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Old 04-25-2022, 12:01 PM
 
1,320 posts, read 866,859 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by scocar View Post
A few more questions regarding our stay:

We fly in late Tuesday night. On Thursday we will be staying in Portland to attend Oregon Brewers Festival. We want to do both a trip to the coast and a trip to the Gorge. We have an Air Bnb for all 5 days in Portland. So both the Coast and Gorge will be day trips. We will definitely rent a car for the Coast day trip. We are debating whether to rent a car for the Gorge or taking the train that goes there. Thoughts on that? As well as thoughts on how busy one or the other is on the weekend (Friday and/or Saturday) versus Wednesday. We won't need a rental car the whole trip, so I could just rent one for Friday and Saturday, and then do the Gorge one day and the Coast the other. My concern is whether it would be significantly less busy on Wednesday and do I want to make sure I hit one of them on that day.
It depends on what you want to do in the gorge.

If you want to sit back and enjoy the scenery and then hang out in Hood River for a couple hours, then the train or shuttle probably makes the most sense. Hood River is a gorgeous town with some excellent breweries. The train ride will be very scenic.

If you are wanting to stop and hike in the gorge, then I would recommend using a rental car. The nice thing about having a car is that there are so many places to pull off really close to the highway and hike to a waterfall or overlook. Also, once you get to Hood River, if you take Oregon Route 35 south, you'll drive through the Hood River Valley and get some incredible close views of Mt. Hood. This is where the Fruit Loop trail is, which is full of idyllic wineries and orchards (I love Mt. Hood Lavender Farms).

Personally, I would recommend having the rental car and doing the day trips on Friday and Saturday. Saturday will be crowded, yes, because a lot of locals like to go into the gorge, but having the rental car gives you better access to all that the gorge has to offer.
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Old 04-25-2022, 01:22 PM
 
Location: Saint Louis, MO
1,197 posts, read 2,278,650 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nadnerb View Post
It depends on what you want to do in the gorge.

If you want to sit back and enjoy the scenery and then hang out in Hood River for a couple hours, then the train or shuttle probably makes the most sense. Hood River is a gorgeous town with some excellent breweries. The train ride will be very scenic.

If you are wanting to stop and hike in the gorge, then I would recommend using a rental car. The nice thing about having a car is that there are so many places to pull off really close to the highway and hike to a waterfall or overlook. Also, once you get to Hood River, if you take Oregon Route 35 south, you'll drive through the Hood River Valley and get some incredible close views of Mt. Hood. This is where the Fruit Loop trail is, which is full of idyllic wineries and orchards (I love Mt. Hood Lavender Farms).

Personally, I would recommend having the rental car and doing the day trips on Friday and Saturday. Saturday will be crowded, yes, because a lot of locals like to go into the gorge, but having the rental car gives you better access to all that the gorge has to offer.
So maybe getting the rental car for Friday and Saturday, but doing the Gorge on Friday and the Coast on Saturday would make the most sense? I figure the Coast is more spread out and thus less of an issue with too many people.
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Old 04-25-2022, 09:59 PM
 
1,320 posts, read 866,859 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by scocar View Post
So maybe getting the rental car for Friday and Saturday, but doing the Gorge on Friday and the Coast on Saturday would make the most sense? I figure the Coast is more spread out and thus less of an issue with too many people.
Yeah, that makes sense. Some of the popular beaches on the coast get really crowded (Pacific City, Seaside, Cannon Beach) but there's a ton of places to choose from.
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Old 04-30-2022, 06:12 PM
 
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,705 posts, read 58,031,425 times
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Definitely rent a car for the Columbia Gorge (train is scenic, but doesn't stop!)

I would base the day and where on the weather (it can change) Keep the car a couple days.

I prefer a loop for each trip.

Eastbound on WA SR14 in AM and westbound on I-84 (OR) in afternoon is best for photo lighting and sunrise / sunset vistas. (Buy a parking pass!) OR and WA are different passes AFAIK, can probably avoid getting a WA pass if you DON"T stop at Beacon Rock, or Dog Mtn (hikes))

Go as far east as reasonable (Maryhill is about the farthest east end (~2 hrs one way), There are (3) other loops hat are shorter (bridges). Geology from Lyle, WA to Maryhill is very unique + Petroglyph's on WA side. Vistas looking back on WA from OR side are very interesting near The Dalles and east.

For Coast... I prefer weekdays, and also prefer southbound, so... take 26 west, go see seaside, then head south. Can go to Astoria if you have a LONG day., if so, you might want to drive to Longview WA and head west. Castle Rock Mt St Helens visitor center is just a few minutes north of Longview. (worth a visit if you have the time).

I like the coast from Cannon Beach to Twin Rocks, lots of variety (Don't miss Ecola vista, and Hug Point SP, low tide preferred). Astoria and points south of Tillamook are further to drive and lots of time away from coast. Manzanita and Twin Rocks have nice accessible sandy beaches (plan trip accordingly, time and temp )
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Old 05-02-2022, 08:08 AM
 
Location: Saint Louis, MO
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I did end up getting the rental car for the front end of our trip and decided to do Oregon Brewers Festival on Friday instead of Thursday. So I will have the rental car Wednesday and Thursday to do The Gorge and The Coast daytrips.
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Old 05-16-2022, 06:35 PM
 
Location: Denver, CO
2,857 posts, read 2,169,936 times
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I'll be visiting Portland with two six year old kids in the first week of June. Looking for recommendations on good, unique family activities in the city and surrounding areas. We'll probably go to all the museums and Powell Books, but is there anything else that's not as well known.

I'm a fan of the show Portlandia if that helps.
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Old 05-16-2022, 11:40 PM
 
1,320 posts, read 866,859 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mkwensky View Post
I'll be visiting Portland with two six year old kids in the first week of June. Looking for recommendations on good, unique family activities in the city and surrounding areas. We'll probably go to all the museums and Powell Books, but is there anything else that's not as well known.

I'm a fan of the show Portlandia if that helps.
Some ideas

- Ride the aerial tram (your kids would probably enjoy this)
- Berry picking on Sauvie Island
- International Rose Test Garden (June is peak bloom)
- Checking out local shops on NW 23rd, the Alberta Arts District, or Mississippi District
- Soaking pool at McMenamins Kennedy School
- Saturday Market
- Hiking in the Columbia River Gorge
- Picnic at Mt. Tabor Park
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Old 05-17-2022, 01:06 AM
 
Location: Mountains of Oregon
17,635 posts, read 22,634,216 times
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June 4-5 2022., kids & adults have a free fishing weekend in Oregon Enjoy...
https://myodfw.com/articles/2022-fre...ays-and-events

https://www.bing.com/search?q=when+i...&wsso=Moderate
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Old 05-22-2022, 08:10 PM
 
Location: Boise, ID
1,069 posts, read 787,201 times
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Anyone know the current state of downtown Portland? Has it gotten better/worse over the past several months?

We have a summer trip planned to the Oregon coast. Few nights at a VRBO, explore Tillamook Creamery, then some day drives up the coast. Planning on one night in Portland before driving home.

I have a hotel booked in the Pearl District and will pay the extra for valet garage parking. We just want to check-in then walk to Sushi for dinner, and coffee and pastries in the morning before heading home. I don't mind tents and grime (originally from CA), but I don't want to deal with crime or unsafe situations. Should I cancel the reservation and stay in a different neighborhood? Thanks in advance!
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Old 05-22-2022, 10:36 PM
 
1,320 posts, read 866,859 times
Reputation: 2796
Quote:
Originally Posted by AnythingOutdoors View Post
Anyone know the current state of downtown Portland? Has it gotten better/worse over the past several months?

We have a summer trip planned to the Oregon coast. Few nights at a VRBO, explore Tillamook Creamery, then some day drives up the coast. Planning on one night in Portland before driving home.

I have a hotel booked in the Pearl District and will pay the extra for valet garage parking. We just want to check-in then walk to Sushi for dinner, and coffee and pastries in the morning before heading home. I don't mind tents and grime (originally from CA), but I don't want to deal with crime or unsafe situations. Should I cancel the reservation and stay in a different neighborhood? Thanks in advance!
Pearl District is perfectly fine. Everything west of 9th Ave and north of Burnside is nice and clean from what I've seen. Downtown feels a bit seedier than the Pearl District but it's mostly fine. A lot of the tents have been cleaned up over the past few months. Old Town / Chinatown is where you want to avoid. It's still the worst area in the city. It's everything east of 8th Ave and north of Burnside.

Enjoy your stay!
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