Drive San Fran to Vancouver,Canada. Suggestions?
Jan 22nd, 2000, 12:12 PM
#1
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Drive San Fran to Vancouver,Canada. Suggestions?
When are you going, how much time do you have, what do you want to see? We drive from Seattle to SF regularly and we stop, usually somewhere near Baker Oregon the first night, then drift on in the next day,not too tired. Can be done in two long days. Remember that it is a 3-hour drive from Seattle to Vancouver, and longer, depending on how long it takes to get past the border. Go during the week, mid day, and it should not be a long wait. However, I have waited there in Blaine (WA) for 1/1/2 hours on weekends, and coming home it may be longer, as they looking carefully at everyone, since the latest terrorist scandal (see CNN). It is a lovely ride, and very scenic, if you can take the time to come up 101, the Oregon coast, spectacular in summer, and the Olympic Penninsula (a once in a life time opportunity) Hope you can take a little time and see some of the beautiful NW.
Jan 23rd, 2000, 09:17 AM
#2
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Believe it or not, I posted this message about driving from San Fran to Vancouver but all that Fodor's site posted was the question. Where is my lengthy question I wrote? And even though Julie posted a reply it said there were NO replies. Hmmmmmm...
Anyway, my wife and I and another couple are planning on a car trip from San Fran to Vancouver, British Columbia to see the sites of the Pacific Coast. We are allowing ourselves up to 3 weeks for this trip. Would like to stay 1-3 nights at the most beautiful and interesting of places. Any suggestions on lodging (B&Bs are an option), must sees, best routes, restaurants, side trips? Any places to avoid? We are planning on doing this in May or June of this year. We are senior citizens but quite active.
Thank you and I hope this works this time.
Anyway, my wife and I and another couple are planning on a car trip from San Fran to Vancouver, British Columbia to see the sites of the Pacific Coast. We are allowing ourselves up to 3 weeks for this trip. Would like to stay 1-3 nights at the most beautiful and interesting of places. Any suggestions on lodging (B&Bs are an option), must sees, best routes, restaurants, side trips? Any places to avoid? We are planning on doing this in May or June of this year. We are senior citizens but quite active.
Thank you and I hope this works this time.
Jan 23rd, 2000, 10:15 AM
#4
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Again, if I could take this wonderful trip, I would take it slow, go up the coast. Some of our favorite places are Benbo Inn in Oregon, Inn at Otter crest, Oregon, Lake Cresent lodge (very pristine and beautiful), Kalaloch on the ocean, Solduc hot springs (in the rain forest) and a myriad of other little places on the coast that you can get in to. The ones mentioned above will probably require some advance reservations. Also, try Iron Springs Resort near Copalis Beach, a place where you can rent a little house, furnished, and great walks on beach. These beaches, are, by and large, very little used, so it is a different kind of experience. If you come to Seattle, stay near down town, go to the Public market (an experience), then get to Mt. Rainer (can go by greyhound if necessary), go up in the Space Needle to eat some clear evening, check out our parks and we have a great museum, one of the most fabulous collections of oriental jade in the world (trust me, we have travelled the world).
Jan 23rd, 2000, 10:28 AM
#5
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Sorry, my husband suggested these places also: (and if you like to rough it, there are great camp grounds everywhere) p.s. we are also senior citizens. try Benbow Inn, Garberville, CA, Inn at Otter Crest, Otter Rock, Ore, Inn at Seventh Mountain, Bend Or, Columbia Gorge Hotel, Hood River, Or, Mallory Hotel, Portland, Kahnee Ta Lodsge, Warm Springs, Or, Inn at Semiahmoo, Blain, WA (Golf!), Mazama County Inn, Mazama, WA (near Levenworth, a great day trip out of Seattle, Lake Quinalt Lodge, Quinalt, WA (near the rain forest), Roche Harbor Resort, San Juan Islan, WA, and Salish Lodge, Snoqualmie, WA (1 hour from down town Seattle). Also, if you like mountains, we have wonderful ones.
Jan 23rd, 2000, 12:30 PM
#6
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Hi, Dub,
With up to three weeks you have the opportunity to explore the northwest pretty thoroughly (I assume you’re not counting city time in either SF or Vancouver in this total, but even if you are there’s still time.) There are sea stacks, covered bridges, fishing villages, Indian reservations and cavalry forts, great cities, even Stonehenge in this amazing region.
I’d suggest you have time to zigzag inland and out to the coast a couple of times if you want more than just ocean scenery. For example, after the redwoods but before the scenic heart of the Oregon Coast you can take US 199 inland to the Rogue valley and maybe take in a play at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, then either back to the coast or up and over to Crater Lake, then back, you get the picture. In May you’ll beat the summer crowds, and the desert areas east of the Cascades will still be temperate. Mind you, the southern part of the Oregon coast is not to be missed, but you can see similar scenery in many parts of the coast, from California SR1 north of SF to the Olympic NP coastal strip in Washington.
On the same lines, I’d put in a strong vote for a drive up the Columbia River from the mouth – the Washington side to Portland, then the old Gorge highway on the Oregon side to Cascade Locks, then back across the river as far as the Maryhill Museum near Goldendale, WA. This is a small and quite unique museum with surprising collections (of Rodin, Indian artifacts, Romanian furniture and costumes...!), all with a killer view of the Columbia Gorge, Mts. Hood and Adams. From there a scenic drive through Yakima to Seattle, back to salt water, ferries to the Olympic peninsula and the national park...your plate is as full as you want it.
With up to three weeks you have the opportunity to explore the northwest pretty thoroughly (I assume you’re not counting city time in either SF or Vancouver in this total, but even if you are there’s still time.) There are sea stacks, covered bridges, fishing villages, Indian reservations and cavalry forts, great cities, even Stonehenge in this amazing region.
I’d suggest you have time to zigzag inland and out to the coast a couple of times if you want more than just ocean scenery. For example, after the redwoods but before the scenic heart of the Oregon Coast you can take US 199 inland to the Rogue valley and maybe take in a play at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, then either back to the coast or up and over to Crater Lake, then back, you get the picture. In May you’ll beat the summer crowds, and the desert areas east of the Cascades will still be temperate. Mind you, the southern part of the Oregon coast is not to be missed, but you can see similar scenery in many parts of the coast, from California SR1 north of SF to the Olympic NP coastal strip in Washington.
On the same lines, I’d put in a strong vote for a drive up the Columbia River from the mouth – the Washington side to Portland, then the old Gorge highway on the Oregon side to Cascade Locks, then back across the river as far as the Maryhill Museum near Goldendale, WA. This is a small and quite unique museum with surprising collections (of Rodin, Indian artifacts, Romanian furniture and costumes...!), all with a killer view of the Columbia Gorge, Mts. Hood and Adams. From there a scenic drive through Yakima to Seattle, back to salt water, ferries to the Olympic peninsula and the national park...your plate is as full as you want it.
Jan 24th, 2000, 12:59 PM
#7
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Dear Dub:
With three weeks time and no work to interfere, I’d plan to leisurely drive up the coast. There are lots of first-rate lodging places everywhere, as well as restaurants. I’d plan to spend time in the smaller less known places—Inverness, Bodega Bay, Timber Cove, Fort Ross, Point Arena, et al, as well as in the somewhat more crowded destination towns like Mendocino. Take lots of time, and plan for walks at Pt. Reyes and Bodega head to watch whales, and at McKerricher State Park in Fort Bragg to watch birds and harbor seals.
Of course, you’ll want to see the redwoods and wander beneath them. Several of the tallest ones are quite easily accessible just off the aptly-named Avenue of the Giants. Drop in at the State Park Ranger Station in Wet for information and directions. Further north be sure to stop at the National Park visitor center just south of Orick. Further north, there’s an excellent visitor center just off US 101, near Brookings, Or. Slowly wind your way up the Oregon coast—stop to see the elk herd on the lower Umpqua River, a few miles east of Reedsport, Or, the Sea lions and Darlingtonias (“Cobra lilies”) near Florence, and wander in the large expanses of coastal dunes. Be sure to take detours to spectacular rocky headlands and lighthouses (all of them very well marked). Visit Astoria, OR, before taking the bridge north into Washington. Be sure to detour to Ilwaco, the Long Beach Peninsula, and Oysterville. Taste the local oysters, which are very yummy. Explore South Bend and Grays Harbor (great shorebird watching in Bowerman Basin west of Hoquiam), and wind your way through rain forests to Lake Quinault and to the Makah village of Neah Bay. From here head east along the rocky shore of Juan de Fuca Strait to Port Angeles. If you have time (and if the road is open), take the drive to Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park.
You might also want to explore Port Townsend further east.
Instead of crossing into Canada at the very congested mainland crossing at Blaine, I’d take the M.V. Coho car ferry from Port Townsend to Victoria. From Victoria, you can take a Canadian car ferry to the mainland (these ferries go about hourly and the crossing costs about half or less than what you’d pay on a Washington ferry.
You might want to not only explore Vancouver, but drive north to Whistler or the Sunshine Coast along the east shore of Georgia Strait.
If you run out of time, you can always take I-5 back to San Francisco. (Plan on about three days of leisurely driving, two days of rushing.)
Have a great trip!
John
With three weeks time and no work to interfere, I’d plan to leisurely drive up the coast. There are lots of first-rate lodging places everywhere, as well as restaurants. I’d plan to spend time in the smaller less known places—Inverness, Bodega Bay, Timber Cove, Fort Ross, Point Arena, et al, as well as in the somewhat more crowded destination towns like Mendocino. Take lots of time, and plan for walks at Pt. Reyes and Bodega head to watch whales, and at McKerricher State Park in Fort Bragg to watch birds and harbor seals.
Of course, you’ll want to see the redwoods and wander beneath them. Several of the tallest ones are quite easily accessible just off the aptly-named Avenue of the Giants. Drop in at the State Park Ranger Station in Wet for information and directions. Further north be sure to stop at the National Park visitor center just south of Orick. Further north, there’s an excellent visitor center just off US 101, near Brookings, Or. Slowly wind your way up the Oregon coast—stop to see the elk herd on the lower Umpqua River, a few miles east of Reedsport, Or, the Sea lions and Darlingtonias (“Cobra lilies”) near Florence, and wander in the large expanses of coastal dunes. Be sure to take detours to spectacular rocky headlands and lighthouses (all of them very well marked). Visit Astoria, OR, before taking the bridge north into Washington. Be sure to detour to Ilwaco, the Long Beach Peninsula, and Oysterville. Taste the local oysters, which are very yummy. Explore South Bend and Grays Harbor (great shorebird watching in Bowerman Basin west of Hoquiam), and wind your way through rain forests to Lake Quinault and to the Makah village of Neah Bay. From here head east along the rocky shore of Juan de Fuca Strait to Port Angeles. If you have time (and if the road is open), take the drive to Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park.
You might also want to explore Port Townsend further east.
Instead of crossing into Canada at the very congested mainland crossing at Blaine, I’d take the M.V. Coho car ferry from Port Townsend to Victoria. From Victoria, you can take a Canadian car ferry to the mainland (these ferries go about hourly and the crossing costs about half or less than what you’d pay on a Washington ferry.
You might want to not only explore Vancouver, but drive north to Whistler or the Sunshine Coast along the east shore of Georgia Strait.
If you run out of time, you can always take I-5 back to San Francisco. (Plan on about three days of leisurely driving, two days of rushing.)
Have a great trip!
John
Jan 26th, 2000, 07:41 AM
#10
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A couple more thoughts to add to all the good suggestions you've already received!
I don't think anyone has mentioned my favorite place on the Oregon Coast: Tu Tu Tun Lodge, in Gold Beach. It's a treat! It's located on the banks of the Rogue River, and it's worth staying a couple of nights, so you can do the all-day jet boat trip up the river.
Also, one of the posters misspoke when he recommended taking the Coho from Port Townsend to Victoria; it goes from Port Angeles. If you are traveling in May, then the line may not be too long (this ferry doesn't take reservations), but be aware that in the peak summertime periods, there can be waits of 6-8 hours for this ferry.
Have fun--three weeks gives you a nice amount of time to do a leisurely and enjoyable trip!
I don't think anyone has mentioned my favorite place on the Oregon Coast: Tu Tu Tun Lodge, in Gold Beach. It's a treat! It's located on the banks of the Rogue River, and it's worth staying a couple of nights, so you can do the all-day jet boat trip up the river.
Also, one of the posters misspoke when he recommended taking the Coho from Port Townsend to Victoria; it goes from Port Angeles. If you are traveling in May, then the line may not be too long (this ferry doesn't take reservations), but be aware that in the peak summertime periods, there can be waits of 6-8 hours for this ferry.
Have fun--three weeks gives you a nice amount of time to do a leisurely and enjoyable trip!
