Vancouver BC to San Francisco

[smurfgun]

I'm new around here and I was brought here looking for suggestions on attractions and stuff to do while driving from Vancouver BC to San Francisco. I know, there are other threads on this topic and I have read a few. I'm starting a new thread because I think what I am looking for is a little different.

I want to spend my time looking at what to do and where to eat in San Francisco (any suggestions here would be great too) and not really what to do while on the road. If I can, I'd drive straight from Vancouver to San Francisco but I doubt that is possible (imo anyways).

So, I am seeking suggestions on where I can make memorable stops along the way without making too big of a detour and within reasonable cost? For example, I don't want to be paying for a $10 dollar pass to crater lake when I am only going to be there for an hour.

Thanks for any suggestions,

[PNW Judy]

In my opinion, $10 to detour to Crater Lake is a bargain. One of the most beautiful places in the world. If you have a national parks pass, you don't have to pay to enter.

Wildlife Safari in Winston, OR. A short jaunt off of I-5.

Oregon Vortex/House of Mystery, just north of Gold Hill, OR, is not far off of I-5 and a lot of fun.

Mt. St. Helens (about an hour up the road from Castle Rock, WA, to the Johnston Ridge VC).

[Mark Sedenquist]

I'm new around here and I was brought here looking for suggestions on attractions and stuff to do while driving from Vancouver BC to San Francisco. I know, there are other threads on this topic and I have read a few.

Welcome to the Forum!

I want to spend my time looking at what to do and where to eat in San Francisco (any suggestions here would be great too)

The Access Guides were written from the viewpoint of what can be seen from the perspective of walking in cities and San Francisco is a particularily good city for this style of guidebook. One of the attractions in San Francisco is the Wave Organ and it rarely appears in any formal guidebook.

Since your first love is not roadtripping, I am wondering why you just don't fly to San Francisco? You don't really need a personal car in The City and it would seem to make more sense given your comments about such natural wonders as Crater Lake.

Mark

[smurfgun]

In my opinion, $10 to detour to Crater Lake is a bargain. One of the most beautiful places in the world. If you have a national parks pass, you don't have to pay to enter.

Wildlife Safari in Winston, OR. A short jaunt off of I-5.

Oregon Vortex/House of Mystery, just north of Gold Hill, OR, is not far off of I-5 and a lot of fun.

Mt. St. Helens (about an hour up the road from Castle Rock, WA, to the Johnston Ridge VC).

Thanks for the reply. Your comment about Crater Lake is actually a very good comment. If you believe that seeing crater lake for $10 on a couple hour stay is a bargain, I'd really like to hear it. That tells me its something I can't miss out on even if I was there for only a couple hours. On that note, is a couple hours enough to see Crater Lake?

[smurfgun]

Welcome to the Forum!
The Access Guides were written from the viewpoint of what can be seen from the perspective of walking in cities and San Francisco is a particularily good city for this style of guidebook. One of the attractions in San Francisco is the Wave Organ and it rarely appears in any formal guidebook.

Since your first love is not roadtripping, I am wondering why you just don't fly to San Francisco? You don't really need a personal car in The City and it would seem to make more sense given your comments about such natural wonders as Crater Lake.

Mark

I'd figure having a car in San Fran would be a good thing? It'll allow me to driver further away. I guess one reason for driving instead of flying is that it will cost less. Also, I was thinking of making a stop in Portland.

Sorry, I think my comment about Crater lake is slightly misleading. I had no idea ppl have such high praise about Crater lake. But from reading briefly about crater lake, it seems like an adventure that is worth it only on a longer stay. What I am searching for is memorable places worth going to given that I will only want to spend upto several hours there maximum.

I hope that clarifies things and I do really want to find some very memorable places to stop along the way.

Thanks for the reply!

[PNW Judy]

Thanks for the reply. Your comment about Crater Lake is actually a very good comment. If you believe that seeing crater lake for $10 on a couple hour stay is a bargain, I'd really like to hear it. That tells me its something I can't miss out on even if I was there for only a couple hours. On that note, is a couple hours enough to see Crater Lake?

Well, you do have to figure a good 1.5-2 hours to just get to Crater Lake. Then time to see it, and then back again. So you could easily spend a whole day to detour there. It think the best route would be to detour inland at Eugene, OR, then plan on coming out to I-5 again at Weed, CA. This will also take you through some amazing scenery.

If you don't mind spending the time, it's definitely worth a stop. It's gorgeous. Here's a photo from a trip I took there in 2001. You can drive all the way around the lake and each view is stunningly gorgeous. Of course, you can spend a week there hiking. Or a few hours.

When I'm planning a trip, I usually take into consideration the likelihood that I'll get someplace again anytime soon. For example, I did Grand Canyon in one day for the south rim and 1/2 day for the north rim. Was that enough time? Heck no! You could spend days/weeks exploring that wonderful place. But I know I may not get back from a long time so I squeezed in what I could.

You might ask yourself if you'll get down that way again in the next few years to spend more time at places like Crater Lake. You could easily drive to Crater Lake in one land day, or about 1-1/2 days from Vancouver BC. So, maybe you'll get there another time? If not, you may want to do it on this trip? Only you can answer this question. I just think a quick peek at something you may never see if you don't grab this opportunity is better than never getting a peek at all. But that's me.

[smurfgun]

I have another question. I'm reading some more and looking at the map and I see US101 is a popular route to take.

When should I leave I5 and start taking US101 (other words, when does the view get nice?)? Also, when should I come back onto I5? Finally, how much longer will it take to drive through US101 instead of I5?

Btw, on maps.google, it says it will take me 17 hours to make the trip. Does anybody have first hand experience how long it will take?

Thanks,

[Mark Sedenquist]

Btw, on maps.google, it says it will take me 17 hours to make the trip. Does anybody have first hand experience how long it will take?

All of the on-line mapping programs, (like maps.google.com) use a complicated set of algorithms that take into account known traffic bottlenecks, construction, speed limits, weather, etc. However, all of them (100%) understate the time duration of roadtrips. If you were to have a police escort and could actually maintain a speed approaching 70 mph, it would probably take about 17 hours to drive that distance by the shortest possible route. But after a couple million miles of roadtrip traveling in the states, I can emphatically state that the highest average speed you can maintain for most of the USA over a 10 hour period is 52.7 mph, if you factor in at least one stop for fuel, two more for food/snacks/stretch. That would put the shortest time to drive this distance at just slightly over 18 hours to drive 950 miles. Now, if you were to drive US-101 and the coastal highways (route 1 in California) the fastest posssible drive would be over 22 hours.

I have another question. I'm reading some more and looking at the map and I see US101 is a popular route to take.

If it were me, I would take the ferry at Victoria to Port Angeles and go see the trolls at Gardiner Beach and then spend a few hours in Olympic National Park before heading south on US-101. And if you have the time, I would drive the entire distance on the coast and then return inland from San Francisco. That would be an epic road trip!

Mark

[smurfgun]

Thanks,

Is there a website that will help me map a route through the coastal highways? and estimate an ETA?

Also, Is there any websites (or books) with "off the highway" attractions information while on the coastal highways?

[Mark Sedenquist]

Also, Is there any websites (or books) with "off the highway" attractions information while on the coastal highways?

Paige R. Penland wrote just about the best guide to the coast route we have ever seen.