OT: Traveling through Washington State/Oregon

[Metropolitans3]

I know we have a lot of left coasters here and many others who have traveled quite a bit. Any insight would be appreciated. August vacation... We will be flying into Seattle, renting a car, and flying out of Portland.

About us:
Active (mountain biking, hiking, etc)
Adventurous
"Foodies" (hate that term)
Can't go wrong with one activity around Wine/Beer/Food
Willing to drive distance
Would prefer not to camp as we will not have the gear.

There are so many National Parks/Mountains/Areas of the Coast... just hoping to narrow down my search. Thanks guys!

 

[RUforester72]

Come to Bend, 3 hours SE of PDX. Great mountain biking, beer, hiking, beer, fly fishing, beer, and good restaurants. Did I mention that we have over 25 breweries? In fact, downtown there is a pub owned by a pair of RU grads (Summit Pub). Bend is a great base for a outdoor oriented vacation.

Other highlights: Don't miss the Oregon coast and the Columbia River Gorge (Hood River!)
Some good wineries in the Willamette Valley (south of PDX) or if you want to drive to eastern WA the Walla Walla area has some outstanding wineries as well.

 

[RutgersMO]

I know we have a lot of left coasters here and many others who have traveled quite a bit. Any insight would be appreciated. August vacation... We will be flying into Seattle, renting a car, and flying out of Portland.

About us:
Active (mountain biking, hiking, etc)
Adventurous
"Foodies" (hate that term)
Can't go wrong with one activity around Wine/Beer/Food
Willing to drive distance
Would prefer not to camp as we will not have the gear.

There are so many National Parks/Mountains/Areas of the Coast... just hoping to narrow down my search. Thanks guys!

Astoia, Cannon Beach / Ecola Beach on the NW Coast of Oregon are BEAUTIFUL. Lots of things to see, bike rides, beautiful beaches....

In Seattle you'll want to hit the Space Needle - right next door is the Music Museum with multiple rooms dedicated to Jimi Hendrix / Curt Cobain ....and next door to the museum / space needle is Chihuly (sp.?) works (glass artwork).

Also, try to make it to the Mono rail in Seatlle...and to Pikes markets. Lots of sea food (if you're into that)...and funky salty atmosphere.

MO

 

[newwavedave1]

How long is the vacation? It will greatly influence my suggestions.

 

[Raritan83]

I second the Columbia river gorge. Do that and a little further east is the full sail brewery and brew pub which was excellent.

 

[AntiG]

Crater Lake
Colombia River Gorge (make sure to take 101 to cross the river on the beautiful Astoria–Megler Bridge)
The restaurants of Portland (I particularly loved this little restaurant - Navarre)

 

[RUnTeX]

Rogue Brewery in Newport, OR if you are going down along the Oregon coast.

Mt. Rainier

Mt. St. Helens

Olympia National Park

 

[KingHigh]

If you feel like hotting a resort, gotta visit Suncadia

 

[Alaska_Dawg]

As one poster pointed out, it's difficult to help you with your itinerary without knowing the length of your vacation. I'm going to assume 7 - 10 days so here goes.

1) You land in Sea-Tac airport, rent your car and head north to Seattle. Make sure to hit the Seattle waterfront ... you can skip the rest of Seattle unless you have a full two weeks. The Seattle waterfront covers Pike Place Market, Pier 54, Ivar's Seafood/Fish Bar, and the Seattle Aquarium. From there you will go to the Seattle Ferry Terminal which is also on the waterfront...Alaskan Way as it's known...the street that is. btw there's plenty of neat ethnic food joints at Pikes Place Market and they won't break the bank.

2) Take the ferry across to Bremerton and head south on Highway 3 to Highway 101 aka Pacific Coast Highway until you get to the Olympia cutoff. Head west towards the ocean from there to Ocean Shores and get a room. Horseback riding, beach combing and other stuff to do there.

3) After a night there head south on Highway 101 to Astoria, Oregon. You will pass through Ilwaco, Washington on your way across the Columbia River and see the old lighthouse, and then you will drive across to Astoria which is the oldest town in the Pacific Northwest. From there you can head toward Portland or head further south to Tillamook Bay.


Seattle waterfront with a pic of a ferry.

Ivar's Fish Bar on the waterfront

Seattle Aquarium

Astoria, Oregon

http://www.wsdot.com/ferries/schedule/

http://www.seattleaquarium.org/

http://www.ivars.com/

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#safe=off&q=ocean+shores+washington+hotels <--- Ocean Shores, Washington hotels

 

[Metropolitans3]

As one poster pointed out, it's difficult to help you with your itinerary without knowing the length of your vacation. I'm going to assume 7 - 10 days so here goes.

Wow, more than I could have hoped for! Yes, its a 7 day trip.

I feel like we are more of a sights/sounds/views kind of people rather than go into a museum or aquarium, unless there is something unique to that specific aquarium. Your advice was very helpful.

I was thinking about heading over to Oakridge (Alpine Trail) and mountain biking one day if that changes any of your suggestions.

 

[jerseyjustin]

I got a guy named Stanley, in Portland, who works in Sanitation. If you're looking for your girl to have an accident -- I could set you and Stan up to meet in the back of the Starbucks on Broadway. Should definitely cap off your trip with an exclamation point.

 

[RUChoppin]

Lots of great info here already. Been to that area a few times, and Portland is one of my favorite cities.

Willamette Valley, Ecola State Park, Cannon Beach, Crater Lake, Powell's Books, McMenamins brew pubs (tons of great brew pubs in Portland), Japanese gardens...

We're actually looking to see the game, then head up to Vancouver this trip. My wife's never been, and I haven't been there in over a decade.

 

[Alaska_Dawg]

Wow, more than I could have hoped for! Yes, its a 7 day trip.

I feel like we are more of a sights/sounds/views kind of people rather than go into a museum or aquarium, unless there is something unique to that specific aquarium. Your advice was very helpful.

I was thinking about heading over to Oakridge (Alpine Trail) and mountain biking one day if that changes any of your suggestions.

I just looked at that Alpine Trail on google images and it looks like it would be a blast. Good call.

 

[RUforester72]

Oakridge might be a disappointment as a place to stay. Its a timber dependent community devastated by the decline of that industry. Though there are motels and pretty marginal restuarants in Oakridge, you may want to travel there out of Eugene, home of the Ducks! But the Willamette National Forest, where the trail is located, will be memorable. I worked there for 11 years out of my 34 with the Forest Service.

 

[Hugh D. Mahon]

Whichever you may have time for: Columbia River Gorge, Cannon Beach, Ore., Mt. St. Helens, Portland.

 

[newwavedave1]

Day one,spend a day in Seattle visiting Seattle Center and Pike's Place Market. Many options for great beer and seafood. Day two,take the Edmonds/Kingston ferry and drive to Hurricane Ridge and then on to Kalloch Lodge on the Pacific coast. Day three, visit Ruby Beach and the Hoh rainforest and spend the night At Lake Quinnalt Lodge. Day four, visit Mt. Ranier and Mt. St. Helens. Day five, visit the Columbia River Gorge and stay in Portland for more great food and beer. Day six, on to the Oregon Coast and Cannon Beach. Day seven, back to Portland and your flight home. This entails plenty of driving, so plan on leaving early every morning. Hope you enjoy the great Pacific Northwest, no matter what you decide to do.

 

[Knight Shift]

Did not see the following mentioned:
1. Take Ferry from Seattle to Victoria BC--a beautiful waterfront city:
http://www.clippervacations.com/seattle-victoria-ferry/
2. Take ferries to each of the San Juan Islands:
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Ferries/TakeaFerry/

3. Most of the beaches/coast in Oregon are volcanic hills/mountains. Seaside beach in Oregon is a very cool town with a wide beach.
http://www.seasideor.com/

4. When in Portland, visit Powell's City of Books, billed to be the largest independent bookstore.
http://www.powells.com/locations/powells-city-of-books

 

[RU Husky]

Not much to add but if taking a trip into the Gorge you might want to continue up to the Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood. Beautiful views and hiking in the summer.

My wife and I are currently in Vancouver ,BC and this city is spectacularly beautiful . We also road up to Whistler. Today we ferry over to Victoria. You probably will find enough to do in Oregon, but if you had the time, this area is an outdoor person's paradise.

 

[newwavedave1]

Not much to add but if taking a trip into the Gorge you might want to continue up to the Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood. Beautiful views and hiking in the summer.

My wife and I are currently in Vancouver ,BC and this city is spectacularly beautiful . We also road up to Whistler. Today we ferry over to Victoria. You probably will find enough to do in Oregon, but if you had the time, this area is an outdoor person's paradise.

Agree with visits to Victoria, (Buchart Gardens), and the San Juans. It's a tough decision, as there is entirely too much to see in a weeks time. May want to take two weeks. Almost forgot North Cascades National Park.

 

[RUChoppin]

Not much to add but if taking a trip into the Gorge you might want to continue up to the Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood. Beautiful views and hiking in the summer.

My wife and I are currently in Vancouver ,BC and this city is spectacularly beautiful . We also road up to Whistler. Today we ferry over to Victoria. You probably will find enough to do in Oregon, but if you had the time, this area is an outdoor person's paradise.

I actually proposed to my wife on the Timberline Lodge balcony. Nice views, but be prepared for about a 15-20 degree temperature drop from the bottom of Mt. Hood to the treeline. We drove out along the Columbia River gorge and see a bunch of waterfalls, grabbed some beer and lunch at Full Sail brewery, then dropped down 35 past a lot of fruit groves to Mt Hood and the Timberline Lodge, and swung back to Portland. There are also a bunch of great wineries around Portland (we found a few we liked around Canby, along with a huge Dahlia farm called Swan Island Dahlias that my wife loved).

Vancouver is also a really great city, and looking forward to showing my wife around it.

You really can't go wrong out in the Portland/Seattle/Vancouver area... tons of stuff to do, see, eat, and drink. Almost moved out there once upon a time before I met my wife and while I was still teaching... but it would have meant a huge salary cut, and I couldn't justify it.