Kelowna BC to a Cali Surf Beach

Hello! First time poster here, actually just created this account!

I have been researching the internet of the road trip I have in mind together with my brother and cousin; but id like to see someone els's opinion or ideas to the whole matter.

What we have in mind.. Start in Kelowna, BC, June 17th. Take 4 days (maximum) to drive Hwy 1 and the most scenic routes down to a Californian Surfer Beach (perhaps, Santa Cruz?) Camp at a nearby campground for 4 days. Surfing at a safe, hopefully lifeguarded beach, with beginner waves for the 4 days, and then take a inland route back up. Hopefully hitting a couple national parks or whatever you guys think would be worth hitting up. We would like to keep this whole trip at a maximum length of 2 weeks!

I'm guessing you guys will suggest to cross at the Lower Main Land Border Crossing and then take Hwy 1 along the coast. Probably better than to cross borders in Osoyoos, BC and trying to cross Washington State over to the coast, right? Yeah, Makes sense to me ;)

Im thinking that driving 600km (370 Miles) a day is a safe bet? We plan on stopping at look outs and anything that catches our eye along the way, and obviously food breaks. We plan on keeping it simple and stay at motels and hostels along the way. Where would be good cities to stop to stay over night? Will I have to book in advance?

Once we arrive at our destination, possibly Santa Cruz, but I'm not sure yet. We would like to Camp, somewhat close to a good beginner surfers beach. Driving is fine. Do you guys know of any good beaches like that? - Doesn't have to be in Santa Cruz, but would like to be in a decently sized city. Also, are the camp grounds gonna be full? BTW, I plan on tenting. Anything els I need to know? :)

Soo.. on the drive back we would like to pass through some scenic routes but in the inner part of the country.. Could you guys give me names of specific HWY's or places worth stopping at? Or driving through?

Thank you in advance for any input on it all! Really would love some feed back, and some pointers! :D

Hi and Welcome to the Great American Roadtrip Forum.

If you are planning to use hostels for part of your accommodation, you might like to check out this site - the most comprehensive list of hostels worldwide. However, I would also urge you to compare prices, since hostels charge per person and motels charge by the room, which sometimes can sleep four. On the other hand, it is worth considering all the other benefits of hostels, including meeting other folk like yourself, sharing what they have been doing, and what they are planning with your plans. Often hostels also have discounts to local attractions, free tea and coffee 24/7, social activities, and much more.

When you get to popular places such as surf beaches, you will have to check and book beforehand for any accommodation. In more remote areas turning up will often work. I'd always check a day before to see if there is room. The USA Hostels in SF and LA are nearly always booked up weeks ahead..... they are great hostels.

Lifey

Covering 370 miles per day along the coast is actually pretty tough going as not only is it slow going, it's incredibly scenic with lots of views to stop and admire. Unless you want to add an extra day getting south I would consider staying on Interstate to Portland and then cut across to Lincoln City. It would be a long work like day on the road and you would need an early start but you could be on the coast at the end of day one. Next up you could head to somewhere around Klamath CA and the following day take your time through the Redwoods and finish up around Leggett. The drives through Prairie creek Redwoods on the Newton B Drury scenic parkway and the 'Avenue of the Giants' in Humboltd Redwoods are pretty spectacular ! To get to Santa Cruz next day you may have to remain on 101 as CA1 is again slow, but you could still drive over the Golden Gate bridge and make a couple of stops. One detour I would recommend is just north of the bridge you can get on Conzelman road up towards the Marin Headlands where you will get great views of the bridge and Bay area, fog permitting !

If I had 6 days to get home it would look something like this.

Santa Cruz > Yosemite NP [over Tioga Pass] > South Lake Tahoe > Lassen Volcanic NP [Manzanita campground] > Bend OR [via Crater Lake]> Mt Rainier > Home.

Qwerty, since you have introduced surfing as an organizing element of the trip I will ask a couple of follow-up questions.

1) Have you ever surfed before? If so, what is your experience level?
2) Do you have your own surfriding equipment (boards, wetsuits, etc.)?
3) Do you have experience with cold water surfriding?
4) Are you all accomplished swimmers and familiar with the nature of the oceans currents and rip tides? And the effect of large tidal changes on ocean currents and underwater topography?

I ask these questions as an experienced surfrider and having surfed many of the breaks from Northern Oregon and down the Pacific Coast. One time experience along the northern coast of the Strait of Juan de Fuca on a very small swell during June.

As for crossing the border: in my own research about the US/Canada border, I discovered ezbordercrossing.com. It looks like a pretty knowledgeable site. One part of the site goes through traffic levels at each border crossing, another walks you through papers you need, what's okay and what's not okay to bring across, etc. It looks written for both Canadians coming to visit the USA, and US citizens coming to visit Canada.


Donna

Quote:

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Originally Posted by landmariner

Qwerty, since you have introduced surfing as an organizing element of the trip I will ask a couple of follow-up questions.

1) Have you ever surfed before? If so, what is your experience level?
2) Do you have your own surfriding equipment (boards, wetsuits, etc.)?
3) Do you have experience with cold water surfriding?
4) Are you all accomplished swimmers and familiar with the nature of the oceans currents and rip tides? And the effect of large tidal changes on ocean currents and underwater topography?

I ask these questions as an experienced surfrider and having surfed many of the breaks from Northern Oregon and down the Pacific Coast. One time experience along the northern coast of the Strait of Juan de Fuca on a very small swell during June.

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Alrighty there buds...

1) I have surfed a few times before.
2) I don't have my own equipment.
3) The only surfing I have done is cold water, with wetsuits.
4) Im a decent swimmer.

Therefore I was thinking of beaches with lifeguards or where its gonna be relatively busy.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lifemagician

Hi and Welcome to the Great American Roadtrip Forum.

If you are planning to use hostels for part of your accommodation, you might like to check out this site - the most comprehensive list of hostels worldwide. However, I would also urge you to compare prices, since hostels charge per person and motels charge by the room, which sometimes can sleep four. On the other hand, it is worth considering all the other benefits of hostels, including meeting other folk like yourself, sharing what they have been doing, and what they are planning with your plans. Often hostels also have discounts to local attractions, free tea and coffee 24/7, social activities, and much more.

When you get to popular places such as surf beaches, you will have to check and book beforehand for any accommodation. In more remote areas turning up will often work. I'd always check a day before to see if there is room. The USA Hostels in SF and LA are nearly always booked up weeks ahead..... they are great hostels.

Lifey

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Awesome! Thanks for the site links! I will defiantly be looking into it.

As far as hostels go, I like them. Usually have met pretty good people like you said, ones in the same situations, traveling. I will likely just call up a few places and just check up with them on their schedules and how busy things are.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by QwertyAllDay

Alrighty there buds...

1) I have surfed a few times before.
2) I don't have my own equipment.
3) The only surfing I have done is cold water, with wetsuits.
4) Im a decent swimmer.

Therefore I was thinking of beaches with lifeguards or where its gonna be relatively busy.

---

A few spots along the Northern Oregon coast might meet your needs. And will easily save you a couple of days driving. From north to south:

1- Seaside Cove (not the Point which is best suited for experienced surfers). A good local surf shop is Cleanline (http://www.cleanlinesurf.com/). They have rental boards, wetsuits, etc., in addition to other gear such as kayaks, kite boards. The owner, Josh, is an avid surfer and kite boarder, hires good staff, carries a good, broad line of surf gear. Plenty of people out at The Cove. If a large swell is running you can easily ride the reforms on the inside.

2-Indian Point Beach, in Ecola State Park, Cannon Beach. Another popular surfing spot. Just don't paddle out to the main surf break until you are an experienced surfer -- stay off to the side while you are still learning (the golden rule that goes for all the surf breaks). Scenic. If you are familiar with the surf film, Point Break (the original), the final scene of "Bells Beach" was actually filmed here. Cannon Beach is a nice beach town, some pubs and eateries.

Private campgrounds, and maybe some public ones, are located in the Seaside and Cannon Beach areas.

3-Short Sands, at Oswald West State Park, just north of Manzanita. There is camping at Short Sands. Beautiful pocket cove beach. Recommend you focus on paddling straight out and hang out with the other surfriders learning on the inside peaks. Stay away from paddling along the cliffs as the rip current is very strong. From the parking area along the highway it is about a 1/2 mile hike down to the beach but one you will thoroughly enjoy through an old growth forest. Manzanita is a popular resort town but is also populated with year-round residents which gives it a small America town.

All are within a half hour easy driving of each other so go wherever the swell and winds are best. Be forewarned that N. Oregon has large tidal changes which can affect the surf and rip currents--not a problem if you are aware and know what to do (basic surf safety worldwide).

Lincoln City has surfing but I haven't been a surfrider there so can't comment. It does have a decent surf shop and surf museum, Lincoln City Surf Shop and Pacific Northwest Surf Museum.

There is public state park camping all along the Oregon coast... you might want to check availability on-line. It ranges from tent camping to yurts.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by landmariner

A few spots along the Northern Oregon coast might meet your needs. And will easily save you a couple of days driving. From north to south:

1- Seaside Cove (not the Point which is best suited for experienced surfers). A good local surf shop is Cleanline (http://www.cleanlinesurf.com/). They have rental boards, wetsuits, etc., in addition to other gear such as kayaks, kite boards. The owner, Josh, is an avid surfer and kite boarder, hires good staff, carries a good, broad line of surf gear. Plenty of people out at The Cove. If a large swell is running you can easily ride the reforms on the inside.

2-Indian Point Beach, in Ecola State Park, Cannon Beach. Another popular surfing spot. Just don't paddle out to the main surf break until you are an experienced surfer -- stay off to the side while you are still learning (the golden rule that goes for all the surf breaks). Scenic. If you are familiar with the surf film, Point Break (the original), the final scene of "Bells Beach" was actually filmed here. Cannon Beach is a nice beach town, some pubs and eateries.

Private campgrounds, and maybe some public ones, are located in the Seaside and Cannon Beach areas.

3-Short Sands, at Oswald West State Park, just north of Manzanita. There is camping at Short Sands. Beautiful pocket cove beach. Recommend you focus on paddling straight out and hang out with the other surfriders learning on the inside peaks. Stay away from paddling along the cliffs as the rip current is very strong. From the parking area along the highway it is about a 1/2 mile hike down to the beach but one you will thoroughly enjoy through an old growth forest. Manzanita is a popular resort town but is also populated with year-round residents which gives it a small America town.

All are within a half hour easy driving of each other so go wherever the swell and winds are best. Be forewarned that N. Oregon has large tidal changes which can affect the surf and rip currents--not a problem if you are aware and know what to do (basic surf safety worldwide).

Lincoln City has surfing but I haven't been a surfrider there so can't comment. It does have a decent surf shop and surf museum, Lincoln City Surf Shop and Pacific Northwest Surf Museum.

There is public state park camping all along the Oregon coast... you might want to check availability on-line. It ranges from tent camping to yurts.

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We actually don't really give a care that much for scenic lookout points and only probably will be stoping for food, washroom, sleep and maybe 2 spots a day. We just wanna drive to california, cause its CALI. And camp near a beach and go surfing at a good beginners beach. I see Cowell's is really good for that but is there a beach in Cali that is perhaps just as good beginner wise but closer?