Portland up and around Olympic Nat'l Forest to Crescent City, CA back to Portland

[brownmce]

I am planning a trip with my 96 yr old mom sometime at end of April beginning of May for 2 wks. We are flying into Portland, and goals are as follows: Mt. St. Helen, Mt. Rainier over to Olympia Nat'l Forest/Quinault Rain Forest and then down the Oregon coast to Crescent City, CA back up to Portland via Silver Lakes Nat'l Park, Mt. Hood, The Dalles. I'm thinking this may be my last road trip with my mom and want to make the best of it. Because Mom can't do much walking I'll be pushing her in wheelchair so some of these stops will be just driving through/around (i.e., Mt. St. Helen). I'm hoping there are several sites that I can get her to or that aren't far from a 'pull out' or are wheelchair accessible Main reason was to see the whales but the more I look and plan, the more we want to see. We've never been on west coast. Figure DePoe Bay for the whales (if I don't see them anywhere else).
Here's what I'm hoping to accomplish. Can you let me know if this is feasible (or should I plan on taking more time off).
Arrive in Portland # 1:30 pm. Hoping to get to Mt. St. Helen that day and then head right up to Mt. Rainier with a stay over; drive to Seattle to catch ferry to go over to Olympic Nat'l Forest (Quinault Rain Forest) 1-2 day stay over; then spend 2-3 days going down Oregon coast; 1 day Crescent City and then up to Silver Lake Nat'l Park, Mt. Hood, The Dalles, back to Portland.

[glc]

Welcome to RTA!

2 weeks is quite feasible to do all that. However, I would advise you to spend the first night in Portland. By the time you get off the plane, claim your luggage, and get your rental car, it will be too late to do anything meaningful and I'd bet your mom (and you!) will be tired and a bit jetlagged. Just go to a hotel near the airport, get checked in, get a nice dinner, and relax for the evening. Start your drive in the morning.

[AZBuck]

People have a tendency to underestimate how stressful and tiring flying can be, especially for the elderly. It's not just sitting and relaxing on the plane. There's the hassle of changing your daily schedule, typically getting up early in the morning to be at the airport in time to stand in line(s), get checked in, pass through security, wait in a holding area, eat terrible food, breath low-pressure air with little oxygen, wait for baggage, wait for a rental car, drive that unfamiliar car in an unfamiliar neighborhood, etc., etc., etc. The one saving grace of flying into Portland for a trip that starts out headed for Mount St. Helen's is that PDX is on the north side of the city, so that once you've done all the above and exit the airport you can hop right onto I-205 and immediately get out of town without fighting too much traffic. But your mom is going to be pretty tired by that point, as are you if you have to push her everywhere she goes. It would be much to your benefit to just settle in and relax as soon as possible. Indeed the suburbs of Portland, just over the state line would be ideal. Then the next morning you'll be leaving town and not having to fight rush hour traffic. Look Orchards, Walnut Grove or Salmon Creek for some place to alight on that first night. After that there's not much on your way to Mount St. Helens.

If you don't already own one, you can usually rent a folding wheelchair either through your local pharmacy or medical supply store. Since you are planning on being on 'rough' ground, do NOT get what is known as a Companion Chair. These are smaller, less costly, and fold more compactly for storage on an airplane, but they come with four small wheels, have to be pushed (the occupant cannot self-propel them), and are suitable only for prepared surfaces (floors and sidewalks). Even wheelchair-accessible walkways in most national parks will give them serious problems. Once you know the approximate dimensions of the folded wheelchair you'll be using, contact your airline to make sure whether it will fit in the storage closet in the cabin. If not, you'll have to check it as baggage, use the airport cart and airline wheelchair service to board and deplane, and wait at baggage claim for your chair to be delivered. More stress.

Most national parks and monuments make a concerted effort to give ADA compliant access to their most popular sites, as well as short hiking paths that you can probably handle. This will not necessarily be the case for national forests. So be sure to check in at the Visitors Center and/or Ranger Station upon reaching any park for the first time. Also, it's worth checking each of the national lands you plan on visiting to see what they charge in the way of entry fees. They usually charge per car, and if the total for all the places you plan on stopping is greater than $80, then buy and annual parks pass ($80) at the first pace you come to that charges an entry fee.

AZBuck

[Lifemagician]

I'm thinking this may be my last road trip with my mom and want to make the best of it. Because Mom can't do much walking I'll be pushing her in wheelchair so some of these stops will be just driving through/around (i.e., Mt. St. Helen). I'm hoping there are several sites that I can get her to or that aren't far from a 'pull out' or are wheelchair accessible Main reason was to see the whales but the more I look and plan, the more we want to see. We've never been on west coast. Figure DePoe Bay for the whales (if I don't see them anywhere else).

I wonder if renting one of these for the duration of your trip, would be suitable for your mother. These are incredibly stable and manouvrable They cope with ease with most surfaces, other than mud, both indoors and outdoors. Are extremely light to pick up, quick to collapse into the size of most modern prams, and easily carried on aircraft in the cabin - subject to space - or with checked luggage. They travel at walking pace, so it is easy for someone to walk alongside.

Might be worth checking out.

Lifey

[DonnaR57]

If you can travel Southwest, they are extremely flexible with things like wheelchairs, allowing you to roll right up to the door of the aircraft, and they will have it ready for you when you exit. Call ahead to be sure. You do have to get a check-tag at the gate, though, so that they can identify the chair and pull it up out of baggage first at the arrival gate.


Donna

[Southwest Dave]

back up to Portland via Silver Lakes Nat'l Park, Mt. Hood, The Dalles. -

I am pretty certain that there is not a Silver Lake NP so I am not sure what location you refer to, but I would recommend a trip to Crater Lake NP as you make your towards Mt Hood.

As others have mentioned, trying to see Mt St Helens and get to Rainier is really a no go. To 'get up close and personal' to St Helens you have to drive all the way to the end of Highway 504 to the visitor centre and then all the way back to 505 before heading towards Rainier. That alone will be 5 hours + of driving and you could easily spend an hour or 2 taking in the views and information of the area.

[brownmce]

Thank you so much; I totally agree and was thinking same thing. Another roadtripper suggested the same so I'm gonna go with that. I wasn't thinking about how much time for deplaning, luggage, car, etc.

[brownmce]

Thanks for all the information. I agree - starting out for Mt. St. Helen next morning would be best. Thanks also for the areas to check for lodging for the night. Renting wheel chair is definite; may have her bring one from home (I live in Denver, she's in Chgo - her flight stops in Denver so will be together from that point) but I'm going to be checking on line and calling Portland Chamber to see if they can give me some places to call to rent one (I'll be doing all the pushing) and will make sure of large wheels. Some of the parks/national forests do show maps with ADA but some don't. I will be checking with them all.
Thankfully, we both have the golden age pass for all national parks.

[brownmce]

I meant Silver Falls National Park. Didn't realize St Helens was so far so we will be heading out the next morning. Thank you so much for your help.

[brownmce]

AZBuck - Just curious - with mom being in wheel chair is there much at Mt. St. Helen or do you think we could bypass and spend extra day at Rainier. I just planned on driving around/through to 'see' it.