I am a lover of all trips, but girls' trips will always hold a special place in my heart! For Spring Break 2021, some of my girl friends and I headed to Portland, Oregon, rented a car, and explored the stunning coast of Oregon. We truly had the most epic time and to date, this my be one of my best-planned trips!
Flying to Portland, Oregon
My friends and I are all from the Midwest, therefore, flying anywhere in the U.S. is a relatively short flight, however we are not located in the same city as a major airport. Usually we have to travel 2 hours to the nearest airport OR even further to Chicago for international flights.
For this trip, we flew out of Minneapolis, Minnesota for convenience-ish and the price! We found a pretty good flight deal with Delta AND the bonus was that Delta was still not booking passengers in ANY middle seats. This made for probably the most comfortable flight I have ever been on. This is one Covid protocol that I wish would have stayed around.
We had a magnificent flight-time as well. As we were arriving to Portland, we had spectacular views of Mount Hood from the airplane. Check out that view!
Little did we know, this was just the beginning of the great views that we would see on this trip!
Day 1: Portland, Oregon
Before cruising down the coast, we stayed for 2 nights in Portland to explore the city and the surrounding area like Multnomah Falls, the Hood River, Mount Hood, & the Timberline Lodge.
Where We Stayed:
Typically on our girls' trips we are all about budget-friendly options, and most of that is about where we stay. As long as it is a safe location, we don't necessarily care how nice it is or about amenities. This is because literally only spend time there to sleep! We are always on the go while traveling, from the morning until later at night.
We always go the AirBnb.com route. In Portland, we stayed in a very cute apartment with an old-school elevator, a claw-foot bathtub, two bedrooms and a full kitchen. The best part is, it was super cheap & comfortable! I still think about how comfortable the pillows on my bed there were. It was also in a decent location, we did a lot of walking to explore the area. Click here to check it out!
What We Explored:
We arrived in Portland in the evening, with just enough time to grab our rental car & check into our AirBnb before setting out to find dinner and some drinks.
We walked to the famous Deschutes Brewery, but unfortunately there was a super long wait (this was back when Covid protocals in Portland were still very strict- I'm surprised looking back that indoor dining was even open then). We settled for a smaller brewery across the street called, 10 Barrel Brewing Company. It was decent & we were happy to get some real food and some flights of beer.
The next morning we were set for our first road trip adventure to Multnomah Falls, The Timberline Lodge, & everything in between. This was going to take us in a big loop bringing us back to Portland by suppertime.
Multnomah Falls- 35 minutes from Portland
Multnomah Falls was recommended for us to check out while we were still near Portland. I am glad we did this first, before we set off down the coast, mostly because it is cool but it is not amazing. It is pretty touristy for a few reasons; the hike is short, you can see the waterfall from the parking lot, and it is free to get in!
When we went it was very busy, but the further you hike the more the crowd thins out. We were not quite sure what to expect on the hike, so we came a bit overly prepared with snacks and water, however, it was practically unnecessary and even small children were able to conquer the hike up to the top of the falls.
Don't get me wrong, it was cool and worth seeing but we definitely did and saw cooler things on other trips and later on in this trip.
The hike starts at the bottom of the falls, with a view straight to the top. It continues over two bridges, through a series of switchbacks, & ends at the top of the falls where you can overlook the water falling down to the ground below.
Of course we had to stop along the switch backs to take cute pictures!
Mount Hood & Timberline Lodge- 1 hr 42 minutes to Portland
The next big stop on our loop was the Timberline Lodge, on Mount Hood. On the way we stopped in a town along the Hood River to grab some lunch & to shop a bit. The whole time we were driving, we could see Mount Hood getting bigger and bigger, closer and closer.
Eventually we hit some snow and made our way up the mountain. At the top is the famous Timberline Lodge from the movie, the Shining. It is now a ski resort. We decided to hangout for a bit, to take in the views from the top of the mountain while enjoying a beverage.
Note : Unfortunately we could not go into the Timberline Lodge hotel part, because people do stay there. It probably does not look the same anymore, anyway, but who knows! We were mostly just excited to be in the mountains, watching the skiers and to get a drink & snack!
Afterward, we made our way back down the mountain and looped back to Portland, getting back just in time to go back to the AirBnb to freshen up & then head out for dinner!
Day 2: Cannon Beach & Oceanside
This day was a bit crazy & not ideal for us, as far as efficient planning goes. One of the girls in our trip could not fly out with us and was going to be a coming later on this day. That caused us to have to find another day trip that we we did not miss anything on our agenda while waiting. We decided the best decision was to drive to the coast and then drive back to Portland and then back to Oceanside (see our map below), even though it was more driving and shortened our time in Cannon Beach and Oceanside a bit. Again, not ideal, but it worked out in the end!
If you were planning to do this trip, you wouldn't have that problem (hopefully) and would drive to the coast to Cannon Beach & then continue down to Oceanside in an efficient manner.
What We Explored:
That morning we got up early, grabbed some Dutch Bros. Coffee (my fave!) & drove the 2 hours to Cannon Beach. Unfortunately the weather was not great for us. It was gloomy, rainy & cold.
We did not stay long at Cannon Beach because of the weather. Instead we decided to make some stops around the area, parking our car to get out & walk to snap some photos. We stopped at Hug Point State Recreation Site & Oswald State Park.
In Oswald State Park, we parked our car and go out to do a very short, easy hike of 1.2 miles out and back called Short Sand Beach Trail. It ended at Short Sand Beach, pictured above and had us walking through very beautiful trees and foliage! It was a lovely trail and ended with a beautiful view, even if it was still gloomy, windy & cold.
At this point we had to make the trip back toward Portland to pick our friend up from the airport. We had to stay on schedule to pick her up and to make it to Oceanside by dinnertime! We had plans with her distant family members who live in Oceanside to have dinner at their beach house- this ended up being one of my favorite parts of the trip (even if it messed up our itinerary for day 2).
Her relatives met us in Oceanside, showed us how to get to their beach house, and prepared an amazing dinner for us of soft shell crab, seafood paella (a Spanish dish that is my absolute favorite because I studied abroad in Spain), crema cataloña (another Spanish dish similar to creme brûlée) and delicious wine! It was FABULOUS!
Where We Stayed:
After dinner, with very full bellies and wine buzzes, we headed to our hotel for the night. The AirBnb options were slim in Oceanside so we ended up at a hotel in Tillamook. This set us up perfectly for the next days' agenda which included The Tillamook Creamy!
Day 3: Tillamook Creamery, 3 Lookouts, & God's Thumb
Our day was full of driving, stopping to get out and take pictures & look at the views & hiking! These kinds of days are often my favorite because you cover a lot of ground, get to see a lot, & do not spend too long doing one thing! And, of course before setting off on our adventures down the coast, we had to stop at Dutch Bros. Coffee to fuel up for the day!
What We Explored:
Stop #1: Cape Meares- We took our coffees up to Cape Meares to drink them with a view of the ocean! On our way back down to Tillamook a tree fell over in front of our car- it was a good thing our car was very small & short! And, of course, we stopped to snap a fun picture (see photo below).
Stop #2: Cape Lookout State Park- We drove 30 minutes to our next stop, Cape Lookout State Park, where we parked and walked on the beach with plans to go on a longish 4.6 mile hike called Cape Trail. We were VERY bummed to find out that this trail was closed due to fallen trees from storms. It was supposed to be a very scenic hike with cliffs high above the ocean. Someday I will have to go back...
We ended up walking longer on the beach to stretch our legs and get some steps in!
Stop #3- Tillamook Creamery: By this point it was getting to be lunchtime and we were ready to get some food before heading even futher down the coast. Everyone I talked to & many blogs stated that the Tillamook Creamery was a must-do! We headed there for lunch, shopping, & of course, ice cream.
Ice cream in hand, we hopped in the car ready for our next leg down the coast.
Stop #4- Cape Kiwanda: From Tillamook we drove another 40 minutes to Cape Kiwanda near Pacific City. This was the final of the 3 Cape Lookouts that were on our itinerary. Here we again parked to prepare for a hike- this one much shorter- of just 1 mile. It did have some pretty gnarly elevation AND it was in sand! It ended up being challenging enough that we felt we deserved a beer after it! A restaurant called Pelican Brewing Company is right there by the parking lot where this trail starts & has incredible views of the haystacks. Both the hike and the beer after were very scenic!
Stop #5: God's Thumb- (To read a more descriptive post about the hike itself God's Thumb, Go check out my post on My Hikes of 2021.) From Pacific City we continued south another 37 minutes to near Lincoln City. We did not really know what to expect for our stop at God's Thumb. We knew we were going to have to hike, but that can mean a variety of different things depending on where it is!
This stop ended up being surprisingly incredible! The views were breathtaking, the hike was challenging and just the right length (especially since we did not get to do the other long hike scheduled for today). If we had done the other hike, we probably would have skipped God's Thumb, for time's sake, and totally would have missed out!
The hike was 4.6 miles out and back, was muddy and and challenging! Luckily we are all decently experienced hikers and the weather was beautiful.
Luckily this was our last true stop of the day because we were MUDDY!
Where We Stayed:
Before getting to our stay for the night, we had to stop for dinner. It was getting late & we were getting very hungry. We trekked on another 40 minutes from Lincoln City to the town where we were staying for the night- Newport. Luckily, I've always got restaurants in our itinerary to make picking a place in a pinch really easy. Having to decide amongst a group of hangry girls is never easy. I have learned that having a recommended place picked out ahead of time will save friendships haha! (not kidding though)
That being said, we headed straight for Mo's Seafood & Chowder. Luckily, being a Monday night, it was not busy and we got in right away with fast service! We all ate some delicious fried seafood & had some much-deserved drinks (hiking always earns alcoholic beverages- you cannot change my mind on that!). Mo's is right down by Bay so we got to see that too!
And finally, after a very long day it was time to head to our hotel for the night and get some showers and sleep! Again, we ended up in a hotel room for the night. It did have a view of the ocean, so that was nice!
Day 4: Newport Area- Lighthouses, Sea Lions, Wells & More!
Another day full of driving and scenic stops! I thought the previous day was my favorite of this trip, however, this one definitely gives it a run for its' money.
What We Explored:
Note: We did have to go back up the coast a little bit to hit some of these stops but it did not matter too much- it was so worth it to do!
Stop #1: Newport Bayfront- Since we arrived to Newport as it was getting dark, we wanted to make sure we got to see the bay in the daylight. We woke up early, checked out of our hotel and headed to the bay for breakfast. We found a cute little restaurant with a large breakfast menu and a view of the bay. We could even hear the sea lions while we ate- they sure are loud!
Stop #2: Devil's Punchbowl State Natural Area- Heading up the coast about 15 minutes, we hit Devils Punchbowl State Natural Area first. It is basically a cave where the water churns and there are tide pools there. We arrived as the water was starting to rise so we did not get to spend too much time down by the pools before we had to skeddadle!
Stop #3: Yaquina Head Lighthouse- This stop is a bit more touristy, but way cool and worth it! You do have to walk from the parking lot but it is paved & bonus: if you have a National Park Annual Pass, you get your car in for free!
First we walked straight to the water to see if we could catch any of the tide pool action before the tide rose too high. I definitely should have looked into the ideal times to arrive in order to see the tide pools before we went.
We got there just in time to see a few starfish & a few other creatures before the tide pools became covered. The waves coming up on the rocks on this beach sounds incredible, so we decided to sit and enjoy the sounds while soaking up some sun before heading back up to explore near the lighthouse.
Stops 1-3: breakfast, sea lions, tide pools & the lighthouse
Lunch Break: We stopped for lunch in Newport before heading further down the coast. We ate at the highly recommended Nana's Irish Pub. We all LOVE Irish food since all of us have been there. My friend, Andrea, and I went on a girls' trip to Ireland for Spring Break in 2019 and my friend Courtney actually studied abroad & lived in Ireland!
We also explored a bit in the area near Nye Beach and look photos by a cute street art sign!
Stop #4: Cape Perpetua Scenic Area- A very quick stop for us! We just drove up, spent a few minutes at the lookout and then moved on. You could definitely pick from a variety of hiking trails to complete here and I believe there is camping too!
Stop #5: Thor's Well & Devil's Churn- We spent more time here, mostly because you park near Devil's Churn, hop on a boardwalk to see it & then walk about 15 minutes to get to Thor's Well. You can get off of the boardwalk near Thor's Well and get right down close to it.
It is very intriguing to just sit and watch! I was definitely a bit afraid to get too close to it. It is pretty powerful and I definitely did not want to accidentally fall in.
Stop #6: Heceta Head Lighthouse- From Thor's Well we drove 15 minutes to the second lighthouse of the day where we parked & hiked a short distance up the closest we could get to the lighthouse. During stops like this we always love to pull out road trip questions to ask each other!
Note: near here there is a famous stop for sea lion caves, but we did not stop for 2 reasons. 1: you have to pay to get to it. 2: we had already seen sea lions this morning
Stops 5 & 6: Devil's Churn, Thor's Well, & Heceta Head Lighthouse
Where We Stayed:
After another day full of lots of stops and sights, we decided we wanted to get to our AirBnb so we could relax and cook dinner at home. We made a quick pit stop at the grocery store in the town where we were staying, Coos Bay. We knew our home had a grill so we got meats, asparagus, & potatoes to grill and enjoy in our yard area. Our house was super cute & perfect for our stay. Click here to check it out!
Sometimes it is great to just relax at the house, make a home-cooked meal, and enjoy each other's company while reminiscing on the trip so far. Sometimes these are my favorite memories from a trip.
Day 5: Bandon Beach, State Parks & Sand Dunes
For our last day along the Oregon Coast we hit up the highly recommended Bandon Beach first. Again we grabbed our Dutch Bros. Coffee and took it with us to enjoy it with a view. At Bandon Beach, you can go down and walk along the beach which has huge haystack rocks even up on the sand. It is pretty incredible, however, there were other beaches we saw that I enjoyed more. Sorry, mom! haha (my mom said Bandon Beach was her all-time favorite spot in Oregon)
After hanging out on Bandon Beach for the morning, we headed to an area nearby which had lots of shops for browsing and Tony's Crab Shack. We stopped there to have a lunch of clam chowder & crab sandwiches- as recommended on TripAdvisor! As we were finishing eating, a man who worked there came out to snap our photo while we shouted out WE LOVE CRABS!
After filling up on so much food, we decided we needed another walk. So, we drove about an hour to Cape Arago State Park and Shore Acres State Park. There we parked and just kind of blindly explored until we met a man who walked with us and showed us a beached elephant seal! After walking off our bloated-ness, we got back in the car due to head back to Portland for our last night before heading home.
Along the way we kept seeing signs for sand dunes. Unfortunately I had not done a lot of research ahead of time on them so we possibly missed the best place to stop to see them. We found just a small area to check out some dunes and take some cute photos.
Then, it was back to Portland for our last night in Portland & early flights back home. It was quite a long drive back up north to Portland and we got back pretty late, but it was the end of the trip and we were all exhausted anyways! By the time we got to our stay, we all showered & hit the hay... morning comes extra fast when you have a 7:00 a.m. flight back home and a long day of traveling ahead of ya!
Overall, the trip was so much fun, the weather we experienced was for the most part great, our group got along fantastically, and we got to see everything we planned to and more! We discovered some new favorite things- like hiking in the mud. We bonded and learned more about each other. We ate great food and also had excellent coffee, what more could I ask for!?
"Checkin' it off the bucket list!"
-Mackensie
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