Portland-area lodging, not downtown

We%26#39;re going to be in Portland for two nights in late April. When I search TA for Portland lodging, I%26#39;m mostly coming up with downtown-area. I%26#39;ll be traveling with my grandmother and we%26#39;ll be spending one of the two days traveling up to Mt. St. Helen%26#39;s. So I%26#39;d prefer to find something that%26#39;s out of the downtown area, with good highway accessibility, etc.

Could someone recommend an area that I should be aiming for? A particular suburb or something on the city outskirts?

Portland-area lodging, not downtown

The Troutdale area is very easy for freeway access. There is Gresham as well, but I personally would not stay there. Troutdale is exit 17 off of I-84 (a bit east of Portland). There are various Holiday Inn Express type of hotels there, but also the McMenamins Edgefield, which is a great place.

Portland-area lodging, not downtown

I agree with Mtngrl. Troutdale has easy access to I-205, which gets you to I-5, so if you%26#39;re not wanting to stay downtown, that would be a good to look.

But if highway access is your main concern, I wouldn%26#39;t let that keep you from downtown. I-5 and I-405 ring the core of the city so that no matter where you%26#39;d stay, you%26#39;d have easy and quick access to I-5 north.

You might want to stay in Vancouver, WA which is just across the river from Portland. Several nice hotels/motels around the Vancouver Mall (Westfield Shopping Center) area, just off I-205. This will get you right on the road to Mt. St. Helens. Several places offer shuttle service to the Portland Airport which is about 10 minutes away.

Be advised that the Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center will be opening this week, however, the Johnston Ridge Observatory which is at the end of the road (State Hwy 504) in the heart of the blast zone, will not be open until May 17. The Visitor Centers at Silver Lake, Hoffstadt Bluffs, and Coldwater are excellent--be sure to stop at all of them.

We liked the Heathman Lodge up in Vancouver. Easy access to I-5 and 205 and truly has a lodge feeling to it on the inside. Or you can try one of the Airport hotels like the Hampton Inn or La Quinta. They are both reasonably priced and offer free breakfast - some hot food but mostly cereals, muffins and fresh fruit.

The Hilton in downtown Vancouver is a great location for you. It%26#39;s right across the bridge from Portland, right by the freeway ramp, and right in the heart of town, where you can easily walk and get food or groceries, visit the farmer%26#39;s market, etc. There%26#39;s a restaurant in the hotel that is usually (not always) good, and the hotel is brand new. Downtown Portland is only ten minutes away, and big-box shopping is right across the river.

A good launching point for Mt. St. Helens is either the Mall area (Heathman Lodge) if you%26#39;ll be driving up the SR503 side of the mountain, or in Salmon Creek (University Inn, Shilo) if you%26#39;ll be going through Woodland to get there up SR502. The Mall area isn%26#39;t too convenient to Portland, though - you%26#39;ll be looking at 30 minutes to downtown. Salmon Creek is about 15 to 20.

Hope this helps, have fun!