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My wife is going to a conference in Portland in late June. My 4 yo daughter and I are joining her at the end and spending 6 days. This will be our second trip to Oregon. The first time, we were were in stayed Portland for 5 days and made a day trip to hike Neahankanie Mt. For the last to days, hiked in the Gorge, visited Hood River, then stayed near Mt Hood (and hiked a bit on Hood.)
What should we do? We are thinking about staying a two or three days in Cannon Beach. Any must sees while we are there? Great hikes that can be done with a 4 yo? Anyplace outside of PDX that would be worth staying for a few nights?
Cannon Beach is a good one. I would also check out the nearby towns of Seaside and Astoria. Here are some other cool places to check out:
- Fruit Loop trail near Hood River. There's orchards where you can pick fruit, lavender farms, country stores, wineries, and incredible views of Mt. Hood
- Silver Falls State Park. Lots of pretty waterfalls.
- Rooster Rock State Park. If the weather is nice and warm, this is a great swimming spot. On the east side of the park, there are some clothing optional beaches (they are hidden from the clothing required beaches)
- There are some great parks in town for hiking if you haven't already been like Powell Butte and Mt. Tabor
Cannon Beach is nice. But there are lots of other nice beach towns as well. Cannon Beach heavily restricts AirB&B and other short-term rentals so it is often more difficult to find lodging there than other coastal towns. My family is partial to the Tillamook Coast which is more off the beaten path. Towns like Oceanside and Netarts that are way off Highway 101. With a 4-year-old I'd take a look at Oceanside. It doesn't have the restaurants and shops of Cannon Beach but there is one of the better beaches in Oregon for tide pools and nature exploring that you access via a short tunnel, and it is always uncrowded.
For a 4-year-old the Oregon Coast Aquarium is very nice. It is further down the coast in Newport. The cheese factory in Tillamook is probably the biggest tourist attraction on the coast but only worth visiting during the off season or the crowds are too much.
Portland does have a very nice zoo and there is OMSI, the local science museum which is nice. It depends on where you are coming from as to whether those are must-see attractions. If you are coming from another big urban area then they probably aren't much different from what you already have at home.
Most Portlanders tend to go to one of two places for weekend trips:
1. Oregon Coast which you know about already.
2. Central Oregon especially the Bend and Sun River area. Sun River is a big master-planned community south of Bend with lots of amenities and a bazillion vacation rentals. Very popular weekend destination for AirB&B. You could do a couple days there and visit Bend, do local hiking and rafting, etc. Lots of vacation rentals have canoes and kayaks available for use on the local Deschutes river that meanders through Sun River.
Cannon Beach is a good one. I would also check out the nearby towns of Seaside and Astoria. Here are some other cool places to check out:
- Fruit Loop trail near Hood River. There's orchards where you can pick fruit, lavender farms, country stores, wineries, and incredible views of Mt. Hood
- Silver Falls State Park. Lots of pretty waterfalls.
- Rooster Rock State Park. If the weather is nice and warm, this is a great swimming spot. On the east side of the park, there are some clothing optional beaches (they are hidden from the clothing required beaches)
- There are some great parks in town for hiking if you haven't already been like Powell Butte and Mt. Tabor
The Fruit Loop trail is a great idea. We have picture of Hood in our living room. My daughter is obsessed that it's a volcano. She would love the combo of seeing Hood and orchards. We will definitely be doing some hiking in the gorge. Powell Butte a great idea, too. I think we drove by it, but we didn't hike. We actually spent a lot of time at Mt Tabor on our last visit. My daughter was 11 months and we took her to the playground there a few times. It was the closest good park to where we were staying on Belmont St.
Cannon Beach is nice. But there are lots of other nice beach towns as well. Cannon Beach heavily restricts AirB&B and other short-term rentals so it is often more difficult to find lodging there than other coastal towns. My family is partial to the Tillamook Coast which is more off the beaten path. Towns like Oceanside and Netarts that are way off Highway 101. With a 4-year-old I'd take a look at Oceanside. It doesn't have the restaurants and shops of Cannon Beach but there is one of the better beaches in Oregon for tide pools and nature exploring that you access via a short tunnel, and it is always uncrowded.
For a 4-year-old the Oregon Coast Aquarium is very nice. It is further down the coast in Newport. The cheese factory in Tillamook is probably the biggest tourist attraction on the coast but only worth visiting during the off season or the crowds are too much.
Portland does have a very nice zoo and there is OMSI, the local science museum which is nice. It depends on where you are coming from as to whether those are must-see attractions. If you are coming from another big urban area then they probably aren't much different from what you already have at home.
Most Portlanders tend to go to one of two places for weekend trips:
1. Oregon Coast which you know about already.
2. Central Oregon especially the Bend and Sun River area. Sun River is a big master-planned community south of Bend with lots of amenities and a bazillion vacation rentals. Very popular weekend destination for AirB&B. You could do a couple days there and visit Bend, do local hiking and rafting, etc. Lots of vacation rentals have canoes and kayaks available for use on the local Deschutes river that meanders through Sun River.
We lived in Boston until next year. We are in CT now. We are loaded with museums, zoos, and aquariums. Last him there, we drove to Tillamook, then drove up the coast, hiked Neahakanie, stopped in Seaside, then headed back. The area between Tillamook and Cannon was lovely. Question about the tide pools - are they better for swimming (warmer?) than Cannon or Manzanita? That might be a good option. Bend is also an intriguing option.
We lived in Boston until next year. We are in CT now. We are loaded with museums, zoos, and aquariums. Last him there, we drove to Tillamook, then drove up the coast, hiked Neahakanie, stopped in Seaside, then headed back. The area between Tillamook and Cannon was lovely. Question about the tide pools - are they better for swimming (warmer?) than Cannon or Manzanita? That might be a good option. Bend is also an intriguing option.
No, you don't ever swim in tide pools. You go there at low tide so that you can explore and see marine creatures like anemones and crabs that you can't see at high tide. The rocks are usually full of barnacles so you need rubber boots to walk on them, not great for barefoot little kids. And there is probably no place anywhere on the OR coast where it would be safe for a 4 year old to go swimming. And no they won't be warmer. The whole coast all the way down to about San Francisco is going to be cold due to the North Pacific current which pulls cold water down the coast from the North Pacific and Alaska. It is the exact opposite from east coast where the warm-water Gulf Stream pulls warm water up the Atlantic Coast from the Gulf and Caribbean. This isn't Sarasota.
Bend is more adult-oriented. It's your typical upscale lifestyle/resort town like Santa Fe with lots of shopping and upscale restaurants. Sun River is probably better for little kids. There are walking and bike trails literally everywhere, you can float the river, there is a big municipal water park that AirB&B rentals usually have access passes to via the HOA, and there are lots of hiking excursions to nearby volcanic lava flows and other geological sites. If I was looking for nightlife, breweries, dining, etc. I'd go to Bend. If I was looking to spend outdoor time with kids I'd go to Sun River. It also has its own little downtown area with shops and restaurants that is walkable so nice for families. The thing to do is stay in Sun River than drive the 25-30 min into Bend for the evening if you want to dine out.
Last edited by texasdiver; 01-29-2022 at 01:24 PM..
So if you want to go hiking with your 4-year-old, have a good hiking backpack for her to sit in when she gets tired.
I think Silverfalls State Park is great for kids. Bring a swimsuit and some floaties and there is a great dammed-up section of the creek for swimming. It isn't too deep. The trail of ten falls has short and longer options for hikes. There is also a place that sells ice cream sandwiches right there and my kids loved stopping there after a hike. They have flat paved trails that are good for bike rides as well.
If your daughter wants to play in ocean water, then Lincoln City Beach is the best place for smaller kids as the D river cuts through the beach there so there is always a warmer play area for kids. It is really fun when the tide comes in on boogie boards as the kids ride the tide in on the D River. Otherwise, you need to seriously watch your kids closely on the Oregon coast due to sneaker waves. The hike to Cascade Head is nice and close to Lincoln City. Lincoln City itself is not a picturesque town like Cannon Beach is, but because of the D river cutting through it, is one of the more little kid-friendly get-in-the-water beaches on the coast.
I love Oceanside personally, but not sure it is the right section of the coast for little kids. It is great for agate hunting and sandcastles and hardly anyone goes there. It might be a bit boring for a small child. There are some good tidepools, but Cannon Beach is better for tidepools as they have more sea rocks. If you went down towards Florence/Bandon, then I would rent a dune buggy and go on the dunes. My kids thought "driving on sand sounds so boring" and then loved it.
If you go to Bend, then I would do a hike at Smith Rock as it is really nice in there. The bottom trail along the river is flat and would be appropriate for a younger child. I would also go to the high desert museum. I know you have a lot of that where you are, but it is really great for younger kids. The Birds of Prey talk was really interesting and my kids loved it when they were younger. My kids weren't enthralled with Newberry Crater/Lava Lands but that has a good kid-friendly hike. Tumalo Falls and Shevin Park would be good options out that way as well. Sunriver is very kid-friendly with flat paths for riding bikes and a water park.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,690 posts, read 57,994,855 times
Reputation: 46171
W / 4yo...
Short trips...
Gorge loop to HR or Bridge of Gods. Sunset from Crown Point Vista House.
Silver Falls
Forest Park
Cannon Beach with side trips to Hug Point (low tide, walk north about 1000 yrds to road cut around the point. Sea stars in rocks below the cut road) waterfalls, caves, great lighting for sunsets.
Oswald West / cove
Manzanita
Astoria
Children's museum, parks with play structures and water parks.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,690 posts, read 57,994,855 times
Reputation: 46171
Quote:
Originally Posted by StealthRabbit
W / 4yo...
Short trips...
Gorge loop to HR or Bridge of Gods. Sunset from Crown Point Vista House.
Silver Falls
Forest Park
Cannon Beach with side trips to Hug Point (low tide, walk north about 1000 yrds to road cut around the point. Sea stars in rocks below the cut road) waterfalls, caves, great lighting for sunsets.
Oswald West / cove
Manzanita
Astoria
Children's museum, parks with play structures and water parks.
Location: Was Midvalley Oregon; Now Eastside Seattle area
13,060 posts, read 7,493,946 times
Reputation: 9787
Seattle . via Amtrak Cascades trains or Starlight mainliner. 3.5 hours. Either arrive in Seattle or leave from Seattle.
Seattle Aquarium is better than Monterey's and Newport OR. Tide pools are ok but you can still do just about everything here.
There are beaches too. A Zoo. Weather more reliable and if it isnt, still a lot to do inside.
Last edited by leastprime; 01-29-2022 at 08:01 PM..
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. via Amtrak Cascades trains or Starlight mainliner. 3.5 hours. Either arrive in Seattle or leave from Seattle.
