<p>Anyone who has been on CC for a while might recognize similar posts from me over the years. Seeing the Pacific Northwest has been a dream of mine for a very long time, and it’s been over 10 years since the kids and I have taken a trip further than we could drive, but THIS year it’s finally going to happen :)</p>
<p>We will have 7-8 days during our HS’s spring break in late April. At this point, I think we will head from OR to WA, but would we be crazy to not include British Columbia? We’ll probably spend a day in Portland, and one or two in Seattle, but I’d like the main focus of the trip to be light hiking and the chance to see some truly beautiful natural areas. I’ve always wanted to see the Columbia River Gorge (esp. during wildflower season) but know there are plenty of other sites that should be on our list. I love mountains and would appreciate it if anyone could suggest some nice areas to stay in for a day or two at a time, that would lend themselves to nice day trips and hikes.</p>
<p>Also, while I always think of redwoods down closer to San Franciso, I see from the map that Redwood National Forest is quite close to the OR border. Any opinions on that would be appreciated as well. Others have told us we’re crazy to miss Yosemite (and I agree), but I want to spend time AT places, not just driving/rushing to get to them.</p>
<p>As it stands now, my mental plan is to fly to OR (Portland?), rent a car, and make our way North. But - variations and suggestions are most welcome. Thanks!</p>
<p>Keep an eye on the weather- late April can be iffy- hiking-so have alternatives.
Mt Hood is fairly close to Portland-
We stayed at The Mt Hood Inn for Christmas- it was nice and right in govt camp.
I think you are right to just pick a few places to visit and then stay three days or so to get a chance to really explore.</p>
<p>lspf - I had a very similar agenda about three years ago… had never been to the PNW, and I think I actually asked people on CC to suggest some areas. One of our posters here, anothermom-w-q recommended Cannon Beach in Oregon. I flew into Portland, rented a car, headed straight up to Mount St. Helens for the afternoon, then drove over to the coast and used Cannon Beach as my base. From there, I had some incredible drives and hikes both up and down the coast for about six days. Cannon Beach was just the type of town/place I was looking for - not too touristy, but quaint and personable. </p>
<p>I don’t live there but have traveled in the area a fair amount. No lodging recs but will tell you about some of my favorite places. The big issue for you will be whether trails and such in the mountains will be accessible in April. If open, they may be quite muddy with the melting snow. With that proviso:</p>
<p>Multnomah falls outside Portland: worth the trip</p>
<p>Oregon coast: We went to Newport but I hear Astoria is nice</p>
<p>Mt St Helens was really unexpectedly cool. Difficult to get to with twisty windy roads but I recommend it. Don’t know if trails will be open. We did a lava tube on the south side that the kids really liked.</p>
<p>Love love love Mt. Rainier but early in season.</p>
<p>Olympic National Park is very large but worth a trip. Don’t miss the sea stacks. We went on Rialto Beach. There is a cool ‘hole in the rock’ passage that is only accessible at low tide. Forks, WA is also where Twilight books are based out of if your kids are into that. It was cool in July so in April???</p>
<p>Suggest skipping BC/Vancouver. Neat place but will stretch your visit too much.</p>
<p>Instead, do Port Angeles to Victoria BC ferry. Victoria is cool and the Butchart Gardens are fabulous even if you are not a gardener.</p>
<p>If you are going to the beach as part of your trip, I would highly recommend Cannon Beach. You can stay at an inn literally right on the beach–get a first floor room so you can just walk out your sliding doors to the sand–and it’s the best walking beach I’ve ever experienced, as well as the very cool Haystack Rock. If you’re driving to or from Cannon Beach to Portland, be sure and drive through the Tillamook Forest. It’s not only beautiful, but you can tune your car radio to the station on the signs and it gives the history of the forest–how the locals raised money to re-forest it, etc. Very cool and VERY PNW.</p>
<p>The one nice thing about Cannon Beach, also, is almost every place you stay at, you are within easy, easy walking distance into town. So if there are several of you on the trip, and you can’t agree on an activity, the ones who choose not to take a day trip, etc., can hang back at the condo, etc. and have lots of options for activities within walking distance. And if you do Cannon Beach, set aside one evening around sunset to go take pictures of the sunset at the Haystack Rock.</p>
<p>Central Oregon is God’s Country. In as much I enjoy the Valley and the Coast, I really like Central Oregon. Imagine air freshners, then know that Central Oregon is thousands time, cleaner, clearer, and outdoorsy. </p>
<p>Get some of the travel brochure from Dept of Tourism. Google, ‘Central Oregon’, Images. </p>
<p>Rush 4 day trip. PDX >HoodRiver>Bend/Redmond>Willamette Valley>Coast>PDX. (metropolian>river scenery>Mt Hood>high desert, mountain/volcanic scenery>alpine and lakes> Valley (termini of Oregon Trail)> Coast Rain Forest> Beach. </p>
<p>The Gorge has water falls along the road. Silver Creek Falls SP you can walk to the near edges and under the falls.</p>
<p>I grew up in Oregon and can add this advice re:Cannon Beach - bring warm clothes and a wind breaker. Weather on the beach in Oregon ain’t like California. Even over the summer the number of warm, sunny days can be counted on one hand. The Oregon Coast is great for scenery, especially if you like striking rock formations. But for sunbathing or swimming, not so much.</p>
<p>Also in Oregon, I liked Silver Creek Falls State Park, near Silverton - east of Salem. Nice easy hiking trails that take you behind several scenic waterfalls. (cross-posted with LongPrime).</p>
<p>I’ve been to the Olympic National Park a couple times, and highly recommend it. You can drive to the top from Port Angeles and get some amazing views, and there are a lot of wonderful day hikes. </p>
<p>East of Port Angeles is Dungeness Spit national park, also worth seeing. Then drive on Route 101 towards the coast; you’ll pass Lake Crescent, which is gorgeous. (There is a lodge there, I don’t think we stayed there). When you get to the coast – there are a few beaches south of La Push – I don’t remember which one we went to (they are called First Beach, Second Beach, I remember that) – you take a nice short hike from the road to the beach. </p>
<p>Then, drive past Forks (aka Twilight central) and there is a southern entrance to the Olympic National Park that takes you to a rainforest. </p>
<p>I liked that area more than Mount Rainier. I’ve also done the Columbia Gorge drive a couple times – you see some waterfalls, and it is nice, but I liked the Olympic Peninsula better.</p>
<p>When in Portland, visit Powell’s books. One of the best bookstores in the country.</p>
<p>ETA: Of course, I did all of this in the summer, so I don’t know what the snow cover and hiking is like when you’ll be there.</p>
<p>My son went to Lewis & Clark. We were out there for graduation in mid May hoping to take him up to see Mt. St. Helens, but the roads were still snowed in. We loved St. Helens and Mt. Rainier but I am going to guess that most of the mountains will be unaccessible except for ski areas. The Columbia River gorge is definitely worth the drive and we spent 2 days just driving half of the Oregon coast. Whatever you decide to do, you will not be bored!</p>
<p>Thank you, thank you all!
I am getting so excited about this trip. My only concern now is the weather. Someone today suggested we’d be better off going in the summer when it’s less rainy. I don’t mind the rain and damp (we’re not beach people anyhow - we fry in the sun), and I know it will be a bit early for peak wildflower season, but will the landscape at least be greening up by mid-late April? Plus, I like the idea of going during a less busy tourist season.</p>
<p>lspf72 - I went the end of September/beginning of October. I wasn’t going with the expectation that it would be warm and sunny or that I’d be swimming at the beach. In fact, I’ve heard that even in mid-July that not many people get in the water. I packed clothes I could layer in and that could handle light rain. Only one day did it rain so hard that I went up Seaside to do some shopping. By the time I got back, it had stopped raining enough that I could take a walk along the beach. The one thing I found just incredible was that the place is spectacularly gorgeous even in the rain. Just bring enough clothes to layer (if you’re out hiking, you can warm up pretty quickly even if the temperatures are in the 50s).</p>
<p>I, too, wanted to go during a less-peak tourist season.</p>
<p>If you want to see wildflowers bloom in Mt Rainier National Park, you have to wait until almost August. That’s when the snow finally melts up in the mountains and the little flowers perk up. The bloom season is very short. However, even in April there is plenty to see besides hiking in Paradise. I will post more when I get to a computer with a real keyboard (typing on my iPhone is a bit painful :)).</p>
<p>Ah - I’d forgotten about the whole green, temperate aspect – esp. when we are almost thigh deep in snow here.</p>
<p>Teriwtt - I think I may remember your thread. Am glad to hear it was such a nice trip! People here (L.I.) think we’re crazy not to be heading to San Francisco, San Diego, etc. But this is the trip I’ve always hoped for, and I hope my daughters will love it too. Older D’s tastes are closer to mine - she loves the outdoors, photography, etc. Younger one will probably be happiest while in Portland and Seattle.</p>
<p>Here are some suggestions for things to see in WA. From Portland, you can take I-5 and get to Seattle in about 3 hours. You can either stay in the city or get away from the city and stay somewhere in the suburbs - there are some excellent non-chain hotels on the Eastside (off I-405) offering world-class accommodations.
In Seattle, if the weather allows, take the Ducks tour. The amphibian boat will take you all over the city, and the guide will point all significant landmarks you will be passing by. If you want to drive through the city, here is what is worth seeing:
Fremont the artsy quirky neighborhood that calls itself The Center of the Universe. You can park your car for free for a limited time (just watch the parking signs and obey them religiously SPD tickets!) and stroll around. Go up the ■■■■■ Ave and see the creature that lives under the Aurora Bridge. Take a picture with the stone folks who are still Waiting for Interurban. Walk along the ship canal past Google and Adobe buildings and watch the Fremont Bridge go up to let the tall boats pass through. Eat at a local restaurant (Homegrown has excellent sandwiches and soups).
[Fremont</a>, Center of the Known Universe… join us on Twitter](<a href=“http://fremontseattle.com/]Fremont”>http://fremontseattle.com/)</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Seattle Center is a must-see tourist destination. Go up the Space Needle, but skip the restaurant at the top it is overpriced for the quality of the food.</p></li>
<li><p>Queen Anne hill: if you make it to the top up one of the steepest streets in the West, there is a very nice little scenic point from which you can see the sweeping view of the downtown with Mt Rainier in the background. Bring lots of memory sticks! You will see something like this:
[Kerry</a> Park - Queen Anne - Seattle, WA](<a href=“http://www.yelp.com/biz/kerry-park-seattle]Kerry”>http://www.yelp.com/biz/kerry-park-seattle)</p></li>
<li><p>University of Washington and the Arboretum. UW has a very pretty campus, especially if you visit during the cherry blossom time. [The</a> University of Washington Cherry Blossoms](<a href=“UW media contacts | UW News”>UW media contacts | UW News)</p></li>
</ol>
<p>After that, you will be ready to head elsewhere. If you visit in April, you will be able to see the tulip fields in bloom if you decide to take I-5 all the way to Vancouver BC:
[Skagit</a> Tulip Festival](<a href=“http://www.tulipfestival.org/]Skagit”>http://www.tulipfestival.org/)
Admission is free just drive on the roads meandering through the fields, stop where it is legal to stop, and take lots of colorful pictures. Take your time and explore the little town called La Conner, the home to many art shops and nice places to eat.
Another very scenic place to visit is Whidbey Island. [Whidbey</a> Island Visitors Guide - Home](<a href=“http://whidbeyisland.org/]Whidbey”>http://whidbeyisland.org/)
Should you decide to skip Vancouver, you can drive to Anacortes and take a car ferry to Victoria BC. My friends highly recommend the tea at the Empress Hotel. And I recommend the local museums and the Butchart Gardens! </p>