Seattle to....

[Runsandjumps]

We want to drive with our three kids down the coast in our minivan. My husband has decided to do a last minute road trip for a maximum of two weeks. We don't have a destination in mind like we normally do. The idea is to experience the coast line from Seattle to central(ish) California. We will be camping but can also grab a hotel no problem. I want to take the kids to the Redwoods and he wants them to see Big Sur. My problem is that I have never taken such a trip and have no clue where to camp, which roads to take/ avoid. We have always driven on the 5 or flown. This is so different for me and last minute I feel overwhelmed. Where to camp is probably my biggest concern seeing as we don't have any reservations.

Advice?

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

You do have time, at two weeks, to give such a trip its proper due, and there will certainly be no shortage of interesting, entertaining, scenic, and informative sites along the way to keep you and the kids engaged for that period of time. So, first I'd like to address the overall strategy for the trip. It is tempting, I think, to want to drive farther down the coast (or up it on the way back) each day, constantly covering new ground and seeing new things. But such a pace will tell on everyone, especially the kids, after a while. A better strategy, and one my wife and I have used quite successfully when traveling with our two grandsons, is to just drive/more every second or third day, spending two or three days in a given area exploring what it has to offer. This means that not every day is a pack up, get in the car, drive, and unpack day. You get to stay put a bit. It also lets you alternate areas - staying in some on the way down and others on the way back. So that's what I'd suggest you do, find five or six areas you'd like to see in some depth, atop at two or three on the way down, and the other two or three on the way back.

As for where to stay, there are plenty of motels in all the seaside towns, as well as a plethora of camping opportunities in state parks in Washington, Oregon, and California. Those are probably your best bets for finding sites, but call ahead. On the off chance that they're all filled up in a given area, there's usually a national forest not too far inland. Settling on an overall strategy for the trip, the major sites you'd like to see, and most if not all of your overnight stopping points will go a long way to relieving the stress you currently feel.

AZBuck

[DonnaR57]

This is a trip we did two or three times when we tent-camped. Among our favorite places to camp:

Mt Rainier National Park - WA

Mackenzie Bridge NF CG - OR

Just outside of Crater Lake, a NF CG - OR

Jedediah Smith Redwoods SP - No CA

Grizzly Creek Redwoods SP - No CA (don't take a roadside site tho)

Shasta-Whiskeytown NF CG's - two or three different ones



Donna

[Runsandjumps]

Thanks for tips! I hope it all works out.

[Lifemagician]

... I hope it all works out.

It will.

Here's a site for hotels which take five or more in one room.

Lifey