Guides
Multigenerational: Washington + Oregon Coast with Grandparents
At a glance
- Route: Seattle (SEA) → Port Angeles/Sequim → Astoria area → Cannon Beach → Newport → fly out of Portland (PDX).
- Pace: one base per two or three nights, with drives you can keep to a couple of hours at a time (the Olympic Peninsula to Astoria day is the long one).
- Seniors 62+ can buy an America the Beautiful Senior Pass: $20 annual or $80 lifetime (checked Oct 11, 2026).
- Olympic National Park charges $30 per private vehicle, good for seven days (checked Oct 11, 2026).
- Yaquina Head charges $7 per vehicle for a 3-day pass, and the interpretive center and observation decks are wheelchair accessible (checked Oct 11, 2026).
- Best viewpoints for slower walkers: Hurricane Ridge paved paths, Ruby Beach overlook, Ecola State Park viewpoints, Cape Perpetua overlook.
- Book ahead: vehicle seating for six to eight, a ferry reservation if you take a car across Puget Sound, and any rental house with a main-floor bedroom.
- What most families get wrong: trying to see every beach. Pick one big outing a day and let the grandparents choose which one.
When to go
Late spring and early fall give the best mix of dry days and thinner crowds. July and August are driest but busiest, and coastal lodging fills first. Winter works for storm watching but mountain roads may close; check the park's road status page before you drive up to Hurricane Ridge.
Where to stay by area
- Seattle (arrival night, optional): Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton and IHG all have a presence downtown; confirm on each chain's own map. Good if flights land late.
- Port Angeles / Sequim: Check the chain's map; the coast towns have a mix of independent motels, suites and rental houses. Rentals with a ground-floor bedroom suit grandparents.
- Astoria / Seaside / Cannon Beach: Check the chain's map. Cannon Beach has smaller inns and rental houses; Seaside and Astoria have more standard hotels and suites.
- Newport: Check the chain's map. Hotels near the bayfront and rental houses on the bluffs are both common.
Rough cost of the trip, three ways
Fill the blanks from your own dates; we do not guess hotel prices.
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Plan your budget
Your trip budget worksheet
Prices change daily, so we don’t quote them. Fill this in from the official fare pages.
Your trip budget worksheet Item Your amount Budget: two cars not needed, one rented minivan or van; two connecting rooms or a rental house. Lodging $ per night, van $ per day, food $ -
Plan your budget
Your trip budget worksheet
Prices change daily, so we don’t quote them. Fill this in from the official fare pages.
Your trip budget worksheet Item Your amount Mid: a van plus two suites; one sit-down dinner a day. Lodging $ van $ food $ -
Plan your budget
Your trip budget worksheet
Prices change daily, so we don’t quote them. Fill this in from the official fare pages.
Your trip budget worksheet Item Your amount Splurge: two cars, a rental house with a view and a private chef night or a guided outing. Lodging $ cars $ extras $
Entry rules
Olympic National Park: $30 per vehicle for seven days; 62+ U.S. citizens or residents can use the $20 annual or $80 lifetime senior pass instead, with photo ID (checked Oct 11, 2026). Oregon State Parks day-use fees apply at many coastal parks; check stateparks.oregon.gov for current amounts and any coast passport. Washington State Ferries fares vary by route and vehicle; see the ferry page for current amounts.
Three free things, with photo
- Ruby Beach overlook, Olympic National Park coast. Sea stacks and driftwood from the viewpoint, no stairs needed for the first look.
- Astoria Column, Astoria. Visiting the park and climbing the Column are free; parking is $10 per vehicle for a year (checked Oct 11, 2026). The grandparents can enjoy the plaza and views without climbing.
- Cape Perpetua overlook, Siuslaw National Forest. Roadside viewpoints with ocean panoramas; check the Forest Service page for any fee at the visitor center.
How the week works for three generations
The whole plan rests on one idea: each day has one anchor outing, one meal worth sitting down for, and one rest window. Grandparents choose whether to join the second half of any day. Parents drive and navigate in shifts so no one is exhausted by Day 3, the longest drive. Kids get a beach, a lighthouse, an aquarium and a ferry, which is enough variety to keep a long week fun without needing a theme park.
Here is the shape of the trip in one glance. Days 1 and 2 are the Olympic Peninsula: a ferry ride on arrival, then the paved paths at Hurricane Ridge. Day 3 is the long drive south with an overlook at Ruby Beach and a night in Astoria or Long Beach. Days 4 and 5 are Astoria, Fort Clatsop and Cannon Beach, with a full rest afternoon. Day 6 runs down the Oregon coast past Cape Perpetua and Yaquina Head to Newport. Day 7 is the Oregon Coast Aquarium and a drive to Portland for the flight home.
Who suits what
- Grandparents with limited stamina: the ferry cabin, Hurricane Ridge paved paths, Ruby Beach overlook, Ecola viewpoints, Cape Perpetua overlook, Yaquina Head observation decks and the aquarium's indoor halls.
- Parents: the drivers and planners; give them one free hour a day too.
- Kids: tide pools and beaches, the Astoria Column climb, the lighthouse grounds and the aquarium.
Lodging shapes that sleep six to eight
A vacation rental gives you a kitchen and a shared room. Two hotel rooms, ideally adjacent, give you housekeeping and a front desk. A two-bedroom suite splits the difference. Whichever you choose, ask in writing for a ground-floor bedroom, a step-free entrance and a walk-in shower. Stairs are the hidden cost of coast rental houses: a house with a view often sits up a flight of steps.
Points in one paragraph
Hotel points work best in Seattle and Portland, where Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton and IHG have a presence; on the coast, check each chain's map and expect to pay cash at some bases. The transfers we have verified: 4 Chase points → 3 Hyatt points, Chase to Marriott 1:1, Amex to Hilton 1:2, Bilt to Alaska Atmos 1:1. We print no award prices; look them up on the program's own search for your dates.
Getting around
One seven-seat van keeps everyone together and costs less. Two cars let grandparents opt out. Most families do best with one van and a plan to rest. Washington State Ferries runs the Seattle–Bainbridge crossing, which is a gentle first outing; check the ferry page for fares and the rider information for people with disabilities.
A few honest warnings
Hurricane Ridge is reached by a winding mountain road that can close for weather; confirm status before you go. The beach at Ruby Beach is a scramble over driftwood, so the overlook is the grandparent-friendly choice. Oregon sneaker waves are real; keep everyone off logs near the surf. Summer weekends in Cannon Beach are crowded, so go early for parking.
This is the free lite guide. The full day-by-day guide, with maps, photo stops, rain plans and the points playbook, is part of PerkJolt All-Access.
Good to know before you go
We checked the fees below on 2026-10-11 against official pages. Confirm hours, fees, road/trail/lodge status and schedules on the official page (and the agency's official social accounts for same-day closures) before you book or drive. Coastal weather and mountain roads move faster than any guide.