8 days in May/June

I like to plan ahead and I%26#39;ve only just begun! My daughter will graduate from college in the spring of 2008. We%26#39;re coming to western Oregon for approximately 8 days. We have a 3-week window -- last two weeks of May and 1st week of June. Flying in and out of Portland and the highlights will be the Columbia River Gorge, Mt. Hood, Crater Lake and part of the coast (probably Coos Bay).

1. Is it possible to do a round trip and see these sights in 8 days? I realize we%26#39;ll be only touching on the highlights, but that%26#39;s how it is.

2. Would the road to Crater Lake be closed during this time period?

3. What part of the coast has those huge boulders off shore?

4. Although I know weather is unpredictable, some generalizations would be appreciated. I don%26#39;t need constant sunshine (we live in Pittsburgh, PA, after all), but wouldn%26#39;t like constant rain, either.

At this early part of my planning, I just need some general information. I%26#39;ll be back with more questons after I become more knowledgeable.

8 days in May/June

It%26#39;ll be a stretch, but you can fit that itinerary into 8 days.

Because there%26#39;s a chance the north entrance to Crater Lake will still be closed, you%26#39;ll want to approach from the south. So, after seeing the Gorge and Mt. Hood (can be done in one day), head to the coast. I%26#39;d shoot for Newport, then south all the way into northern CA for a couple redwood groves. Head back north on hwy 199 up to Grants Pass, and the southern entrance to Crater Lake. Worse case would be that you%26#39;d only get up to Rim Village, and not be able to drive any of the rim road. But, you%26#39;ll see the lake (if it%26#39;s not socked in anyway). The entire itinerary would look somthing like:

2 - 3 nights in Portland;

3 - 4 nights along the coast;

1 - 2 nights up around Crater Lake, or maybe Ashland.

Good thing you don%26#39;t need constant sunshine, because you almost certainly won%26#39;t get it. ;-) Summer doesn%26#39;t usually start here until July, and up until then, the weather is anybody%26#39;s guess. But, it won%26#39;t be cold, except maybe up at the lake.

8 days in May/June

The part of the coast with the ';huge boulders'; is Cannon Beach. The big rock is called Haystack Rock. It%26#39;s the most picturesque town on the Oregon coast, with good restaraunts and coffee shops, and lots of good gift shopping and local artist galleries.

Just North of Cannon Beach is Ecola State Park, which should not be missed. Hike or drive down to Indian Beach from Ecola Point, and you won%26#39;t be disappointed. Indian Beach is much more private and scenic than the main beach in the town, although the city beach does have Haystack Rock.

I think mistletoe has a pretty good itinerary for you, but as sabine points out, the haystacks are mostly on the northern Oregon coast.

Rather than drive from Portland to Newport, I%26#39;d suggest that you take Hwy 30 along the Columbia River to Astoria, then down the coast to Cannon Beach, Pacific City and Newport. That way you will see numerous haystacks.

Instead of going all the way south to California, you could come back across the coast range mts from Reedsport, Florence or Coos Bay to I-5, then head south to see Crater Lake.

We never have constant rain, even in the winter. It is rain showers, sometimes heavy, then drizzle. May and June will have sun, showers, cloudy days, maybe even some nice warm 80 plus days. If you are here for 8 days, you could see a little of everything.

Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach might be the biggest - it%26#39;s the one pictured in my and Sabine%26#39;s photo icon - but there are a number of other Oregon beaches with large haystacks/boulders right off-shore, including some along the itinerary I outlined. Beaches around Port Orford particularly come to mind, as well as a few others between there and Brookings.

Bandon-just south of Coos Bay also has sea stacks- for your viewing pleasure. Also don%26#39;t miss Sunset Bay and Shore Acres State Park if you are down in Coos Bay. This area has interesting rock formations along the beach.