We spent 8 days in Oregon including travel days. The best option for visiting the coast and the Willamette Valley area is to fly into Portland International Airport which is serviced by many carriers with direct flights from most major U.S. cities. The drive from the Portland airport is a very comfortable hour and fifteen minutes to the Willamette area and just a hair longer to the Oregon coast. If visiting Oregon for at least a week my personal recommendation is to spend at least two days on the coast at the beginning of the trip to ease into the easy going lifestyle of Oregonians. Then follow that up with 3-5 days in the Willamette tasting wine at your favorite wineries.
Our itinerary took us due west from the airport to the Oregon coast. Highway 26 will take you northwest from downtown Portland towards Seaside and some of the more popular seaside areas such as Cannon Beach. We chose to peel off on highway 6 heading southwest off of 26 through a state forest (including scenic waterfalls) to the less popular and less crowded areas of Tillamook, Pacific City and Lincoln City. Tip: before heading to the coast stop at any one of the many local brew pubs in the Portland area for a quick lunch. Food choices get fairly limited before and sometimes after hitting the coastal resort areas.
After getting your coastal fix for a few days it’s then time to head off to the Willamette for some excellent domestic Pinot Noirs. The drive from the coastal areas is roughly an hour and fifteen minutes to an hour and forty five minutes depending on starting point and route chosen. If making appointments for first day tastings please allow ample driving time. Tip: If traveling from the Pacific City area (plus or minus) opt for the very scenic Nestucca Road between Beaverton and Carlton over the more traveled highway routes of 18 and 22. The route is very scenic running along the river most of the way through a state forest.
When traveling between the airport and the Willamette opt for the lesser traveled 219 southwest out of Newberg towards St. Paul and then McKay Road due east to I-5. Then take I-5 north a short ways to 205 east that takes you directly into the airport. You’ll avoid all of the hit and miss Portland traffic.