CA to WA questions

[jukes]

Finalizing plans! Leaving approx June 26th. Ideas appreciated. We like State Parks/natural campgrounds where possible but I know some may now be unavailable. Towing 30ft TT. 3 boys ages 6,12,14. Husband would like some fishing from the surf or pier ideally (not boat)..some easy to moderate hikes. Good food. Good people 🙂

1. Santa Cruz to Fort Bragg (MacKerricher State Park???) 2 nights.
2. Fort Bragg to somewhere near the CA/OR border, but we have Redwoods here so not desperate to spend time in N.CA Redwoods. 1 or 2 nights.
3. Oregon Sand Dunes area. Stay near ATV rental place, Florence?? 2 nights.
4. Portland. 3 nights. Campground. Or we may have a house swap (we do these often) and put TT somewhere cheap?

4. ***Will have about 10-12 Days for the WA part of the trip****
Best route from Portland, and areas to spend nights with the TT to see highlights of Olympic NP, Mt Rainer, Columbia River Gorge

and then south to Bend?
before heading down to CA via Bend, Crater Lake, Lassen Volcanic..

[MarkTwain]

downtheroad wrote:
OK I have maybe changed my mind a little about skipping Portland.
We have enjoyed the food trucks along the river front..

Go ahead if you really like the food trucks in Portland, just don't drive your trailer into Portland!!!!

[ksg5000]

If your want to see Portland consider staying at Pheasant Ridge RV park down near Wilsonville - 10 minute drive to Portland. Portland has plenty of things to do/see but as others have said it has some homeless issues which seem to be common in some cities. Used to think I would move downtown when I retired - ain't going to happen.

[kalynzoo]

I know you prefer State parks, I have always found them hard to plan for, so I will offer a few private sites we visited this summer with the 9 year old grandtwins. Benbow Valley KOA in Garberville will wonderful. Large spots, a golf course next door (I don't play) but it meant no airport/train/etc. Minutes from the Redwoods. Along the Oregon coast, Gold Beach is great. We stayed at Turtle Rock RV. Rustic but large and lovely, with plenty of places to run or hike. Gold Beach has the speed boats up the river, and plenty of fishing, you can cast from the campground. Loved the Olympic Peninsular, spent a day at the State Park just hiking (walking), beautiful, we again stayed at Port Angeles KOA, a newly refurbished KOA that was great and many improvements were in progress. We stayed at the Seattle/Tacoma KOA, crowded small but clean campground, but it is really one of the few games in town. Best part, it was only a couple of miles from the Boeing Museum and Skunk Works. This is not to be missed, more than just a flight museum, it is a well presented time capsule of avionics around the world. The kids loved it. Better than we expected. Like others say, Portland is just another dirty city. My youngest lived there for a year and returned to Los Angeles years ago. There is really not much for kids to see, just a city known for it's weirdness. Yes, they have VooDoo Donuts, but they are not really worth the hour wait in line. Not a place to drive the RV. The Columbia River Gorge, on the other had, is a great drive. Spend a couple of hours at the dam, where you can see the salmon jump up the ladders, and the hatcheries. Then there are miles of waterfalls along the way, best seen in a car, as parking is tight, but if your into walking the RV is OK, you will just have to walk back a lot. Up in that area there is a trout farm in the Troutdale area. Many acres with 9 large ponds, stocked with trout of various sizes. You get real fishing poles, and of course you pay for what you catch. However the prices were less than market price for trout, and they were beautiful delicious fish. Unlike some trout farms, these guys were not starving and going for an empty hook, the kids actually had to work a bit to catch 2 each. It is also a lovely park area, bring a picnic lunch, plenty of parking and an easy turnaround. Hope this helps, enjoy

[ppine]

I ike the PNW a lot and go there every year. I have never liked the coast and like to stay in National Forest campgrounds or pull on some old logging roads.

[downtheroad]

OK I have maybe changed my mind a little about skipping Portland.
We have enjoyed the food trucks along the river front..

[jamesu]

Surf fishing on Washington Coast? Get your road atlas out and look at the routes to these areas, all accessed off of US-101: Long Beach Peninsula (WA-103), Grayland/Westport (WA-105), Ocean Shores to Pacific Beach (WA-109).

My local experience is that the “beach experience” is different between the Washington and Oregon coasts. The Washington Coast in the areas listed are flat, wide beaches leading to the surf, whereas Oregon beaches generally are narrower and steeper. Beach access: in Oregon you stay on 101. In Washington you need to get off the beaten path, hence the routes I suggested. The Washington Coast gets busy too, but not so much as the Oregon Coast because everyone has heard about “take 101 down the Oregon Coast.”

The beach on the Long Beach Peninsula really is “long”. 25 miles long. They bill it as “The Longest Beach in the World”. That wouldn’t surprise me a bit.

I hope this helps. Have a great trip.

[goducks10]

donn0128 wrote:
BTW you asked almost the exact same question back in November. Wernt you happy with the results of that thread?

x2

[donn0128]

If you have watched any news stories anout the homeless situation in other major cities, filth, drugs, prostitution, you can substitute Portland for them 100%. In the past 4 years since we excapec the situation has become much worse. So bad in fact major companies like Columnia Sportswear are leaving downtown. Their employees are being acosted daily. Bums are using their doorways for toilets. It is just plane UGLY. I was born and raised in Portland. Now I hate driving thru a few times a year to get to my kids houses.

[downtheroad]

Agree with the, "forget Portland," advice.
Go to any big city near where you live and pretend you are in Portland. It's just another big, trafficy city. Put the Portland time into more time on the Oregon Coast.

Have a good trip.

[MarkTwain]

donn0128 wrote:
Can you reverse your plan? The coast is better viewed north to south. That way all the turn outs and sites are on your right.
Starting near Astoria, Ft Stevens state park is a good starting place. Lots of scenery, things to see and do. Further down the coast there is Beverley beach SP, but basically any of the state parks will offer great experiences. Be sure to firm up your plans and get reservations soon. It may already too late, but do it quick.
US97 in Central Oregon is a totally different experience. So plan accordingly.

Forget Portland, it is just another big city with lots and,lots of homeless living everywhere.

X1 on Portland!!! Portland is a nightmare driving in just a car with constant congestions and back ups. Towing a trailer around Portland would be a nightmare for me IMHO. I would park my RV in Sea Side Oregon near Hwy. 26 and the just in your truck to see Portland. Look at Circle Creek RV park, do not use any of the other RV parks in the area. State parks in Oregon can be a nightmare as far as reservations, especially during the summer months when all the kids are out of school.

[jukes]

Hi, thanks for the replies. I was happy with answers back in Nov, and they helped me narrow down the plan mentioned here......
We did consider driving the other way around until I read that Bumpass in Lassen Volcanic NP doesn't open until at least after July 4th, and we would have got there about 10 or so days before and would like to see that.
I guess tips especially on the WA part of the trip needed most now.
And we do want to visit Portland, we like a few days in a city as well as time with nature 🙂
And yes, the boys will love the ATV's!! excited about that 🙂

[RedRollingRoadb]

Florence - Honeyman State Park, Thousand Trails/Encore but not sure on the non-member rentals.
http://torexatvrentals.com is just a little south of these parks. The older boys will have a blast on the quads, the younger will likely have to go on a two seater.

Also rvparkreviews.com list a couple that are fairly good.

Little Brown Hen for breakfast. Hole-in-the-wall but good food and plenty of it, but tad spendy and cash only ATM on site. On main drag near first light north of bridge.

Champoge State Park between Salem and Portland.

Collier State Park and the free logging museum.

Lava Tubes, and Lava Lands area.

[donn0128]

BTW you asked almost the exact same question back in November. Wernt you happy with the results of that thread?

[donn0128]

Can you reverse your plan? The coast is better viewed north to south. That way all the turn outs and sites are on your right. License fees will kill you once you find out how much they can be even for a day
Starting near Astoria, Ft Stevens state park is a good stsrting place. Lots of scenery, things to see and do. Your close to Ft Clatsup which is where Lewis and Clark wintered in 1805/6. Ft Stevens is a historic military fort thst guarded the mouth of the Columbia. It is also the only place on mainland US that was shelled during WWII. Gun placements that,you can tour. Further down the coast there is Beverley beach SP, but basically any of the state parks will offer great experiences. Be sure to firm up your plans and get reservations soon. It may already too late, but do it quick.
US97 in Central Oregon is a totally different experience. So plan accordingly.

Forget Portland, it is just another big city with lots and,lots of homeless living everywhere.