Road trip/sightseeing the Pacific Northwest

[bosk1]

We are thinking about doing an RV trip late July/early August and were considering taking out time through the Pacific Northwest.  The family vacation we planned probably won't happen, so we were looking at alternatives to get away, and still be able to avoid hotel rooms and contact with crowds of people, and we have always liked road trips, so this seems like a good option.

I have been to a few places in Oregon and Washington, but mainly the Portland and Seattle areas, so I don't have a ton of familiarity.

So my question is simply:  What should we see/do?

[T-ski]

rumor has it there is some old pirate treasure near Astoria, OR.  some kids found it years ago but the ship it was on sailed out to sea. no one knows what happened to it after that.

other than that, I've got nothing for you.

[Cool Chris]

rumor has it there is some old pirate treasure near Astoria, OR.  some kids found it years ago but the ship it was on sailed out to sea. no one knows what happened to it after that.

We've been there, I was looking for pictures from our trip but cannot find any. Nice little stop for lunch but don't plan on spending more than a couple hours there.

If you want to experience the most peaceful, unfettered place on Earth, there is a 6-block area of Seattle that has movies, music, street vendors, and all without the encumbrances of any sense of criminal activity.

[gmillerdrake]

Just don’t ghost us afterwards like ‘The Trooper’ has with his Everest climb. I hope that dude is OK.

[lonestar]

Crater Lake has always been a bucket list item for me.

[Snow Dog]

Crater Lake has always been a bucket list item for me.

Been living in southern Oregon for the past 12 years, and this was going to be my exact suggestion. It never gets old going there. It also has good access to one of my favorite highways I’ve ever driven, OR138 from Crater Lake to Roseburg, OR. There’s several waterfalls along that highway that have short and easy hikes to them, and a good stretch of the road, about 30ish miles, runs right next to the North Umpqua River through pine forests. Beautiful country. Look up Toketee Falls, Watson Falls, Clearwater Falls, and Susan Creek Falls to get a taste of what’s along there.

Other suggestions would be to explore the Bend, OR area which has a lot of outdoor stuff nearby as well, and the McKenzie River Gorge, home of the Tamolitch Blue Pool, Sahalie Falls, and Koosah Falls, is spectacular too. Lots of really good options here for cool things to see.

[TAC]

We looked at Crater lake too. We were planning a Seattle/Vancouverish trip a couple of years ago..Turned into a San Francisco trip instead.



And isn't the Pacific Northwest redundant? How come no one ever says the Atlantic North East?

[Anguyen92]

And isn't the Pacific Northwest redundant? How come no one ever says the Atlantic North East?

Well, some people want to go to Pacific Southwest like California or Atlantic Southeast like Florida?, except no one does say it that way, so you may be onto something.

[MirrorMask]

Just don’t ghost us afterwards like ‘The Trooper’ has with his Everest climb. I hope that dude is OK.

The list of people who dies on the mountain each year is well documented, none of the americans died matched his details (age, location...). Was he a regular posting often? he might have simply moved on with his life.

[DragonAttack]

Cannon Beach (if you haven't already been there).  My wife and I flew to our nephew's wedding in Portland last year.  The drive on US-26 and US-101 has plenty of curves and slow areas, but we enjoyed it for what it was worth.  A beautiful sunny Sunday.  I even remember listening to D/T on the way back. 

It has miles of beach area to walk, nice family restaurants etc (bought a 5" miniature Viper King at one of them ).  Best to get there early to make it easier to find a parking space.  Can't beat the serenity and the views.  Actually, it was the best part of the trip. 

[bosk1]

To add a bit more, we are bringing the whole family (me, wife, 3 kids (age 17, 15, 10).  And we will be renting an RV.  We did a similar trip years earlier when the kids were younger, and our route went across Nevada to Salt Lake City, then up to West Yellowstone, Glacier, back down to Boise, and back home.  There were times when we hustled a bit to get to a destination, but it was more about the journey and seeing things along the way.  That's what we want to do this time, just hit a little different area (if at a different time of year, we would likely hit the more scenic parts of Utah and the southwest, including Grand Canyon, but not during the summer heat). 

Some great suggestions so far.  If we do get into the Seattle area, I might like to see some of the stuff west of Seattle across the water, like Gig Harbor.  But not sure.  Although we won't shy away from cities, the goal is to see things more off the beaten path.  We wanted to come up into Canada and possibly drive up to Whistler, but with the border close right now, that is not an option. 

Anyhow, keep the suggestions coming!

[Cool Chris]

Some great suggestions so far.  If we do get into the Seattle area, I might like to see some of the stuff west of Seattle across the water, like Gig Harbor.  But not sure.  Although we won't shy away from cities, the goal is to see things more off the beaten path. 

I am a bit biased, but I would steer clear of Seattle altogether, and when heading North, get on 16 to Gig Harbor, and go through Port Orchard, and up that way, possibly hitting the San Juans, and even Forks if you want to be a Twilight tourist dork.

[bosk1]

Some great suggestions so far.  If we do get into the Seattle area, I might like to see some of the stuff west of Seattle across the water, like Gig Harbor.  But not sure.  Although we won't shy away from cities, the goal is to see things more off the beaten path. 

I am a bit biased, but I would steer clear of Seattle altogether, and when heading North, get on 16 to Gig Harbor, and go through Port Orchard, and up that way, possibly hitting the San Juans, and even Forks if you want to be a Twilight tourist dork.

Yeah, I wasn't suggesting actually going into Seattle, especially given everything that is going on right now.  Any specific things you would see, restaurants to visit, or other suggestions, given the type of trip we are doing?

[Cool Chris]

Let me think about it and talk to my wife. My kids are much older so what we did might not work for you.

[TempusVox]

My favorite place on Earth (besides maybe Scotland or Iceland) the Pacific NW.

Depending on your route you could take in Multanomah Falls in Oregon and nearby Cascade Fish Hatchery along the Columbia River, visit Mt. St Helens, take in the Glass Museum in Seattle, head to Olympic National Park and visit the Hoh Rain Forest, drive up to Mt Rainier, head up to Anacortes and take a ferry to San Juan or Orcas Island. Tons of cool stuff if you have the time.

[bosk1]

Can't see everything, but here's sort of our rough itinerary, for any who wish to comment: 
Day 1:  Drive to Lava Beds and camp there.  Do a bit of light hiking and caving in the late afternoon.
Day 2:  Up early, and drive the relatively short drive ( 90 minutes or so) to Crater Lake; spend the day there.
Day 3:  Up early to drive to Mt. St. Helens and spend the day there. 
Day 4:  See a bit more of the Mt. St. Helens area in the morning, then head to the coast to Astoria, and head south, stopping in some (not all, for time's sake) of the following:  Ecola tide pools, Cannon Beach, Hug Point, Oswalt West State Park, Tillamook.  Stay overnight around Tillamook or Webb County Campground
Day 5:  See a bit more of the OR/N. Cal. coast.  Stay overnight somewhere near Fort Bragg.
Day 6:  Drive home.

Dunno.  I think we're rushing a bit in some places and should extend.  There are other places I want to see that we can't fit in.  But feedback is welcome.  And if there are specific things to see at some of those locations, let me know.

[Cool Chris]

When we went to Astoria, my wife and elder kid (8) enjoyed the Flavel House. Check it out if you are in to that sort of thing. I enjoy learning about history, but find attractions such as this a bore. Then check out the Film museum. I will ask her about what else we did there that we enjoyed. Or at least they enjoyed, because if I enjoyed it, I would probably remember it.

[Snow Dog]

Astoria is a cool little town. The Astoria Tower is a must see and do. A few flights of winding stairs takes you to the top and you can see across the Columbia River into Washington, out to the ocean, and plenty of Oregon forest in the opposite direction.

Looks like a fun trip! Mt. St. Helens is also a great stop. Well worth the drive.

[future_house_modernist]

Lie your way through boarder patrol and just come up to Alaska. It's much better.

[cramx3]

A few years ago my xgf and I drove from Seattle to San fran stopping at 5 national parks along the way during a 7 night trip.  It was maybe the coolest vacation I've ever done.  SO awesome.  One stop was Crater Lake, unbelievable:



Day 1: Fly in the morning, Seattle exploring
Day 2: Olympic National Park
Day 3: Mt. Rainier National Park
Day 4: Crater Lake National Park
Day 5: Redwoods National Park
Day 6: Lassen Volcanic National Park
Day 7: San Fransisco exploring
Day 8: More san fran and flight home at night.

I put it all on youtube as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwQdl7IrOnc

It was A LOT of driving, probably the only negative and I'd imagine driving an RV through the windy up/down hill mountains would be slow, but that would also be pretty fun for the family to be in the RV plus you can camp it near the parks I'd imagine.  We stayed in a mix of hotel rooms and airbnbs.  All those parks are pretty big too, one day is not enough at each but that was our itinerary to see as much as we could in a full week and leaves room for returning to see other things that were missed.  I'd actually say the Redwoods was my favorite park from that trip.  Something about walking in that forest and feeling like a pebble was really powerful in terms of feeling "down to earth". 

[DragonAttack]

^
'Wow' can't describe that view!

Bosk, I see you are following through on some of the suggestions.  Hope all the destinations turn out well, and your travels are safe.  We all need a getaway at this time.