MastaHanky

Hi all,

I have a wedding to attend in Yachats next month over the 4th of July weekend. I have one free day on either side of it. Looking for some suggestions to kill time. I have been to Portland a couple of times so I probably won't spend much time there. I was kind of debating the following:

July 3rd: Arrive in Portland, 9 am. Free all day, need to be in Yachats that night.
July 4th: Wedding
July 5th: Drive up to Mount Hood and Columbia River Gorge for afternoon. Head back to airport for 6 pm flight home.

I was debating going to Crater Lake upon arrival in Portland, but it's a longer haul than I thought - about four hours there, and then another four to Yachats that night. Is Google Maps pretty accurate in that calculation?

If you have any other suggestions for stuff in the general vicinity between Portland and Yachats, I'm all ears!

Gardyloo

Yup, Crater Lake is way too far.

I'm partial to the coast, so on the 3rd I'd drive down the Columbia (actually north) on the WA side of the river (more scenic and historic) to Cape Disappointment near Ilwaco. Cape Disappointment has it all - lighthouses above crashing surf, cool hiking trails, a terrific Lewis and Clark interpretive center... then take the bridge over the (awesome) mouth of the river, through Astoria and south along the coast. Stop at Ecola State Park near Cannon Beach - excellent views of the rocky coast - before continuing on to Yachats.

The 5th will be pretty rushed unless you get an early start.

MissJ

Our coast is pretty darn spectacular. That sounds like a good plan. Lots of nice places to stop for lunch or dinner in Astoria and Newport.

As for the 5th... yeah, you would need to be on the road really early to make it up Mt. Hood that day. It can be done, but you'll be in the car all day. If you wanted to just drive out 84 into the gorge and see some waterfalls, that would be easy and you would still be in the general vicinity of the airport.

amunter

Another vote for Gardyloo's drive down the coast plan on the pre-wedding day.

If you want to do the gorge, one option would be to take Hwy 34 from the coast to Corvallis, head up I-5, then do a part of the fruit loop from south to north, then take I-84 directly to PDX. You could stop at some fruit stands along the way, and grab a bite in Hood River.

Yep, it's mostly windshield time, but you'll get an array of different scenery that way, and some local produce.

If you wanted less driving and more time out of the car, you could head up the coast further before crossing on Hwy 18 north of Lincoln City, have some food and wine tasting in the Dundee area, then do things east of Portland before looping back around to the airport.

It sorta depends on how you want to maximize your time during that day.