Crescent City or Klamath CA for Redwoods, and where to stay
 

I know these are separate postings but I'm hoping wih the specific city names in the titles that is easier for people to know if they want to respond. I hope this wasn't bad posting form!

In any case, I couldn't post for this night until I spoke with my friend. We think the last night of their road trip before they barrel on down to SF will be in the Klamath/Crescent City CA area, they want to see Redwoods. I've looked through some threads and haven't seen much about recommended lodging, anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks!

I'm just heading back home to Seattle after a trip down the coast to San Francisco and back up, and I would recommend that they go a bit further to Trinidad and stay there. It's definitely more appealing than Crescent City--I can't comment on what Klamath is like however as I didn't pass through there.

I stayed at the Lost Whale Inn and liked it. I did the redwood parks on my way from Port Orford to Trinidad and had enough time to do 2 short hikes in the redwoods on the way.

Sorry I don't know where your friends are starting their day as I haven't read the earlier posts but there isn't much at Klamath. Trees of Mystery is located there and there is a motel across the highway from it. As I said it depends on where they start the day. NWWanderer's suggeston to go on to Trinidad is a good one if they have the time. Otherwise its better to stop in Crescent City. I always try to time our drive through the redwoods (we do it once a year and have done for years) so we stop in Miranda right in the heart of the redwoods on the Avenue of the Giants. If your friends could spare an extra day it is certainly worth it. We stay at the Miranda Gardens - you just don't get any closer to the trees than spending the night in them!!

Thanks very much for both your suggestions. I was starting to think Crescent City and Klamath weren't such good ideas, but I don't know that area so didn't know what to suggest. I will share your info with them.

They are starting from Yachats, leaving on Wednesday morning, but the deal is they have to be in SF Thursday night for a wedding dinner. They understand that they are doing lots of driving in a short amount of time, for them that is okay.

My last decision is whether to tell them to cut over to Redding and take I5 the rest of the way, or just keep going down 101 on Thursday. on the one hand it is extra milage over to Redding, on the other, I worry about how slow 101 might get, and whether traffic might be bad. I know it's a weekday, but I can remember some slooooow drives.

As to cutting over to I5 at Redding, it would be a time loser; the cutoff road is not all that fast. 101 in northern CA is not as slow and winding as many of the southern Oregon stretches.

Thank you curmudgeon, was hoping to hear from someone in the know!

Rt. 101 in Northern CA is a freeway with 65 MPH speed limits more often than not, I found.

According to Mapquest, from Yachats to Trinidad and from Trinidad to SF would each be about 5.5 hours and that sounds about right from my recent drives along that route. Of course, if they actually want to get out and walk in the Redwoods, they need to add at least an hour or so to that first day (the Lady Bird Johnson Grove is a good short walk, or the Prairie Creek nature loop at the visitors center there).

Another vote for Trinidad, it's small but charming, amongst the redwoods and incredible oceanfront.

Duly noted and I've popped off an email.

I'll be anxious to see their final itinerary!

We went to see the Redwoods last August and stayed at Hiouchi Motel in
Hiouchi, CA which is about 8 miles east
of Crescent City (near Jeremiah Smith
Redwood State Park). It is a small,
family owned motel-- very clean and
quiet.
However, the best place to see the
Redwoods is Humboldt Redwood State Park, farther south (look online at
www.avenueofthegiants.com). The trees
here are some of the tallest in the
world and the road, Avenue of the Giants is remarkable.
We stayed at Redcrest Resort, very small cabins (ours was 1 room)-very nice, clean and quiet.
Have fun and enjoy the scenery!

Another vote for Trinidad. It was a good location. I really cannot recall the name of the small motel i stayed
property had a hot tub for the end of the day and night star gazing. it was a one story affair with separate bldgs for each group of rooms. i cannot recall the name. but definately trinidad.

The Mendocino and SOnoma County stretches of Hwy 101 have had a lot aof work over the past 10 years, so it is usually faster there than some may remember. The southbound stretch from Windsor through Santa Rosa can be slow in the moring commute and in the afternoon (4 - 6 or more). And it doesn't really get moving until the road widens to 3 lanes in Novato. Soutbound GG Bridge traffic can get wierd in the afternoon rush cuz of the lanes squeezing. I recommend that they put on 740 am as they get towards Santa Rosa for Bay area traffic reports. Wouldn't want them to miss dinner!

We stayed at the Curly Redwood Lodge in Crescent City a few years ago. It wasn't bad at all, for an old 60s-70s style motel. And the price was right.

That said, Crescent City is no vacation spot. It's mostly known these days for its maximum security prison. You can do better, and Trinidad is probably your best bet. The walk around Trinidad Head is quite nice.

Just north of Trinidad, Patricks Point State Park is nice, and has an interesting reconstructed Yurok Indian village. South of Eureka, Humboldt Redwoods Park is excellent.

Thank you for both the tip on the radio station and another vote for Trinidad. I've recommended Trinidad to them and sent the web site for the Lost Whale Inn.

Unfortunately, we have run into an unforeseen problem. They were going to take the ferry over to Port Angeles, rent a car there then start their drive south on 101, dropping the car at SFO. Unfortunately, none of the car rental places in PA do one-way rentals to SF. Only Seattle or Portland.

I've looked everywhere and now have suggested rerouting to take a short flight from Vancouver BC to Portland, OR, pick up the car there, spend the afternoon and evening in Portland then drive the next day to the coast at Tillamook and start the rest of their drive down. With the time limitations, I think this is their best option.

Or they could take a float plane (Kenmore Air) or the Victoria Clipper (high speed ferry) from Victoria to Seattle and pick up a car there.

Thanks NW Wanderer. Yes, we looked at the option too, but the thing is then they have either have quite a bit more driving to add if they wanted to start out on 101 in Washington by going across on the ferry hitting the peninsula, or they have to start south in I5 from Seattle for at least a few hours and I hate that traffic. Not much scenic on I5 until you get south of Olympia(:

They were really only going to have a long afternoon/evening on the Washington portion of 101 anyway. The family in Canada didn't want them leaving on Sunday night, and the ferries to PA at that time have a limited schedule so the earliest they could get to PA was noon.

Well, they could head west at Olympia for the coast--that's what I always do when I'm heading down to Cannon Beach (and it really doesn't take any longer I've found). If they fly to Seattle in the morning, then I-5 from Seattle to Olympia shouldn't be that bad mid to late morning. Otherwise, they'd have to get from Victoria to Vancouver to fly to Portland, right? And that will take some time. Or are they going to be in Vancouver and were going to take 2 ferries that day?

Your suggestion was one of my first thoughts, but, if they cut over at Olympia they are missing much of what they were driving the Washington portion for....Hoh, Kalaloch, Lake Quinalt etc.

So if they were going to drive in Wash at all, they would have wanted to go across to the Peninsula and loop around, which really just takes too long by the time they get to Seattle (remember, it's only too long because of their time constraints) I did look at the schedules into Seattle, and it really wasn't working out unfortunately.

They had also been already asking about Portland anyway so we figure less stress this way and they get to spend time (albeit short) in a city they were asking about anyway.

I really appreciate your thoughts and input, don't get me wrong!

Gotcha, just wanted to make sure you'd considered all the possibilities--it sounds like you've got it covered ;-)!

Well, last night she almost scrapped the whole idea and was just going to fly on to San Francisco direct! I nearly had a heart attack since I've pretty much done all the planning for her and spent a lot of time. So I had to come up with something quick(: