Roadtrippin’ from Portland to Salt Lake City
Pack your bags, fuel up your car, and let’s hit the road - we’re going on a roadtrip! Get ready for an unforgettable adventure through the Pacific Northwest and beyond! From the vibrant city of Portland, Oregon to sleeping in an old bar in Nevada to the unique Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah and everything in between, this road trip is perfect for outdoor enthusiasts and nature lovers.
Day 1
Last year my friend, Clare, her dog, Gracie Lou, and I took a 4 day road trip starting in Portland, Oregon. We started the morning exploring Powell’s Books (the largest used and new bookstore in the world) to beat out the rain. I love bookstores and could’ve wandered around the store for hours. It was so big, it even had a map!
The afternoon was full of sunshine! So we took a stroll through the International Rose Garden in Washington Park. With over 10,000 rose bushes, it was the perfect spot for some afternoon relaxation and beautiful pictures.
That evening we drove an hour outside of Portland and checked into our airbnb. We grabbed some dinner at a restaurant nearby and got some rest before our jam packed day 2.
Day 2
The next day, we woke up early and made our way to Silver Falls State Park in Salem, OR. Since we had Gracie Lou with us, we were limited on the trails that we could explore, as they are not all dog friendly. However, we still had a great morning in nature, exploring the lush greenery and waterfalls!
We then started to make the drive to Crater Lake National Park. This was a 5 hour drive from Silver Falls, but we knew we wanted to see the park and we were limited on time due to my work schedule, so we added it on to day 2!
However, we had to make a little detour because the car was having some tire trouble, so we stopped in Eugene, OR and grabbed some lunch while the car was being fixed.
After a couple hours we were on the road again with brand new tires and headed to Crater Lake. We made it with some daylight to spare and just in time for sunset!
Honestly, I didn’t prepare at all for how cold it was going to be on this trip (shoutout Clare for having an extra coat). And let me just say as someone who is cold in San Diego ‘winter’ when it’s 60 degrees, I was FROZEN at Crater Lake. However, the combination of a lake, mountains, and snow was absolutely stunning and the views did not disappoint. Is it just me or does a snow covered national park add a whole new element of beauty??
After sunset, we made the 3 hour drive to our airbnb - Hunter’s Hot Springs in Oregon. This is where the adventure really begins! With our detour at the auto shop, we ended up not getting to the Hot Springs until after 11pm.
Picture this: it’s pitch black outside, the only lights are the signs from the bar, and the only people are 3 biker dudes standing outside smoking. In the darkness, there’s no sign of a hotel, no sign of hot springs, and no sign of other people. We roll down our window and ask the guys if they’ve heard of Hunter’s Hot Springs. Hysterically enough, they too booked a room here only to show up and find out from the drunk maintenance man (the only employee on the premise who was already in bed when we arrived) that the hotel itself is infested with bed bugs and not operating. However, he assured the guys that they could spend the night in the bar and help themselves to the alcohol.
So Clare and I had a choice to make:
Make a reservation at another hotel in town (we called the only other place in town and they were booked for the night)
Sleep in the car: it was 28 degrees outside and we couldn’t leave the heater on all night
Drive to the next closest town (3 and half hours away after being up since 6am)
OR
Trust these strangers weren’t going to murder us and sleep inside the bar
If you guessed option number 4, you are correct! Looking back it probably wasn’t our smartest decision, but hey we survived to tell the story! The guys turned out to be super kind and even shared some of their hiking gear with us. We needed to bundle up in the bar because even though the lights worked the heater definitely did not!
Turns out Hunter’s Hot Springs did indeed have ‘hot springs’ (if you could call them that). It was a heated in ground pool, but of course we had to try it out!
Day 3
The next morning we met the maintenance guy, who casually made us some coffee and apologized for the inconvenience. We stayed the morning so Clare could do some work before heading out for our next destination.
We had 5 and a half hours to our next destination - Elko, Nevada - where we were staying in a yurt. We were exhausted from staying up so late the night before and not sleeping well, so we pretty much drove straight to the yurt.
The yurt was super nice! It had a cozy bean bag chair, which of course I curled right up in, a futon bed on the bottom floor, and a full size bed in the loft right beneath the skylight! But in traditional yurt fashion there was only a port a potty and an outdoor shower. Usually, I love outdoor showers, but I’m a baby when it comes to bugs. Apparently every year this city in NV has an infestation (and by infestation I mean thousands) of mormon crickets and, lucky us, we chose the exact week that the crickets decided to come to spend the night here! SO despite choosing this place to spend time outside, I spent the entire time inside aside from a QUICK shower and bathroom breaks. Clare was very brave when it came to the crickets and put up with my fear and whining (love you!).
Day 4
The next day we woke up and made our way to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. This unique destination is famous for its vast, white salt plain and is a popular spot for speed trials and photography. This was the perfect middle spot to stop on our way to the SLC airport. I had an evening flight, so we had some time to kill and wanted to make the most out of our roadtrip!
This road trip offers a perfect blend of city life, natural wonders, and unique landscapes. From the bustling streets of Portland to the serene beauty of Crater Lake, and the surreal expanses of the Bonneville Salt Flats, this adventure will leave you with lasting memories.
Writing this blog post and looking back on these memories I realized there were quite a few things that went ‘wrong’ on this trip. However, in the moment, it didn’t feel that way at all. I’m grateful for a travel buddy and life long bestie like Clare for turning all chaotic situations into an adventure!
