Driving the Oregon Coastline

TornACL

TornACL

250+ Posts
I'm trying to find some long weekend trips for summer, in the hopes of exploring some parts of the country that I have never visited.

I'm thinking of doing a trip to Oregon. Fly into PDX, spend one night. Then drive west to the coast, and make our way down.

It sounds like the Oregon coastline is dotted with some cool small towns and scenic sights. Anyone have any particular recommendations?

Would be interested in:
Must-see scenic spots
Good places to eat and drink
Recommendations for lodging. Which towns are best to stay in, and which are best to just pass through?
 
It's been a few years - we did the same thing and started at Cannon Beach and worked our way down, past Tillamook. Cannon Beach was very nice and we stayed in an awesome B&B about 5 miles south - can't remember the name, though.

One thing you can do is to take the way back up to PDX through wine country - go visit several vineyards like Erath, etc. One note - if you do this, absolutely take a major road back. We took a teeny road on a state map and found ourselves with the road closed in the middle of the coastal range with no cell service, 1/4 tank of gas and no one around. We had to backtrack until we found someone who pointed us in the right direction.
 
For our honeymoon we flew to Portland, drove east up the Columbia River to Hood River (I think), drove down to Mt. Hood and spent two nights, then drove back through Portland, along the Columbia River to Astoria, then down the coast to Depoe Bay. We had a great time, and just randomly picked out some B&B's to stay at, wineries, brewpubs, etc. to visit and had a blast.
 
Make sure you get as far south as Newport. That's where we cut over to check out Eugene, Salem, Corvallis and the wine country north of there on the way back to Portland. What a beautiful state . . .
 
I drove from Mt. Ranier , WA to Monterey, CA about 15 years ago, following the coast where possible, and would give it high marks.

Just south of the Columbia River there is a state park (cannot remember the name) that is basically a penninsula and this is where WIlliam Clark went to survey the Pacific and the coast.

Lot's of state parks along the coast to camp.

Farther south, Red Wood forest is just over the state line in CA and is really nice also.

Haven't read it, but "The River Why" is set in the area and is supposed to be really good.
 
I echo the last two posts.

If you play golf, you've got to play Bandon Dunes.

And if you are going to drive that far south, may as well go into California and hit the Redwood National Forest. Pretty amazing.

After the Rose Bowl against USC, I drove from Pasadena to Portland to hang out with a few Texas Exes. I picked up a college buddy in San Francisco, and we took the PCH as much as we could from SF all the way up through Oregon. We crossed over at some point and hit the Willamette Valley wine country. If you love Pinot Noirs, that is the spot.
 
I would take a little time in Portland to go an hour east out the "Scenic highway" out to Multnomah Falls. Maybe go to Mt Hood too. As far as the coast, Seaside and haystack rock are pretty cool. I didnt have time to see much more than that when I went to the coast. Before you go to Oregon find out when the rainy season ends. I know it lasts roughly from Oct to April. Oregon is a beautiful place when you can see it. Too bad it is cloudy for so long.
 
I go out to the Cannon Beach area every year, it is nice. I stay in a house with my wife in a town called Manzanita (10 miles from cannon beach).

Tillamook cheese factory is a bore.
We went crabbing last year for the 1st time, I think in Nehalem Bay. It was actually a lot of fun! Rented a boat and baskets.
The Link and get the chowder and mushroom burger. Spectacular!

I played Bandon Dunes last year, but I was in Southern Oregon on a seperate trip. YOU DO NOT want to drive there from Cannon Beach area on the PCH. I would think it might be 5 hours drive time (probably more)with all the traffic.

I have played Salishan resort (Lincoln City) twice and it is a beautiful course. You golf, wife/gf goes to the spa.

As for lodging, check here: The Link This is where we found our house years ago.

Take long sleeves and enjoy your trip! I will be there at the end on July.
 
Thanks for all the feedback. This should really help me put together a rough plan for this trip. I don't want it to be too planned or structured because I want to have the freedom to stop and linger if we discover anything especially interesting.
 
I don't mean to be a downer, but make alternate plans when possible, due to fog. We had a couple of sight seeing days spoiled by fog, but "winged it" and found other things to do. We took a guide book, Fodors maybe. The book was helpful for making alternate plans in an area if it was fogged in. Did I mention fog?
 
Knowing the company I will be with, here is our alternate plan in case of fod:

1) Find pub
2) Order drinks
3) Repeat #2

She's awesome.
 
the Edgefield McMenamins in Troutdale is pretty cool. several indoor and outdoor activities available, very scenic spread, cool renovated hotel, and of course the beer.
 
I suggest you try staying at the Oregon House near Yachats. A real nice place right on the coast (Warning: No TV). You should visit the Cape Perpetua National Scenic area nearby.
 
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