Oregon – with its snowcapped mountains, deep blue lakes, rolling sand dunes, and gorgeous coastline, is the perfect state to explore on a week long roadtrip. We recommend renting a van so you can stay at a mix of campgrounds and AirBnBs on this road trip through the pacific northwest. Read on for an exciting itinerary that includes a little bit of everything from hiking, to atv’s, to sandboarding, to salmon fishing and so much more!

Overall Itinerary:

Day 1:

This adventure starts by flying into Portland, OR. We rented an Escape Campervan which we picked up a short uber ride from the airport and headed east out of the city. On our way to Trillium Lake we planned to stop at Multnomah Falls which is a quick pitstop off the highway, but unfortunately due to covid it was closed in August of 2020. Instead we stopped at Ferment brewery and watched hundreds of Kite boarders and wind surfers at Hood River Waterfront Park. It was a beautiful pitstop on the hood river. Because we were travelling in August we hit peak Lavender season and stopped at Lavender Valley, which had beautiful views of Mt Hood in the background. The season for lavender is mid June through July, they were still in full bloom early August, but begin harvesting typically towards the end of August. Trillium lake sits below Mt Hood and has a few options for non-motorized water activities like paddle boarding and canoes. We setup camp at Still Creek Campground and cooked our first van dinner in ‘Prickles’.

Day 2:

On day 2 we headed south towards Bend, OR. Along the route we stopped at Smith Rock State Park where we hiked up Misery Ridge to River trail which looped back to the parking lot. The first half was a steady incline, but you are rewarded with great views of the rock formations, river and valley. We grabbed lunch in Bend then picked up some floats to ride down the Deschutes River. There’s a couple options for where to put in and exit along the river depending on how long you want go. We had friends help us drop our van off at Drake Park and then gave us a ride to Riverbend Park where we put in at. Its a very relaxing float trip with a few fun rapids under Colorado Avenue Bridge. We opted for an AirBnB in Bend so we could stay downtown and explore the cute bar/restaurant scene. We ate at Dogwood which had amazing cocktails!

Day 3:

On Day 3 we left Bend for Crater Lake National Park. We caught the first glimpse of the lake from above and the whole van let out a “woahhh” in unison. The photos show the deep blue color, but seeing it in person is beyond striking. We found our campground and then headed to Cleetwood Cove hike which is the only hike that takes you all the way down to the shoreline. When you get to the bottom keep heading right and you will find a small cliff to jump off of. The water is cold and that’s definitely the best way to get in! There’s plenty of room to keep wandering till you find some nice rocks to chill out and enjoy the crystal clear waters for a bit before trekking back up. It’s a 2.2 mile roundtrip hike so we were able to venture on to Watchman Peak hike which is another short trek up to a fire lookout with views overlooking the lake. The sun sets behind the lookout so you will start to get some shadowing on the island near sunset.

Day 4:

We spent one more day at Crater Lake for day 4. We hiked Mount Scott which I’d highly recommend. It had some of the best views of the lake from a distance. After the hike we went to Crater lake lodge which has a nice back patio over looking the lake. It would’ve bee a great place to grab an afternoon snack and drinks, but was closed to the public in 2020 due to covid. We spent the rest of the day exploring around our campsite which was at Mazama Village Campground.

Day 5:

Day 5 we headed to the coast. If you are interested in visiting natural hot springs while in Oregon the Umpqua Hot Springs would be a good stop along this route. Its a minor detour, but they looked really cool when we were researching. Unfortunately, they were also closed due to covid. We made it to the sand dunes just north of Coos Bay and rented Polaris atv’s from Spinreel. They were great to work with and are located right across from the sand dunes for super easy access. They provide a map and you can make your way out to the coast as well as tear up the big dunes. After a few nights of camping we decided to stay in a lovely Airbnb overlooking Ten Mile lake. This AirBnB had a beautiful outdoor space so we enjoyed a relaxing home cooked meal and fire at night.

Day 6:

On day 6 we headed up the coast to Cape Kiwanda where we spent the night camping in Pacific City right across from the beach at Webb County Campground. We stopped in Florence, OR where there is a few shops to pickup rental sand boards. We rented a couple stellar boards and backtracked to Jesse M. Honeyman Memorial State Park where we spent a few hours hanging out, riding down the sand dune, watching each other wipe out and enjoying the lake views. We continued the day making our way north along the Pacific Coast Highway. We stopped at Thor’s Well which is a quick stop right off the highway. We also drove up to the top of Saint Perpetua Trail for a great view of the coastline from above. You can chose to hike up or take the easy route like we did and just drive to the lookout (hiking the sand dunes was enough of a workout for the day). We also made a pitstop at Rogue Brewery which sits just under the Yaquina Bay Bridge and is a great place to try a flight of beers. We finished the day setting up camp and watching sunset on Pacific City Beach.

Day 7:

Day 7 started with a fun workout climbing up the huge hill at Cape Kiwanda which was walking distance from our campground. We hiked up it a few times and then ran into the pacific ocean. We had to earn our first stop of the day which was Tillamook Creamery and the most delicious ice cream treat. We continued north along the coast up to Seaside with quick stops at Cannon Beach and Haystack Rock. In the afternoon we golfed 9 holes at the lovely Highlands golf club. It was a fun walking course through a beautiful neighborhood with coastal views and we were able to rent clubs for a reasonable price. We enjoyed dinner in Seaside which has a nice boardwalk along the beach and great restaurant options. Maggie’s on the Prom was the perfect location and had wonderful food.

Day 8:

Day 8 was an early start before the sun rose to kickoff an amazing day Salmon Fishing on the Columbia River. We booked a private trip with Captain Phil: 971-221-9363. He had the perfect boat for fishing, all the right gear, and plenty of fishing stories to keep us entertained. We packed our own food and drinks and had the best time! After a full day of fishing we stopped at Bouy Brewing to celebrate our catch and check out the sea lions who hang out below the deck.

Day 9:

We headed back to Portland, returned our trusty campervan and flew home.

Hope you enjoyed taking a peak into our Oregon adventures and can plan a trip of your own one day. Feel free to drop any questions in the comments!