I'm thinking of flying with the wife to Portland sometime in mid May, renting a car, and spending 4 or 5 days in Portland and Oregon. I have never been to Oregon, just have always had a desire to go. Coupel questions for anyone familiar with the area. 1. How would the weather be that time of year? 2. Where to go and what to do? We enjoy both outdoor activities and photography. 3. Finally, what itinerary would you suggest? Would I have to both start and end in Portland? I was thinking of starting in Portland and then heading South along the coast / Highway 5, especially cause we'd love to go to Crater Lake National Park....but maybe there's a smarter way to do it? I know rimrocker is an Oregonian. Anyone else familiar with the area have any tips?
I used to live there, and it's still cold and rainy through late May. Wait until June-July to head down there, since it's sunny all the time in the summer months. Some stuff to check out while you're down there: Portland Washington Park -> check out Rose Test Garden, PDX #1 attraction! Multnomah Falls Columbia River Gorge -> beautiful scenic drive here Mount Hood Timberline Lodge eat at one of the many "McMenamin's" joints -> Kennedy School is neat party in the Pearl District (Aura is good) brunch on Alberta St. live music at Doug Fir shop on 23rd Street go for a run along the Williamette River Outside Portland Cannon Beach -> Haystack Rock from Goonies Tillamook Cheese factory Mount St. Helens -> only a couple of hours away, amazing pictures Mount Ranier -> about 5 hours, but worth the trip, IMO Hood River, OR *Crater Lake is a full day's drive down the 5 Damn, I actually miss Oregon.
#1 most depressing city in the nation according to a recent article by I think business week.. but visiting isn't living there
Thanks for the advice. I imagine the depression is caused by the rain, so if it's raining in mid May still, I will put it off till June!
Driving out to the coast and driving up and down 101 is the way to go. There are great touristy places all up and down the coast. If you play golf, go to Westin Salishan on the coast. Awesome.
It might be a little wet in Portland, but good chance it will be nice the further south you go. Crater Lake is a long drive from Portland and because of the elevation, will be much cooler. Probably past the snowfall at that stage, but just barely, so be prepared. Coast is spectacular... but don't bank on making good driving time. It is slow going down the coast, but well worth it. If you go to Crater Lake, you'd want to spend a day going down the coast and maybe sleep at Bandon, cut over to Crater Lake and back down to Medford or Roseburg for another night, then back to Portland. Even if it's raining in Portland, it is typically not the gullywashers you think of in Texas... it's usually a nice soft rain that really doesn't inhibit you that much. You could still do most of the outdoor things. If not, you can spend a couple of days at Powell's Books. Columbia Gorge/Multnomah Falls is a must. The Portland Zoo is a good one.
Hold off your trip till June/July if you can...it will still be raining here in OR in mid May. The Oregon coast is really beautiful during the summer. Take a day and drive down highway 101 along the coast and you won't regret it. Don't attempt to go into the water though. The ocean water is always cold here. Columbia River Gorge area is also a must-see. Take a trip to Multnomah Falls and you get a good view of Mount Hood along the way. One warning is that I was not that impressed by the Crater Lake National Park -- I thought Lake Tahoe was more impressive. It's also a long drive from Portland and not a particularly easy one. I've lived in Portland for a couple of years now and I find it strange that it is voted the most depressing city in the country. Portland is really just a small town and people here are more laid-back than those in the big cities. Among the three cities I've lived in (Houston, Chicago, and Portland), I would say that Portland has the slowest pace of life.
Crater Lake is pretty darn cool. Pictures don't do it justice... you have never seen a blue quite like the color of the water. It's definitely on my Top Ten list of western National Parks to see: (In no particular order) Yellowstone Glacier Arches Crater Lake Sequoia/Kings Canyon Yosemite Grand Canyon Canyonlands Mesa Verde Zion
Hmmm. I wasn't truly that impressed by Lake Tahoe anyway. I mean, beautiful lake and all, I could see it being a fantastic place for a weekend home, but, yeah, a lake. Thanks for the rest of the advice, though. I'm now thinking about pushing it back to August instead of May then. I found out I have other things in June so can't do then, and further remembered that August is the best time to leave Houston and go somewhere. So, I think August. I love driving trips, so will probably drive down 101, then.
The weather in May is a tossup- might be nice, might be wet. If it's wet, head for the Gorge. The hikes there are just as awesome when it's raining. Multnomah Falls is impressive, but take the exit after that for Horsetall Falls and hike up to upper Horsetail Falls- it's not that far. Also a little further East is Eagle Creek and Elowah Falls which is not well used and a great hike- both upper and lower. Since you're out there, go to the fish hatchery and see the huge sturgon and the salmon jumping around.
Also- for the coast- either take 6 out to TIllamook and go to Oceanside, or 26 out to Seaside and Cannonbeach. My favorite beach is Hug Point just a few miles south of Cannon Beach. You can walk around the headlands north at low tide to see a waterfall and some caves, and an old road cut into another headland. Also Oswald Park North of Cannon Beach is great. Mt st helens and Ranier are also awesome, but it's a real haul to get up there. It takes a lot longer to get there than you think by looking at a map. I'd skip Crater Lake and stick to the coast or the gorge. You could even drive the gorge east until 2 or 3 oclock , cross over to Washington and drive back as the suns sets in front of you. In Portland, stay at the Ace Hotel if possible. Stop by Voodoo Donuts downtown. Take the tram up to the medical center and back down. Wander around the pearl district and nw 21 and 23 via the streetcar. Powells books downtown. Walk on the eastbank esplanade for a great view of downtown, Rent bikes and ride the Springwater Corridor trail. Go to Oaks Park Amusement Park if it's open. A great city park that no one ever goes to is Elk Rock Park, south of downtown via the east side of the river (you'll have to look it up online for directions). Zoo if pretty good- sea leopards are awesome, new baby elephant, accessible via light rail. Yes and in August there is no rain.
Took the family to Portland and Seattle last June and had a great time. The highlights of the trip were Multnomah Falls and Cannon Beach. Baqui99 mentioned Mount Rainier. Mount Rainier is definitely worth the worth the 4-hour drive. Rainier has waterfalls everywhere. Portland is one of the few cities where you could hike in the snowy mountains one-day and hang out at a beautiful beach the next. As far as rain, I wouldn’t worry about it too much. It doesn’t rain like it does here in Houston. It is more of a drizzle. In other words, you can still do stuff throughout the day.
year round skiing/snowboarding at timberline lodge on mt hood windsurfing in the columbia river gorge
