Hood, Gorge or Coast... What is your preference for a day trip from Portland? (Seaside: rental car)

[Dingler]

I will be visiting Portland and will only have time for a one day trip to the scenic country. It either has to be to Mt. Hood, The Columbia River Gorge, or the Coast (Cannon Beach). There is not enough time for a full Mount Hood/Gorge loop.

What is your prefrence and why?

[tchick]

As your neighbor to the south in NC - We made a trip to Oregon and did all three. But the most amazing for someone from the east coast was Mount Hood. We drove up scenic route to the mountain and it looked like something from the Yogi bear cartoon. Yeah, that is nice ok.....we curved on around the mountain and WHOA!!! There was this gigantic mountain covered with snow with the clouds surrounding it!!!

IT was amazing....it put the Blue Ridge Parkway to shame!! Also, the hotel from the shining was there. It was a really cool trip.

Have a great trip!!

[parasol]

I was in the same boat: the coast or Mt. Hood. I chose Mt. Hood and we're doing the Oregon EcoTours Columbia River Gorge/ Mt. Hood loop tour. It's a day tour; about 8 1/2 hours. We chose the tour because we won't have a rental car.

Originally Posted by tchick

IT was amazing....it put the Blue Ridge Parkway to shame!! Also, the hotel from the shining was there. It was a really cool trip.

Wow I didn't know this. Where is it located? I'll be up in Portland in a few days.

[Ex Goldendale]

Start EARLY, Really early. Stop at a Starbucks stand alone store and load up.

Now east on HWY 26 at a small park just past Rhodededron on the right you can get out and see a piece of the old Barlow Trail, the "over the top" way to the valley for the settlers. Toll Gate Park and Campground, yep there were toll gates all along the Oregon Trail.
Now get a move on! If you are a hiker you'll know what to do when you see cars parked on the shoulder of the road. If you're a jogger you might try one of the trails, It's ok to sweat in a rental car so don't spend much time cooling off after your jog. next stop Government Camp. As you get there, on the left is Ski Bowl. You can bang up your elbows or knees on the the tabogan ride, or if crashing a Mtn. Bike into trees and rocks is for you , this is it! Too bad your not here in the winter. This is a Great Night Ski spot, one of the biggest.
East again on 26 and turn left to Timberline Lodge. Enjoy the drive this is what you are here for. This is the only Year Round skiing in USA, after lunch it is more like mush.
But it's still early so back to the car and back down the hill to 26 and turn left. there is a lake on the right you would need to get off the HWY to see but you saw it from Timberline Lodge so hammer down. At the split follow HWY 35 or you'll wind up in (yawn) Central Oregon, nothing there but sage brush, juniper and a growing # of people.
You are now headed to the Columbia River. Watch out, the road washes out by the Pass every so often, actually it's every 20 years or so and beins how last year was one of them years you'll do fine, I think. You'll know where to keep your eyes peeled when you get there.
You did all that hurryin' so you could get to this road, so enjoy the trip to Hood River from here.
TA DA.
Now you're in Hood River might as well look around a bit, when you are done you'll need to make a choice, Go like Hell down I-84 to Portland or cross the river to Bingen. On I-84 you are about 60 miles to I-5 in downtown Portland. If you don't stop at Multnomah Falls you can get there in 45-60 minutes and won't be passed by too many cars depending on the time of day, if you plan on the scenic Hwy 30 route add 2-3 hours for stops.
Those are the Oregon side routes.
In Washington, (when you paid good money to sweat bullets as you met a truck on the Hood River Bridge you were headed to Nortern Oregon, er I mean, Washington). Turn back towards Vancouver on Hwy 14. this is a two lane Hwy most of the way back and is a pretty drive, a few tunnels, good views of the Oregon side, wind surfers, a couple fun small towns, sales tax, and if you go all the way to Vancouver there is even a place on the road that will take your breath away.
But if you want to do Hwy 14 and catch the Scenic Loop on the Oregon side, Fear not traveler, simply cross back over at The Bridge of the Gods to Cascade Locks Oregon.
As you cross the bridge look upstream and down to see the old locks. Until the Bonneville Dam was built this was a much narrower, and wilder, river. Turn left to get to the freeway at the stop sign. Next stop Bonneville Damn. I always get the hankerin' for a little Woody when I go by the Dam. Woody Guthrie that is, pervert! At least an hour here. you 've got to see the fish! get up close to a dinosaur the stugeon.
Now it's on to the loop or straight to PDX, Seems how you've been marching right along and it isn't dark yet I'd say go see the Loop. See it all including the Vista House, or what we lovingly call, the Million Dollar Bathroom. It's probably closed up.
Whew, you made it back and you've done two of the tours. congratulations!

Now the only thing left to do is our new IKEA Store. That will take a whole day though.

OK, now all fun aside, you can see both Mt. Hood and the Gorge in one day, it would be a long day, Gorge or Mt Hood first, it matters little which way you head out. Keep in mind that from Govenment Camp or Hood River in normal traffic you are about 1-1/2 hours drive, without stops, to most parts of Portlands east side.
If you must choose only one I would recommend the Gorge. It can be an all day adventure also, though at a slower pace. If you go out I-84 to The Dalles to cross (this is where the brave people of the Oregon Trail that wished to risk a much quicker, but more dangerous route put in at.), or even better to Biggs Junction where HWY 97 and I-84 meet then cross the river and drive back down the other side. The transition from rolling dry land wheat country to mountain valley fruit orhards to wooded river canyon then the green of the Willamette valley in such a short space, 60 miles, is amazing. This is also a part of the Lewis and Clark trail and sometimes it doesnt take much to imagine what they saw, just make sure the car is stopped when you close your eyes!
And the Pacific Ocean is only 2 hours away.
BTW It is said WILL-A(like bat)-met and OREGUN
Enjoy!
Let me know if you want to go all the way round Maui via Hana. That takes two days, Hawai`ian time you understand, yes?

[sandybeaches]

Go to Cannon Beach and just relax! Its very nice... a little uptight for my taste as far as getting sand in your drawers and then going back into town... buts that just me. You can go to Seaside and feed the seals/sea lions! Not as pretty as Cannon Beach though.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by sandybeaches

Go to Cannon Beach and just relax! Its very nice... a little uptight for my taste as far as getting sand in your drawers and then going back into town... buts that just me. You can go to Seaside and feed the seals/sea lions! Not as pretty as Cannon Beach though.

Do check the weather for the day, the Gorge is least risky in poor summer weather - not bad if cloudy (great lighting for pics) and won't be fogged in like coast or top of Mt Hood. (Gorge is Most risky in poor Winter weather)

If decent weather, do the loop like X-Gold mentioned^. Just get up early and jet out of town, and don't linger much till you get to some of the great hikes on the Gorge Scenic Highway (near Mult Falls) (about 3 hrs of driving + stops)

If the weather is crummy, then do a gorge loop, east on Hwy 14 (WA side@ airport bridge (I-205)), stop at Cape Horn, but don't fall over the cliff as so many do (just last week RIP). Then hike Beacon Rock (quick trip) and cross the river leaving enough time to do your hikes / pics heading back to PDX. This can be a 3 hr trip, minimum, (cross at Cascade Locks) or a longer one depending on your desires and distance east you go before crossing the River. You can go clear to Maryhill, and cross back to OR at Biggs Jct then catch the OR Trail Center west of The Dalles This is 2 hrs each way, add time for stops and it could go to 8+ hrs.

If you do the beach ... do stop at Hug Point (~3 mi south of Cannon Beach) it is a very nice beach (walk to the north on beach from the parking lot) Tide pools on old stage road, water falls, orange swirly soil, great for sunset pics. (but summer is often foggy at the beach). Beach is spectacular if you are into that.

Ecola ST Park is nice for pics and hiking (North of Cannon Beach) but... there is more variety and sites in the gorge, and they are only 20 minutes east of PDX.

Mt Hood is impressive, but disappointing if it is fogged in.

[dachmom]

If the weather is crummy, then do a gorge loop, east on Hwy 14 (WA side@ airport bridge (I-205)), stop at Cape Horn, but don't fall over the cliff as so many do (just last week RIP). Then hike Beacon Rock (quick trip) and cross the river leaving enough time to do your hikes / pics heading back to PDX. This can be a 3 hr trip, minimum, (cross at Cascade Locks) or a longer one depending on your desires and distance east you go before crossing the River. You can go clear to Maryhill, and cross back to OR at Biggs Jct then catch the OR Trail Center west of The Dalles This is 2 hrs each way, add time for stops and it could go to 8+ hrs.

If you go this route, definitely stop at the Maryhill Musuem of Art (open March 15th-November 15th each year). It looks like a castle, was built by Sam Hill (founder of the town of Maryhill that is named after his wife and daughter) and has items from Queen Marie of Romania, including a Roden(sp?) sculpture. If you keep heading north and go past the turn off to Biggs(Oregon) you can visit the Stonehenge that Sam Hill built as a memorial to the war dead. The Museum also has peacocks roaming the grounds freely. This is the perfect time of year to visit the gorge.