So after the last 2.5 years of moving city, buying/selling houses, ACL reconstruction etc etc. I have the goal of a really decent holiday next year. Currently thinking Washington and Oregon for 2.5 weeks in late Aug/Sept. Mix of hiking (a 3 or so day trek appeals) and biking (probably will just hike bikes out there). I’ve been to Portland for work twice and stayed at Timberland Lodge at Mount Hood but not explored. Suggestions of locations to visit would be very welcome. Will take tent but also plan to book some Airbnb’s etc too.

Hi

Did a 3 week holiday through Washington and Oregon a couple of years ago.

Stayed mostly in cheapish hotels and did the usual suspects – Bend, Hood River, Oakridge.

Great part of the world and some awesome riding.

I’ve got a spreadsheet for the trip that shows the places we stayed, rides we did etc. Happy to share with you if you’re interested?

TheRack has pretty much nailed it, get back to Hood and the cascades, over into the high desert and Mt Bachelor/Bend.

Also some epic coast lines and wind surfing on Hood river.

In Washington there is the Hoh rain forest and tons of riding on the Olympic peninsula.

https://olympicpeninsulacycling.com/riding-hurricane-ridge/

As you can tell I love this part of the work (home town is Portland)

We stayed in Bend last year. I ain’t so great at cheap places but we stayed in McMenamins Old St. Francis School which is quirky, and nicely done – we kept bikes in our rooms – and is central to Bend.

Can give you tips on food and coffee. And we did some activities with various companies.

Highlights include going down the deshcutes river in a tube and smacking the back of my head open on a rock on what looked like family grade rapids. 🙂

Bend was a lovely place, and had some stunning homes.

Been over a couple of times. Rented homes through VRBO.com, plenty about especially ski area in summer. Had a week on Bainbridge Island in Seattle, a good base for the city and travel around the Hood, Kitsap areas. Rented at Mt Baker Ski Village, fantastic for hiking, day trips over to Vancouver, whale watching out of Bellingham.

Another time we stayed in Tacoma and did tours out round Olympia, including the rain forest, the ridge and the hot springs. Mt Rainier is spectacular, the area called Paradise is well worth a trip. Mt St Helen’s a must for anybody into geology, very good visitor centre and hikes too. We headed for Portland but it was in the middle of a heatwave, over 100F, so we only stayed a day and went to Seaside on the coast and swam among the seals.

The Cascades passes are worth a look too, we went inland over Stevens Pass to Leavenworth (bizarre recreated Bavarian village), and back over Snoqualmie. The scale of the rivers comes as a shock to us, rivers you’ve never heard of are huge, and the Colombia is immense. Tubing and rafting available all over the place.

Keeping an eye on this thread for future trips.

Didn’t get Seattle at all. Portland confused us! The coast is just so pretty, and makes you feel small. Every coastal restaurant does bonkers chowder. Inland is so varied – foothills, productive valleys, big mountains that explode, high deserts. Lots of classic cars out and about. Bend is Bend. Kind of a classic US small town. Geology of area blows my head. Lots of riding. Weather can be interesting. Enjoy!

I’d forgotten Leavenworth! Do they still do the piped music??

Oh yes, the piped music follows you round the town. Seattle isn’t a huge place as US cities go, but with Boeing and tech companies, it’s vibrant and has plenty to see for a few days, but the whole idea of the PNW is the outdoors.

Terrible place to go, please leave all the awesome scenery, coastlines, hiking, biking and breweries just for me. 😉

Great part of the world. Did 3 weeks out there last year…

We started off in Seattle and headed to Olympic NP – take the Bainbridge Ferry following breakfast at Lowell’s.  As you’re camping you’ve got loads of options to stay in some stunning locations – there are hundreds of campsites in WA/OR state parks, but August/September I’d advise booking ahead if you can (do-able on-line) – most sites have some first-come-first-served pitches, but you’ll be in peak season.  Good hikes over Hurricane Ridge, Mount Olympus, Hoh Rain Forest (it will rain), beaches at La Push….

Then we headed down Oregon coast taking in as much as possible, including Cannon Beach, to Newport before heading inland over to Bend, dropping down via Crater Lake.  Crater Lake’s good for hikes, apparently, we were there in June last year and most of it was still under snow, so didn’t manage much.  But Bend is the ultimate destination and worth basing at – loads of places are within a short drive (Smith’s Rock, Tumulo SP, Paulina Peak).   We stayed at Wall Street Suites to treat ourselves after camping most of the time – definitely recommended, but not cheap!   If you’re into good beer, Bend is about as good as it gets (ok, a close second to Portland) – loads of microbreweries, Bend Ale Trail, free tour at Deschutes (including samples) if booked ahead.

Then Mount Hood, Columbia Gorge (see the waterfalls) and Rainier back to Seattle.

Have fun!

When we were in Washington, we went up to Rainier and Paradise, then across to Olympic park.

Hoh rainforest is amazing, want to go back for some multi day walks. There is some fantastic beaches on the peninsula as well.