California and Oregon Coast Trip

Old Aug 4th, 2015, 06:25 AM
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California and Oregon Coast Trip

Hello everybody,

My family and I are planning a trip to Northern California and Oregon Next June (2016) for about 10-12 days. I have a preliminary itinerary in the works and know that I can get a lot of insight from you guys. There will be four of us, two adults and two kids (17 and 19) and we all enjoy hiking and nature in general. We have never been to San Francisco or Oregon, and are hoping to experience some of the culture of the area in addition to the natural stuff.

My preliminary itinerary:
Day 1 (June 3rd): Arrive in S.F. from Boston, explore city
Day 2 (4th): San Francisco
Day 3 (5th): Leave the city via Golden Gate Bridge, travel along coast (rt. 1) and visit Point Reyes, stopping as we see fit. Spend night somewhere halfway from Redwoods
Day 4 (6th): Continue north to various redwood parks, spend night in Crescent City

At this point I am split between two options. One is to leave the coast and head inland to see Crater Lake and Mt. Hood along with Bend. The other is to continue along the Oregon Coast and visit all of the small towns and beaches which look absolutely stunning. Additionally we would like to see the Columbia River, and I am not sure if it is better east or west of Portland.

Day 10 (12th): Explore Portland
Day 11 (13th): Fly back to Boston

Any suggestions would be awesome at this point, as I am still trying to figure out which route we would like to follow.

Thanks
dshamritsky is offline  
Old Aug 4th, 2015, 06:41 AM
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The Columbia River east of Portland is what you want to explore, including the Historic Columbia River Highway and the waterfalls, including the magnificent Multnomah Falls.

I would concentrate my time on the Oregon Coast. The stretch of 101 from Brookings to Port Orford skirts the coast and the stretch from Florence to Lincoln City is also rich with ocean views.

There is lodging all along the coast, but we especially enjoy Newport and Cannon Beach.

Check to make certain that the road that goes around Crater Lake will be open--it is often closed until late in June.

Attractions around Bend include Lava Lands and Smith Rock.

HTtY
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Old Aug 4th, 2015, 07:21 AM
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Stay in Trinidad instead of Crescent City.

Go to www.oregoncoastmagazine.com and read its mile-by-mile description.
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Old Aug 4th, 2015, 08:07 AM
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Bobmrg,

Where is a good place to stay in Trinidad?

HTtY
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Old Aug 4th, 2015, 08:13 AM
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I have stayed at the Trinidad Inn. Nice, clean, some units with kitchens, BBQ available for guests, helpful staff.
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Old Aug 4th, 2015, 09:49 AM
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Point Reyes will take more time than you think. It takes at least half an hour just to get to the ocean side from Point Reyes Station. You will not get far up the coast from there, maybe up to Bodega Bay.

Point Reyes Station has a Cowgirl Creamery store where good picnic items can be picked up, or ready-made sandwiches.
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Old Aug 4th, 2015, 01:18 PM
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The question that I am faced with at the moment is how different the Oregon Coast is from the Northern California coastline. I am leaning towards the option of staying on the coast until the OR/CA border before heading inland to see more of the mountains. This would also set us up to see the Columbia River Gorge, which we would really like to see.

To put it simply: How different is the Oregon coast from that of California?

Thanks
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Old Aug 4th, 2015, 04:39 PM
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The question that I am faced with at the moment is how different the Oregon Coast is from the Northern California coastline.

Nothing on the Oregon coast is to be found in California.

I am leaning towards the option of staying on the coast until the OR/CA border before heading inland to see more of the mountains.

What mountains to you hope to see while driving from the OR/CA border to Portland?

HTtY

PS If you want a beautiful drive from California to Portland, drive on Highway 101. If you don't, take I-5.
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Old Aug 4th, 2015, 05:05 PM
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Thanks HTtY, I just wasn't sure how different the two shorelines are from each other. They both look stunning, and as we have not seen either I wasn't sure about their similarities/differences. To answer your second question, we would like to see Crater Lake the most of any of the inland sites, but are also interested in doing some hiking near Mt. Hood or Mt. Bachelor. Being from Boston we would be fine touring on snowshoes or x-country skis if the roads around the rim would be closed come June. Are any of these places worth cutting out the coast? If we were to take a detour from the coast to visit Crater Lake, are there any other sites you think would be worth seeing?

Thanks again
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Old Aug 4th, 2015, 09:20 PM
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There are many hiking opportunities off of Hwy 138 between Roseburg and crater Lake. Many waterfall hikes. My favorite is Watson Falls but there are many more. Most are not very long or difficult.

There is also a hiking trail along the river but I would guess you would
enjoy the waterfalls more.
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Old Aug 5th, 2015, 02:11 AM
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http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...-to-oregon.cfm

I visited Oregon in early June this year. Take a look at my itinerary and pictures, it might help you decide some of the places you want to visit. I have a full 8 days to see all the places, and was lucky to be blessed with all good days.
Crater Lake is absolutely stunning on a clear good day.
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Old Aug 5th, 2015, 09:07 AM
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Another vote for the Trinidad Inn....but Google, just in case.
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Old Aug 5th, 2015, 09:26 AM
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<How different is the Oregon coast from that of California?>

VERY different places. Both beautiful but not the same at all.
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Old Aug 6th, 2015, 11:16 AM
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The drive up Highway 1from San Francisco will be long and arduous. The speed limit rarely exceeds 35 mph. If someone in your car has a motion sickness issue this could be a problem.
The Mendocino coast north of SF reminds me a lot of Oregons coast line. It is a very scenic location and would reccomend staying in The town of Mendocino over night on Day 3. From there I would reccomend heading north on 1and get onto 101. 101 north to Rewoods staying in Trinidad Day 4 night.
I'd then drive over to Grants Pass on 199 continuing through to Crater Lake and spend the night. Day 6 go north up 5 to Tillamook and spend night. From Tillamook head north to mouth of Columbia river and head east to The Dalles. This stretch is absolutely beautiful. From each there head south on 197 to 26 past Mt. Hood on into Portland.
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Old Aug 6th, 2015, 11:49 AM
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I think that our family has settled on a more complete itinerary for our trip, combining parts of the two previous options into one. Nothing, including dates, is yet finalized, so any suggestions are more than welcome.

Day 1: Arrive in S.F. by noon, spend night
Day 2: San Francisco, 2nd night in city
Day 3: Leave early via Golden Gate Bridge, hike in Point Reyes. Spend night in Mendocino
Day 4: Redwoods and the coast on rts 1 and 101, spend night in Trinidad
Day 5: Leave for Crater Lake, viewing Redwoods National Park, spend night at Crater Lake
Day 6: Depending on conditions, either hike or drive Crater Lake, spend 2nd night
Day 7: Drive to Dunes City on Rt. 138. See some waterfalls along route? Night in Dunes City
Day 8: RT 101 N from Dunes City to Cannon Beach, stop as we please at nice places. Night at Cannon Beach
Day 9: Cannon Beach to Portland following Columbia River. Night in Portland
Day 10: Columbia River Gorge + waterfalls, Mt Hood loop. 2nd night in Portland
Day 11: Explore Portland and leave late in evening (flights at 9 and 11 pm)

On google maps each day looks quite feasible by car with time to stop, look around, and stretch the legs. Are there any days that seem unrealistic or excessive? No planning has been done on hotels yet, so any suggestions on where to stay would be great.

Thanks again
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Old Aug 6th, 2015, 12:47 PM
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Day 3 is probably longer than you think. Google estimates the drive from SF to Mendocino using highway 1 to be 5 hrs.
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Old Aug 6th, 2015, 12:55 PM
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Some info on beautiful Hwy 138

http://www.southernoregon.org/articl...way-waterfalls

There is a beautiful resort along 138, Steamboat Springs - it's quie pricey, but a nice place to stop for lunch or a break. We usually stop there after a day hiking.
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Old Aug 6th, 2015, 01:25 PM
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Michael, would it make more sense to stay closer to San Francisco that night and then drive further to Trinidad the following day?
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Old Aug 6th, 2015, 01:51 PM
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Day 3: Leave early via Golden Gate Bridge, hike in Point Reyes. Spend night in Mendocino

I believe somebody warned you that Point Reyes National Seashore is not a quick in and out--it is time consuming in several ways. Also, if you have not driven on Highway 1 from Point Reyes to Mendocino, you will find that it is a much harder drive than the stretch from Cambria to Montery (or from Dunes City to Cannon Beach). The terrain in more rugged. One of my sisters-in-law refuses to drive it again.

Therefore, I believe you would be wise to not drive all the way to Mendocino. I assume your "family" includes children who may be interested in Fort Ross. There is a campsite nearby: http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/449/fi...pgroundmap.pdf

HTtY
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Old Aug 6th, 2015, 02:38 PM
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After writing the above, I consulted my California atlas to better explain why Highway 1 between Point Reyes and Mendocino is a much harder drive than other stretches of the highway. It is because every so often the highway detours around a gulch, a bay, an estuary, or other geographical feature. There are so many of these detours that after a while you will find yourself thinking, "Enough already."

HTtY
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