Seattle, San Francisco, Vegas, Grand Canyon and back

[zuch]

Hi

New member here. First of all this forum is a great resource and I've found some great information here over the last few days so thank you to everyone who's part of this! :)

My wife and I are planning a road trip in a couple of weeks and would love some advice and suggestions from fellow road trippers.

The high level plan is to go from Seattle to San Francisco via the Pacific Coast and the Redwoods, then head east towards the Grand Canyon and Zion national park (if the weather conditions permit) and come back.

We have two weeks to do this (with a buffer of an additional 3 days if needed). We don't intend to spend too much time in the bigger cities that we're visiting (like SF, Vegas and possibly Salt Lake City). All those destinations have friends that we'd like to get together with for an evening and then move on. Our main interests are around being able to witness natural beauty of the pacific coast and get a chance to see as many national parks as possible.

We are comfortable driving 7-8 hours on a day if needed but would like to pace it out as much as possible.

Onwards Journey (tentative)

Day 1
Seattle -> Eugene, OR via the Columbia gorge

Day 2
Eugene, OR -> Crescent City

Day 3
Crescent City -> Ferndale, CA. This is a shorter drive, leaves the rest of the day open for some sightseeing like say doing the lost coast drive loop or a hike in the redwoods

Day 4
Ferndale, CA -> San Francisco

Day 5, 6
Trip to Yosemite and back with a friend who'll join us in SF

Day 7
SF -> Bakersfield, CA

Day 8
Bakersfield -> Las Vegas

Day 9
Las Vegas -> Grand Canyon

Return Journey
We have 5 more days, and would love some suggestions as to what we should do on our way back. Should we take the fastest route that google suggests via Salt Lake City UT, Boise ID, Kennewick WA back or go back the same way with fewer stops or add more days to our journey if this is totally unrealistic.

Would love to hear your thoughts! Also should we be worried about weather / road conditions for any part of the trip in early / mid October?

Thanks in advance!!!

[Lifemagician]

Hi, and Welcome to the Great American Roadtrip Forum.

Just south of Ferndale is Cape Mendocino, the most western point of the 48 States. It is unique with its black beach and rocks, as well as the off shore lighthouse.

A little further south is the Humboldt Redwoods State Park, with its Avenue of the Giants. Take a little hike among the giants and imagine the stories they could tell. Stop to have lunch under their canopy and absorb their history.

Take the road from Ferndale to Cape Mendocina then to the Avenue of the Giants, via Petrolia and Honeydew.

Lifey

[zuch]

Hi, and Welcome to the Great American Roadtrip Forum.

Just south of Ferndale is Cape Mendocino, the most western point of the 48 States. It is unique with its black beach and rocks, as well as the off shore lighthouse.

A little further south is the Humboldt Redwoods State Park, with its Avenue of the Giants. Take a little hike among the giants and imagine the stories they could tell. Stop to have lunch under their canopy and absorb their history.

Take the road from Ferndale to Cape Mendocina then to the Avenue of the Giants, via Petrolia and Honeydew.

Lifey

Thanks Lifemagician! The road route from Ferndale to Cape Mendocino and Ave of the Giants was definitely on our radar. We didn't know about the beach there but will keep that in mind.

Still looking about some advice on whether the itinerary sounds feasible especially the way back in 5 days.

[Lifemagician]

Still looking about some advice on whether the itinerary sounds feasible especially the way back in 5 days.

Not sure I am the one to advice this. I tend to just hit the road and see where it leads me, whatever time it takes. I'm sure others who tend to travel a planned itinerary and to a timeline will no doubt be along to advice you on the return trip.

Lifey

[AZBuck]

I don't see anything in your plans that raises a red flag. Your pacing seem quite realistic with at least a little time each day to just relax and enjoy a good hike. Yosemite can be done (not completely, but done well) as an overnight trip from San Francisco, particularly if you plan on spending the better part of both days in the park. With five days for the return drive from the Grand Canyon to Seattle, you will have to keep an eye on the calendar and weather reports but not unduly so. You'll have to travel at a faster pace than on the first part of your trip, averaging around 300 miles a day on this final northbound leg. But that should give you at least some time for a quick visit to Zion National park and Salt Lake City. I would try to leave SLC with a full three days in hand so that on the off chance that you do run into some untoward weather, you can still just sit out a day, let it pass, and give the road crews time to clear the roads before you continue on home.

AZBuck