Aiofe

My husband and I will be driving from San Fran to Seattle and back again in mid / late November.
Leaving San Fran on the 18th or 19th Nov and we have to be back by the 26th / 27th. Not much time as I believe the drive is quite long (800 miles one way)
However, we don't actually have to go all the way to Seattle as we don't have a set itinerary, we'd rather take it relatively easy and see some of the sites / visit some of the places along the way.

The Humbolt Redwoods State Park is one thing we'd like to see but apart from that we don't really have any plans.

Does anyone have any suggestions re. places not to be missed / sights to be seen?
We don't mind doing some walking but my husband is not very fit so serious trekking is probably not a good idea!

Also, the weather .. what is it like at that time of year? I believe it can get cold / snow etc in some areas.

Any and all suggestions are most welcome.

I'd be happy to post a report once we get home to share the experience.

happytrailstoyou

If you visit the Redwoods on your way north, continue up the coast on 101. Our favorite places to stay on the Oregon coast are Brookings, Yachats, Newport, and Cannon Beach.

Drive to Seattle from Cannon Beach.

On your return to San Francisco, stop in Portland for at least one night.

Explore the Columbia River Gorge, if time permits.

Ashland is a pleasant town in which to spend a night.

If there is snow in the passes on I-5, you may want to head over to the coast for clear roadways.

HTTY

caojuan

It's a long distsnce. Just a week it's hush if you want go some sightseeing.

passerbye

Ditto to what htty suggested, except for the Seattle part. Cannon Beach to Seattle is about 4 hours, and another 3 back south to Portland means the better part of a day of just driving, with nothing along the way particularly worth stopping for. With a couple weeks it might make sense, but even cutting off this trip at Portland will be a stretch with the time you have.

happytrailstoyou

Point taken, but I supposed they would spend a night or two in Seattle before going to Portland.

suze

With only a week I think I'd stick to only California and Oregon, making Portland you furtherst stop north. That would really make the pace of the trip a lot nicer imo.

Gardyloo

Sorry to disagree, but at that time of year it's likely to be very rainy/windy on the coast, so lingering outside the car is probably not going to be all that enjoyable.

Via the coast for the most part, it's a two day drive, stretchable to three if you really want to poke along. First day, SF to the Humboldt groves will be around 6 hours; leave in the morning and plan to overnight somewhere around Crescent City.

Second day, keep going up US 101 along the Oregon coast as far as Reedsport, then turn inland on Oregon 38. SR 38 is very scenic this time of year, probably a lot of elk roadside just east of Reedsport (look for the pull-outs and viewing platforms) and rapid white water in the beautiful Umpqua River gorge just east of the elk viewing area. SR 38 joins I-5 not far from Cottage Grove; from there it's around 2 hours to Portland, for the second night.

The next morning is an easy 3 hours to Seattle, arriving in plenty of time for lunch at the Pike Market.

Coming back, you can either return via the coast (which might be a tad boring) or by I-5. In pure driving hours, Seattle to SF using I-5 is around 12-14 hours behind the wheel, so an easy 2-day trip. There's a small risk of snow over Siskiyou Summit at the OR-CA state line, but unusual for November. If it's possible (listen to the radio) you can bail out at Grants Pass and cut over US 199 back to Crescent City, then continue back on 101 from there.

Or if you feel intrepid and want to see a very different picture, you can go east from Seattle on I-90 to US 97 at Yakima, then follow US 97 down the east side of the Cascades through Southcentral Washington and central Oregon, all the way to Klamath Falls and on to the US 97/ I-5 junction at Weed in northern California. This will add a few hours to the I-5 only route, but the weather will likely be dryer east of the Cascades, and the scenery will be excellent and very different from the "wet" side west of the mountains.

happytrailstoyou

In early November, 2009, we stayed at Fireside Inn in Yachats. From our deck we watched a most impressive storm rage in the Pacific and we enjoyed a light dinner at Drift Inn in the company of locals while being entertained by a peppy pianist.

I've only driven on I-97 through Oregon once and all I remember about the drive from Weed to Bend is having to share the two-lane roadway with an endless parade of huge trucks trying to hog it. Once in Bend, we didn't waste any time getting off I-97 and on to OR-26.

HTTY

Aiofe

Thanks to all for your suggestions, much appreciated.

We have decided that time won't allow us to drive to Seattle and back (We'd spend most of the time driving!) so we're going to do a one way drive and fly back from Seattle to SF.
This should give us some time to see a few places, maybe stop in Portland & Seattle for a day.

NorthwestMale

(sigh) Part of your having two paths for the journey was the chance to cover more bases.

Now each choice along the way is going to have to be more meaningful.

I guess I'd head up I-5 and then let the weather dictate which way I went. If the weather is particularly rainy, windy and gloomy, then the Oregon Coast loses plenty of its appeal. (if it is merely dry and cold then the visuals will be fine)

Consider as an option a visit to Crater Lake in southern Oregon and that could even entail a drive through Bend, Oregon and up to the Columbia River, before going west for time in Portland previous to your final trek to Seattle.

IF the weather is suitable you should save time for Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier but do remember that in late November that may all be wishful thinking.

At any rate, a week seems plenty of time for enjoying a one-way path... it only heightens the pressure on the selection OF said path.

bluzmama

If you decide to travel up I-5 make sure to carry chains because it very possibly may snow over the Siskiyou Summit. If you decide to head up along the coast and then head inland, again carrying chains, make sure that you stay on heavily traveled roads and do NOT rely on GPS as getting stuck on a backroad can be unpleasant.

Whichever route you take, make sure to pay attention to weather reports. In Oregon you can actually see the highway conditions at www.tripcheck.com (Oregon Dept of Transportation's website) as well as forecasts. More than likely you'll see some rain this time of year. As for the Gorge, Crater Lake,etc. east of the Cascades, you may see snow.

tomfuller

I must disagree with gardyloo about Highway 97 from Bend to Weed. We now have 16" of snow in my back yard 50 miles south of Bend. During the last week we have had sunrise temps below 0 degrees F. If you don't have internet for tripcheck you can call 511 from your cellphone in Oregon.

Gardyloo

Well I disagree with myself, so join the club.

This last week's weather has been the pits all over the region, so the only reliable advice one could give would be to get weather and road condition reports as you go. 12 F at our house before Thanksgiving - who knew?