Seattle to San Fran (via oregon coast)
Hi All
I've been reading these forums for weeks, people here are so amazing with their knowledge and being willing to help. Thanks in advance if anyone can help with this. I have two option for a four day trip from Seattle to San Fran. I want to drive some scenic coast and see the Redwoods then get to San Fran in daylight.
Option 1 Coast then inland
Seattle for a coupla days then...
Day 1 Seattle to Cannon Beach
Day 2 Cannon Beach to Yachats
Day 3 Yachats to Eureka
Day 4 Eureka to San Fran
Option 2 Forest then Coast
Day 1 Seattle to Portland
Day 2 Portland to Gasquet to stay at an off-grid cabin
Day 3 Gasquet to Mendocino via Humbolt and avenue of giants etc
Day 4 Mendocino San Fran
This would give me two days forest, two days ocean.
What do you think?
Shaun
Lots of Time is Not Unlimited Time
Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!
While four days is more than many people would devote to a drive from Seattle to San Francisco, it may not be enough to do everything that you would like. Choices must be made, unfortunately, and there are a couple of places that I would highly recommend to you that aren't on your list as yet. The first general recommendation would be to get a few more miles farther down the road on your first day. Many of your "must see" location are in the southern portion of your trip and you should get there with some speed when you are freshly starting out.
Specifically, at Olympia I'd take US-101 north towards Port Angeles and then OR-8/US-12/OR-107 west to US-101 south. (You can see what's happening on a map.) Follow US-101 down the coast, perhaps using WA-401 as a shortcut between Nemah and Astoria. Just south of Astoria is one of the sites that I'd suggest you visit if you possibly can: Fort Clatsop. There are more than a dozen state parks along the Oregon coast, most of which offer trails along bluffs overlooking the ocean, views of sea stacks, access to the shore, or all of the above. Consult your map and pick a few that fit in with your other stops or long driving sections. But ultimately you should try to get a bit farther south than Cannon Beach which, after all, is only 200 miles from Seattle by the route suggested. Tillamook or even Lincoln City would be a better target for your first day's efforts. One site that my wife and I found surprisingly enjoyable in this area was the Tillamook Forestry Center a bit inland from the coast, but worth the detour.
That would set you up for Day 2 with more stops along the Oregon Coast, but a major stop at the northern California redwoods, using the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway through Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park and hiking the Lady Bird Johnson Grove at Redwood National Park. Then, rather than staying in Eureka which has a more commercial feel to it, try Arcata just north of there which is a funky college town with its own distinct vibe, particularly around the town plaza.
On Days 3 and 4 continue to work your way down the coast. Now, while CA-1 can be a bit slow at times, I think I'd use it rather than US-101. CA-1 is the only way to get to great coastal towns such as Mendocino (the entire town is a state historic site) or scenic lighthouses such as that at Point Arena. An overnight stay in the Bodega Bay area would set you up nicely for a final day consisting of visiting Point Reyes National Seashore and still having time to cross the Golden Gate Bridge before evening rush hour, let alone sunset.
AZBuck
