I've got 4 days to drive up the coast from Sonoma County to Oregon and am hoping for some good advice on how to pick 1-2 main places to see on this trip or 1-2 main routes that would take advantage of the beautiful coastal line and scenery.I'll be going with my boyfriend, and both of us will be on a shoestring budget this trip due to some impending vacations and err... the economy. We both like being outdoors and active but are not hardcore by any means. He's interested in possibly renting a mountain bike one day. Some ideas I have
1) take the coast the whole way and give ourselves the entire 1st day just to enjoy the views and stop occasionally for vistas, walks, meals, etc. Stop in a major town like Ashland (only 6.5 hrs away from us), Eugene or Bend and spend a night and day then head inland to somewhere like Mt. Hood or Crater lake to spend our 2nd night, 3rd day and last night before heading home.

Any suggestions?

what time of year are you planning this trip?

"Any suggestions?

I think you might need a good map! ;-)

With only 3 nights, and allowing yourselves time to enjoy what you're seeing, you shouldn't be planning on anything more than the southwest corner of Oregon. The problem is, there's no good southern Oregon route from I-5 to the coast. Another issue: Crater Lake is only accessible from the south entrance at this time of year. Hmmm......

How about somthing like: Sonoma County up I-5 to Medford; hwy 62 up to Crater Lake for a quick peek; hwy 230 to 138 back down to I-5 at Roseburg; hwy 42 to 101 at Bandon; south down the coast home. With this route, besides Crater Lake, you'd see what's arguably the most scenic section of Oregon's coastline, plus some giant redwoods.

beachbum- exactly the kind of suggestion I was looking for. Being navigationally challenged, I will be relying heavily on my boyfriend (never driven up the coast in NorCal) and a map. Your idea sounds good. I'm not expecting to see a bunch of places considering the length of the trip but figured we could at least enjoy all the cool places we could stop on the way there and back. A different route in and out might be nice. Any suggestions on towns to stop and spend our 3 nights in? Believe me when I say I'd rather have more than 4 days but the fact that I even have more than 2 off in a row was too good to pass up a roadtrip opportunity!

Oh-and this trip will be next weekend (Thanksgiving weekend): Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon

The drive up I-5 has a few scenic spots, but is generally pretty boring, so get an early start, and shoot for Prospect, OR for the first night. Save some daylight for a few of the sights nearby: Rogue River Gorge, Avenue of the Boulders, and Mill Creek Falls. If it's in the budget, I bet you'd like http://www.prospecthotel.com/. But, if you can't get a reservation at Prospect Hotel, probably best stay in Medford, where you should have lots of budget options.

On day 2, if the weather's nice, head up to Crater Lake for a quick peek. If it's grey, with low clouds, you might not see anything of the lake, so ask at wherever you're staying before driving up. Then, aim for Bandon for night 2. Couple budget options there too; I've stayed at Lamplighter Inn once or twice (but don't necessarily recommend it ;-) ).

The first 30-40 miles south on hwy 101 from Bandon are mostly inland, but once you hit Port Orford, you'll be tempted to stop every couple miles. The coastline along that stretch is breathtaking, so I hesitate to recommend an overnight stop; you might only get as far as Gold Beach. ;-) But regardless of which town you're closest to when darkness sets in, I doubt you'll have trouble finding a place to stay.

One last piece; check road conditions before you leave Sonoma County. It's not unusual to have snow in the Siskiyous this time of year. Also, given your screen name, if you can find the time, stop by Abacela Winery near Roseburg. Thanksgiving Weekend is a major deal for wineries around where I live (Portland area), so Abacela might have something going on too. Even if not, they make some pretty decent wine.

Just checked the Crater Lake Web cam and there is quite a bit of snow up there - including the parking lot
Are you sure you want to deal with snow?

On the other hand there are a lot of wineries in the Roseburg area who will be open Thanksgiving weekend for tasting and many with entertainment - sounds more fun to me than driving through snow.

The Bandon area has a beutiful coastline - you might think about spending more time there too

We drove up the coast on Thanksgiving Weekend two years ago, 2006. We had fabulous weather on Wednesday and Thursday in California as we drove up 101. However, at Bandon, Oregon on Thanksgiving we ran into a storm that stayed with us all weekend. The rain, sleet and snow made driving miserable. This was also the weekend that the Kim family got lost near the Rogue River.

Check the weather forecast carefully and carry chains.

If you stop in Ashland, visit Liquid Assets wine bar, great food and wine here! ***kim***

We found some beautiful Thanksgiving-weekend mountain biking on the California coast a few year back. The trails through Sea Ranch and the redwoods behind there were a lot of fun.

If you get to Bend the Deschutes River trail is a great ride---one of my favorites anywhere. Nice singletrack with unbeatable scenery.

beachbum-great tips on the routes as well as the winery. Yes, we're definitely into wine. However, since I've worked at wineries for the past 7 years in Sonoma County, I don't like to do an entirely wine tasting focused trip but your idea of hitting a couple on the way up is perfect. I am hoping some cool things will be going on for the holiday weekend, since typically I'm planning/working those types of events!
sunbum-good point on the weather. I don't have a 4wd and would rather not get stuck in the snow. If we get up past a certain point and realize there is bad weather up ahead-your suggestion would be to hang out in Bandon/Roseburg areas?

Enzian-your trail rides sound great. Is it something you can still do in fall/winter weather?

just looked at a forecast for Medford as a reference point. Looks like good weather Friday/Saturday and rainy/cold weather sunday/monday. We could pop up to crater quickly on Saturday if the weather is still nice/clear and then take a route back that would lead us away from any potential snow

Ok-after checking out a map, considering all of you reccomendations, and looking for affordable accommodations here's a tentative plan (just one option). Let me know what you think:

tAke the 5 into Oregon. arrive in the evening,
night #1: Medford or Ashland
day #2: Medford or Ashland-then
night #2: medford or ashland
day #3: drive to roseburg, do wine tasting along the way-then head to
a) bandon
b) coos bay or
c) Eugene
to stay night #3

Day #4: Take a scenic route home (Santa Rosa, CA)

The Deschutes River trail is rideable spring through fall, and according to the forest service website can sometimes be ridden all winter. The elevation is around 3,000 feet and I don't think they have snow yet. It is cold though---39 degrees today!

Here is an interactive route map; click on the numbers to see photos:

http://www.wildernesstrip.com/Trips/...605&category=3

We always start at Benham Falls and ride to the end and back. If you aren't biking with your boyfriend, you'll still enjoy a walk on the trail. The first part has lots of walkers as well a bikers.

I would stick to the coast. I'm not sure what you plan to do in Medford. Ashland is a nice town but Medford is pretty worthless. The Rogue River area is interesting but not at this time of year.

Driving up to Crater Lake for a day is a long way to go and would be better appreciated in the Spring or Summer. And going up to Bend is way too far a drive for the time you have.

There's a lot to see on the Northern California and Southern Oregon coast and the weather should be milder.

Hi winesaavy7,

I just browsed through this thread for the first time, and considered your parameters.

Hopefully I understand correctly that JUST being with your boyfriend, and being 'on the road' and active that way are the most important factors to your proposed trip.

Obviously time is of the essence, and clearly the WEATHER could hamper you a lot at this time of year, but my first vibes in listening to your interests inspire an idea like the following:

Day 1:

Leave home early... and do a straight-shot drive to Klamath Falls, Oregon (372 miles/5 1/2 hours) on that first day.

I'm sure the area near Mt. Shasta would give you plenty of mountain scenery to last the whole trip.

CAUTION: Research Hwy 97 from Weed, CA to Klamath Falls to find out whether it is open, and how difficult it could be in winter weather. (you'd have 70 miles on that road)

Night #1 in Klamath Falls:

Day #2:

Begin at your leisure and get ready for a drive of about an hour to Crater Lake. See whatever there is to see, and visit whatever is open, while marveling at the deepest lake around. (it really is pretty cool)

Then take the most direct/easy/do-able path possible to Eugene, OR, depending upon what roads are open, and how the weather is.

(perhaps that might mean backtracking to Hwy 97 and then heading north about 60 miles and then taking Hwy #58 west into Eugene)

night #2: Stay at/near Eugene, OR

Upon gathering yourself in the morning, drive due west on Hwy #126 toward the Oregon coast and then turn to the south. The path is scenic but relatively SLOW when compared with interstate driving on what Californians call "THE Five", so you'll want the extra time you have.

Lunch or dinner in the Coos Bay area... and then proooooobably continue south after that, as it is 435 miles between Coos Bay and Santa Rosa again.

Pick a spot for night number 3 based on how tired you are and where you feel would be a suitable spot for getting home easily the next day.

(possibilities = Brookings, OR, Crescent City, CA, Eureka, CA area, etc.)

I'm really glad that gas prices are DOWN for people wanting to enjoy a trip like yours on a shoestring budget - speaking of GAS... "they" pump your gas everywhere in Oregon {er, at least I THINK they still do}, so be aware of that when you stop to fill up.

I hope this little vision helps you out, or at least inspires you to consider something that works for you.

Good luck, and enjoy the trip.

Northwest-you are correct in assuming that just the drive, the company, and the great outdoors (views and/or activities) are enough for me. With this short of a trip (although I feel completely luxurious even having the four days!) I don't have grand expectations of seeing all the major sights. I think your plan sounds good-except I already booked a night in Medford based on some positive reviews of it on some other threads (oops!) and it's appearance of being much closer to Crater Lake on my map that it is in reality. I'll see if I can cancel that and get a little closer to the lake. That said-do you know if it's possible to rent bikes anywhere in Eugene?

signing off...

You can rent bikes in Eugene at Hutchs bike store I believe

There are some great bike/walking trails along the river - and bikes lanes connecting most of the city

Closer to Crater Lake is the Prospect Hotel - I have stayed there several times and its great

the rooms in the hotel are historic and charming and there is more of motel type rooms in the back - food is fabulous - very fun place to stay.

If you do go to Crater Lake you could always go snowshoeing around the lake if there is lots of snow

oops =- meant to give you a link to the Prospect

http://www.prospecthotel.com/

Yeah, I'm not sure why all the time around Medford. And though you can rent bicycles in Eugene, where do you plan to ride? I think you're trying to do too much here. I think the highlights of this trip will be Crater Lake (if you can see it), the south Oregon coast between Port Orford and Brookings, and the redwoods. With as little time as you have, those should be your focus.