What do you think of this itinerary?

Hello,

I was hoping some of you seasoned travel verterans could critique my travel itinerary. It%26#39;s about 50% firm, so I could certainly still make some adjustments.

This trip starts in Seattle, goes down to 20 miles south of Yachats, and then swings back up to Seattle. I%26#39;m a recent college grad, so money is lacking, meaning I%26#39;ve had to use round trip airfare to save money on the flight and also the car rental. Open jaw for both the car rental and the flight would have tacked on $250, at the least. I will also post this in the Washington forum, as it spans both states.

July 17-27.

Fly into Seattle at 10:45am. Take the greyliner to downtown Seattle. Hoof it the 6 blocks to hotel. Sleep in Seattle 17, 18, 19. Go to Pikes Place, EMP, Seattle food tour, and whatever else we feel like getting in to.

July 20, get up early and take ferry from Seattle to Bremerton. Pick up rental car. Cruise up to Crescent Lake Lodge, and check out Hurrican Ridge. Spend the night at the lodge.

July 21, head over to Hoh rain forest trail, and see some of the beaches on the Pacific. Stay in Quinault.

July 22, drive down the coast, go to Astoria, other towns along the coast as time allows. Stay in Wheeler.

July 23-25, drive down coast to Yachats, stopping in Tillamook and other towns as time allows. Day trips from Yachats to Sand Dunes, and other ';wilderness'; sorts of attractions. I was only hoping to stay 2 nights here, but there was a minimum stay of 3 nights.

July 26, drive up I-5 to Sea-Tac area and stay in hotel there. Prepare for 10:30 departure from Sea-tac.

So, what do you think? Is this too much driving? Will this allow for enought time to see the sights, without feeling rushed?

Thanks for your input!

What do you think of this itinerary?

Looks, good, I would make stops at Fort Stevens State Park, Seaside, Cannon Beach and Manzanita on your way to Wheeler. If you like history, schedule some time for Fort Clatsop and the Flavel Musuem in Astoria. The Maritime Museum is also very educational and fun. www.oldoregon.com Enjoy your trip! :)

What do you think of this itinerary?

I kinda like it. Not sure about the Washington stuff but i know that the trip down 101 goes pretty quickly before entering Oregon. You%26#39;re young so you won%26#39;t mind the driving.

In Wheeler I%26#39;d rent a kayak and paddle up to Nehalem. Check the tide schedule so you%26#39;re not paddling against it. Sea Shack in Wheeler is kind of a fun restaurant. So%26#39;s Wanda%26#39;s in Nehalem for breakfast and lunch.

Guess I%26#39;d plan on checking in late to the hotel in Yachats on the 23rd because it%26#39;s easy to get sidetracked. Please do stop in Waldport and spend a little money. Blue Heron Cheese in Tillamook is a great place for free snacks. Three Capes Loop out of Tillamook is worth the extra hour or two. Munson Creek Falls is a short sidetrack that I like.

You%26#39;ll probably stop in Newport, too. Best thing to do when strapped for time is to head over to the Old Waterfront.

Tons of stuff to see on your trip. Have fun.

I%26#39;m understanding ';wilderness'; to mean that you%26#39;re looking more for natural sights/activities.

So, suggest your first stop on July 22 be Cape Disappointment State Park, outside of Ilwaco, WA. You%26#39;ll have to detour off hwy 101, but it%26#39;s worth it. Climb the North Head Lighthouse for incredible views, and visit the Lewis %26amp; Clark Interpretive Center, which, besides the interesting history, affords the best of any view of the mouth of the Columbia River.

You%26#39;d also want to climb the Astor Column in Astoria, both for the view and to sail balsa wood airplanes from the top. Some of us never grow up! ;-) After that, I%26#39;d head to Cannon Beach, unless you want to stop for a corn dog and to ride the bumper cars in Seaside. If you%26#39;re doing okay with time, maybe detour from hwy 101 at the south end of Astoria Country Club to drive on the beach to the north end of Gearhart.

In Cannon Beach, you shouldn%26#39;t miss Ecola State Park, including Indian Beach. But, it%26#39;s a popular spot, and sometimes there%26#39;s a long line of cars waiting to get in. No wait to explore the tidepools at Haystack Rock on the beach in town, though.

Time permitting, other worthwhile stops that day include Hug Point (walk north to the old roadway carved into the rock), and Oswald West State Park (take the short hike into Short Sands beach). And, somewhere along the way, it%26#39;d be nice if you had time to fly a kite.

July 23 highlights I expect would be Three Capes Scenic Loop, Cascade Head (takes time, though), Yaquina Head, and other various sights between Lincoln City and Newport. You%26#39;ll be glad to have booked 3 nights in Yachats; in fact, I%26#39;m guessing you%26#39;ll wish you could stay longer.

Looks good:) Since you enjoy nature, you will LOVE the Olympic Peninsula! We used to live north of Seattle and DH is from there, so we are quite familiar with it all.

Anyway, For Pike Place Market, go when it opens. We always enjoyed getting coffee and croissants at Le Panier and watching the vendors set up. Going early avoids the crowds and lets you really see what all the market has to offer.

The drive from Bremerton is really nice, IMO. Watch your speed in the Hood Canal area as the police catch quite a few people just on the other side of the bridge there. If you have time, take a bit of a detour and stop in Port Townsend. Fort Worden there is pretty interesting and there are trails to wander around the old bunkers and such.

On your last day, heading back near SEATAC, leave early so you can stop at Mt. St. Helens. It is exit #49 off of I-5, and you will want to go all the way up hwy 504 to Johnston Ridge which takes about 45minutes to an hour to get to. But a must see!!!

Am curious about which place in Yachats has a three night minimum stay? I didn%26#39;t know of any that even had two night minimums.

Be sure to visit Devil%26#39;s Churn and Cape Perpetua in Yachats, also the blowhole.

http://www.yachats.org/tour.html

July 17-27.

Fly into Seattle at 10:45am. Take the greyliner to downtown Seattle. Hoof it the 6 blocks to hotel. Sleep in Seattle 17, 18, 19. Go to Pikes Place, EMP, Seattle food tour, and whatever else we feel like getting in to.

SOUNDS OK.

July 20, get up early and take ferry from Seattle to Bremerton. Pick up rental car. Cruise up to Crescent Lake Lodge, and check out Hurrican Ridge. Spend the night at the lodge.

ALSO GOOD

July 21, head over to Hoh rain forest trail, and see some of the beaches on the Pacific. Stay in Quinault.

GOOD

July 22, drive down the coast, go to Astoria, other towns along the coast as time allows. Stay in Wheeler.

WHY STAY IN WHEELER? NOT A BAD CHOICE, BUT I WOULD PROBABLY STAY IN CANNON BEACH OR MANZANITA.

July 23-25, drive down coast to Yachats, stopping in Tillamook and other towns as time allows. Day trips from Yachats to Sand Dunes, and other ';wilderness'; sorts of attractions. I was only hoping to stay 2 nights here, but there was a minimum stay of 3 nights.

THAT%26#39;S PRETTY FAR TO DRIVE. I WOULD FOCUS ON THE NORTH OREGON COAST, LIKE CASCADE HEAD, THREE CAPES LOOP, SADDLE MOUNTAIN, ETC.

July 26, drive up I-5 to Sea-Tac area and stay in hotel there. Prepare for 10:30 departure from Sea-tac.

I WOULD GIVE PORTLAND AT LEAST ONE NIGHT IF YOU CAN, TRY STAYING AT A MCMENAMINS, LIKE KENNEDY SCHOOL, EDGEFIELD OR THE ONE IN FOREST GROVE. IT%26#39;S FUN.

So, what do you think? Is this too much driving? Will this allow for enought time to see the sights, without feeling rushed?

I THINK IT%26#39;S TOO MUCH DRIVING. I WOULD NOT GO FURTHER SOUTH THAN PACIFIC CITY, OR. SAVE A PORTLAND-YACHATS-BEND-HOOD RIVER LOOP FOR THE NEXT TRIP (I WOULD DO THAT THIS TRIP IMO)

Thanks for the input everyone! I was gone this weekend, or else I would have replied sooner. This all sounds great! I will certainly have to check out Cape Disappointment, as we are into history. We actually just finished up the Ken Burns documentary on the Lewis and Clark expedition, which was quite good.

I wish there wasn%26#39;t quite as much driving too, but I%26#39;ve paired it down quite a bit. Initially, it was going to be a Seattle to San Fran trip, but after looking at distances, what I wanted to see, and reading the great advice in these forums, I realized that would be crazy amounts of driving.

I had decided on Wheeler as opposed to some of the more popular towns because the room was cheaper, although still appears nice (Old Wheeler Hotel, I believe). I also try to avoid crowds when at all possible, but I realize that July along the Pacific coast makes that harder to do.

Again, thanks everyone!