San Diego - Seattle - San Diego in 7days

Hello everyone,

I plan to do a roadtrip on Oct from San Diego to Seattle and go back to San Diego. This is my first time road trip ever in the State, so any advice would help me a lot.

I have friend in Seattle so once I get there, she will help me out with must-see places. But on the way from SD to Seattle, I don't where should I stop and see. One of my friend suggest me to stop at Golden Bridge in San Francisco, Redwood and Portland in Oregon. Is it possible for me to do that?

I have a Toyota Prius 2002, is it ok for me to drive it to Seattle or I should rent another car?
I will stay in Inn/Hotel at a few stops, probably in Oregon. Should I book first? I am not sure what time I will drive to Oregon, that's why i am hesitate about booking room for now. Any reccommendation for Inn/Hotel?
What kind of clothes will be the best comfortable to wear when you have to drive a long way road trip?
Is it ok for me to bring a small size cooler to store water and some fruits?

Thank you so much for reading my post. I am appreciated for any advice and suggestion for my first time road trip.

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

How much time do you plan to spend in Seattle? You're going to need a minimum of 4 full days on the road driving (2 days each way), and that's if you stick to I-5 and don't detour to any other places. You will also need to plan to stop before you get to Oregon. Red Bluff is basically the halfway point, and that's already pushing the limits of how far you can safely drive in one day.

If you're content to spend only one or two days in and around Seattle, you would have some flexibility for some detours, possibly to the Golden Gate, Redwoods, or Portland, but as mentioned your time is fairly limited.

If your Toyota is in good condition there's no reason you can't take it, but at 14 years old, we can only guess if it is in good condition. I'd certainly recommend having a mechanic check it out before you get on the road, and having some kind of roadside assistance like AAA would be a good idea if you take your own car.

Have you considered flying to Seattle? If you're going by yourself, it might actually be cheaper, and that would give you a lot more time to explore the Pacific Northwest. Certainly, if you rented a car from Seattle, you could drive to Portland and the other scenic spots in that part of the country.

Welcome to RTA!

Michael has given you much good advice. My husband and I have tried to do that trip in two days, but we ended up regretting it BIG TIME. That first night, near Red Bluff (we actually made it to Lakehead on the northshore of Shasta Lake), made it a doozy of a day, and the next day was no picnic either. Yet another time we did it in 3 days and it was much, much better. (First night in the Bay Area, 2nd night in the Rogue River area of Oregon, and third night in Olympia, WA.)

I would take Michael's advice and fly, if you're by yourself. Then rent a car when you're in the area.


Donna in San Diego County