AustinTraveler

Hello all you Oregon experts! We are planning a trip from the Central California coast (live there) to Oregon. We will be in a Class B van so camping along the way. First two nights are undetermined but have the following so far:

Night 3 - Reservations at Silver Falls State Park (near Silverton)
Nights 4 & 5 - Reservations at Ainsworth State Park (explore Gorge area)
Night 6 - Somewhere around Lincoln City (possibly an RV park instead of campground)
Night 7 - Reservations at Sunset Bay State Park (on Coos Bay)
Night 8 - Reservations at Albert A. Loeb State Park (near Brookings)

Night 9 will be my husband's birthday so we are wanting to drive only a short distance that day and then have a nice dinner (or ?) somewhere. I'm thinking we could stay two nights in Brookings and have dinner there, or we could drive down to Crescent City and stay there and have dinner. I've read some not-so-great things about Crescent City so looking for recommendations.

After that we'll meander through the redwoods and the California coast for about 5 or 6 days and then end up at home.

Any comments, suggestions, sights, places to camp, dinner, etc. would be very welcomed.

Thanks!

AustinTraveler

So, for my husband's birthday, I'm thinking of going from Loeb to Sue-Me State Park (Patrick's Point) for two nights and go into town for a nice dinner on his birthday. Thoughts?

tomfuller

If he wants to celebrate early, you could go to the Mill casino in Coos Bay. They have a great restaurant. Sunset Bay also has yurts in the campground.
For night one or night two try for a site at the Mazama Village campground at Crater Lake. The north entrance of Crater Lake NP opened yesterday.

AustinTraveler

Thank you for the suggestions tomfuller but I'm afraid casinos are just not our thing. We wouldn't need a yurt because we have fully self-contained RV vans. Crater Lake is great but already done that and want to concentrate more on the gorge this time. Such a crazy place. Last time we were there in mid-September we couldn't see anything because there were snow flurries. Three days later we tried again on our way home and it was beautiful and sunny. Loved Crater Lake and our camping spot the night before at Diamond Lake.

tomfuller

You don't have to walk through the casino part to get to the restaurant at the Mill Casino. My DW and I had a great NYE meal there and decided that it was the best place to have a fancy dinner in the Coos Bay, North Bend or Charleston area. I don't remember eating in the Brookings area but I'm sure there is a fancy restaurant in Bandon.
Since you've seen Crater Lake, maybe you could camp at one of the campgrounds in the Newberry Caldera east of US 97. There are two out near East Lake (one federal and one privately owned).

janisj

Sue-Meg State Park is fine and its only about 15 mins from Trinidad with several good food options.

But -- if you want something completely different maybe consider staying in Ferndale a night or two. It is about a 2.5 hour drive from Brookings and is different that anything you'll experience on the coast.

This is a wonderful property: https://gingerbread-mansion.com

Ferndale in general: https://www.visitferndale.com

sunbum1944

One of my favorite spots is just south of Crescent City- the Requa Inn. Its 100 yrs old, great location and views. They used to serve dinner but now I think only breakfast.
If you continue driving past the inn, you will arrive at the Klamath River Overlook where the Klamath flows into the ocean. Sometimes you will see whales feeding at the mouth of the river down below. There is a hiking trail you can follow for miles- we hiked to Hidden Beach and another group picked us up and drove us back.
We stayed at a great campground near there but I have forgotten the name of it. I will try to find if you are interested.
On Saturday nights they had a salmon cookout and a band.

sunbum1944

We stayed at Kamp Klamath- they have RV sites and camp sites.

janisj

The Requa Inn is great -- but it is not really close to anything for dining etc.

sunbum1944

janisj- when I visited the Inn, they were serving dinner- obviously a few years ago. Crescent City isn't far but don't know what dining opportunities there are.

Gardyloo

Maybe too late to change plans, and no idea how fancy or un-fancy you want the birthday dinner to be, but if you're planning to "meander" through the redwoods on the return trip, you might consider relocating some of your coastal time to the area west of picturesque Ferndale, at the edge of the "Lost Coast," the last remaining coastal wilderness in California. There are some decent restaurants in Eureka (although if it was me, I'd go seriously funky at the Samoa Cookhouse in Samoa) and also in Ferndale.

You'd probably find the Lost Coast area far less populated than Coos and Curry counties in southern Oregon and proximity to pretty Ferndale, the fascinating "company town" of Scotia, or the magnificent redwood groves along the Avenue of the Giants, would make it a worthwhile detour IMO. Map - https://goo.gl/maps/GMMZxaDBgfduao9m7

AustinTraveler

Gardyloo, we are definitely going through Avenue of the Giants and stopping in Ferndale. I would love to do the Lost Coast but have heard that the road out can be sketchy. I'm adventurous but my friends not so much. I'm afraid they would be worried about their van the whole time. I think we'll stay at Sue-Meg and go to the Larrupin Cafe for birthday dinner. The next day we can explore Ferndale and then Avenue of the Giants before stopping again for the night.

I appreciate everyone's suggestions!

sunbum1944

I don't remember the road to Lost Coast as being sketchy- but it was a long ride. Beautiful once we got there.
We had dinner at the Larrupin which we enjoyed. We stayed at the Trinidad Inn which was close by. I recommend it as a place to stay if you are looking for one.

janisj

The road isn't 'sketchy' but it is long and remote and parts are pretty twisty/turny, and can feel very isolated.

To give you and idea of the twisty/turny bits . . . Ferndale to Capetown (about half way to Petrolia) is less than 15 miles and takes close to 45 minutes. The whole route Ferndale > Petrolia > back to 101 at Redcrest on the Ave. of the Giants is about 75 miles and easily a 3 to 3.5 hour drive plus stops. So probably best to save it for a time you don't have an 'un-adventurous' friend along

Fodorite018

When is this trip? If it is in summer, you need a timed permit to even drive the historical highway through the waterfall corridor in the gorge. You need both a driving permit as well as a separate permit for Multnomah Falls. This is new as of last month. We were there this weekend and the permit system worked very well! There are checkpoints, and they will not let you in before your reserved time, so you can't really wing it. Permits go on sale 2 weeks in advance, and they go fast!

AustinTraveler

Thanks for the info on the Lost Coast. Will definitely do that another time. Sounds perfect for us! I did read about the permits being necessary and am actually happy about it. The crowds these days are out of control!

Fodorite018

AustinTraveler--Yes, the permits are much needed. This area has been loved to death, unfortunately. Even with the permits it is still way too crowded, IMO. In Hood River, my favorite place for coffee/breakfast is The Kickstand. Best pizza, IMO, is Solstice down by the water. Multnomah Falls does a really nice Sunday brunch, and if you have reservations for a meal there you do not need a timed permit, and you can show up early. With the regular permits, you are not allowed in until your reserved time. We saw so many people either get turned away or have to wait until their appointed time. Celilo is HR is wonderful for a more fine dining restaurant and their happy hour in the bar is an amazing deal.

AustinTraveler

mms, thank you so much for this information. I was wondering if you know whether a permit is required if you have reservations at Ainsworth State Park. I completely understand the loved to death part. We live on the Central Coast of California near Morro Bay and you have to plan everything now. No more hopping down to San Simeon and camping a night or two. Now it's all about getting a camping cancellation. At least we have the ability to be flexible.

Fodorite018

AustinTraveler--I do not know. I would call the park and see. That campground is within the permit corridor, but I do not know if a reservation grants you access to the corridor like it does if you have a reservation at Multnomah Falls Lodge Restaurant.

AustinTraveler

Thanks mms, I just got home (from camping, of course!) and checked the park website. We will not need a permit since we have a reservation. Yay! One less thing to worry about.