Need Help Planning Oregon/Northern Cali/Boise Roadtrip!! Never been to any of these places... (Portland: fit in, sales)

[DerbyFever]

My husband and I will be flying into Portland on 6/30 and flying out of Boise, ID on 7/16. We will be looking at some cities from a tourist's vantage point, while we will be visiting others for possible relocation in 2010. We would appreciate any feedback on our tentative route--since we've never been to any of these places, there may be obvious pro's/con's that we're overlooking.

My elderly (late 70's) parents will be travelling with us as well as our 2 year old so we don't want any extremely long legs of the trip (say >4-5 hours). The places we definitely want to visit are: Hood River (we're OK doing this as a daytrip from Portland), Ashland, Bend, and the Redwood National Park.

If we have time we'd like to see Eugene but OK if this is done as a brief stop on the way...Similarly we'd like to drive/sightsee a small section of the Oregon coast though we aren't sure which section though have heard Florence & Newport are nice. (If this weren't a "working" vacation, we'd love to spend several days on the coast but realize it probably won't fit on this trip...a small visit to the coast may have to be limited to a day trip my husband I take while leaving our son with the grandparents.)

Here's our tentative itinerary though we welcome suggestions/ideas of variables we may be overlooking (i.e., construction, missing great scenery, etc.):

1.) Arrive in Portland June 30/spend 4 nights (seeing Hood River/Gorge--
possibly section of coast on another day?? If so, we may need to
make this 5 nights.)
2.) Drive to Eugene...either spend 1 night or quick stop on way to
Redwood
3.) Spend 2 nights in Redwood area, then travel to Ashland
4.) Spend 3 nights in Ashland (may be looking into job/homes as
possibilities as well as maybe a visit to Crater Lake)
5.) Drive to Bend, spend 2 nights (this may be too rushed since we want
to see area & possibly look at job/homes)
6.) Drive to Boise, spend 3 nights before flying home (again, we'll be
looking at job/homes while here)

We have 1 night "left over" that we'll fill in as appropriate once we start fine tuning our plans. Any suggestions/feedback on this tentative route would be greatly appreciated. THANKS!!

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by DerbyFever

Here's our tentative itinerary though we welcome suggestions/ideas of variables we may be overlooking (i.e., construction, missing great scenery, etc.):

1.) Arrive in Portland June 30/spend 4 nights (seeing Hood River/Gorge--
possibly section of coast on another day?? If so, we may need to
make this 5 nights.)
2.) Drive to Eugene...either spend 1 night or quick stop on way to
Redwood
3.) Spend 2 nights in Redwood area, then travel to Ashland
4.) Spend 3 nights in Ashland (may be looking into job/homes as
possibilities as well as maybe a visit to Crater Lake)
5.) Drive to Bend, spend 2 nights (this may be too rushed since we want
to see area & possibly look at job/homes)
6.) Drive to Boise, spend 3 nights before flying home (again, we'll be
looking at job/homes while here)

We have 1 night "left over" that we'll fill in as appropriate once we start fine tuning our plans. Any suggestions/feedback on this tentative route would be greatly appreciated. THANKS!!

Wow, that is quite an itinerary!

I will suggest a few things. I am sure others will chime in with some good ideas as well. First off while in Portland you need to visit Washington Park and the Japanese Gardens.





Then the Gorge as you mentioned. There are many waterfalls which are roadside or a short walk and *very* worth it.





The coast is really near nice Cannon Beach/Ecola SP and so that is a good day trip option. But spending one night there would be nice as well:




Sunsets are gorgeous:




On the way to Eugene I *Highly* recommend stopping at Silverfalls SP. It was one of the highlights of our trip and its just outside Salem on the way south.





I don't have much to say about Eugene as we spent no time there. Maybe others can comment. However if you are headed to the Redwoods as in NorCal Redwoods then may I suggest another possible route. On your way south cut down toward the coast from the 5 FWY. We cut through Corvallis which is a nice little town BTW, then down to Newport. But you could cut through further south if you wish.

The reason I recommend this is that the Southern OR coast is arguably the most scenic with Bandon and Brookings being our personal favorites. This is a gotta see section IMO.











And from Brookings the CA Redwoods are a short drive across the boarder. I would even consider staying in Brookings instead of Crecent City as it is nicer IMO.

Then once across the border in CA Del Norte Coast Redwood SP is one of my favorites:





Derek

[pw72]

Your itinerary is sort of making my head spin, but I will offer this...

If you want to see the best of the Oregon Coast, I would suggest the Eugene-Florence-Newport-Lincoln City-Salem route. Or vice-versa. Excellent scenery all within a day trip.

[Nina-in-Ashland]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

Wow, that is quite an itinerary! I will suggest a few things.

You take beautiful photographs! Stunning!

[DerbyFever]

Derek--your pictures are worth 1000 words--Nina is right that they are stunning!! We will definitely sit down tonight and do some adapting to take advantage of some of the coast. Thanks for the suggestions on SP's as we may very well try to work them in on the way. It's difficult to plan excursions to accommodate the late 70's parents and 2-year old son...can't do too much driving, too much walking, etc. So if there are any "have to do's" on our list that will be too difficult for them, we can leave our son w/gparents for part of a day. If any of these sites have a lot of hills/walking, please advise so we can plan accordingly. Otherwise, I LOVE the suggestions...so glad I asked.

pw72, thanks for the route suggestion. We'll try to fine tune our stops and consider this in our planning. I'm feeling stressed that this is all so last minute b/c we're usually planners but very tough to do with my parents' health lately.

Thanks immensely to all, I'm sure our trip will be enhanced 100% due to your ideas!! I am concerned about the dizzying-pace of it all...if you think of anything we can cut back on please advise. I'm thinking we'll definitely nix the overnight in Eugene, possibly cut back a day in Portland?? Considering cutting Bend as it's so far off the path for us but it's also an area we really wanted to see...

[DerbyFever]

Our big concern about driving on the coast is that the pace may be very slow...what is the average speed? Are there zillions of traffic lights? This will determine how long a stretch of coast we can do as well as whether it needs to be a couple event or family event. I'd love for my son to see the ocean though concede it won't be a very scenic picturesque drive if there's a cranky 2-year odl and grouchy mother in the back seats...you get the idea. We will definitely make the coast fit into our itinerary now, it's just deciding where, how long, etc...I also love the idea of staying in Brookings to visit Redwood, as that will afford us the opportunity to see both places. Is 1 full day enough time to visit Redwood? Will this be do-able for the whole family? (My dad is having 2nd knee replaced on 7/20 when we get back though he's actually in better shape than mom...though she'll be content if there's a nice bench to sit on, have a cigarette, and someone to listen to her complain. LOL!)

[davefr]

Seeing the coast is a "must" and it's not a very good day trip from Portland. You should really make it a minimum of 2 days.

Take Hwy 6 to Tillamook and then take the loop to Netarts, Oceanside, Cape Meares and back to Tillamook. (That's the best part of the entire OR coast IMHO). The are also some impressive things to see in Tillamook like the air museum. (it's one of the largest wooden structures in the world). You can also visit the Tillamook Forest visitor center along Hwy 6 and walk up to see where the "cloud girls" worked!!

Now take Hwy 101 North to Garibaldi, Rockaway Beach, Wheeler, Nehalem, Manzanita, Cannon Beach, Seaside. The stretch between Manzanita and Cannon Beach is very impressive.

Now you can decide whether to cut back to Portland via Hwy 26 or go up to Astoria and take Hwy 30.

I would tend to avoid the towns of Cannon Beach and Seaside because they're just typical tourist traps.

Don't get your hopes up on landing a job in Bend or Ashland!! It's one notch above being a waste of valuable vacation time.

[mamh]

Hello
I would skip trying to get out to Crescent city and the redwoods south of there..It is a full days drive from Eugene to Crescent city and Eureka where most of the big trees are..The scenery is great but you need a week just to enjoy from Eureka up to Brookings and points north on the coast..
Make the trip simple for everyone..If your doing the coast be sure to call ahead for hotel reservations as they do book up in the summer
happy travels
Love the pictures

[MtnSurfer]

All the places I recommended are easy walks from the car - no long hiking involved. At Silverfalls SP ppl can see them from above as in this shot:





Then you can take a short walk if you want 'behind' the falls which is truly awesome (South Falls):





Here is the park info:
http://www.oregonstateparks.org/imag...s_trailmap.pdf


A lot of ppl have various favorites along the coast and I can understand why. Almost the entire OR coast is beautiful. So you have to think in terms of what is practical for your family and travel plans. Since you are going to the Redwoods and Southern OR Brookings make pratical sense. Here is a nice place to stay in Boardman SP:

Whaleshead Beach Resort in Brookings Oregon offering vacation rentals and sales in Brookings OR, ocean view dining and lounge, cottage rentals, and a 700' Tunnel access to Whaleshead Beach.

Boardman SP is really nice with many places to visit without long walks. Here is park info:
http://www.oregonstateparks.org/images/pdf/boardman.pdf.

Gotta head to work for now.

Derek

[delta07]

If you are considering Bend as a possible place to move, then don't skip it. It is truly beautiful this time of year, with many things in close proximity to town. You can easily find things to do for both the 70's and 2 year old crowd. I would suggest visiting Tumalo Falls, Drake Park (my 2 year old nephew was just here and he loved feeding the ducks), and the High Desert Museum.

If you must skip something, I would suggest the Redwoods because of the timing issue. It sounds like you are not considering moving to northern CA, and they would be more of a sightseeing excursion. If you will be relocating to the PNW anyways, then you can plan a longer vacation to the Redwoods when you can really enjoy the trip. It seems like you have a very full agenda, and the trip to the Redwoods might just put everyone over the edge! Just my opinion, but I would make sure to visit those places you are seriously considering relocating to first, then plan a longer visit for enjoyment to some of the others that make the cut.