Summer Tourism (Portland, Bend, McMinnville: hotels, motorhomes, camping)

[jillnjim]

Hello,
My wife and I have been looking at retirement properties east of I-5 in the Willamette Valley area. The lakes and streams along the Willamette Hwy to the south, northward to the Santiam hwy seem appealing. We both like to hike, bike and fish, and I like to hunt. So obviously proximity to waterways and forest land is a must.

My question is; how popular is the Willamette Valley, including towns and cities, along with the foothill/mountain areas, with tourists in the summertime? We are not averse to it, but would like to avoid surprises. Is it mainly a weekend occurence, or is it all season long? My wife grew up in the Bay Area, and we've both experienced the hordes of tourists in the Sierras.

Also, are the foothills/mountains on the western side of the Cascades significantly more cloudy/rainy than in the WV?

Thanks for any responses.

[scottinpdx]

I highly doubt you will see any hordes of tourist in the valley. You would need go up to downtown Portland for that. The Willamette Valley has a plethora of winerys and wine tourism is growing. With so much to do outdoors in Oregon the tourist are scattered everywhere. Last summer I met a coupe from Australia while hiking around Smith Rock in central Oregon.

I would also say that the west side of the Cascades get significant more cloud/rain. Central Oregon can be very brown, while the west side is more green and lush.

[PNW-type-gal]

There are certainly pockets of tourism - the Portland area, McMinnville/wine country, Mt Hood recreation areas, Hood River/Multnomah Falls, Sisters and Bend, the large lakes in the Cascades, anywhere on the coast. Camping in the summer you can expect any campground that accepts motorhomes/trailers/tents to be full or very crowded, particularly around holidays and weekends. Even some of the tent-only and hike-in campgrounds can get full.

But Oregon hasn't got the population base California does, so unlike the Sierras within 3-4 hours of LA or San Francisco, we don't have the same raw numbers, as far as crowds.

[Silverfall]

Even during touristy times it isn't that touristy. I was a Detroit Lake around the 4th and the lake is so huge we didn't run into very many people it seemed. The Santiam area by Stayton and such isn't touristy at all. If you go out towards Detroit it is all tourism for that town, so it just depends.

If you looked at the Stayton area, you would have good access to Detroit Lake, Foster lake and Green Peter Lake plus the Santiam is really cold water that is good for fishing too. Lots of people floating down the river and fishing.

You also need to understand that Oregon is only 4M people total. Our "hordes" of tourists just isn't the same as CA hordes.

[jillnjim]

Colorado's economy depends a lot on the tourism dollar, so we get a lot of out of state tourists in the summer. I didn't know if Oregon does a lot of marketing like that in other states.
We started looking at land outside Roseburg, but I think I'd rather be further north. Areas around Lowell look pretty nice.

Thanks!

[mamh]

My 2 cents worth on Oregon and tourism..I'm a volunteer at Oregon Gardens in Silverton and
I meet numerous people from all over the US, Canada and all parts of the world..Some are staying
at nearby camp grounds , hotels and with family and friends..
On any given day you'll meet guests from everywhere..Friday I visited with a couple from Holland..
But like the above others have said is very low key..I love it..
Come visit this beautiful garden..