Best route from Portland to Newport?

[philsfan Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close philsfan]

Looks like my choices are 99 and 18 to Lincoln City and then down 1 or take 5 to 34 and 20 into Newport. Google says the drive times are about the same. Any opinions on either route?

[catwgirl Contributor - Bronze Find all posts View Profile Close catwgirl]

I just did this this past week, but my friend was driving, so I wasn't paying too much attention. I know we spent time on Hwy 18 and definitely went through Lincoln City. I found much of it to be a very picturesque, pleasant drive, passing some vineyards. We were going to Depoe Bay.

[philsfan Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close philsfan]

We took 99W/18 to Lincoln City on the way there. It takes a while to get any momentum that way, 99W starts out going through a small town or two...After about 15 miles of that, its not bad. The ride from Lincoln City to Newport on a summer Saturday is kind of slow as you hit each coastal town. We took 20/34 to 5N on the way back. Same nice scenic ride, less small towns, definitely the better choice if you want to get to Newport the fastest way. We did the trip back to Portland in a little under 2.5 hours.