oregon.

We flew one way from Orange County to Portland Oregon. Though it’s usually more expensive, we always try to plan our trips around holidays, so as to get one more day off! Our trip to Oregon was the last week of May, incorporating Memorial Day as our bonus day. Since the flight was very short for us, we traveling ready to hike! As soon as we landed in Portland, we rented a car and drove straight to the Columbia River Gorge! The gorge is east of the airport and farther away from the city so I recommend going straight to the gorge when you land.

We parked at Wahkeena Falls and took the short hike to the infamous Multnomah Falls. The area surrounding these falls is very touristy including a gift shop, a restaurant, and a museum. The falls also has its own parking lot. The lot can get busy which is why we parked at Wahkeena. Since you can view the falls without hiking (wheelchair friendly) so many people only visit Multnomah. Make sure to walk across the bridge for another angle of the falls! From Multnomah, we continued on and hiked to Fairy Falls which was a much less crowded hike. Don’t let this trail fool you, you will come across many steep switchbacks.

After the Columbia River Gorge, we drove through Portland and worked our way to Cannon Beach. The drive from downtown to Cannon Beach is just under two hours. The drive is beautiful, I’ve never seen so much green.

Cannon Beach, home of the famous Goonies rock, is a quaint beach town that reminds me of a town out of a children’s book. It’s one of those towns where the locals all know each other and the tourists come to get away and relax. In May, we had the town to ourselves, but I have heard that June - August brings the crowds.

We only spent one night in Cannon Beach, but we enjoyed every minute of exploring the wide beach and getting up close to the rock. The rock was surrounded by active tide pools and puffins flew all around the top of the rock.

The next morning, after enjoying a slow and relaxing breakfast, we decided to explore more of the coast. We drove north to the fishing town of Astoria. Exploring via car gives you so many opportunities of adventure. We loved the coast and continued our drive and little did we know, Astoria is home to several breweries! We went to the Maritime Museum, learned about the history of Astoria and the importance fishing has on Northern Oregon, and then we enjoyed a couple of breweries before hitting the road back towards Portland.

If you have the opportunity to drive a different route when traveling, rather than back tracking, do it. You will get to see parts of our country that many others simply bypass. You will get to experience small town America and view and appreciate so many different ways of life. Astoria, you’re a small but mighty town.

Portland is an easy, walkable city. We stayed right downtown and were able to walk to everything. I encourage you to simply grab a cup of coffee (there’s a coffee shop on every corner!) and wander. We strolled past the famous Powell’s Bookstore, Cartlandia (food trucks for days), and ended up in the Pearl District. This district is home to dozens of breweries. I can’t think of anything better, hikes, coffee, and breweries.

Where We Stayed:

In Cannon Beach, we stayed at The Surf Sand Resort (dog-friendly). You guys, this might be my most favorite hotel ever. This hotel was recently renovated and is right on the beach. We walked out of our hotel room and were immediately in the sand. Our room was spacious and had an electric fireplace. The hotel even hosted beachside bonfires and s’mores at sunset. I can’t wait to stay here again.

In Portland, we stayed at Hotel Rose by Staypineapple (dog-friendly). I had heard that Staypineapple’s were unique hotels to stay at and was very excited for this hotel. Though a great hotel, there was nothing too special about this one other than it was walking distance to everything downtown. I would stay here again, but nothing to scream from the rooftops about.

Where We Ate:

In Cannon Beach, we had fresh seafood at Mo’s Seafood and Chowder. This is a very casual (paper plates and picnic tables indoor) and family friendly restaurant that is right on the beach. The prices were really affordable for seafood and beachside.

For breakfast, we dined at the Lazy Susan Cafe. This might be the smallest restaurant I’ve ever been too. There were maybe six tables inside and the place was so busy! We walked by and couldn’t walk past the smells so we waited for a table. They shuffle people in and out pretty fast so the wait was real quick. Make sure to enjoy one of their homemade pastries!

Breweries:

Pelican Brewing, in Cannon Beach, has a patio with fire pits and even a walk up window to order from! This is a great, local hang out and walking distance from the beach.

In Portland, it’s hard to choose which breweries to go too. We visited 10 Barrel Brewing, if you like sours, this is the place to go! They are well known for their Cucumber Crush. 10 Barrel also has a really neat rooftop bar. Down the street from 10 Barrel is Rogue Brewing which has several crafts to choose from. Von Ebert brewing had a wonderful food menu! Our last stop of the night for dinner and drinks was at Deschutes Brewing. Deschutes is growing in popularity and their brewery was really nice and the food was high quality, especially for a brewery.

In Astoria, we stopped at Fort George Brewing as well as Buoy Brewing. Fort George was huge and had a pizza place attached! I loved the Divinity Brew and the Double Hockey Sticks. So. Good. Buoy Brewing was on a pier and part of the floor is clear so you walk over the water. You can look down and watch the sea lions playing. So unique! I’m not usually a big cranberry fan but their Cranberry Saison was delish.

Best Time To Visit:

Early Summer

seattle.

the ultimate pacific north west trip.