Oregon Bad Weather Itinerary

This itinerary focused on spending a week in the state of Oregon.

The main purpose of this trip was to sample the plethora of waterfalls that were here – both within the famous Columbia River Gorge as well as outside the waterfall-rich area.

And although we had a pretty elaborate plan of visiting many of the state’s major waterfalls, we had to make last-minute cancellations and alternate bookings in response to a late Winter storm that dumped enough snow in the mountains to force us to look towards the coast.

Here’s a brief summary of what we managed to accomplish on this trip…

Trip Map

Latourell Falls – This impressive plunging waterfall was the first one that we saw while driving through the Columbia River Gorge on a very rainy day. It was very easy to visit, and the full flow with all the greenery around us was a precursor for the kind of scenery we were in for at other waterfalls in the area.

Multnomah Falls – This was the first time we saw one of Oregon’s most iconic waterfalls, and we happened to see it during a rain storm so it was as thick as we would probably ever see it. The cozy Multnomah Falls Lodge kind of helped us warm up a bit after shivering from getting rained and misted on, but it never detracted from the beauty that we were witnessing both inside and outside the lodge.

White River Falls – While the Columbia River Gorge was getting socked in with rain, we retreated east of the Cascades to experience this series of waterfalls well southeast of The Dalles. Not only was it quiet where we were at, but the weather was so much better as we were in the rainshadow of the Cascades, where the scenery was noticeably different from the fern-filled misty climate further to the west.

Elowah Falls – While most of the waterfalls in the Columbia River Gorge were so easy to visit that they attracted crowds, this one was refreshingly quieter because it required a hike to reach. Similar in characteristic to Latourell Falls, it was a big plunge waterfall surrounded by vertical lava rock cliffs.

Horsetail Falls and Ponytail Falls – While Horsetail Falls was so easy to visit that it can make people take waterfalls of this size for granted, the smaller Ponytail Falls required an uphill hike to reach, but it was a more intimate experience as we also got to go behind it.

Triple Falls – This waterfall took a bit of effort to reach, but it’s not often that you get triple segmented waterfalls of this size in such wild scenery. Of course being as wild as it was, I definitely had to exercise caution as the view was at the edge of a cliff with no railings to hold you back.

Waterfalls of Silver Falls State Park – This state park featured ten named waterfalls all accessible from a single trail or from a series of different trailheads to break up the physical exertion. Most of the waterfalls here even let you go behind them! Among the highlights of this highlight included South Falls, Lower South Falls, North Falls, and Middle North Falls among others.

Sea Lion Cave – Maybe the bad weather on this trip was a blessing in disguise because it forced us to retreat to the Oregon Coast and vary up our priorities to be less waterfall-centric. Thus, we opened our minds to other possibilities, and this cave was one such pleasant surprise.

Silver Falls and Golden Falls – Not to be mistaken for the Silver Falls State Park by Silverton, Oregon, this pair of waterfalls was inland from Coos Bay and they were quite impressive given the bad weather which really made them put on a show.

Bandon – This town on the Oregon Coast featured beaches with attractive rocks protruding from the turbulent seas as well as a historic town. As an improvisation given the bad weather, it turned out to be one of the more memorable and romantic places we stayed at during this trip.

Oregon Coast – This scenic stretch between Bandon and Cannon Beach featured rugged coastlines with sea arches off the coast, extensive sand dunes, and attractive lighthouses. We happened to stop for places like the Three Arch Rocks, Cape Meares, Cape Kiwanda, and some parts of the Oregon Dunes. And even though it was just a small sampling of what was here, it was enough to compel us to come back for more (hopefully under better weather).

Cannon Beach – Roughly 2 hours drive west of Portland was this scenic beach town with its own stretch of attractive sandy beaches and tall sea stacks, especially the well-known Haystack Rock. Like with Bandon, we found this place to be one of the more romantic spots along the Oregon Coast, and it once again affirmed to us that the bad weather was probably a blessing in disguise for exposing us to places like these.

Portland – We happened to return to the city just when the weather finally cleared up. And that was when we were treated to a beautiful cherry blossom along the Willamette River. We were also enjoying the views of Mt Hood from the Japanese Garden as well as a quaint Chinese Garden inspired by those found in Suzhou (both of which would be precursors to what we’d encounter on our anticipated China and Japan trip within a month). And then, there was the Council Crest Park, where we saw snow-covered volcanoes around us from Mt Hood, Mt St Helens, Mt Adams, and even Mt Rainier in the distance!

Day 1: Fly from Los Angeles to Portland

Overnight: Clarion Hotel Portland Airport (Portland, Oregon, USA)

After catching a morning flight to Portland, we then picked up the rental car, then attempted to visit Curly Creek Falls before snow turned us back. So we wound up spending the afternoon walking about the city center of Portland.

Day 2: Drive from Portland to Cascade Locks

Overnight: Best Western Columbia River Inn (Cascade Locks, Oregon, USA)

On this rainy day, we drove through the Columbia River Gorge and stopped for waterfalls along the way. Among them were the Latourell Falls, Shepperds Dell Waterfall, Bridal Veil Falls, Wahkeena Falls, Multnomah Falls, and Horsetail Falls.

Day 3: Columbia River Gorge and Tygh Valley

Overnight: Best Western Columbia River Inn (Cascade Locks, Oregon, USA)

We started the day driving east of the Columbia River Gorge visiting Starvation Creek Falls along the way. Then, we continued to Tygh Valley to visit the White River Falls. Afterwards, we returned to the Columbia River Gorge towards Eagle Creek, where we visited the Metlako Falls and Punch Bowl Falls. Finally, we visited the Wahclella Falls, Elowah Falls, and Multnomah Falls.

Day 4: Drive from Cascade Locks to Silverton

Overnight: Oregon Garden Resort (Silverton, Oregon, USA)

We began the day visiting more waterfalls in the Columbia River Gorge, including Horsetail Falls, Ponytail Falls, Middle Oneonta Falls, Triple Falls, Multnomah Falls, Wahkeena Falls, and Latourell Falls. We also visited the Vista House while driving the Old Columbia River Highway.

We ended off the day with a taster of the Silver Falls State Park by visiting South Falls and North Falls.

Day 5: Silver Falls State Park

Overnight: Oregon Garden Resort (Silverton, Oregon, USA)

On this day, it was all about visiting all 10 majorwaterfalls in Silver Falls State Park – Upper North Falls, South Falls, Lower South Falls, Winter Falls, Twin Falls, Middle North Falls, Drake Falls, Lower North Falls, and Double Falls.

Day 6: Drive from Silverton to Eugene

Overnight: Comfort Suites (Eugene, Oregon, USA)

This was a day where we had to make last-minute changes. We were originally supposed to go to Crater Lake, but with an incoming snow storm, we had to abandon those plans. So we wound up staying at Eugene to figure out what to do next.

Day 7: Drive from Eugene to Bandon

Overnight: Sunset Ocean Front Accommodations (Bandon, Oregon, USA)

Continuing west towards the coast, we wound up visiting the Sea Lion Caves, some coastal waterfalls, Silver Falls, Golden Falls, and Bandon Beach.

Day 8: Drive from Bandon to Cannon Beach

Overnight: Hallmark Resort (Cannon Beach, Oregon, USA)

Heading north along the Oregon Coast, we visited the Oregon Dunes, Cape Kiwanda, seeing more waterfalls, Three Arch Rocks, Cape Meares, Ecola State Park, and Cannon Beach.

Day 9: Drive from Cannon Beach to Portland

Overnight: Clarion Hotel Portland Airport (Portland, Oregon, USA)

After spending the morning at Cannon Beach, we then checked out the cherry blossoms along the Willamette River in downtown Portland. Finally, we spent an afternoon viewing the snow-covered volcanoes from Council Crest Park, and we ended the day with a last dinner in Portland.

Day 10: Fly Home from Portland to Los Angeles

This was a travel day as we promptly returned the rental car, then we caught a morning flight home.