Suggestion on agenda for SF to Seattle

Old Jul 30th, 2016, 08:37 AM
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Suggestion on agenda for SF to Seattle

My husband and I are flying into San Fran (which we love) and will be staying there for two days. We are then driving over to Yosemite for 2 1/2 days then heading over to Napa/Sonoma for 4 days. We are big wine drinkers and Sonoma and Napa are one of the main reasons we are doing this trip. After we leave Sonoma. we are a bit up in the air about what to do on the coast before we hit the Willamette Valley and Portland. We plan on spending 3-4 days in Portland with a day at Mt Hood then will be driving to Seattle to fly home to Cincinnati. Any thoughts on what to see or where to stay on coast after leaving Napa before getting to Portland. We love nature, wildlife, the coast, wine. Any suggestions or input would be much appreciated.
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Old Jul 30th, 2016, 08:44 AM
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What month are you traveling?
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Old Jul 30th, 2016, 09:01 AM
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We are not sure if we are doing the end of Sept into Oct or Oct into Nov. I would prefer Sept into Oct but not sure the schedule will allow so it is most likely going to be Oct 19 thru Nov 6.
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Old Jul 30th, 2016, 09:05 AM
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I would love to add Crater Lake or Columbia Gorge. Would this work?
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Old Jul 30th, 2016, 09:14 AM
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>>Would this work?
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Old Jul 30th, 2016, 09:18 AM
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Total trip would be 18 days
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Old Jul 30th, 2016, 09:21 AM
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Are you sure you want to do something on the coast instead of going up I-5 to cover the Willamette Valley and the Rogue Valley wine regions?
If the drop off fee is high you might want to leave the California rental car back where you rented it and either take the train or fly to Portland or Eugene.
Early October will likely have better weather than early November.
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Old Jul 30th, 2016, 09:50 AM
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>>Total trip would be 18 days
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Old Jul 30th, 2016, 10:24 AM
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I'm going to raise a suggestion that (usually) prompts scorn, but here goes...

Skip Yosemite. In October the odds are high that the waterfalls - one of the big reasons for visiting - will be dry or nearly so. Use those days and all the road miles elsewhere; if you want to see waterfalls the Columbia Gorge is the place to go at that time of year.

Second suggestion: reverse your route. The later you start, the higher the odds that you'll hit lousy weather in Washington and Oregon, not to mention shortening days. You could even swap the Yosemite days for a drive south via Mount Rainier, which will probably have some decent fall color in view. You could visit it en route between Seattle and the Columbia Gorge, which would allow you - should you desire - to include yet two more big wine producing areas, the Yakima Valley and the Columbia Valley along the way, using your "Yosemite" days.

It's also worth noting that the area around Mount Hood and the Hood River Valley on the east edge of the main part of the Columbia Gorge is also an up-and-coming vineyard area; you might also be able to hit the end of the harvest season among the apple and pear orchards in the Hood River Valley, with gorgeous fall colors and Mount Hood looming behind.

A route something like this - https://goo.gl/maps/vR8fnfv9kHL2 - over 18 days is very doable, with enough time to actually see things.
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Old Jul 30th, 2016, 11:20 AM
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Thanks so much for all of your suggestions. I will definitely consider them when doing our planning. This is what I have right now. Is this agenda too optimistic??

Ok, is this too optimistic?

Flying into San Fran on Wed 10/19

10/19-10/21-spend in San Fran

10/22-10/23-Yosemite

10/24-10/25-10/26-10/27-Napa and Sonoma

10/28-10/30-Mendocino / Fort Bragg

10/31-travel to WiIllamette Valley

11/1-Valley area

11/2-11/4-Portland and Mt Hood

11/5-11/6-Seattle w red eye home
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Old Jul 30th, 2016, 11:32 AM
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Frankly in November I'd probably drop Oregon and Washington and give strong consideration to adding more time in the California gold rush country near Yosemite, where there are quite a few up-and-coming wineries, and a number of gorgeous small historic towns (Google Murphys CA.)

OR, head down the coast and visit the Santa Ynez/Santa Barbara wineries, then fly home from LA.

The weather north of the redwoods is likely to be very wet by November, and you don't have nearly enough time to visit wineries in the Willamette Valley with that timetable. The experience is not at all like the Napa/Sonoma Valleys in terms of winery density or facilities.

You'd also probably save a bunch on rental car expense by keeping everything inside California.
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Old Jul 30th, 2016, 11:33 AM
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PS Where's home? And welcome to Fodor's!
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Old Jul 30th, 2016, 11:54 AM
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>>Ok, is this too optimistic?>10/28-10/30-Mendocino / Fort Bragg

10/31-travel to WiIllamette ValleyELEVEN hour drive w/ no stops.

I totally agree w/ Gardyloo. November is very late for the northern bits of your itinerary.

You are likely to have much better weather in northern/central California.

>>(Google Murphys CA.)
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Old Jul 31st, 2016, 09:37 AM
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Are you sure you can't reverse the order of the trip flying to either PDX or SEA and ending with Yosemite and San Francisco?
Check out the Rogue River wineries near Medford/Ashland.
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Old Jul 31st, 2016, 10:42 AM
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Ok, we are giving a lot of consideration to all of your wonderful advice. Thinking we might save Oregon and Seattle for another trip.
We have done done the coast towards LA. Actually all the way to San Diego. Loved Big Sur and Monterey. Muir Woods was one of our faves. We want to focus north of San Fran with the few days at Yosemite. Any other suggestions besides those mentioned and Mendocino and Fort Bragg? We hail from Cincinnati. We love the west coast and love the east coast, as well. Maine is gorgeous. When the time comes, we would love to retire to the Boston area.

Thanks everyone for all of your suggestions.
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Old Jul 31st, 2016, 12:27 PM
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You can do a nice sort of V shaped route something like.
• Spend your arrival night in SF or even better, near the airport
•Leave very early AM (before the morning commute) across to Yosemite
• Back across to Napa/Sonoma
• Up Hwy 1 along the coast to Mendocino .
• Farther north into the Redwoods (If Muir Woods impressed -- the Avenue of the Giants and Redwoods National Parks will blow your socks off )
• Then 101 back to SF for your last couple of nights.


Book your Yosemite lodgings ASAP. Look at staying in Sonoma county rather than Napa. Then Mendocino or Little River (I really like the Little River Inn). Then maybe either the Benbow Inn in Garberville or the Gingerbread Mansion in Ferndale. Then Trinidad. Then back to SF . . .
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Old Jul 31st, 2016, 12:27 PM
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Actually more L shaped.
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Old Jul 31st, 2016, 03:45 PM
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I'd also suggest seeing some giant sequoias while you're in the Yosemite area; sequoias aren't the same as the coast redwoods (redwoods taller, sequoias wider.) The Mariposa Grove inside Yosemite NP is closed for the time being, but you could visit the Calaveras Big Trees State Park, on CA Hwy 4 just east of Murphys (mentioned above) before heading out to the coast. That would also allow you to spend a day along CA 49 in some of the gold rush towns.

At that time of year every day can make a difference weather-wise, so I'd modify janisj's plans with a route like this - https://goo.gl/maps/DeSRPunbwiP2

I'd head north toward the Humboldt County redwoods right away - US 50 to I-5 to CA 20 out to US101, then north to the Avenue of the Giants. Stay in Garberville (south of the Avenue) or Ferndale/Eureka (north) then head back on US 101 to the CA 1 turnoff at Leggett, then down the Mendocino coast.

I'd turn back inland at Jenner or Bodega Bay (or follow the Russian River through Gureneville) for Sonoma; there are vineyards and wineries all over the place in the hills in that area. Then end in SF.

This results in a big loop that will offer stunning variety, without any terribly challenging days, save if you want to run from the gold rush country to Eureka in one day, which would be a little long, especially with shortening daylight.
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