KStagler

Hoping to get some thoughts on the proposed 15 day itinerary below and if you have ideas for activities or lodging along the way, even better! Flights are booked, car is reserved but that's it at this point.

3 days in San Francisco
2 days in Sonoma
2 days northern CA coast (Mendocino or Ft Bragg, then Crescent City or Eureka)
2 days OR coast (Bandon or Coos Bay, then Yachats)
2 days in Portland
1 day in Edgefield
3 days in Seattle

janisj

Your budget for accommodations?

KStagler

Probably ~$300 a night in the cities and in Sonoma, hoping for closer to $200 in other locations

hanayoridango

I think 1 day in Sonoma is fine and you could add more to Portland or Seattle. Portland especially will need more than 2 days. You seem interested smaller destinations? Definitely worth making those stops! My family and I did a similar trip about 10 years ago and it was great!

marvelousmouse

Coos Bay is not very attractive- not a beach town. I'd choose Bandon or elsewhere.

Gardyloo

What month is this occurring? Some locations on the Oregon coast can be problematic or require 2-night minimum stays.

I think the basics of the route are fine. However without knowing your priorities (am I right in guessing winery visits are important?) my first impression is that you're spending more time in Sonoma/Mendocino counties than I'd advise, and too little in the redwoods or Puget Sound country.

On the winery front - if I'm right - there are numerous vineyard and winery areas along your route. The Willamette Valley in Oregon (around McMinnville, so right on the way from the central coast to Portland) is one such; the Columbia Gorge another, with two main areas, one around Hood River and another further east around Maryhill.

Or if it's rocky coast, the Sonoma/Mendocino coasts are splendid, but they'll come in second to the southern and central Oregon coast in terms of scenery.

What about the likes of Mts. Hood, St. Helens, Rainier? Historic sites? National Parks? Islands?

So let us know when, and something about your goals, and more precise advice can be forthcoming.

KStagler

We'll be traveling the last week of May into the first week of June.

While I'm a wine lover, my husband really isn't so I'm thinking wineries mostly limited to the time in Sonoma. And if the Mendocino/Sonoma coasts come in 2nd behind the OR coast, I will definitely adjust my plan. What do you think of the OR stops I have planned? And are there others that you would recommend?

My thought is that we get a little time in the cities, a little time in Sonoma, and the rest is all about scenic stops--coastal or otherwise. Perhaps a few national parks, and not so much on the historic sites.

Thoughts on a day/night in Olympic National Park on Crescent Lake? Also curious if Mt. Rainier and San Juan islands are feasible day trips from Seattle.

janisj

>>And if the Mendocino/Sonoma coasts come in 2nd behind the OR coast, . . .at least 2 nights on the OR coast.

Gardyloo

Some random thoughts...

Late May to early June can be iffy weather-wise on the Oregon coast. Certainly it can be nice, but it can also be overcast and wet; there's really no knowing.

I didn't mean to suggest that the Sonoma/Mendocino coast isn't lovely - it is, and apart from the Memorial Day weekend you shouldn't have an issue with accommodations. (On that weekend, however, it can be almost impossible.)

However it's all about time management, and an extra day here means one day less there. I guess my take would be to look at the individual days in the northern California part of the trip. On day one you could drive from SF to Sonoma via numerous wineries around Napa, St. Helena - all pretty close to one another. Night in Sonoma. The next day, more wineries, but this time heading over the hills to the coast - Sebastopol, maybe Occidental, along the Russian River from Guerneville out to the coast at Jenner, then north to Mendocino. A full day's drive counting stops, but quite scenic and doable.

Then the next day I'd take it easy and go from Mendocino to Arcata or Trinidad north of Eureka, spending plenty of time along the Avenue of the Giants south of Eureka. Maybe have lunch in picturesque Ferndale, off the main freeway south of Eureka. Then the next day I'd shoot for Bandon, or possibly Gold Beach if you want more time in the redwoods. The 65 miles or so the Oregon coast from the state line to Port Orford is IMO the most scenic, so combined with the Del Norte County redwoods it makes for a very full day, and while Gold Beach won't win any beauty contests, the beaches nearby are world-class for scenery. Yachats would be easy the next day.

Not sure what your plans are around Portland, but given it's May/June I'd definitely spend plenty of time in the Columbia Gorge and Hood River Valley/Mt. Hood area. The waterfalls will be full, and they'll still be skiing at Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood, making for a terrific Hood River Valley/Mt. Hood day's amble.

Thoughts on a day/night in Olympic National Park on Crescent Lake? Also curious if Mt. Rainier and San Juan islands are feasible day trips from Seattle.

Counting drive time, Olympic NP isn't really feasible with your schedule. Regarding Mt. Rainier, the Paradise visitor center will be open and it's a feasible day trip from Seattle (roughly 2 1/2 - 3 hours each way) but there will be ten feet or so of snow on the ground, and at that time of year the chances of everything being socked in - no mountain visible, fog/rain outside the car - are very high. Mt. St. Helens is a possibility, but my favorite route from the Columbia Gorge to Seattle is to head east from Hood River to Maryhill (cool museum and Stonehenge replica) then north on US 97 through cowboy country and the Yakama Reservation to Yakima, then I-82 and I-90 over the mountains into Seattle from the east. It really shows off the variety of the region.

The San Juans are not an easy day trip from Seattle; however you can have a great island day doing the "Whidbey loop" - north from Seattle to picturesque La Conner, then over amazing Deception Pass to Whidbey Island, then down the island to more cute towns in Coupeville and Langley, then back to Seattle via the Mukilteo ferry and past the Boeing Everett plant, home of the big planes and the biggest building in the world. It's a VERY cool day trip. Map - https://goo.gl/maps/qH3r8gVGC4r

janisj

The only problem w/ Gardyloo's suggestion is that if you drive up the coast to Mendocino and leave the next morning for the Redwoods, you won't have any time for seeing anything in/around Mendocino. That's why I suggested two nights there.

Sonoma County coast: https://www.google.com/search?q=sono...HbSqArMQsAQIMg

Fort Ross: https://www.google.com/search?q=Fort...1JDloQ_AUIBygC

Mendocino botanical gardens: https://www.google.com/search?q=mend...HReUCbEQsAQILQ

Pacific Star winery: https://www.google.com/search?q=paci...RUDMcQ_AUICCgD

Glass beach: https://www.google.com/search?q=glas...HW19AxgQsAQIJw

Mendocino coastal scenery: https://www.google.com/search?q=Mend...-9DysQ_AUIBygC

Mendocino itself: https://www.google.com/search?q=mend...TvBKMQ_AUIBygC


Plus lots more . . .

To gain that 'extra' night you could cut one from either SF, Sonoma, or Seattle.

KStagler

Thanks everyone--very helpful! I'm going to spend some time today refining the plan and making reservations.