7 Days in Portland and vicinity

I will be taking my wife on a 7 day trip to Portland, OR at the end of May (23-30). I%26#39;ve been there before, but not her. We are using Marriott points and will be staying in Portland for 5 nights (must be consecutive, you know how those award certs go!). Here are my thoughts on the first few days, but I would like to get in Crater Lake but 1) not sure it is worth the trip at that time of year, and 2) if it is, can we see enough in 2 half day visits?

Day 1 - fly in at noon and walk the city

Day 2 - Columbia River Gorge and Mt. Hood

Day 3 - Mt St Helens

Day 4 - Rose Garden, Chinese Garden, Japanese Garden (City tour)

Day 5 - Drive coast from Cannon Beach and return through McMinnville with some wineries mixed in

Day 6 - Drive to Crater Lake - visit CLNP afternoon.

Day 7 - Visit CLNP in morning drive back to Portland by way of Bend

Day 8 - Fly out in morning

Is this doable? Suggested changes? Overnight suggestions by CLNP other than the lodge?

Thanks for the feedback.

7 Days in Portland and vicinity

We visited many of the places you mention, but we went in July and had glorious weather! I%26#39;m afraid you might be too early for some of the sights you mention, especially Crater Lake. They get a lot of snow annually, and if I remember reading on here correctly, sometimes the main road doesn%26#39;t open until June. BTW, you can easily see Crater Lake in a day. I%26#39;m not sure how you will find Mt St Helens that time of year also. Both are fantastic places, but you need fair weather to enjoy them.

You asked about lodging near Crater Lake. If you still include this in your itinerary, keep in mind there isn%26#39;t much right outside, so we stayed in Bend and did a day trip. The drive was easy, and Bend has a wide variety of lodging choices. We liked the Riverhouse Resort there.

I think you can the rest of the things on your list without issue. I believe there is possibility for cool, overcast, and possibly wet weather, but the locals know best. I have read summer really doesn%26#39;t begin in Oregon until July, but if you go prepared for the weather, you should still have a wonderful time.

7 Days in Portland and vicinity

The Johnston Ridge Observatory at Mt. St. Helens is scheduled to reopen for the season on May 17. The weather and road condition gods may have different plans, however.

Wow busy schedule but great places to visit. Be sure if you get in time to visit Portland Saturday Market.

Also on Day 4 - PIttock Mansion as well as Council Crest has some romantic city views.

Also Crater Lake may not be open yet that time of year.

You can get to Crater Lake from Hwy 62 in the south, but the north entrance/exit will most likely not be open that early.

http://www.nps.gov/crla/

Great feedback, everyone! I appreciate it very much. We%26#39;ve been rethinking our schedule with the possibility that CLNP may not be an option. Shame, as I%26#39;ve never been there and would love to see it. Oh well...

We might opt for a longer ride down the cost to Grant%26#39;s Pass or so and then work our way back up to Portland for our flight out. From what I%26#39;ve been reading, the wineries may not be all that great if they are going to be charging $5 to $25 a head! I like wine, but not when I can buy the bottle for less than a taste! LOL

I%26#39;m not sure if we can fit in the Saturday market unless we squeeze it in after we get in town on the 23rd. I do like the Pittock Mansion suggestion and will see if we can work it in.

If anyone has some suggestions on the southern part of the state without CLNP, please let me know.

Thanks again!

The Pittock Mansion is lovely. I think you can probably fit it in on Day 4 along with the gardens. It%26#39;s not very far away at all. As the other poster said, the views of the city are fantastic. On a clear day, you can even see Mt. Hood from there.

If you%26#39;re still planning the first five nights in Portland, I don%26#39;t know if it makes sense to drive any further south on the coast than Newport or Florence. Even if you cut the Portland stay to four nights. Because, once you get south of Coos Bay, there isn%26#39;t a good route inland to I-5 without going all the way into northern CA. If not CLNP, what is it you%26#39;re wanting to see in southern Oregon?

I wouldn%26#39;t necessarily give up on Crater Lake either. You%26#39;d have to enter and exit from the south, but weather permitting, you%26#39;d still have plenty of time to see the lake. It does add several hours of drive time to the trip, though. And, you%26#39;d need the weather gods to cooperate.

Tasting fees in wineries are pretty much the norm here, though unless for a special occasion, I%26#39;ve not seen them higher than $15 (and that only at the more high-brow wineries). If you%26#39;re still interested, you might adjust your schedule to taste early in the trip, as Memorial Day Weekend is one of the two biggest of the year in wine country.

I think that your trip to Crater Lake is doable as well, if you really want to see the lake. I useally go in the summer and it seems like it takes about 6 hours to get there.

I googlemapped Crater Lake and it suggested it takes 5.5 hours to get there via Hwy 58/97/Crater Lake road. I hadn%26#39;t thought about it, since I usally take I-5 down to Grants Pass, but the Google mapped way probably is the fastest way to go.

I think you could see most of Crater Lake in two half days-most of the other things to do in the area are just viewing the lake at different angles, etc.

oh- lodging at Crater Lake- there really isnt much there-as you probably have found out. Some people here like the Prospect Hotel-but that is on the southwest side of Crater Lake- if you stay here you may as well go down I-5 to Grants Pass.

we did a similar trip last august without crater lake. had an awesome time in oregon- very casual and laid back, excellent food city at reasonable prices and the day trips we did ( and that u have planned )are very special.

tommys mom is right- the saturday market was great as was the pittock mansion.

also the saturday farmers market at portland state was awesome and huge- it went for like 10 blocks.

we did cannon beach and astoria one day and then did mcminnville and the wineries a different day- excellent pinot noirs.

also went to the portland art museum which had a very nice collection.

have never been to crater lake and want to go too but it is in the middle of nowhere.