Planning a family vacation July/August to show the kids the Costal Redwoods, Crater Lake and Columbia River Gorge will have about 1 week in the area. Would like to take a few short hikes and maybe bike rides would prefer off of the beaten paths and crowds but I’ll brave the crowds for the kids (ages 5-11). Any suggestions on must see places, museums, drives. Will spend a couple more weeks in Wyoming on my family’s old stomping grounds. It’s been 12 years since I’ve been out there and I’ve not taken a good vacation since 2010 so I’m planning on doing this right! All told will be about a 7-8k mile trip pulling a 5th wheel most of it with my wife and 4 kids.
Sounds nice. Personally, we all enjoyed the sequoia park more so than the coastal redwoods, (2 cents). Maybe you can squeeze in grand canyon? Yellowstone will be nutso by aug with people. Black hills of the list of maybes also? Travel safe!
It has been quite a few years, but I found the Mt St Helens post-eruption area quite interesting. We also did the Olympic Penninsula, Hoh River, Mt Rainier, etc. We did the Black Hills on the way home, after Yellowstone, etc and found it to be anticlimactic (pretty, but less awe) - I would do it in reverse in hindsight. There is a great western museum in Cody, WY. Reading on the geology ahead of time makes it more interesting. Read about Lewis and Clark expedition. Oregon Trail. Where the various Indian tribes roamed.
Avoid Portland and Eugene like the plague. Bicycles rule and own the road and they know it. Valley of the giants out by Valsets Pacific City, watch the Dory’s launch and land through the surf. If you do this let me know and say hi if you’re on the beach. Grab a day tag and I’ll take 3 of you fishing Check with the Gorge tourism groups, some trails are still closed after the fire a couple years ago Hells canyon / snake river Baker in Northeast, Oregon trail viewing areas, a huge valley, some places still have the wagon ruts Gold beach, rouge river jet boat rides/tours Camp 18 on the way to the coast. It’s the coast not the beach Tillamook cheese factory Multnomah Falls Bonneville dam tour is pretty interesting That’s a start. What kinds of things is your family interested in seeing or doing, particulars Owl
Thanks for all the suggestions, keep them coming! yooperdave what did you like about the sequoias better than the redwoods? Grand Canyon is not in the plans. Personally I’d rather go in Sept after back to school but mrs does not want the cooler weather. Flamestead Mount Rushmore is on the agenda, I too found it very much a let down after being in the Rockies. But she wants to go. The Buffalo Bill museum is fantastic been many times. My favorite paved road drive is out the NE gate to Redlodge Mt over Beartooth pass it is phenomenal! Can’t tell you about the dirt roads I take as those directions usually involve turn left by where the Smith line shack was and it usually burned down after WWII, cross the continental divide, turn right after crossing the second creek and follow the path until you reach the lake! Great idea about the Lewis and Clark trail, Bass Pro Shop Wonders of Wild life Museum has lots of artifacts from the exposition we just went to last week may take another look at that for stuff to talk about. bushpilot 1.5% grade all down hill should be doable even for the 6 year old, going to read some more on this as I love the tunnels and old railways! spotted owl thanks for the fishing offer we may take you up on it. Maps show you are 2097 miles from me! Never been to Hells Canyon will look into it. I love the cheese factory, amazing how much they produce, we frequently buy it at our Sams club! Planning on hitting several of the falls as we drive through the gorge, I’m following a couple blogs regarding what’s open. I’m hoping the 12-15’ sturgeon is still at the damm and hatchery I want the kids to see it! Really interested in the Camp 18 I love that kinda stuff but wife and little ones get board quick with it. Mostly we like hiking, biking, road trips and wildlife.
Deans creek around Reedsport or Jewel out toward camp 18, Depending on the day, usually elk herd’s are viewable, if lucky they’ll be right up close. There are a couple X Games parks around that seem to draw bikes. Tons of biking trails all over, especially on the coast, Cape Lookout has a good one, at the edge I think it’s 40 something miles out to the edge of the world in the Pacific. Cape Kiawanda in Pacific city has a huge dune to crawl up with something’s to see up top just don’t climb over the fence, take some card board and slide down or get a sand board. Hecta Head in Florence is a good easy walking trail that’s 36 miles out to sea view with Sea Lion caves right next door. Newport has Ripleys, the Free Willy aquarium, the Hatfield center and the wax museum. The covered bridge out of Lincoln city is a nice drive loop between Hwys 18 & 101 with a couple walking trails one to the waterfall and suspension bridge. Look up Grants Get Aways, lots of Oregon and PNW things to see and do, Grant Macomie or howeveryou spell the last name. Owl
The redwoods were a cooler climate, the sequoia park had established trails, warmer climate, display info stations...… and how can I say this without damaging any snowflakes...the "opportunity" for obtaining sugar pine tree cones presents itself! They are huge! After the trip, I asked which area was liked better and all votes came in for sequoia....none for the redwoods. We did drive from N to S along the coastal highway and would stop when we wanted. Just personal preference, I guess. As far as I know, the trees are the same not sub-species or anything like that. If you got to the sequois park, be sure to check out the "Shermimator" The big tree named for General Sherman! Try to avoid the Black Hills until after bike week. Rates for lodging will be much lower. As I remember, bike week is the first two weeks of August. The 2nd through the 11th this year. We were there last year towards the end of Aug (start of the last week) and had a great time...
We really like the Aviation Museum at Tillamook Tillamook Air Museum The climb to the top of the Astoria Column had a great view of the mouth of the Columbia. Home - The Astoria Column and there were some great camping grounds around there. We enjoyed walking the beaches at Long Beach, Washington and Lincoln City, Oregon. There was a museum at the mouth of the Columbia commemorating the end of the Lewis and Clark trail. I think it was on the Washington side of the river. We went there in April and it was a bit wet. It is probably busy in the summertime.
Since you are traveling anyway... Another spot to swing up to see would be Medora and the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in SW North Dakota.
Going to take a little while to read up on all of the suggestions, I’m sure I’ll have more questions later. Glad you mentioned Sturgis, I had forgot about it!
There is a nice museum spanning the interstate just before Kearney, NE. Lots of info about the Oregon trail.
Depending on your route, Craters of the Moon on US20 in Idaho is pretty neat. Not sure I'd divert far off my route, but neat none the less.
Bird Museum in Sandpoint ID. Aviation and medical devices. Maybe not worth going out of your way, but if in the area, it is cool. And free. birdaviationmuseum.com
A few pictures I’ve taken, lots more I won’t post unless folks want to see them. Most are on SD cards but the highlight are in my phone. Haven’t had the best reception to post pictures. No major incidents, safe travel, and good health so far. We have been able to visit with lots of friends we don’t get to see as often as we would like. Pictures are as follows 1) Snowy Range in SE Wyoming 2) Ruffed grouse hen and chicks 3) Buffalo in our Camp site NE Yellowstone gate 4) Malad Gorge Idaho 5) Twin Falls Idaho Bridge over Snake river 6) Crater Lake
IF you do make it to the columbia gorge, be advised, that Multnomah Falls had a large fire in the area last year, and this year they have had a lot of problems with large rocks falling on to many of those trails. And, they have closed many of them due to this. The gorge is a beautiful drive, and normally there are good camp sites along the way heading east. There can be lots of wind in the gorge at times.
Midwinter yes the Buffalo was about 20-25’ away he came into my camp site and rolled, pawed and made a wallow, that picture is from inside my camper. Camp host said he came through there 4-5 times per week. B.Brown headed to the Gorge today/tomorrow we have a couple hikes with back ups planned depending on crowds, parking and trails conditions. Farmchuck we will be gone 5 weeks and could have used 5 more easily to do more than just hit the highlights and in a lot of places not even that! I was planning on 3-4 weeks. Currently I’m unemployed (former employer said after 9 years buy me out for 2x fair market value or your fired) naturally I wanted to purchase it but could not! So I’m enjoying my vacation a little earlier than planned!
As mentioned, Beartooth Pass is a nice drive, but better on a bike. Turn volume down, this was before Go Pro was a thing. View at one of the overlooks, again, wind noise warning is in effect.
