Oregon visit--which do you recommend

[Anonymous]

4 or 5 Days (arrive Portland Thur night leave Tues or Wed morn) in early October.

OR longer trip (8-9 days) to Portland and the Oregon coast and possibly Seattle in early April?

We're debating a visit and wondering which is better weather wise. If we go in October, we'd go elsewhere (tropical) for kids' spring break, but we worry that 4-5 days we wouldn't really get to appreciate Oregon. TIA.

[Anonymous]

What is it that you are thinking you'd like to do in Oregon? I'm asking because I've never been. Given how long it takes to get there, I think I'd try to make a longer trip and combine it with Seattle.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Visit very good friends who live in Portland, see Portland (never been) and possibly something natural nearby (on the shorter trip) like the coast/ Mt hood/etc. On a longer trip, visit friends, see coast or mountains, go to Seattle too.

[Anonymous]

PP here. If you have the time and can rent a vehicle that fits your family, I'd go for longer. What happens with us is that there are so many places to visit in this country and world that it's best to make the most out of each trip because it is unlikely we will get back to the area. Oregon sounds great and now I'm intrigued. Maybe next summer for us so if you think of it, it would be great to hear about the places you visit.

[Anonymous]

OP again, yeah, you are probably right PP. Summer is the ideal time to go I believe, but won't work for us. Looking at the photos online, just gorgeous (Crater Lake, Mount Hood, the coast...amazing).

[Anonymous]

I'm from Oregon -- not the Portland area but the Eastern side. Let me tell you, a week is a solid time to "do" Oregon. Portland is a city, so if your family is used to cities, you've essentially "done" it. You can do the zoo and Multnomah Falls, but aside from those two things -- it's just a city. Definitely go to Astoria and do the coast. Then head down to Eugene and see U of O. It's just a cute little town. Then head Southeast to Crater Lake and then North to Bend. Finally, give yourself a few days to drive through the mountains, through Monument and John Day and head towards Hells Canyon. You ain't seen nothin' like it.

[Anonymous]

I really liked the Hood River Gorge area.

[Anonymous]

bump--more advice on which way to go please?!?!

[Anonymous]

Native Oregonian here. The weather in October -- particularly earlier in the month -- will almost certainly be better than the weather in April. September weather is typically even better, if you can swing it, especially at the coast. Be prepared for drizzle no matter when you go, though.

4-5 days is not enough to really see the entire state, and The roads to Crater Lake will be closed in both October and April most likely. But if you focus on Portland and the north/central coast, 4-5 Days is enough time to see a little bit of everything in those spots I think.

Have fun!

[Anonymous]

I lived in Portland as a kid. And I'm now taking the family there for vacation in a few weeks. We're going for 10 days (with a work meeting taking 2 of those days). We're planning a day at Mt. Hood, few days in Portland, a day out at the Coast, then a drive up to Seattle for a few days, then back to Portland. I haven't finalized all of my trip yet, but I think we have a full, but not too-packed, itinerary.

Some must-sees on our trip:
Multnomah Falls
Mt. Hood (going to Adventure Park for a day)
OMSI
Forestry Center
Rose Garden
Seaside/Cannon Beach/Tillamook Cheese Factory

[Anonymous]

I am from the PNW and would not recommend going in April. The weather stinks. Early October *can* be nice, but not guaranteed. My son's birthday is Sept 17 and I can remember parties that were outside and warm and other years it was inside and rainy and cold.

The only thing I would add to the above is Mt. St. Helens on your way up to Seattle. It really is amazing.

OMSI is great fun. We lived in Olympia for years and we preferred OMSI over the Pacific Science Center in Seattle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Native Oregonian here. The weather in October -- particularly earlier in the month -- will almost certainly be better than the weather in April. September weather is typically even better, if you can swing it, especially at the coast. Be prepared for drizzle no matter when you go, though.

4-5 days is not enough to really see the entire state, and The roads to Crater Lake will be closed in both October and April most likely. But if you focus on Portland and the north/central coast, 4-5 Days is enough time to see a little bit of everything in those spots I think.

Have fun!

Another Oregonian who completely agrees that October is the better month, weatherwise. In the Portland area, 4-5 days is enough. Even with 10 days, it would be hard to see the whole state- there are some great places in Eastern Oregon (Steens Mountain, Wallowas), but they are long distances apart. In addition to the ideas mentioned here, you might also consider:

End of the Trail Museum, Oregon City
Salem (Capitol in particular)
Silver Falls (although likely not a lot of water by October)

On the coast, Tillamook has the cheese factory and the Cape Meares/Lookout/Kiwanda road is very nice- 101 is scenic, but can be crowded, so a side trip like this one will really allow you to appreciate the beauty of the coast.

Also, as one who spent 10 years in Eugene, I wouldn't recommend it; it's fine, but nothing worth a drive if you only have 4-5 days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Native Oregonian here. The weather in October -- particularly earlier in the month -- will almost certainly be better than the weather in April. September weather is typically even better, if you can swing it, especially at the coast. Be prepared for drizzle no matter when you go, though.

4-5 days is not enough to really see the entire state, and The roads to Crater Lake will be closed in both October and April most likely. But if you focus on Portland and the north/central coast, 4-5 Days is enough time to see a little bit of everything in those spots I think.

Have fun!

Another Oregonian who completely agrees that October is the better month, weatherwise. In the Portland area, 4-5 days is enough. Even with 10 days, it would be hard to see the whole state- there are some great places in Eastern Oregon (Steens Mountain, Wallowas), but they are long distances apart. In addition to the ideas mentioned here, you might also consider:

End of the Trail Museum, Oregon City
Salem (Capitol in particular)
Silver Falls (although likely not a lot of water by October)

On the coast, Tillamook has the cheese factory and the Cape Meares/Lookout/Kiwanda road is very nice- 101 is scenic, but can be crowded, so a side trip like this one will really allow you to appreciate the beauty of the coast.

Also, as one who spent 10 years in Eugene, I wouldn't recommend it; it's fine, but nothing worth a drive if you only have 4-5 days.

Yet another former Oregonian weighing in. Definitely agree on going in October and that you'll have plenty of time to see quite a bit in 4-5 days. Eugene isn't really worth a day trip to me unless you have a reason to go there - it's nice but not really anything special. The Oregon Coast Aquarium is wonderful, the Portland Zoo is nice, and Powell's City of Books is always on our list when we visit. If you have a sweet tooth, Voodoo Doughnuts is worth a stop, as is Moonstruck Chocolates.