What should not be missed for a May 2011 visit? (Portland: hotels, houses)

[KLBFL50]

Husband and I are planning to visit eastern Oregon in May 2011. What are the things/places we should not miss.

We are planning to fly into Portland. Want to see the Snake River east of Portland for a couple of days. Probably will stay near Lincoln Beach for a week and go up and down the coast. Then thinking about Bend area for a week. I know I want to see Crater Lake and Klamath Falls. Hope they are all within driving distance from Bend but will need to do more research.

We won't have time to see the eastern side of the state this visit but hope to in the future. In our 50's and don't mind driving a lot, love easy walks and local food.

I just need to know what places are not-to-be-missed. We already have tons of brochures but want locals thoughts on it.
Any info will be appreciated. Thanks.

[Mount Hood]

I you are staying in the the Bend area and don't mind driving, the Painted Hills and the Clarno Palisades of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument would be great places to check out. They are beautiful formations that also give you a look into Oregon's rich geologic past. The official site is John Day Fossil Beds National Monument (U.S. National Park Service). You could also go to the town of Fossil and legally try to find and take actual fossils on the hill behind the high school.

Closer to Bend, you could also visit Smith Rock State Park. This also has neat rock formations and plenty of picture and hiking opportunities. Oregon State Parks and Recreation: Rates

Also take a look at nearby Peter Skene Ogden State Park. Oregon State Parks and Recreation: Rates

Another great place to go is Newberry National Volcanic Monument just south of Bend. There are cool volcanic formations such as a cinder cone called Lava Butte, a lava field from Lava Butte, the Lava Cast Forest, a mile-long cave formed from lava flows, Newberry Volcano and its lake-filled caldera (w/ Pauline and East Lakes), the Big Obsidian Flow, and some other things. Newberry National Volcanic Monument - Welcome

I would also check out the Cascades Lakes area, the Three Sisters, Mt. Bachelor, Pilot Butte, the High Desert Museum, etc.

[delta07]

Originally Posted by KLBFL50

Husband and I are planning to visit eastern Oregon in May 2011. What are the things/places we should not miss.

We are planning to fly into Portland. Want to see the Snake River east of Portland for a couple of days. Probably will stay near Lincoln Beach for a week and go up and down the coast. Then thinking about Bend area for a week. I know I want to see Crater Lake and Klamath Falls. Hope they are all within driving distance from Bend but will need to do more research.

We won't have time to see the eastern side of the state this visit but hope to in the future. In our 50's and don't mind driving a lot, love easy walks and local food.

I just need to know what places are not-to-be-missed. We already have tons of brochures but want locals thoughts on it.
Any info will be appreciated. Thanks.

Do you mean the Columbia River? The Snake River is on the border of OR and ID and about a 6 1/2 hour drive from Portland.

Crater Lake is doable from Bend if you don't mind an entire day spent in the car. I know we did this trip from Bend with my inlaws and we were all exhausted by the end of the day. We left Bend around 9 am and didn't get back until 8 pm. Klamath is a little further than I would want to go for a day trip. It's about a 4 hour drive. If your short on time, I'd probably skip this portion of the trip since there is plenty to do in and around Bend. Mount Hood gave you some great suggestions for things to see and do in Bend.

[Silverfall]

I'm a bit confused by your itinerary. Are you going to be in Oregon for a month? You want to go from Eastern Oregon all the way to the coast, down to Klamath and then to Bend?

[KLBFL50]

Sorry for the confusion. We plan to fly into Portland and visit Columbia River (not Snake) just east of Portland for a few days. Then drive and stay near Lincoln Beach for a week, then to Bend area or nearabout for a week. Probably will only stay 3 weeks at most.

Thanks for the great info Mt. Hood.

[davefr]

Originally Posted by KLBFL50

Sorry for the confusion. We plan to fly into Portland and visit Columbia River (not Snake) just east of Portland for a few days. Then drive and stay near Lincoln Beach for a week, then to Bend area or nearabout for a week. Probably will only stay 3 weeks at most.

Thanks for the great info Mt. Hood.

I would not stay at Lincoln City for a week. There's so much to see at the coast that I'd start at one end and work your way down.

Ex: Astoria, Manzanita, Oceanside, Newport, Florence, Bandon, Port Orford.

[KLBFL50]

Originally Posted by davefr

I would not stay at Lincoln City for a week. There's so much to see at the coast that I'd start at one end and work your way down.

Ex: Astoria, Manzanita, Oceanside, Newport, Florence, Bandon, Port Orford.

We may stay in more than one place along the coast. It is pretty long. Thanks for the comment.

[hamellr]

Yeah, your itinerary is a bit backwards up in my opinion.

I would fly into Portland, drive to the Coast to Astoria, then drive south. Stay the night in Newport, Tillamook or Lincoln City. Tillamook has the Cheese Factory and the Air Museum. Newport has a couple of light houses, an awesome bridge, and an old town shopping district that has gone too touristy in my opinion.

Lincoln City and Newport both have nice beaches, I think that Lincoln City has slightly better food overall (Puerto Vallarta Mexican is our choice.) They also have a Casino, a couple of kite shops, and lots of antique stores. One of my favorite hotels is there (Dog Friendly) the Looking Glass Inn. It's right on the bay, right across from Mo's Seafood (local chain up and down the coast that supposedly serves great clam chowder) and right across the bay within viewing distance lives a group of sea lions who like to sleep on the beach.

Keep driving south until Florence, Reedsport, or Coos Bay/North Bend and stay the night. Florence has Sea Lion Caves and a historic Down Town area with several great places to eat. I recommend the Lighthouse Inn on the south side of town. It's a historic hotel that has been taken care of quite well. The hotel also has a cafe that is vegan/vegetarian/natural food friendly and is quite good even for us meat eaters.

I can not comment much on Reedsport for the simple fact that I have relatives just outside Coos Bay and have only driven through or stopped to eat. I like Winchester Bay though. The beach is usually fairly deserted, and it's fun to watch the fishing boats.

Coos Bay/North Bend are nice towns, but they're lumber towns that depended heavily on being a shipping port. Both have suffered greatly in the last twenty years. In Coos Bay one of the old lumber mills has been turned into a casino. Near by Bandon has a nice light house, an animal park and a bunch of tourist shops in the old town. There is also near the animal park a local company that sells home made jams and jellies that I will drive out of my way to visit.

Drive east from one of these towns towards I-5, then head to Medford. I've driven east from each and they're all very scenic drives. If you end up near Roseburg, go to Wildlife Safari.

From Medford take 62 (Crater Lake Highway) directly to Crater Lake, or 140 - Lake of the Woods Highway to Klamath Falls.

You can find a place to stay in Klamath Falls, but there are limited camping spots at Crater Lake and even fewer rooms. Klamath Falls has a nice historic downtown area. There is a bakery/cafe near the history museum and the train station which is great for breakfast.

From either place you'll want to head North to Bend along the Dalles-California Highway.

In Bend you've got the Oregon High Desert Museum and Petersen's Rock Garden. I highly recommend both, although the Rock Garden has seen better days it's still worth the small detour. Newberry Crater is interesting, as are the multitude of lava caves, the Lava Cast Forest, and the general high desert ambiance. Bend has seen a huge population explosion in the last ten years which has brought a lot of new money in to town. There are several fine dining establishments, dance clubs and upscale bars in the "old downtown" area, and in the newer westside.

Go North from Bend then take highway 126 (Ochoco Highway) at Redmond east towards Prineville. Keep heading east towards Mitchel and be sure to stop at the painted hills. Keep heading east towards Dayville/John Day. Stay in either town, Dayville has a decent, but cheap hotel on the left. There are two small cafe's in town, and a couple more in John Day.

This leg of the trip will be a bit long, but I think worth the scenery. Mitchell is a nice very small old historic frontier town. Last time I drove through it was about midnight, so I was not able to see what might have weathered the economy, but there use to be a couple of antique shops, a historic hotel, a historic saloon and a bear in a cage on the edge of town.

John Day has a few history museums, including one dedicated to the Chinese Laborers which I highly recommend. From Mt. Vernon (in between John Day and Mitchell, drive north to Pendleton on Highway 395. That will put you back on the Columbia River.

I would love to visit Pendleton longer. There is a new history museum that I've been wanting to go to, and there is an actual underground city built by the Chinese during the late 1800's that has recently been opened to the public.

From there, head west back towards Portland. Stop at the Maryhill Art Museum and "Stonghenge". Spend the night in The Dalles, visit the Dam and the Fort Dalles museum.

Keep heading west, if you're here in September-November, I'd take the Fruit Loop Tour in Hood River, and/or see if you can take the dinner train on the Mt Hood Rail Way.

From there, be sure to take the Old Columbia River Highway and visit Multnomah Falls. If you're into hiking the view from the top is very nice. While on the old highway, you'll come across the historic Vista House which is worth the stop.

At this point you're only 20 miles from Portland. This whole trip should be about 10-14 days and roughly 1200 miles.

[KLBFL50]

Thank you for the wonderful information hamellr. That is a great itinerary. I have some real thinking to do about this vacation with all the great ideas. We may even drive instead of fly again out west for our trip. We went in a circle in Colorado, flying in to Denver a few years ago, and was able to see so much more that way. There is so much to be seen in Oregon. Can't wait.

Thanks again.

[pinkpantherfan]

Don't miss Bandon-by-the-Sea. It has the most beautiful beaches and wonderful seafood at Tony's Crabshack on the waterfront. Also, Minute Cafe in Old Town has wonderful breakfast and the best fish baskets in town. For a beach motel, the Sunset Motel has the most amazing view. If you want to stay in town, then the La Kris Inn is great. Each room is decorated differently and the owners are wonderful hosts. Lincoln City is okay, but doesn't compare to the south coast.

Multnomah Falls in the Portland area is beautiful, take a ride on the sky tram, explore the downtown Pearl District for great restaurants and shops. It's very walkable and they have great bus and streetcar service in Portland.