deltadawn68

Considering planning a 3 week (possibly a little longer) road trip up the west coast all the way to Seattle. Would love to cross the border to BC, but not sure there's enough time.
Need some pointers on number of days and places to stop we might not think about. We'd be mostly camping. We're good with a mix of primitive and not so primitive. Our start date is pretty flexible at this point. Maybe end of April, beginning of May. We have 3 kids...2 teens and a 4 year old.

We live near Dallas, Would take about 3 days and our first big stop would be Yosemite. Should we plan on 3 full days there? From Yosemite I'd like to head to Big Sur. and then begin our northward ascent. Is 2 full days there enough? Next we'd head to SF for a couple of days. I have a friend I'd like to see. We're not big city people, but I wouldn't want to miss it.

After SF I don't have a plan. I see lots of interesting places on the map. Patrick's Point is a destination a couple of my friends have mentioned and I guess it's right outside Redwood NP. Maybe 3 nights there?

I'm clueless as to Oregon. I have a friend in Seattle who has given me some input, but would welcome more! If we're that close to BC, should we just bite the bullet and go on?

Would like to head back to Texas down through Idaho and try to see Craters of the Moon Park.

We spent 2 weeks camping last year through GC, Zion, Bryce and Arches and loved it. Did Yellowstone a few years ago. So maybe some ideas on our return trip that bypass those places?

We love the outdoors and wildlife. Would love to see whales, sea lions, etc.

Thanks so much!!

Gardyloo

My first comment has to do with the timing. In April and May most of the coastal areas north of SF will be more wet than not; it can vary from misty to drizzle to heavy rain, days at a time. Do you mind camping in those conditions? Of course there will be sunny days, but the general odds are against you.

The Sierras, Cascades and the Olympics will still have deep snow; it's unlikely Tioga Pass (Yosemite) will be open, and there may still be deep snow at higher elevations in Yosemite Park, such as Tuolumne Meadows. That will also be the case in Mount Rainier National Park; the rim of Crater Lake will most likely be largely inaccessible.

So I guess I'd read up a little on conditions in the various regions around then and see if it tracks with your preferences and traveling style.

sunbum1944

Agree with Gardyloo- Oregon is likely to be wet, wet, wet - and I am thinking some campgrounds not even open.

spirobulldog

I have been to Patricks Point and really enjoyed it. At Patricks Point is Palmers Point. Go to Palmers at Low Tide for great tidepooling. Also check out Agate Beach.

Consider hiking 4.5 miles(one way) on James Irvine Trail in Redwoods at Praire Creek State Park(3 state parks make up the national park). Elk are almost always present here. The trail goes through huge trees and the end take you through Fern Canyon all the way to the ocean. Perhaps the 2 teens and 1 adult could to it and then another adult and 4 year old drive to the other side to pick them up. I think a 4 year old could make it fine one-way, but having to go back might be a bit much(don't know how much hiking he/she has done). It is a fairly level hike and shady. You are likely to be the only one on the trail until you reach Fern Canyon. If you don't do this hike, do at least drive to Fern Canyon and do it.
A great short hike is The Stout Grove in Jedediah Smith State Park(also part of the Redwoods). This is also a nice drive.

I would spend at least a full day in San Francisco. Another cool place is Point Reyes. It's a lot like Patrick's Point. You could easily spend a day or two there. I would skip Muir Woods. Don't miss the Aquarium at Monterey Bay. I would highly recommend kayaking in Elkhorn Slough, just north of Monterey.

Jet Boating is pretty cool thing to do in Oregon. There are several places to do that in Oregon. You might want to go 4 wheeling or dune buggying on Oregon Sand Dunes.

I think if you could start out in Yosemite about the 3rd week in June, for things being open. I'm not sure you can fully do everything in 3 weeks without being very rushed. We spend 13 days in Oregon alone and 9 in Washington and still felt rushed.
Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens, Columbia River Gorge, San Juan Islands, Crater Lake, Mt. Rainier, North Cascades. Even Lassen and Oregon Caves are all great spots and each one of those takes at least a full day or even two.

deltadawn68

Weather conditions are something I had given consideration to. Still in the very early planning stages and reading up on the various regions. Maybe late August/September would be much better. We homeschool and try to beat the summer crowds if we can. And the more I think on it, the more I think we can't see everything we want to without being rushed. Maybe it should be a Cali trip or an Oregon/Washington trip?

Gardyloo

Maybe late August/September would be much better.

MUCH better.

Which is not to say that the spring is a total bust. For example, even though it's wet it's a great time to visit the Olympic National Park rain forests on the west side of the Olympic Peninsula. The (huge) Roosevelt elk that are resident in the park come down to the lowlands during the winter (snow in the Olympic mountains) and eat much of the undergrowth, leaving an eerie scene - long-distance views through trees that vanish into the mist overhead. Moss hanging from the trees, moss and only a few plants underfoot - a green cathedral. The elk are around, too, like dinosaurs in the gloom. It's magic but not your run-of-the-mill national park stuff.

Or, in April/May the waterfalls along the Oregon side of the Columbia Gorge - http://gardyloo.us/20100509_5a.JPG - will be furious with water from melting snow, and the Hood River Valley will have blooming orchards leading to Mount Hood - http://gardyloo.us/20100509_85a.JPG - where they'll still be skiing at Timberline Lodge.

Or the under-visited Washington Palouse - http://gardyloo.us/20130409_190a.JPG - will be in its spring finery.

It all depends on your priorities - it's a huge region with so much diversity that it really doesn't matter when you visit. However, if you're camping and wanting to spend time on the ocean, the late summer is certainly a more reliable time.

deltadawn68

Gardyloo, that sounds wonderful. Maybe when kids are gone and we can afford hotels instead of camping Camping is just the affordable way for us to go and I'd much rather not camp in the rain Thanks so much for your input!

deltadawn68

spirobulldog, thanks for your suggestions too!! We have a high speed Deuter backback for the little! She'll be able to ride in it till she's 6, I think! Have hauled her miles in that thing!

enzian

The California coastal areas are generally fine in late April and May, and that is a much better time for Yosemite than summer. We did a three-day walk on the coastal trail north of San Francisco a couple of years ago and it was wonderful. Big Sur area is also nice then, as well as the Mendocino coast. Of courseis can cloud up and drizzle now and then, but in the years I lived in that area.we had lots of good beach days in the spring (beach walking, not swimming!)

You could easily spend the whole time in California and come to Oregon and Washington on another trip. Make it September if you can.

Do you know the system for getting campground reservations in Yosemite? You need to be on the computer right at 7:00 am on December 15 for reservations in April ( start dates on or after April 15). They all get booked within a few minutes.

spirobulldog

Yosemite would be better early (less crowds and raging waterfalls). Waterfalls might not be going at all by August. But everything else would probably be better later. Of course, you never know with weather. Depends on snowfall amount, heat waves, etc.

tomfuller

If you miss out on the lodging in Yosemite, you can either stay in El Portal or where DW and I stayed at the BUG HI hostel.
http://www.yosemitebug.com/
In Oregon, there are coastal state parks that have yurts. This beats taking down and setting up a wet tent.
I have stayed a few nights in yurts at Sunset Bay (SW of Coos Bay) and at Tugman State park north of Coos Bay along US 101 near the sand dunes.
If you want to see Crater Lake without snow, go in August.