Portland next week- hiking/music/sightseeing adv needed

Hello,

I am traveling with friends to Portland and Seattle next week. We are in our 20%26#39;s/30%26#39;s and would love some help with a few suggestions.

We will be in Portland for 3 days, and Seattle for 3 days. We were there last year in January as well, so I know what to expect when it comes to the weather and all..

I would like some good suggestions on short and easy day hikes that do not require much gear, preferably something at a lower altitude to avoid any snow conditions for the hike and no snow for driving to the hike (we will have a rental car)

Also looking for any information of any concerts/shows that might be in the area for Portland (Jan 1,2,3) or Seattle (4th, 5th,6th) We like music across the board.. along the lines of.....the shins, the arcade fire, band of horses, good hip hop etc..you get the idea. Maybe there is a website for a venue that might post up and coming shows that someone can suggest?

We are planning to move to the area, and are trying to decide what city and state (Oregon or Washington) we want to choose. Are there any day trips from either Portland or Seattle where we can explore outlying neighborhoods and sightsee as well?

We%26#39;re thinking of going to the coast, to Cannon Beach and the state park near there (I forget the name) to try to see the whales migrating- anything else to check out near the coast?

Sorry for 1,000 questions. I have been helped on here before, and welcome any suggestions.

Thanks for taking the time to assist!!!

Portland next week- hiking/music/sightseeing adv needed

Music concerts- check out Willamette Week Newspaper online and/or grab a paper when you get into town.

Day Hikes in the area- if you want to leave your car in the hotel parking lot- you could go to Forest Park in Portland.

There are quite a few trails in the Columbia Gorge-some are higher in elevation, but Triple Falls trail isn%26#39;t too big of a gain-should be free of snow, but I dont know for sure. Make sure you have a map of the trails-they all interconnect each other and they are pretty well marked, but you never know.

Alot of people suggest going to %26#39;wine country%26#39; south of portland for a day trip- if you take 99W you could kind of get a feel for the %26#39;burbs. If you go out to the gorge for a day hike, try traveling down any of the old %26#39;main drags%26#39; before the freeways were built. Like Sandy Blvd or Burnside/Stark St. It might not be the most picturesque way to go, but it would give you a feel for what the real city is like.

Coast is always good- I think if you go to Cannon Beach and Ecola St Park your day would be filled up...if you need something else try going to Oswald West St Park and hike down to Short Sands Beach and watch the crazy surfers.

Portland next week- hiking/music/sightseeing adv needed

Oswald West is a gorgeous State Park, I have some photos posted on this site if you%26#39;re interested. It is a nice little walk down to Short Sands, very pretty over a bridge and through a rainforest. My husband and daughter surf there quite often when we are on the coast.

Cannon Beach is very pretty, there is also a hike to Indian Beach from the main parking lot that is scenic and fun. You will also see surfers at Indian Beach and kayakers. Mo%26#39;s is a nice place to get clam chowder in Cannon Beach, there also a few other nice places to eat that we enjoy.

Astoria is a great place to visit, it is full of history and has been through so many changes since we purchased a home there several years ago. It is now a full tourist destination with the Maritime Museum, Fort Clatsop, Flavel House, Riverfront Trolley and much more. If you%26#39;re interested in history at all, this is a must see little town. My son was just there last week showing a first-time visitor around, she loved the area!

We also love the Seaside area, we have a beach cottage there so we are able to spend lots of time there in the summer. The prom is fun to walk or bike ride and the Necanicum River has some great crabbing there from the 12th St. Bridge. Have fun! :)

Based on the forecast, you shouldn%26#39;t have to worry about snow if you%26#39;re hiking in/around Portland, or even out the gorge. But do plan to get wet! Chinookgrrrrl gave some good suggestions, and Mtngrl might pipe in with a few more.

Check the forecast, before heading to the coast. The pass in the Coast Range is above 1000 ft, so, while it may be only raining in Portland, you could encounter snow on a drive to Cannon Beach. Again, I agree with chinookgrrrrl that Cannon Beach and Ecola St. Park are enough to fill a day; if you%26#39;re looking for crazy surfers, you%26#39;ll find them at Indian Beach too. But, if you%26#39;re up for the drive, I%26#39;d return to Portland via 101 south to Tillamook, then hwy 6, along the Wilson River back to Portland. I think that route%26#39;s more scenic than going through Astoria and hwy 30.

Wine country would be a nice day trip, but I doubt you%26#39;ll find any wineries open on Jan. 1 or 2, and even the 3rd might be questionable. Regardless, a drive from Portland down 43 through Lake Oswego, continuing south to Wilsonville, then NW to Sherwood, and back into Portland on 99W would give you a good feel for SW Portland suburban towns. Wine country is west of Sherwood, so if you started the drive mid-morning, you could have lunch at Dundee Bistro before tasting.

I replied re: your trip to Seattle and Portland. Depending upon when you arrive and depart, you might not have a full three days in either of the two cities, and daylight hours are fairly short now given our latitude. Given that information, I%26#39;d focus on comments provided that include the Columbia River Gorge, the dams if you have never seen %26#39;em up close and inside, and the waterfall and stream trails. Higher country trails are snow covered. With all available to see, and the uncertainty of the coastal weather, I%26#39;d question going as far as Oswald West State Park. Seaside is a teenager hangout and nowhere as scenic as further south, including Cannon Beach and Ecola SP. Have fun..

Come to think of it, if you skip Seaside, and if the weather is nice, I would go to Oswald West SP. By nice weather, I mean not pouring rain and not windy - at the same time :).

Will pretty much echo the other comments.

Triple Falls is a beautiful hike, but if it has been a cold night, you will find a couple slick ridges. The gorge has so many hikes, but if the weather is really cold (haven%26#39;t seen the forecast so have no idea) I would stick with Forest Park instead. Or head down towards Salem (well, NE of it) to Silver Falls State park. Nice 7 mile loop with 10 falls.

Ecola State Park by Cannon Beach is really nice. Hiking there is much more of a stroll vs hiking though, IMO. And like mistletoe said, the road over to the coast can be dicey.

Dundee Bistro, right in our wine country, is taking reservations for New Year%26#39;s Eve, if you will be here then.

We used to live north of Seattle, so could give you info on that too if you like. But really, it is hard...there are SO many things I would suggest (especially in the hiking area) and with only a few days it would be tough to narrow down.

Agree with Mtngrl, so many trails. So many beautiful areas. I suggest buying a book such as NW Trails, WA or OR Trails, through Amazon, REI, etc. They provide substantial information on location, elevation gain, season, etc. Like another poster, I, too, am puzzled about your search for trails vs. where to live. Guess you have your reasons...

thanks to everyone for all of your time and suggestions...this gives me a lot more to research!!

cannon beach/ecola state park is now officially on our agenda..

i think checking out the columbia river gorge and forest park will be good bets as well...

to answer the inquires about my intentions, i want to have fun...this is a vacation :-) we will be headed out there again before officially moving (probably more than once) not looking for a home this time around, just wanna have fun and see what there is to do. that will help us to make a choice as well.

again, i appreciate the help!!! :-)

Hi,

A number of people have recommended Cannon Beach, which is an awesome choice. Based on your age you must have grown up in the 80%26#39;s, which undoubtedly makes you fans of the movie The Goonies. Astoria is just up the coast from Cannon Beach. It is not as picturesque and much more of a working seaside town, but it is the location where Goonies was filmed. Me, my wife, and some friends had a good time checking out the various spots from the movie. We found it to be a fun, if somewhat weird, excursion.

Regarding where to see live music, check out the website

www.portlandmercury.com. I find the Mercury to be a better source for info on upcoming shows than the Willammette Weekly. You can%26#39;t go wrong with either one. If your unsure of the acts and just want to get out for some live music, I like the Doug Fir (it%26#39;s kind of hipster, but so am I), Laurelthirst, and a couple of taverns over on Mississippi.

Hope you have a great trip.

Lucero32, glad you enjoyed Astoria and the Goonie spots. We have a very good friend that lives right by the house, we%26#39;re surprised to see how many people still drive by to see it all the time. There have also been several other movies made in Astoria including The Ring 2, Ninja Turtles, Short Circuit, Benji the Hunted, Free Willy 1 %26amp; 2 and Kindergarten Cop. We love watching these movies filmed here. There was one filmed by the Cannery Pier Hotel last summer but the name escapes me now. :)