If you’re looking for an affordable family getaway, Oregon is the perfect destination. With pristine forests, lakes, mountains and beaches, there are plenty of things to do for outdoor-loving families, but with fewer crowds – and more bang for your buck – than in neighboring California.

I have planned out an Oregon summer family road trip for a week, hitting some of the best spots in Oregon. If this seems like too much driving for your family, skip Crater Lake and split your time equally between Bend and Portland, or spend a couple of nights at a seaside resort instead.

Fly into Portland PDX: Two nights in Portland

Portland has a reputation for hipsters with its cafes, microbreweries and independent shops, but it is also home to many unique family-friendly experiences.

Portland’s 400-acre Washington Park alone has a Children’s Museum, a zoo, the World Forestry Center, an amazing playground, a steam train and a Japanese Garden. In the summer, concerts are held at the zoo, starting at 7pm.

Parents will also be pleased to hear that Portland’s famous breweries are welcoming to children, so no need to miss out on the northwest pacific beer scene. Portland is also known for its food carts, which are a family-friendly and affordable way to enjoy the best of the region’s food.

If your kids love public transport, Portland has a great little self-guided city tour called the 4T, a 4.5-mile urban loop that includes trails, a trolley, an aerial tram and a train!

For more information on Portland, check out the very informative Travel Portland website.

Where to stay

Budget Portland International Guesthouse

Mid-range Silver Cloud Inn

Luxury Kimpton Riverplace Hotel

How to get there

Portland International Airport (PDX) is well-served by several airlines, including: Air Canada, Alaska, American Airlines, Boutique Air, Condor, Delta, Frontier, Hawiian Airlines, IcelandAir, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit, Suncountry, United, Volaris and Westjet. Downtown Portland is a 30-45 minute drive from the airport. 

Oregon’s coast: Day trip from Portland, 90-minute drive

Using one of your day’s at Portland, drive to the coast and explore Oregon’s beaches. Cannon Beach is Hollywood’s go-to filming location for wild and windswept beach scenes. The Goonies is probably the most famous but Cannon Beach also featured in Twilight and Point Break, doubling for Washington’s coastline and Bell’s Beach respectively. 

Oregon has many miles of accessible, beautiful and peaceful beaches to choose from. Although the cold, often rough Pacific Ocean is better left to the surfers, there are tide pools to explore, drift wood and shells to collect, and sand castles to build here.

Other family favorite beaches include:

Devil’s Punchbowl, which features a hollow rock formation where the ocean waters spectacularly churn.

Rockaway Beach, where you can enjoy long stretches of soft sand, as well as take a trip on a steam train in nearby Tillamook.

Seaside, in addition to having a lovely beach, has an amusement park, aquarium, bowling alley and skate park. It’s also home to Fort Clatsop, where Lewis and Clark camped out over winter.

Where to stay

Budget Ecola Creek Lodge

Mid-range Inn at Cannon Beach

Luxury Stephanie Inn

How to get there

Rockaway, Seaside and Cannon Beach are all around an hour and a half’s drive west of Portland, while Devil’s Punchbowl is around a two-and-a-half-hour’s drive from downtown.

Bend, Oregon: Two nights, three-hour drive

Just over a three-hour drive south from Portland, Bend is a small town with a big reputation. Bend is an ideal base for an Oregon family vacation for two reasons: beer and nature.

Some of Oregon’s best natural attractions are right on Bend’s doorstep, including Sahalie and Koosah Falls, Mount Bachelor and Deschutes National Forest. There are also free natural hot springs you can take a dip in, all within an hour’s drive.

Bend is also home to the High Desert Museum, an interactive museum with live animal (and people) exhibits, giving visitors an insight into the area’s unique ecology and history.

Once you have enjoyed a long day of hiking, swimming and exploring, it’s time to discover Bend’s microbreweries and top-notch restaurants. 

Nature plus beer: it really is the best combination.

Where to stay

Budget Riverside Inn and Suites

Mid-range McMenamins Old St Francis School

Luxury Oxford Hotel Bend

How to get there

Bend is a three-hour drive south from Portland. If you want to visit Bend without going to Portland first, Redmond Municipal Airport is just 25 minutes to the north of Bend and daily direct flights are available from Denver, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, and Seattle. You can even go by train to Central Oregon, as Amtrak has a station in nearby Eugene.

Crater Lake: Two nights, two-hour drive

Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the US, formed by a volcanic eruption 7,700 years ago. I took my family here based on pictures of the stunning blue lake but this National Park has a lot more to offer than a great family selfie. My favorite hike was the Castle Crest Wildflower Trail, which was a short, flat, kid-friendly walk through a fairytale forest filled with colorful flowers.

Getting down to the lake itself is not easy, especially if you are carrying kids, but you can get in the water for a swim at the end so it’s worth the hike.

Another epic hike in Crater Lake Park is at Wizard Island, the whimsically-named island in the middle of the lake. You need to hike down the Cleetwood trail and take a boat out to the island, then there is a trail to the summit. Taking a boat tour is the best way to appreciate the unique beauty of the lake and is a great activity with kids (although children must be two and over to participate).

The camping experience at Crater Lake is excellent. We went at a very busy time, yet the large sites and forest location meant we had plenty of privacy. Although the high-fire risk meant we couldn’t have an open camp fire, our kids had a wonderful time running around our spacious site, collecting pine cones and getting thoroughly filthy.

If camping is not your thing, there are comfortable lodges and cabins available to stay in the Park.

Where to stay

Budget Mazama Campground

Mid-range The Cabins at Mazama Village

Luxury Crater Lake Lodge

How to get there

Crater Lake is approximately a five-hour drive south from Portland, or a six-and-a-half hour trip from San Francisco. Medford Airport is a 90-minute drive away and is served by Horizon Air/Alaska Airlines,  United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Allegiant. Daily direct flights from San Francisco, Portland,  Seattle, Los Angeles,  Denver, Las Vegas, and Salt Lake City are available. If you want to catch the train, shuttles are available from Eugene Station.

Portland: One night, four-and-a-half-hour drive

Stay one more night in Portland, flying out of Portland International Airport the following day.

To make your vacation go as smoothly as possible, check out our Best Travel Gear For Toddlers and Best Travel Gear For Babies posts, which includes a packing list.

The post Best Oregon Family Getaways appeared first on Tiny Trailblazers.

I asked three top travel bloggers to share the family destinations they are most excited to visit in 2019 and received great inspiration for new adventures for a new year.

Celebrating Life in Mexico

Raphael and Aslan Sinclair, A Life We Chose

The Sinclairs, a young Canadian family with a 6-year-old-son and a puppy, had a dream to travel the world. So they quit their jobs, sold everything and bought one-way tickets to Mexico. Their travel blog, A Life We Chose, is their inspiring story showing everyone can live out their dreams, no matter what!

A Life We Chose

“We’ve been in Mexico since September 11th, 2018. In every city or state we’ve visited there is one common theme: family comes first.

“The children here are very well looked after. Most families are very large and all the members pitch in to make sure a child’s birthday party is a blast. An average birthday party for a child will have a bouncy castle, food, games, clowns and of course, a piñata. The entire family attends in order to make sure the child feels special.

“On one occasion, our family was invited to a child’s birthday party by complete strangers. We attended, were welcomed with open arms, and treated like family.

“For our child, it’s a great lesson in gratitude and family values. Since many families here live below the poverty line, children are taught early to work and do their part for the family. In turn, elders are also looked after.

“Mexico is very safe for children. When we arrived in the small town of Santa Cruz de Miramar, we noticed groups of children playing without adult supervision in the streets.

“It was foreign for us because in Canada though people say it’s safe, no-one lets their little ones go play without supervision.

“We decided to give it a try and let our child play with the other kids without us hovering. The first day, he got hurt and a dozen kids came to our door to get us. Since then, Gryphin has gone out several times by himself and we’ve never had a problem though we’re still reluctant in bigger cities.

“According to friends I’ve talked to, crimes against children are nearly non-existant here. The reason being that people who commit crimes against children are not dealt with by police, they simply disappear. It might sound extreme but that’s the way it is.

“Here in Mexico, religious events like Christmas and Easter are very important since 80% of the population is Roman Catholic. They are celebrated much differently than in Canada. The celebrations usually go on for several days and are more family-focused than material-focused.

“There are several other religious holidays as well as national holidays like independence day.

“They don’t celebrate Halloween here! Instead, at the beginning of November, they celebrate Dia de Los Muertos (day of the dead). It is a time set aside to honor those who have passed on. Celebrations take place for a few days.

“No matter where we go, there are fun activities for kids. Whether it’s a circus, outdoor party, or something else, there’s always action! Some of the bigger cities like Guadalajara have things like arcades, trampoline parks and similar things.

“In the smaller villages, there’s usually outdoor places like rivers, beaches or trails to explore. It’s awesome because you can swim here year round. Is there really anything funner for kids than a family day at the beach?”

Instagram.com/alifewechose

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Off The Beaten Track In Altyn Arashan

Krasen Jelyazkov, Journey Beyond Horizon

Krasen, a travel blogger from Bulgaria, lives in China with his wife Ying-Ying and children. Krasen shares his adventures criss-crossing continents and favorite off-the-beaten-path destinations in his travel blog, Journey Beyond Horizon.

Krasen Jelyazkov, Journey Beyond Horizon

“I have always looked to some off the beaten path places, knowing that many of these places are incredibly beautiful, not crowded by over tourism and very natural. One of these places is located in Kyrgyzstan, a little known country in Central Asia, offering some of the most breathtaking mountain landscapes in the world. This place is Altyn Arashan, a valley in Tianshan mountains, with splendid coniferous forests, grasslands, alpine peaks and stunning views.

“Altyn Arashan is located near Karakol city. It can be reached by a 15km dirt road from the nearby village Ak-Suu. Walking on this road is easy, safe and you can meet many hikers from various countries. There are also big truck-buses, arranged by the local travel agencies for tourists. Finally, it reaches Altyn Arashan – a mountain resort at 2,450m altitude.

“This mountain resort is significant for one more thing – hot springs. There are many huts with pools, where the natural hot water flows and you can enjoy 40-50 minutes relaxing inside. And when you are not in the pools, you have a lot of opportunities for hiking, horse riding or just walking and resting on the grasslands and in the forest.

“The best time to visit Altyn Arashan is in summer, when the grassland is green and full of flowers. Other seasons are beautiful too, but summer is also easier to access this place. All this makes it a perfect, non-standard destination for young families with children.”

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Mountains And Lakes In Switzerland

Erika Van ‘t Veld, Erika’s Travelventures

Erika has been backpacking around the world since October, 2017 and started blogging about her adventures on Erika’s Travel Adventures in 2018. Her favorite experiences so far have been trekking in Nepal, Switzerland, and Georgia, and road tripping through the Balkan countries using public transportation.

Erika Van ‘t Veld, Erika’s Travelventures

“Switzerland has been a family destination for Europeans for decades, both in the summer and winter. Its alluring mountains, lakes, little villages, and friendly locals have drawn tourists to Switzerland since Heidi was skipping through the Alps!

“There’s something to do there in every season, such as skiing in the winter, hiking in the spring and summer and exploring cozy towns in the fall. With kids, I recommend going in the summer to enjoy walking some of the trails around the Jungfrau region, swimming in the lakes around Interlaken, and taking the mountain trains up to the beautiful viewpoints of Schynige Platte and Kleine Scheidegg.

“Many families will rent out cabins or Airbnbs here, which gives a sense of being a real local in any number of small welcoming villages around the country. Restaurants are plentiful and varied, and even typical Swiss food could appease many picky eaters. Grab a pot of fondue to eat on the terrace (available year-round), some bread rolls and pastries for breakfast or a picnic by the lake, and cozy up in the evenings with dinner of potato mash and sausages.

“For families with children old enough to hike a couple of hours, there are amazing treks that go for many kilometers in the Interlaken area, such as from Schynige Platte to Faulhorn and Alpiglen, or the famous Eiger trail. For young kids, it’s a fun experience to ride the cable cars around the Alps, such as from Grindelwald to First!

“There are not many downsides to this beautiful country, EXCEPT the price tag. Being one of the wealthiest countries in Europe, accommodation, eating out, and especially transportation is expensive compared to American standards. If you’re cooking for yourself and limited long-distance train excursions however, it’s easy to visit Switzerland on any budget.”

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So there you go! Check out their blogs and Instagram feeds for more posts and stunning photography from these exciting destinations and start planning your trips. If you’ve never been on a long-haul flight with young children, take a look at my posts Flying With A Baby and Flying With A Toddler for tip on how to get there without too much stress.

The post Best Family Destinations for 2019 By Travel Bloggers appeared first on Tiny Trailblazers.