San Francisco to Seattle road trip 9-10 days
Jun 13th, 2017, 11:24 AM
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San Francisco to Seattle road trip 9-10 days
We are flying into San Francisco and renting a car to drive up to Seattle and back. We will want to leave San Fran about 3:30 on Wed afternoon in mid August (when we drop the kids off at the airport after their part of our trip). We'd like to visit a relative for a couple of hours in Grants Pass, Oregon, and see Crater Lake, Mount St. Helens and maybe spend a day or two fishing, and drive all the way through the Avenue of the Giants. We will actually be spending a few days near Yosemite and San Fran before we head up north on the Wed afternoon. I'm trying to plot out an itinerary and I know I'm late and need to get this done but I'm a lil stumped. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Jun 13th, 2017, 12:06 PM
#2
Looks like your first post on Fodor's; welcome!
How long do you want to spend in cities along the way, specifically Portland and Seattle? Also, do you have any interest in the Oregon coast? The answers will make a considerable difference in choosing an overall route.
How long do you want to spend in cities along the way, specifically Portland and Seattle? Also, do you have any interest in the Oregon coast? The answers will make a considerable difference in choosing an overall route.
Jun 13th, 2017, 06:29 PM
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<i>I'm a lil stumped</i>
It might be because visiting Crater Lake and Mt. Saint Helens both require a long drive in and a long drive out.
If you hadn't stated these preferences, I would have suggested the Oregon Coast (instead of Crater Lake) and Mt. Rainier (instead of Mt. Saint Helens).
A drive up the Oregon coast offers great ocean views, interesting towns, and a variety of other experiences. Mt. Saint Helens was an intriguing destination for a few years after it popped its lid, but Mt. Rainier is the same majestic experience it has always been.
My favorite itinerary is redwoods, Oregon coast, Portland, Columbia River gorge, Mt. Rainier, Seattle.
You could visit your friends in Grants Pass on your way back to San Francisco on I-5. It fact, Grants Pass would be a perfect place to spend the night on your return drive.
HTtY
It might be because visiting Crater Lake and Mt. Saint Helens both require a long drive in and a long drive out.
If you hadn't stated these preferences, I would have suggested the Oregon Coast (instead of Crater Lake) and Mt. Rainier (instead of Mt. Saint Helens).
A drive up the Oregon coast offers great ocean views, interesting towns, and a variety of other experiences. Mt. Saint Helens was an intriguing destination for a few years after it popped its lid, but Mt. Rainier is the same majestic experience it has always been.
My favorite itinerary is redwoods, Oregon coast, Portland, Columbia River gorge, Mt. Rainier, Seattle.
You could visit your friends in Grants Pass on your way back to San Francisco on I-5. It fact, Grants Pass would be a perfect place to spend the night on your return drive.
HTtY
Jun 13th, 2017, 07:18 PM
#4
No one can give useful suggestions without knowing exactly how long you have for the SF to SF round trip.
If less than about 10 days you might do better to fly up to Seattle and only drive one way.
If less than about 10 days you might do better to fly up to Seattle and only drive one way.
Jun 14th, 2017, 07:04 AM
#6
Are you returning to SFO solely to return the rental car?
My suggestion would be to take the Amtrak Coast Starlight from Oakland (9:30PM) or Emeryville (10PM) on Wednesday to Eugene Oregon arriving about 12:30 to 1PM on Thursday. Rent a car for a week and go see all that you want to see. Return the car and fly home from Eugene or take the train (Coast Starlight or an Amtrak Cascades) to Portland to fly out.
If you just want a drive through on Crater lake, stay in Bend then enter the north entrance of Crater lake (90 miles - less than 2 hours) see the park and exit the south entrance and head for Grants Pass. Use Rt. 234 over to Gold Hill to avoid Medford traffic.
You could get a day of fishing at Diamond lake (Rt. 138) north of Crater Lake if you wanted to try that.
My suggestion would be to take the Amtrak Coast Starlight from Oakland (9:30PM) or Emeryville (10PM) on Wednesday to Eugene Oregon arriving about 12:30 to 1PM on Thursday. Rent a car for a week and go see all that you want to see. Return the car and fly home from Eugene or take the train (Coast Starlight or an Amtrak Cascades) to Portland to fly out.
If you just want a drive through on Crater lake, stay in Bend then enter the north entrance of Crater lake (90 miles - less than 2 hours) see the park and exit the south entrance and head for Grants Pass. Use Rt. 234 over to Gold Hill to avoid Medford traffic.
You could get a day of fishing at Diamond lake (Rt. 138) north of Crater Lake if you wanted to try that.
Jun 14th, 2017, 09:07 AM
#7
I didn't notice your title (just the text) so didn't see the 9-10 days . . .
That will be doable but very rushed. If I were you I'd seriously consider flying north form SFO and only driving one way (or conversely drive north and fly back to SFO)
That will be doable but very rushed. If I were you I'd seriously consider flying north form SFO and only driving one way (or conversely drive north and fly back to SFO)
Jun 14th, 2017, 09:27 AM
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Yah, thank you all for your help!
We will be dropping our daughter off in San Fran on Wed the 16th. Her flight leaves at 5:30 pm, so she needs to be there at 3:30pm. Her brother leaves earlier that morning. We were just discussing last night that maybe we should drop her off at 2:30 or 3:00 to avoid some of the traffic.
If we drop her off early we could aim for Mendicino that night.
(We do have to do the round trip. The tickets are already paid for to fly home out of San Fran on Friday evening the of the 25th and the tickets can't be changed.)
The itinerary with the kids (in their 20s) is we all get to San Fran on Sat the 12th by 1pm. We'll stay the night at in Burlingame and pick up our rental car there. We will pack up early and head out the 13th to Yosemite. We are coming from the East Coast so we will likely enjoy the early start. We have lodgings in Yosemite already booked that night. We will explore there, spend the night there and then head probably to Petaluma or somewhere near there for the night. We'll get up and try to hit Muir Woods first thing that morning and maybe some of Port Reyes park, winding up in San Francisco that evening to spend the night. I know this is rushed but we went with our son a few years ago: we flew into San Fran, drove up to some of the bigger redwoods, over to the coast, down the coast to San Fran, did Alcatraz, then down Big Sur to Cambria, headed inland and drove up the Salad Bowl and back to San Fran. So, he got to see some big trees, and some coast. We only have the 5 days with the two of them, so we are going to Yosemite which he hasn't seen and trying to hit the coast and some big trees which she didn't get to see.
So I'm thinking head up 101, 128 to Mendocino after we drop her off. We'll have been hanging out around San Fran so a 3-4 hour drive shouldn't be too bad.
We aren't big city people. We love the country and the scenery and enjoy driving vacations, but not really long days. (we think 5 hours is a long day of driving but that 3 is not so bad). We didn't get to the biggest redwoods last time, so we want to make sure to drive the Avenue of the Giants.
My husband loves to fish, so if we could find a day to fish and get a guide for that day (bc I'm a newbie there) he'd love me even more than he already does.
We will be dropping our daughter off in San Fran on Wed the 16th. Her flight leaves at 5:30 pm, so she needs to be there at 3:30pm. Her brother leaves earlier that morning. We were just discussing last night that maybe we should drop her off at 2:30 or 3:00 to avoid some of the traffic.
If we drop her off early we could aim for Mendicino that night.
(We do have to do the round trip. The tickets are already paid for to fly home out of San Fran on Friday evening the of the 25th and the tickets can't be changed.)
The itinerary with the kids (in their 20s) is we all get to San Fran on Sat the 12th by 1pm. We'll stay the night at in Burlingame and pick up our rental car there. We will pack up early and head out the 13th to Yosemite. We are coming from the East Coast so we will likely enjoy the early start. We have lodgings in Yosemite already booked that night. We will explore there, spend the night there and then head probably to Petaluma or somewhere near there for the night. We'll get up and try to hit Muir Woods first thing that morning and maybe some of Port Reyes park, winding up in San Francisco that evening to spend the night. I know this is rushed but we went with our son a few years ago: we flew into San Fran, drove up to some of the bigger redwoods, over to the coast, down the coast to San Fran, did Alcatraz, then down Big Sur to Cambria, headed inland and drove up the Salad Bowl and back to San Fran. So, he got to see some big trees, and some coast. We only have the 5 days with the two of them, so we are going to Yosemite which he hasn't seen and trying to hit the coast and some big trees which she didn't get to see.
So I'm thinking head up 101, 128 to Mendocino after we drop her off. We'll have been hanging out around San Fran so a 3-4 hour drive shouldn't be too bad.
We aren't big city people. We love the country and the scenery and enjoy driving vacations, but not really long days. (we think 5 hours is a long day of driving but that 3 is not so bad). We didn't get to the biggest redwoods last time, so we want to make sure to drive the Avenue of the Giants.
My husband loves to fish, so if we could find a day to fish and get a guide for that day (bc I'm a newbie there) he'd love me even more than he already does.
Jun 14th, 2017, 12:17 PM
#9
Thanks for the additional information.
Some non-random thoughts.
1. Instead of trying to hit Muir Woods on the way back from Yosemite, consider visiting Calaveras Big Trees State Park on CA Hwy 4 near the gold rush town of Murphys. Not only are the giant sequoias bigger than the coast redwoods, the gold rush country is quite wonderful and you'll have far less driving in store for you. Plus, Muir Woods is not the best place to see redwoods; it can be quite crowded. Ordinarily you could see giant sequoias in the Mariposa Grove in Yosemite NP, but it's presently off limits due to ongoing maintenance and improvements.
Use your extra time to visit a couple of the historic and picturesque gold rush towns in the area - Murphys, Columbia, Sutter Creek... The towns along CA 49 (as in 1849) are all terrific. Here's a map of this loop - https://goo.gl/maps/WHHKpXFDnAS2
2. Trying to do a complete loop from SF to Seattle and back in 9 days is technically doable, but wanting to spend 3-5 hours daily driving works against that aim big time. And it would mean breaking camp basically every night, which can be a problem in some areas like the popular towns on the Oregon coast, which often require two nights' minimum stay in the high summer.
And if you want to take some time to see any of the scenic highlights between the Bay Area and Seattle, like Mount Rainier or Mount St. Helens, or the Columbia River Gorge, travel to an island in Puget Sound, etc. - you'll flat run out of time.
So two options to consider as thought experiments.
First, only go as far as Portland before turning around. This would free up at least three days that you could spend elsewhere.
Second, make it a one-way drive and fly back (or fly up and drive back.) One-way plane tickets between Seattle and SFO cost around $100 and there are many flights daily. You'd pay more for a one-way rental car, but you'd have a much more comfortable time of it during the drive.
Now if you can't see clear to do either of these, then I'd recommend you blast north up Interstate 5 and then return south on US 101, with a route something like this: https://goo.gl/maps/fafkSEWQPzo That would give you time to drive through the Columbia Gorge east of Portland, then return along the full length of the Oregon coast and the redwoods in northern California. It would still make for a pretty hectic time.
Regarding fishing for your hubby, I'd look at various charter operations along the central and southern Oregon coast. For example this outfit - http://tidewindsportfishing.com/ - has half- and full-day trips out of Brookings, right on the California/Oregon state line. (Not recommending them, just to demonstrate.) August isn't the best time for stream or lake fishing in the Pacific NW - the water warms up and the fish lost interest.
Hope this doesn't confuse things too much.
Some non-random thoughts.
1. Instead of trying to hit Muir Woods on the way back from Yosemite, consider visiting Calaveras Big Trees State Park on CA Hwy 4 near the gold rush town of Murphys. Not only are the giant sequoias bigger than the coast redwoods, the gold rush country is quite wonderful and you'll have far less driving in store for you. Plus, Muir Woods is not the best place to see redwoods; it can be quite crowded. Ordinarily you could see giant sequoias in the Mariposa Grove in Yosemite NP, but it's presently off limits due to ongoing maintenance and improvements.
Use your extra time to visit a couple of the historic and picturesque gold rush towns in the area - Murphys, Columbia, Sutter Creek... The towns along CA 49 (as in 1849) are all terrific. Here's a map of this loop - https://goo.gl/maps/WHHKpXFDnAS2
2. Trying to do a complete loop from SF to Seattle and back in 9 days is technically doable, but wanting to spend 3-5 hours daily driving works against that aim big time. And it would mean breaking camp basically every night, which can be a problem in some areas like the popular towns on the Oregon coast, which often require two nights' minimum stay in the high summer.
And if you want to take some time to see any of the scenic highlights between the Bay Area and Seattle, like Mount Rainier or Mount St. Helens, or the Columbia River Gorge, travel to an island in Puget Sound, etc. - you'll flat run out of time.
So two options to consider as thought experiments.
First, only go as far as Portland before turning around. This would free up at least three days that you could spend elsewhere.
Second, make it a one-way drive and fly back (or fly up and drive back.) One-way plane tickets between Seattle and SFO cost around $100 and there are many flights daily. You'd pay more for a one-way rental car, but you'd have a much more comfortable time of it during the drive.
Now if you can't see clear to do either of these, then I'd recommend you blast north up Interstate 5 and then return south on US 101, with a route something like this: https://goo.gl/maps/fafkSEWQPzo That would give you time to drive through the Columbia Gorge east of Portland, then return along the full length of the Oregon coast and the redwoods in northern California. It would still make for a pretty hectic time.
Regarding fishing for your hubby, I'd look at various charter operations along the central and southern Oregon coast. For example this outfit - http://tidewindsportfishing.com/ - has half- and full-day trips out of Brookings, right on the California/Oregon state line. (Not recommending them, just to demonstrate.) August isn't the best time for stream or lake fishing in the Pacific NW - the water warms up and the fish lost interest.
Hope this doesn't confuse things too much.
Jun 14th, 2017, 01:24 PM
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I really like Gardyloo's alternate ideas of just going as far as Portland. For one thing, it's an easy day trip to Mt. St Helens from your lodgings in/near Portland.
I do like Crater Lake. If you like nature and the outdoors you would love visiting it. Ideally you would preferably spend the whole day hiking and/or take the boat ride on the lake. You just won't have time for things like that if you're going clear to Seattle. If you do have more days out of that deal, spend them on the coast, Mount Hood or in the Gorge.
Some of my extended family members like to fish and the favorite for ocean fishing charters is Newport. Garibaldi and Depot Bay are popular too. One advantage of Newport is that you will have plenty to do while he's gone. Options: The aquarium, the Hatfield Center, the downtown area, or a deep-sea whale watching charter.
I do like Crater Lake. If you like nature and the outdoors you would love visiting it. Ideally you would preferably spend the whole day hiking and/or take the boat ride on the lake. You just won't have time for things like that if you're going clear to Seattle. If you do have more days out of that deal, spend them on the coast, Mount Hood or in the Gorge.
Some of my extended family members like to fish and the favorite for ocean fishing charters is Newport. Garibaldi and Depot Bay are popular too. One advantage of Newport is that you will have plenty to do while he's gone. Options: The aquarium, the Hatfield Center, the downtown area, or a deep-sea whale watching charter.
Jun 16th, 2017, 04:11 AM
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Ok, I'm leaning towards the suggestion of taking a flight to Seattle ourselves when we take the kids to the airport. So we'd be in Seattle in the early evening of Wednesday Aug. 16 and flying out of San Fran on the evening of Fri. Aug. 25th.
Jun 16th, 2017, 12:29 PM
#13
<i>Gardyloo, Would you do one of those map routes if we fly to Seattle and drive back as you recommended?</i>
Sure. First, here's a day or day and a half trip out of Seattle so you can get a feel for the Puget Sound region. Visit the pretty waterfront village of La Conner, then stop at beautiful and impressive Deception Pass at the top of Whidbey Island. Then take the ferry over to Victorian Port Townsend (you can go whale watching from there if you want) and return to Seattle via the scenic Bainbridge Island ferry. https://goo.gl/maps/DcJpeoqCP9R2
For the drive south, you have a couple of options depending on how much coast vs. interior country you want to see.
The first one - https://goo.gl/maps/q7bbMp8brrt - includes Johnston Ridge on Mount St. Helens, then east through the Columbia River Gorge to Hood River, the Hood River Valley, and Mount Hood. You'd then travel south to Crater Lake, then back out to the coast at Bandon. The southernmost part of the Oregon coast is the most scenic, followed by the redwoods and on into San Francisco. I'd look at overnights at Portland or Hood River, near Crater Lake (which will be hard to book - limited supply) and in Bandon, then in the Eureka area - Trinidad north of Eureka or Victorian Ferndale to the south would be my choices. With seven or eight days (depending on how much time you spend in Seattle) you'd be able to extend to two nights in one or two of these areas.
The second one - https://goo.gl/maps/iCYuK7Ye7vG2 - transits Mount Rainier and over into the Yakima Valley, south through great "old west" scenery to the funky Maryhill Museum and Stonehenge replica, when west to Hood River and the Columbia Gorge. You'd then head out to the coast at Newport or Yachats ("ya-hots") and south from there. I'd do overnights near Mt. Rainier if you can find space, otherwise Yakima (not going to win any beauty contests but okay for a night) then in Hood River. Your hubby could go fishing out of Newport or Depoe Bay, then continue south as above.
The final option - https://goo.gl/maps/iqoATH5BNzF2 - is coastal and involves a loop around the Olympic Peninsula and a visit to various highlights of Olympic National Park - alpine Hurricane Ridge, either the Hoh or Quinault Valley rain forests (or both) plus Ruby Beach, then south to Cape Disappointment at the Columbia's amazing mouth. From there it's straight down the Oregon and California coasts all the way to the Golden Gate. For fishing on this route, look at Ilwaco WA, next to Cape Disappointment. I'd look at overnights at Port Angeles and/or Forks, at Ilwaco or Astoria, and at Bandon before heading into the redwoods.
Any and all of these will be very scenic and will give you a sense of the amazing variety the region offers. Accommodations fill up fast, so I'd recommend picking an alternative and start looking for lodging, stat.
Sure. First, here's a day or day and a half trip out of Seattle so you can get a feel for the Puget Sound region. Visit the pretty waterfront village of La Conner, then stop at beautiful and impressive Deception Pass at the top of Whidbey Island. Then take the ferry over to Victorian Port Townsend (you can go whale watching from there if you want) and return to Seattle via the scenic Bainbridge Island ferry. https://goo.gl/maps/DcJpeoqCP9R2
For the drive south, you have a couple of options depending on how much coast vs. interior country you want to see.
The first one - https://goo.gl/maps/q7bbMp8brrt - includes Johnston Ridge on Mount St. Helens, then east through the Columbia River Gorge to Hood River, the Hood River Valley, and Mount Hood. You'd then travel south to Crater Lake, then back out to the coast at Bandon. The southernmost part of the Oregon coast is the most scenic, followed by the redwoods and on into San Francisco. I'd look at overnights at Portland or Hood River, near Crater Lake (which will be hard to book - limited supply) and in Bandon, then in the Eureka area - Trinidad north of Eureka or Victorian Ferndale to the south would be my choices. With seven or eight days (depending on how much time you spend in Seattle) you'd be able to extend to two nights in one or two of these areas.
The second one - https://goo.gl/maps/iCYuK7Ye7vG2 - transits Mount Rainier and over into the Yakima Valley, south through great "old west" scenery to the funky Maryhill Museum and Stonehenge replica, when west to Hood River and the Columbia Gorge. You'd then head out to the coast at Newport or Yachats ("ya-hots") and south from there. I'd do overnights near Mt. Rainier if you can find space, otherwise Yakima (not going to win any beauty contests but okay for a night) then in Hood River. Your hubby could go fishing out of Newport or Depoe Bay, then continue south as above.
The final option - https://goo.gl/maps/iqoATH5BNzF2 - is coastal and involves a loop around the Olympic Peninsula and a visit to various highlights of Olympic National Park - alpine Hurricane Ridge, either the Hoh or Quinault Valley rain forests (or both) plus Ruby Beach, then south to Cape Disappointment at the Columbia's amazing mouth. From there it's straight down the Oregon and California coasts all the way to the Golden Gate. For fishing on this route, look at Ilwaco WA, next to Cape Disappointment. I'd look at overnights at Port Angeles and/or Forks, at Ilwaco or Astoria, and at Bandon before heading into the redwoods.
Any and all of these will be very scenic and will give you a sense of the amazing variety the region offers. Accommodations fill up fast, so I'd recommend picking an alternative and start looking for lodging, stat.
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