rizzo0904

Yesterday, we decided to plan a 10 day trip to Oregon. We leave on 6/18. I was able to find lodging and I have a rental car. Now I just have to fill in the blanks. Any advice is appreciated. We will be traveling with our 12 and 13 year old boys...one is in an arm cast, because he gets injured before every trip.

6/18 - arrive PDX. Lodging at The Benson by Hilton. No real plans, just check out the city
6/19 - Rose Garden. Wander more of the city. Maybe do a food tour? Lodging at The Benson.
6/20 - drive to Astoria. Lewis and Clark. Peter Iredale. Stay at the Inn at Cannon Beach.
6/21 - drive south. Tillamook Factory. Stop at various lookouts. Devil's Punchbowl, Yaquina Head Light House. Stay at The Whaler in Newport.
6/22 - 0900 Whale Watch with EcoExcursions. Afternoon? Stay at The Whaler again
6/23 - Long drive over to Crater Lake. Stay at Mazama Cabins.
6/24 - Crater Lake then head to Bend for two nights.
6/25 - Fly fishing and maybe the Museum of the High Desert. Stay in Bend
6/26 - Head north to Hood River. Stay Hood River.
6/27 - Slowly drive west back to PDX. Spend the night near the airport.

Thoughts on the basic itinerary? Any recommendations along the way? I am second guessing Crater Lake due to the length of the drive.

Thank you!

tomfuller

The TriMet red line light rail end point is right outside baggage claim at PDX., You could save some money by taking it into the city and renting downtown the next day. In addition to the Rose Gardens you could check out the zoo and the World Forestry Center on the west side of town. If it rains (often does), check out Powells City of Books. It has 9 rooms and over one million books covering a city block.
Leaving Portland, I suggest US 26 instead of US 30. On the way north to Astoria on US 101, make a stop in Seaside for lunch. There are several places that serve some good chowder in a bread bowl including Mo's.
After seeing Astoria head back to Cannon Beach to your lodging. Be sure to take pictures of Haystack Rock and walk out close to it if it is low tide.
I like your plan for Newport. Just south of the big bridge at Newport is the Oregon Coast Aquarium which is worth a stop. I would pass on the second night at the Whaler and stay somewhere south of Newport (maybe Reedsport?) This would make your trip to Crater Lake shorter. Go east on OR 38 from Reedsport about 5-6 miles to the Dean's Creek Elk Viewing area to see some Roosevelt Elk. Continue east on 38 to the east end of Elkton and take 138 SE to get to I-5 north of Roseburg. Take I-5 south to Roseburg and take the east section of 138 up the Umpqua River. Just past Diamond Lake, take 230 south to 62 east to get to the south entrance of Crater Lake NP. It is good that you lucked out and got the cabin at Mazama. The east rim drive in Crater Lake NP is still closed by snow. The north entrance is now open. It opened yesterday.
You should use the north entrance to exit the park to go to Bend. It is 90 miles via 138 and US 97 from the north entrance to the south end of Bend. You may want to gas up at the Pilot in Chemult.
If it is early enough when you are approaching Bend you might want to stop at the High Desert Museum which is 6 miles south of Bend along US 97.
The route from Bend to Hood River is US 97 to Madras (gas stop) then US 26 up to Government Camp and then north on OR 35 on the east side of Mt. Hood. Hood River is a great place to watch the kite board surfers on the Columbia River. You might have to apply for a pass to drive the Old Columbia River Road (former US 30) to see the great waterfalls. If you have to use I-84 be sure to stop at the viewing area (left exit) for Multnomah Falls which is Oregon's tallest waterfall. Depending on what time your flight goes out, you might want to spend another night in Hood River and then turn in the car early instead of finding an airport motel.

rizzo0904

Thank you for all of that info! I dropped a night at the Whaler and made a reservation at the BW in Reedsport to help cut down on driving the next day. We may as well check out Crater Lake as we may never be in the area again. And we have a National Park Pass to use that we bought in Death Valley back in February.

I think I'll stick with a hotel near the airport on the last night since we will be working west from Hood River and there's no need to back track. I'll look into buying a pass to view Multnomah Falls.

MmePerdu

I found the Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland infinitely more interesting than the rose garden.

https://lansugarden.org/

I also enjoyed the Pittock Mansion.

https://pittockmansion.org/

sunbum1944

There is still a lot of snow at Crater Lake. But Crater Lake in the snow is beautiful. Maybe you could do a snow shoe trip at Crater Lake.
There are many waterfalls along Hwy. 138 that are easy to visit. Some are just a short walk from parking lot- others longer. Watson Falls and Susan Falls are 2 or my favorites.
A nice stop is Steamboat Springs Resort. There is a nice restaurant and its on the river. Sounds like you are a fly fisherman so you might give it a try there is interested.
In Portland check and see if the Epicurian Walking Tour is operating. Its a walking tour which involves food tasting at a variety of places and includes some Portland History.
Not sure where you are departing your whale watching tour from. I usually leave from Depoe Bay- a very small harbor that is exciting to get in and out of at times. If you saw the movie "One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest" this is harbor was where some scenes were shot.
Check out the "Travel Portland" website. Will give you ideas on what is going on and things to do while you are there.
My favorite stop along the Oregon Coast is Heceta Head at Devils Elbow State Park. There is an easy trail up to the lighthouse- you may even see whales from up there. There is a fee to park there.
I would recommend staying in Florence or Yachats rather than Reedsport. In Yachats look at the Adobe or Fireside or Overleaf- all ocean front.

NorthwestMale

I generally like your choices... I would make certain that you visit Timberline Lodge when going "west" from Hood River near the end of your trip.


Also from Hood River, I'd make the 45-mile trek to Stonehenge... it will be good reference material for the rest of your kids' lives. (tiz a full-sized replica with all of the stones standing)

I've stayed at the Benson, and liked it a good deal.


Despite all you might hear about the OBvious homeless problem/population in central Portland... I would still plan a late-evening outing walking from your hotel room to Voodoo Donut.

There are enough normal-ish people out roaming and socializing that you won't likely be given cause for concern.


Also, IF it matches your... food preferences... maybe plan one evening meal later... and dine at the food trucks nearby to Voodoo Donut.

If you eat too much, you can get your donuts in a box, to go...


(and don't worry - your kids probably learned most of the innuendo at Voodoo donut in school already ( not from the teachers) )



Be ready to notice considerable forest fire damage along some of the otherwise very appealing roads around Oregon.

A day trip from Bend might be McKenzie Pass, but that would emphasize plenty of fire damage... and as you'll be there during the longest days of the year, there should be plenty of time to make some sort of a loop trip including McKenzie Pass, and then stop in Sisters for dinner on the way back to Bend.


As to Crater Lake,

as with a lot of destinations... you cross them off of your list precisely because you may never get back to the same area again.

rizzo0904

Sunbum -

Yup, going out of Depoe Bay and looking forward to it!

Will see what I can find in Florence. Reedsport didn't seem overly exciting when I was searching for lodging.

rizzo0904

NorthwestMale - thanks for the info. We will definitely check out the food trucks/pods. My kids love that kind of stuff. I did find a blog from an older couple highlighting a tour they went on and their favorite trucks, so I may kind of replicate that.

Stonehenge - been to the real one back in 2020 (we were in Europe just as covid was breaking out over there).

sunbum1944

In Florence checkout the Driftwood Shores which is ocean front with extensive beach or there is a Best Western which is on the river- I have never stayed there but have heard good things. We usually stay in Yachats at the Adobe.
In Depoe Bay you could check out Tidal Raves for lunch/dinner. It gets very busy so you might need a reservation for dinner. Sometimes when its busy I just sit at the bar where there are fabulous ocean views.
If its a nice day, I like to eat at Travellers Cove in Florence as they have a nice deck overlooking the river.
Do not eat at Mo's.

tomfuller

Since the town of Yachats has been mentioned, the proper pronunciation is ya-HOTS. If you say it any other way the locals will know you're not from anyplace local. Just so you know.

Fodorite018

For your day on the 27th of driving from HR back to PDX, you will need to buy (today!!!) a timed permit for the old scenic highway. They have checkpoints and will not allow you through without the proper permit. You need both a waterfall permit as well as one for Multnomah Falls if you plan to stop there. The permits go on sale 2 weeks before, so today is that day, and the permits go fast. We just got back last night from there and the permit system worked well, but we saw a lot of people get turned away, and this was on days with torrential rain. So nice days will be even busier.

rizzo0904

It looks like if we take the old highway, we only need one ticket. If were were to take I84, we would need the falls, but with doing the old highway, I think that's all we need??? Or am I reading it incorrectly?