jerrsvette

First time traveling to PNW. We are considering a mid oct trip,flying into Seatle and driving down the Oregon coast. Our stay will be about 5-6 days. Any recommendations and points of interest would be appreciated. is this a bad time of year ( weather-wise) to visit? Thanks in advance.

George's_Vette

Not if you like rain and wind. If you do take the plunge one place I like to stay is in Newport, OR. The Embarcadero Resort & Hotel. They have very nice condo units that someone owns but the resort rents out on a nightly basis. They are fully furnished, ocean and marina view. Over the years I've stayed there half a dozen times and enjoyed it every time.

http://www.embarcaderoresort.com/

George

ExRedRacer

Are you wanting to spend one or two of those days seeing the sights in the Puget Sound area or are you going straight to the Oregon Coast?

SmileyOr

Then start with a detour through Tacoma to the west and head up around hwy 101 to the Washington Coast then drive south on 101 to Oregon. In one day you can drive from central Oregon coast back to Seattle for a flight home.

Things to see in southern Washington would be Long Beach. The longest Beach in the world.
http://www.longbeachwa.gov/

Then into Astoria, Oregon. Be sure to take a hike up the Astoria Column.
http://astoriacolumn.org/

Fort Stevens, just west of Astoria on the coast is home to the only place the Japanese shelled the US mainland during WWII (from A submarine).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Stevens_(Oregon)

Just south of the Fort is the wreck of the Peter Iredale which ran ashore October 26th, 1906.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Iredale
Continuing south you'll find Seaside a nice touristy town with some bumper cars and Broadway St. which is home to many touristy coastal shops. I hear a couple fellows named Lewis & CLark visited in 1806. Stayed for a while and got to know the natives.
There is a monument at the turn around point at the end of Broadway St.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_and_Clark_Expedition
8 miles south of Seaside is another touristy town called Cannon beach. Named after a cannon that washed ashore there and was discovered in 1898.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannon_Beach,_Oregon

There are a few towns south of there and many pull out points to view the Pacific Ocean.

Then you come into Tillamook, the home of the best cheddar cheese west of New Jersey
The cheese factory is also home to some of the best ice cream for after lunch, which would be a grilled cheese sandwich
If you like air planes and WWII history then you'll notice just south of Tillamook proper as you're driving south along hwy 101 the HUGE blimp hangar which house the Tillamook Naval Air Station Museum. There used to be a large WWII aircraft collection there. That collection has now moved to Madras, Oregon. There are a few jets on loan to the museum as well as a Cessna 182 that landed at the north pole.
http://www.tillamook.com/cheese-factory/index.html
http://www.tillamookair.com/aircraft/

If you like sand then you can take a brief detour and head out to Sand Lake, a 6 mile long by 2 mile wide sand dune. There is a larger sand dune in southern Oregon, but that might be too far depending on how much time you want to relax along your drive.

The next most interesting stop will be Depoe Bay. The smallest port in the world.
http://visittheoregoncoast.com/cities/depoe-bay/

I hope this helps. Let us know your interests and I'm sure there are others that can help find things more specific to your desires.

c4cruiser

Mid-October can have some very nice days but it can cool off in the evenings. I would suggest watching the weather for the Puget Sound area, Portland, and the Oregon coast. Try weather.dot com and search for the cities you are visiting. There will be a 10-day forecast for the areas. Or get a good weather app for a smartphone.

There are lots of small state parks along US101 with some great scenery. After visiting Tillamook, you can head further south to Lincoln City. Great views of the Pacific. Then go back a couple miles north to Oregon 18 and head towards McMinnville and the Evergreen Air Museum. Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose is there along with an excellent display of aircraft.

If you like wine, there are some very nice wineries in this area of Oregon. Sample some wines and maybe get a few bottles shipped home. The wine grape crop for this year is supposed to be the best ever. Look for some excellent Oregon wines in the next couple of years.

VIK TOY

The news is saying yesterday was our last day of sun. Yes, Oregon and WA are rainy, but so beautiful. We just got back from the 2014 Caravan to the Corvette Museum. Took No. route there and home via Rt66 to Needles Ca and home. When we got home I said "you know after all that, Oregon is more beautiful than any of the states!!!"
If you go to Pacific City, have dinner or lunch at the Pelican Inn. It is right on the ocean and great food and atmosphere. If it gets too wet at the Coast try a tour of the Hwy 84 along the Columbia River. Beautiful!!!
Have a great vacation

jerrsvette

Thanks all for your response and info !!!

Most our past trips have been outdoor sightseeing adventures and road trips ( ie,grand canyon,Sedona,Moab,napa,rocky mountains;vail,estes park,beavercreek,Newport,ri . Oh yes cant forget Carlisle and Bowling Green ) The wives are foodies and also into wine so time in the city or winery would appeal to them.

George , the weather is a concern, mostly for the rain, not the cold I've heard sunny days are rare in Seattle.

Red racer- we are flexible as far as time in Washington vs. the drive down the coast. Open to your suggestions.

Smiley - thanks For the links. Are you a travel agent?(j/k) will definitely check out the websites.

C4 - will look into state parks . any that you can recommend? The wives wouldn't pass a good winery either !

Vik- the caravan must have been awesome. I was at Carlisle as some of the various groups were arriving. We have heard Oregon and the PNW is beautiful. Just don't know if now is a bad time to visit.

Still open for what you locals recommend .
Thanks

Rohey

Ecola state park from picnic area

Short hikes, indian beach is nice and several places to stay and eat in Cannon Beach

WAwatchnut

Near Portland you can go to Oregon's wine country in the Willamette Valley. McMinville is a good stop, and if you're an aviation buff at all, the Evergreen Aviation and Space museum is a must see (Home of the Spruce Goose).

For foodies, in Portland you have to visit the food truck lots - a very fun way to try out a bunch of really good food (and some not so good ones). Also, look into going to Beast, James Beard award winner Chef Naomi's restaurant (Top Chef Masters).

SmileyOr

Born and raised here

I don't drink alcohol so can't help with the winery tours, but highway 18 from Lincoln City to McMinnville will have many signs pointing to the many wineries along the highway.

There are also many local wines sold at the shops along the beach.

For hikes and scenery give yourself 3 hours to hike out to the tip of Cape Lookout . It's a 2.4 mile hike on a dirt trail with some areas that get muddy if it's rainy. They have planks laid out over most of the worst of it, but a nice hike. When you get to the tip you are about 2 miles out into the Pacific Ocean and about 400' up from the water at the edge of a cliff. There is one bench, but no bathrooms on the hike which can take 50 minutes to an hour and 30 minutes depending on your condition. There is an outhouse or two in the parking area before you start out. If you hike this from the State Park day parking area it's another 2.3 miles.

http://www.oregonstateparks.org/inde...e_LR085036.pdf

There is an outlet mall in Lincoln City and shops in every coastal town to spend money in. Newport is a larger city with a Wally world, Fred Meyer (Kroger's) and some specialty shops.

Also in Newport is the Oregon Coast Aquarium.

http://aquarium.org/

At the waterfront in Newport they have a wax museum and Ripley's Believe it or not.

Enjoy your time and don't let the rain stop you!

jasper711

That time of year is pretty damp, but west coast rain is often times more of a mist than actual raindrops; Tourists may be identified as the ones carrying umbrella's. This summer included much sun, but truthfully, you could hit weeks of solid rain in any month of the year, it is more about cozy restaurants and green forests. Seattle and the Oregon coast are not going to be much different for rain, and if you are halfway through your vacation and think it is too damp, consider going inland, beyond the first range of mountains for dryer (but colder) climate. This would include places like route 97 through Bend Oregon, not a bad route that I have enjoyed.

VIK TOY

Actually today is GORGEOUS!! Just came back inside from edging the lawn and Ken mowing. Sitting down to cool off before showering and grocery shopping. Suppose to rain next Tues&Wed but then sunny and in 70s-80s thru next weekend. Mt Hood Corvettes is going on our Fall Tour the 3rd,4th & 5th so glad it is saying sun. Going down to Crater Lake,Grants Pass and then up to Bend. Fun trip,will be last for the year (but we are known to call members in Nov& Dec and say" it is going to be sunny Sat or Sun ,lets do a burger run"!!)!! Vettes are for having fun!! Are you going to rent one when you get to Seattle?

last901

I fear the rain in Seattle and portland is kinda' overstated. We actually receive less rainfall annually than San Francisco and New York just to name a couple. On the other hand we do get a great many cloudy days and when it does rain it's not very heavy. Tell you what' look at it this way, you can tell the tourists by thir umbrellas. The locals don't usually carry one.

We've had a beautiful summer. October though marks the beginning of fall, but the temperatures remain pretty mild over the seasons.

The coast is a different matter. In my experience it really does rain a lot down there. The rain forest in the Olympic National park should provide proof of that.

olympic

With less than week to travel around such a large region, you probably won't get here this time. Here being the northern two counties (Jefferson & Clallam) of Washington's Olympic Peninsula. I live in Port Townsend (PT) at the tip the the Quimper Peninsula. PT (along with Cape May, NJ) are the only two Victorian Seaports in the US. The entire town of PT is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is also, along with Sequim WA, in a not-too-large rain shadow (thanks the the Olympic Mountains to the west and south) so our annual precip is only about 17". Most of the year the temps are between 40 and 75 degrees. The sounds like a pamphlet…sorry.
One more thing. The most NW point in the continental US is the NW tip of the Olympic Peninsula on the Makah Rez at Neah Bay. A short hike to the observation platform reveals amazingly tall sea caves and arches. You can get there via Hwy 101 or take Hwy 112 to follow approx. along the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Signing off.
(Not affiliated with the Chamber of Commerce or Tourist Bureau)

jerrsvette

Thanks ro all for the replies. We just arrived in cannon beach.the scenery is as beautiful as you described ( despite the rain)
We plan to stay for. 2 days before heading to Seattle for our 2 final days.
We will check out ecola & a few other parks noted off 101
Any other stops and restaurants you recommend are appreciated
Thanks
Jerry

SmileyOr

Camp 18, 10 miles east on hwy 26 for breakfast.

VIK TOY

Hey, you might luck out and get a few dry days. Forecast this morning was dry (sort of) thru Sunday. Some of the Wineries have brunch or dinners. But,not all days. I know Eola Winery has an excellent Sunday brunch

Rexracer77

There are lots of little winery's along the coast, but if you really want to treat the wives, as others have mentioned, you need to come into McMinnville and Newberg area.

http://willamettewines.com/wineries/

Some top picks:
Willakenzie Winery http://www.willakenzie.com/ (fantastic at reasonable prices)
Archery Summit http://www.archerysummit.com/ (the Rolls Royce of Oregon Wines, and priced accordingly, but friendly and inviting tasting room)
David Hill Winery http://www.davidhillwinery.com/ (have a case of Farmhouse Red shipped home)

Once your south and coming back up north, stop in the Rogue Valley area
http://www.sorwa.org/

Abacela http://www.abacela.com/
Henry Estates http://www.henryestate.com/

if you are more in the Eugene Area have to go to the largest Winery in Oregon
Kings Estate http://www.kingestate.com/


If you can't tell there are PLENTY of place to go and try. If your not in a hurry, driving up old 99 instead of up I5 is also very pretty.

last901

If you're still in Cannon Beach, go check out the Hardware store just south of town on 101. Depending on where you are staying it might be a nice walk. There is a small bar inside the hardware store that serves the best fish and chips and large prawns for a modest price. Then walk next door to the "Sleeping Monk" or whatever that coffee shop is called and have a coffee beverage.

Ecola park is okay, but requires admission (modest to be sure) but the beach there, while sheltered and popular with (local) surfers requires a hike though some muddy areas and has too many rocks for my taste.

I wish I could remember the route number, but there is a road between Seaside and Manzanita which is fun to drive. I think you can access it from the road between CB and Seaside (26?) and it's fun in a Corvette. It is even more fun on a Ducati.

My advice, avoid Seaside other than to stand where Lewis and Clark once stood, but otherwise is pretty tack IMO. The outlet mall seems to be the major attraction. Too bad. Seaside is so important to Oregon history it should clean up its act.

Some have mentioned Tillamook and the Air Museum, if it's still open. My vote if you like aviation is to head to McMinville and the Evergreen Museum there.

Hope you're having a great time.

SmileyOr

^ Phil, the road you are thinking of from Manzanita to HWY 26 is Rte 53. It does get a bit rough and some gravel is on the road. Near the north end it really does get tight, hardly any room to open it up which is just the way I like them. Staying within the legal limit, but just above the posted caution warning . My base model scrapes in the corners as they are slightly banked on quite a few of them and the car compresses.

But, if you're not going south of Cannon Beach then you can always drive into Astoria and take 202 through Vernonia (you actually remain north of Vernonia) to Scappoose for a fun drive.

Camp 18: http://www.camp18restaurant.com/

It's 22.1 miles from Cannon Beach. Actually just east of the junction of Hwy/Rte 53 and Hwy 26.