Myself, late Sept
Never been

Landing in Portland
Making a U-ish type shape on the map, hitting Bend, then West to (south/central) coast
Over ~9 days

What are the must sees?

Hood River - watch the kite and wind surfers
Crater Lake (can be a day trip from Bend)
Smith Rock State Park
Float the Deschutes in Bend

The vineyards in Willamette valley (Pinot noir and Pinot grid country)
Cannon beach, a must especially if the weather is nice!
hiking to the secluded beaches in Ecola park

Many years ago I could not make a last minute change from my flight from Salt Lake to Portland. Instead, I flew into the Tri Cities (Eastern, Washington), rented a car, then drove west to Portland (about a 3+ hour drive on I-84).

The change in scenery was amazing. Started in high plains desert and ended in the lush green of Western Oregon.

Mt. Hood...words don't describe the experience of seeing it (even in Portland it's an incredible sight).

Dalles, Oregon and seeing the windsurfers on the Columbia River was crazy...those guys must have been going 30+ miles an hour.

Overall, one of the best three hours on the road I've experienced.

Did a very similar drive this time last year - I only had 5ish days. Went down to Crater Lake, spent a day in Bend and white water rafted. Stopped in Eugene to get few quick pictures of the campus.

I ran outta time - but if you enjoy putting things in your mouth, Tillamook creamery might be worth a stop.

Go to the Blockbuster in Bend

We did this trip last fall. The entire OR coast is amazing. If you have not seen the Giant Redwoods you should consider bumping down to Jedidiah Smith Redwoods State Park.

I live in PDX. Are you renting a 4x4? Check for permits, but you're timing is good for fall at elevation and maybe some first snow. Thinking aspens along the hike to No Name Lake/Bend glacier on Broken Top.

Gorge: Pick any hike you want to a waterfall. Beacon Rock is also unique (WA) side. Thunder Island in Cascade Locks. Pfriem, Ferment and Full Sail in Hood River.

Hood: Larches will be close to turning. Maybe some new snow. Hit a few of the orchards/vineyards on the Hood River Fruit Loop on your way up. Lost Lake is our favorite. Mirror and Trillium are also fun.

Heading south: Trail of Ten Waterfalls is a must. If you have a 4x4 or willing to hump it, tack on Abiqua Falls and then grab a brew at the Abbey that owns it in Mt. Angel. This is also near the wine AVAs.

Bend: I'd skip Smith. Cascade Lake Scenic Byway. Hop off the pavement and bounce the lakes via fire road. Camp wherever you want! Devils Lake is a unique one! I was just at Todd with my 3 year old last weekend. Tumalo falls in Deschutes National Forest. Bend Brewing on the Deschutes. Crux. Deschutes. So many breweries.

Crater Nat.

On the coast, our favorite by far is Oswald/Falcon/Short Sand/Smugglers cove. It's a short hike, through old, old growth massive coastal red and spruce to a secluded cove. Bonus waterfall on the beach. Out of time, so much more - have fun!

Edit: Oh, we also always recommend Sugarpine right off the plane. 20 minutes from PDX. On the Sandy and a great first flavor of the Gorge: https://sugarpinedrivein.com/.

I'd start from PDX and go east along Columbia as mentioned. Just beautiful. Good River and that area is gorgeous. Hike a fall. Then head down to Bend and do Crater Lake from there. From Bend I'd head straight West to Florence and I'd do a few days heading up the coast. Florence, Newport, Lincoln City, Tillamook, all the way up to Astoria. Unless you want the wineries, no need to hit the I5 corridor.

should i spend a day in Portland ? or just land and go

try some white trash crabbing on the coast…..went here a few months ago and had a blast….no need to rent a boat….just crab from the dock….lots of crab to be caught, but most are too small to keep….if you get any keepers, they'll steam them for you…...they have a decent selection of local beer as well….

Kelly's Brighton Marina

OasisMan said:

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should i spend a day in Portland ? or just land and go

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If you were a month later I'd say Hoyt Arboretum and the Japanese Garden would be must-do for epic fall colors. If you don't plan to hit the sequoias in NorCal you can quickly see ours at Hoyt (https://www.hoytarboretum.org/visit/rentals/redwood-deck/). Maybe a quick hike through Forest Park (bottom to Pittock Mansion - best view of city and Hood). Hop across the river on St Johns (best bridge!) and hit any number of food carts for lunch in Cathedral Park.

If you're into beer we have some different things. Any number of breweries, but places like Steeplejack or one of the quirky McMenamins (pubs in old banks, schools, etc) are unique. N Mississippi Ave, Hawthorne, Division and Alberta are the main food/bar strips.

Depends on when you land, maybe hit Forest Park quickly, St John on you way to St Helens? Then loop back to the Gorge on the WA side. Beacon Rock can be done in an hour with epic Gorge views. Cross back at Bridge of Gods for HR/Hood. Long day - but you're solo and can drill it!

So out here I have joined a famous Duo,

We have banded together to form a magnificent trip


Henceforth, we shall be known as the Lewis & Clark & OasisMan Expedition!

Cape Horn, my dude?

Have fun!

The Spruce Goose is at the Air and Space Museum in McMinnville. They have other planes under it.

What make/model backpack is that? I'm in the market for a new one, bigger than a regular day pack but not something to hike the Appalachian Trail. Yours looks about the right size

Columbia River Gorge/Multnomah Falls/Columbia River Gorge Highway (and all the waterfalls along the way)
Hood River
Mt Hood (Timberline Lodge).
Mt Hood National Forest
Silver Falls State Park (10 waterfalls on hiking trail)
Trillium Lake and/or lost Lake (in Mt Hood National Forest close to Mt Hood summit/Timberline)
Bend, Smith Rock
Crater Lake
McKenize River Valley
Bandon (Coast)
Coos Bay
Sam H Borden Scenic corridor
Pacific City
Canon Beach

To name a few....

Silver Falls is a gem of Oregon. It's where I grew up.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0739NW61V?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

Wahclella Falls, they were amazing

But parking lot, someone smashed my window and took my Amazon Essentials fleece