Ideas for a family trip in the summer

some ideas:

*Silver Falls State Park — amphitheater type falls — you can walk *underneath* three of them.

*Berry picking on Sauvie Island — don't necessarily stop at the big places, drive around a bit. Last summer we found a great smaller blueberry place a ways in (sorry, no idea what it was named, north-ish side of the island).

*If you've got the funds and can a get reservation the restaurant at Timberline Lodge is very good. Which would let you get up close to Hood w/out making your kids exert themselves too much.

*Lost Lake is nice for a day trip, or car camping, getting close to Hood. I've stayed in the group camp and one of the few lodge rooms. (The lodge rooms are odd — ours had three beds, yet no couch).

*The coast — Lots of options. Manzanita is my favorite. Depoe Bay has a resident pod of whales. Cannon Beach easy and has lots of shopping and food places.

*Bonneville Fish Hatchery — My kids have gone there on class field trips. Would get you out in the Gorge.

Further afield:

Have been meaning to get to the John Day Fossil Bed sites — three locations
Swing through Bend? We liked the High Desert Museum.

Hope that gets you started!

that's a good list

Multnomah Falls in Comubia Gorge – super busy so do mid week

Walk up Eagle Creek near by – maybe the steep cliff might scare you, agins, pretty busy

If you're driving back to California – Crater Lake, or Redwoods in Northern California – take 199 to Crescent City then South on 101. Prairie Creek Redwoods is a favorite because it's not so crowded, Avenue of the Giants…

wow! what a great list! Thanks to both of you for the recommendations. I'm going to be busy for a while to work on the list!

Hi Holly,

We have 9 and 11 yr olds. Oregon is one of our favorite destination which offers great outdoor opportunities without getting too serious.

One of the area that we love near Portland is Columbia River Gorge, where there are numerous waterfalls within short walking distances, including the famous Multnomah Falls. You can allow as little as a half day or a full day with a light hiking into some of the falls.

On the way down to California, you can explore central and southern Oregon. One place that you should definitely consider is the Treesort resort, which is a unique treehouse place, near the Oregon Caves in southern Oregon. They do get booked a year in advance, but we’ve always gotten lucky at the last minutes in the past. Other things to do would include white water rafting, guided fishing, clamming and so on… As previous post mentioned, Crater Lake is always breathtaking as well as multiple destinations in Redwoods. Crater Lake can be a little out of the way if you are only going there for a quick drive by, but you can work in more falls (also a hot springs) along the Umpqua/Rogue River.

We’ve done southern Oregon region last year and if you are interested I have a post here in post trip report with video link (just scroll down to Oregon video link)

CLICK HERE for the link to my posting

Family trip planning is a lot of work, but for me it’s half the fun. Hope this helps!

I have been on several family trips to Bend. I would highly recommend it! There is plenty of hiking near by. Scenic chair lift rides on Mt Bachelor are a good way to get kids to see some of the mountains. Short day hikes or longer over night trips near the Three Sisters are possible. Many bike trails for riders of all abilities and their are rentals, guides and shuttle available. River rafting/tubing. Lava tube caves. The Museum of the High Desert can't be missed. You could camp at Tumalo State Park or camp up in the mountains.