Oregon Coast vacation advise needed

[cbo111]

We are thinking about driving up the Oregon coast in July, starting in Santa Rosa, Ca and ending in Portland. From Portland, we will fly home. We are interested in doing some hiking, sightseeing and generally low-key goofing off, maybe 10 days total. Anyone out there with real world experience, I would appreciate your advice on must-see, must-do activities, and recommended lodging along the way.

 

[CoolRich59]

Cannon Beach. Just gorgeous. It’s on the coast, slightly north of Portland.

 

[mh]

Beach wise . Bandon beach is my favorite. been there a couple of times. The little town there is .. little [emoji1782]. but enjoyable. I like the hotel / motel ‘Windermere on the beach’ there

 

[CyclingInvestor]

Cheese tasting in Tillamook. Wine tasting in McMinnville, if you like Pinot.

 

[mh]

Beach wise . Bandon beach is my favorite. been there a couple of times. The little town there is .. little [emoji1782]. but enjoyable. I like the hotel / motel ‘Windermere on the beach’ there

https://www.google.com/search?q=ban...WH9Z4KHRc2CH0Q_AUoAXoECBIQAQ&biw=1024&bih=651

 

[Scrapr]

Are you camping (glamping?) or motelling your way? Camp grounds may be sold out in July. Jet boat rides on the Rouge river can be fun. Newport has a nice little dock/waterfront area. Tillamook cheese is a good time. I think they just redid the tasting room there. There is a air museum in Tillamook in an old blimp hanger. I think Lincoln City has a kite festival. At least a store(s) that you could buy a kite. Seaside is a bit touristy on the main drag there. The beach area there is nice. Not sure when the sand castle contest is.

Here are some hikes. It's been a long time but I think our family did the Cascade Head hike a few times. If you look closely you can see part of a WWII plane wreckage
https://rootsrated.com/stories/five-hikes-with-beautiful-views-on-the-oregon-coast

Beach access will be decent as all beaches are publicly owned. Can stop at a wayside & walk down.

Second the Dundee area wineries. I grew up out there just as they were starting up. It's fun to go winery to winery. There are some great views

 

[travelover]

Manzanita is a wonderful little beach town, not as touristy as Cannon Beach and with a much better beach that stretches forever. Well worth a stay.

 

[Philliefan33]

All of the suggestions so far are good. I’ll only add: bring warm clothes.

 

[travelover]

All of the suggestions so far are good. I’ll only add: bring warm clothes.

+1 They don't have real summers on the coast. That is why I bought near Portland.

 

[SheitlQueen]

Florence, so you can see the dunes.

 

[cooch96]

Manzanita is a wonderful little beach town, not as touristy as Cannon Beach and with a much better beach that stretches forever. Well worth a stay.

+1

 

[copperdogs]

Pacific City is a fun little place. Can watch the dories run up onto the beach after a fishing run such as they have done for decades. Have a decent brewery pub right on the beach, which as (other posters have mentioned) is still public property and accessible to all. Fun local hiking as well as tidal pools to explore.
Can get somewhat busy and �� during summers, yes.

 

[lemming]

Yachats and Cape Perpetua. Beautiful tide pools and rugged cliffs. Bandon is just as wonderful. Newport is only a choice to see the sea lions in the harbor. And the Marine Science Center is worth a visit.
My restaurant information would be 25 years out of date . I just love hearing the names people are throwing out.

 

[Helen]

Hug Point is about five miles south of Cannon Beach and is especially cool at low tide. Ecola State Park is beautiful too. You might consider flying to Portland and driving south, all the pullouts will be on your right as you drive.

 

[Scrapr]

All of the suggestions so far are good. I’ll only add: bring warm clothes.

Philliefan33 has been to the coast in July. This is a pro tip

 

[winger]

Not exactly Oregon, but near the border.

Don't miss the Redwoods. Many places to see them, my favorite is Stout Grove, a short drive out of Crescent City, CA.

 

[GoBears]

We enjoyed Astoria as well as the other suggestions made earlier. Astoria has a great Columbia River Maritime Museum that you can easily spend a morning or afternoon wandering around in.

 

[DrRoy]

Oregon Sand Dunes Nat Recreation area, and do not miss diverting over to Crater Lake if you are going to be that close anyway.

 

[RunningBum]

Also not Oregon but I recommend the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens.

 

[Philliefan33]

Philliefan33 has been to the coast in July. This is a pro tip

This is a family joke. The first time me husband (a native Oregonian) took this East Coast girl to the OR coast I got carsick on the way (really morning sickness, as I was pregnant with DD), then I froze my butt off crabbing. Subsequent trips have been much more enjoyable but I always joke about needing my winter parka if we are going to the coast.

It was amusing when two of the 18-yr old (male) cousins came to visit us in PA. My DDs took them on a day trip to the Jersey shore. The OR boys expected the kind of “beach” that they knew. My girls had to work hard to convince them that the water was warm enough to swim.

The boys did appreciate the bikinis on the beach, they had never seen that.

 

[Winemaker]

The Redwoods of CA, the dunes, the whale watching off the coast July/August, the beaches, all the state parks from Mendicino toward Brookings then up to Portland, Navarro Winery in the Anderson Valley right out of Santa Rosa. All GREAT places, as we did that trip 3 years ago.

There is a retail seafood shop north of Golds Beach, IIRC, that is wonderful. Line caught salmon, halibut, oysters the size of saucers, and mussel if in season (I don't think these are local due to some funk in water). I was in seafood heaven as we had a grill in our condo in Brookings. Local produce at farmers market. Yum!

 

[braumeister]

More useful info:
http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f46/oregon-travel-97156.html

 

[OldConch]

Depoe Bay - Where the Whales Watch You.

 

[brett]

Reading all these spots has made me smile. We spent years vacationing in Washington State and up and down the Oregon and California coasts in our old camper van. Before children, and then after in various hotels. Great place for kites!

No matter where we stayed, we would always stop in downtown Newport Bay and have dinner at the Whales Tail.

 

[kcowan]

It is not a coincidence that the early settlers chose inland places in OR/WA to settle.