am planning a trip to Oregon with my husband and 12 and 14 yr old. None of us have ever been to Oregon. We are planning on coming in the summer months. What must we see?

Help- what are Oregons must sees.

The Oregon Coast - with a 12 and 14 year old I would recommend that you start in Astoria and go south at least as far as Florence to take a dune buggy ride on the Oregon Dunes. (climb the Astor Column in Astoria, and spend some time in Seaside--kids love it!

The Columbia River Gorge - take the Scenic Historic Hiway from Portland to Hood River, stopping at all the waterfalls and taking some hikes. Be sure to stop at Bonneville Dam and tour the fish ladders and the sturgeon ponds.

Crater Lake - if you come late enough in the summer. Snow stays around there until July.

Mt. St. Helens - although it is in Washington and not Oregon, it is a definite %26#39;Must see%26#39;. It is just a 2 1/2 hour drive from Portland to the Johnston Ridge Observatory, but plan it as a day trip because you will also want to spend some time at the other visitor centers.

If you have the time--Mt. Hood and the Bend Oregon area.

Help- what are Oregons must sees.

You really need to say how much time you plan.

Kitters has a good list but there is more if you have more time than a week.

Kids would also enjoy jet boat ride on Rogue at Gold Beach. Mt Hood has slide type thing near one of the ski lifts. Our grandkids that age enjoyed that.

And for sure they enjoyed the dune buggy ride. Take the guided tour. Those drivers know the dunes. Then if you want you could rent a couple and try on your own. Kids can not drive them unless they have license we were glad for that cause 14 yr old insisted he wanted to drive one.

Bend area can be three days easy if you have time. McKenzie pass where the moonwalkers trained in the lava beds. Newberry Nat Vol Mon our other crater lake. Cascade lake Scenic Byway. Our lakes are different than yours. My wife spent her young years in Minn and has a bother there in Grand Rapids, so we have seen Minn a half dozen times.

I would spend some time on the northern coast, Seaside has fun things for kids to do there. Surrey bikes, a promenade with a small aquarium, you can rent boogey boards or skim boards at Cleanline Surf Shop there. There are also some arcades and carnival rides, Fultano%26#39;s is a fun place to go for pizza. www.seasideor.com

You may want to take the kids to Astoria to visit Fort Clatsop or the Maritime Museum, there is a little trolley that runs along the river that is fun. If you plan your visit on a Sunday, the Astoria Sunday Market runs along 12th street and is a lot of fun with local artists displaying crafts, artwork, photography, there is live music and lots of great food. www.oldoregon.com Have fun! :)

We don%26#39;t often mention the eastern part of the state here, but the John Day area with the fossils might be of interest to y%26#39;all. The Portland ';undergound'; with the Shanghai tunnels might be cool for kids that age, The submarine at the OMSI along with the IMAX theater, Aviation buffs would like the museum in McMinnville where the ';Spruce Goose'; is housed...

those are a few ';different'; things you night enjoy.

footloose--I was thinking along the same lines as you:) The museums in McMinnville are great and not boring for kids. And the sub at OMSI...well, DH spent a career on subs so I am a bit biased;) Eastern OR is definitely a gem that IMO not enough people visit. The Wallowas are so beautiful and it is so different from the western part of the state.

%26lt;%26lt;Eastern OR is definitely a gem that IMO not enough people visit.%26gt;%26gt;

Careful what you wish for, Mtngrl! ;-)

Without more feedback from you, I can only echo others in saying that the coast, Columbia River gorge, and Crater Lake are the usual ';must sees';. But, as others have said, we%26#39;ve got forests, mountains, lakes, high desert.... you choose!

Typical 1-2 week itinerary often looks something like, Portland - coast - south to redwoods - Crater Lake - Bend - Columbia River gorge - Portland.

%26gt;%26gt; What must we see? %26lt;%26lt;

How much time do you have?

WOW! What great feedback. Well, we decided a few years ago that we want our children to see as much of the U.S. as possible before they graduated from high school. Last year we went to New England (Acadia, White Mountains, Cape Cod etc.). Next month we are going to Sedona, Grand Canyon, Page, AZ. and Zion National Park. I would like to plan our next trip to the northwest. I think we would have 7 full days in the area. I have found the info from trip advisor to be very helpful and have also learned that it helps to form a general plan fairly early. Our kids have only seen the ocean once so that is a big draw, and we really like to hike and any outdoor adventures. We are not particularly interested in spending time in large cities.

Thanks everyone!!

http://www.mazamas.org/

http://www.chemeketans.org/

http://obsidians.org/

The hiking opportunities in Oregon are endless. There are a lot of trails you can do on your own (one of the best is Silver Falls State Park

http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_211.php

which is about 20 miles east of Salem. And there are wonderful trails leading to fantastic vistas, through old growth rain forests, up mountainsides and over dunes to pristine coastlines.

With the rugged Cascades cutting down through the center of the state, the Coast Range also running north and south and the 400+miles of coastline, you have hiking opportunites at every elevation level and under almost every geologic option...from sea level sand up to lava trapped lakes, volcanic peaks and year-round snow and ice.

I have no way of knowing what your hiking skills or experience are, but if you are interested in hiking some of the wilderness areas or just getting off the tourist trails, check the websites above. These organizations offer hikes throughout the year, with most during the summer months. By going with one of these groups, you will be with experienced leaders who know the trails and will have everyone%26#39;s safety in mind. It%26#39;s easy to get lost on some trails and a lot of Oregon is just rugged country.

We want you to see the best that we have to offer...safely.

I was hoping you were planning at least ten days. When people ask me about the ';must sees'; in Oregon I always say the Oregon Coast and Crater Lake. But then there is the Columbia River Gorge, the Wallowa Mountains, the John Day Fossil Beds, and Hells Canyon on the Snake River. These are not close together and with only seven days you don%26#39;t want to spend half of them in the car driving to the next place of interest.

If your kids have only seen the ocean once, I think I would plan on at least two full days on the Oregon Coast. Newport makes a good base. It has great beaches, lighthouses, a fantastic aquarium, fun shops, and good food.

Like someone else suggested, you could then drive to Florence and have a fun ride on the Oregon Sand Dunes in a dune buggy.

You could also make a nice trip by driving up I-84 out of Portland into the Columbia River Gorge. Stop at Multnomah Falls and then make a short drive back to Vista House before going on to Hood River where you could stay the night.

From Hood River I would take the Mt. Hood Loop Highway to Government Camp. From here it is just a ten-minute drive to Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood.

After Timberline drive to Bend where you could spend the night. This will give you a chance to see some of Central Oregon which is much different than the western side of the Cascades. Outside of Bend visit the Lava Lands and Newberry Crater.

From Bend you could continue south to Crater Lake if you have time.

This would give you a nice taste of Oregon but it leaves out Eastern Oregon, the Willamette Valley, and most of Southern Oregon.

Best wishes for a wonderful trip.

Joan from %26lt;a href=';http://www.great-oregon-vacations.com';%26gt;Great Oregon Vacations%26lt;/a%26gt;