Family Roadtrip Seattle > San Fran, 4 weeks, Advice?
 

Hi,

We've taken an opportunity to spend 4 weeks on a family roadtrip, fairly late notice. We are from the UK, and have 3 kids aged 7, 4, and 3 months(!). We have never been to this part of the world so would love any advice on things to do/see, as well as places to stay - I can already see lots of accommodation has already been booked up...

Flying into Seattle on 5th August and flying out of San Fran on 30th August. One way car hire (SUV) is reserved on a good deal.

We are aiming to travel down the coast rather than the I5. Doing some basic research, so far I have:

- Spending 3/4 nights in Seattle to get over jetlag and see some sights
- 2 nights around Mt Rainer (thinking we will pass on ONP to avoid driving overload?)
- 1/2 nights Hood River/Columbia River Gorge
- Next 12-14 nights, down the Oregon Coast into Northern California. Some of:
- Glenenden Beach
- Yachats
- Florence
- Bandon
- Cresecent City
- Redwoods (Mendocino NP? Humboldt?)
- Spend 2/3 nights in San Fran before flying home.

Stopping over in a few choice places for several nights is slightly more attractive than only staying 1/2 nights in every place....

Advice welcome!

My views...

Two nights at Mount Rainier is one too many, maybe even two too many. With three kids including an infant you're probably not going to be interested in hiking very much, I'd be afraid the kids won't appreciate the scenery, and accommodations are few in number, not very high quality, and expensive for what you get. Mount Rainier is easily doable as a day trip from Seattle, or frankly, I'd think about allocating the Mt. Rainier days to Mount Hood in Oregon. Mount Hood is more accessible and - due to the proximity of the Columbia River Gorge, Hood River valley, etc. - the area offers many more options both for accommodation and activities. True, Mount Hood isn't in a national park, but it's still a spectacular glaciated volcano.

What then follows is that I'd think about re-balancing your time in Oregon, with more time around the Gorge and Mount Hood and less along the coast.

Around the Columbia Gorge/Mount Hood area you've got some terrific options for families with kids. There are waterfalls, beaches for swimming (the North Pacific Ocean is way too cold) forest hikes, numerous "U-pick" farms in the (gorgeous) Hood River Valley, vineyards and wineries for the adults, the marvelous Bonneville hatchery where the kids can feed the salmon and visit Herman the Sturgeon... Even allocating three or four days in the area (base in Hood River) you'd still leave with things unseen.

http://www.maryhillmuseum.org/
http://hoodriverfruitloop.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/bonneville-d...-cascade-locks

I'd shorten the time on the Oregon coast by several days. Again, the scenery is great but there's a lot of good scenery on the Pacific coast, and what I'd do is reallocate those days to another area, one farther south and with more variety.

My suggestion would be to go down the Oregon coast, from Newport south (thereby missing the parts most convenient to Portland crowds) and enjoy the redwoods, but then just transit San Francisco en route to the Monterey Bay area a couple of hours south of the city.

Around Monterey Bay you've got an embarrassment of riches for families with kids: there's a very cool old-fashioned amusement park right on the beach in funky Santa Cruz, the remarkable aquarium in Monterey, the stunning Spanish mission in Carmel, then Big Sur and Point Lobos state park just south of Carmel - gorgeous coastline, wildlife...

You could base in Monterey, Pacific Grove or Carmel and take day trips to Big Sur or Point Lobos, or even to the (amazing) Hearst Castle (with its neighboring elephant seal rookery) a couple of hours' drive from Monterey. You could go whale watching from Monterey, go to a <i>beautiful</i> beach in Carmel (shallow and <i>maybe</i> warm enough for toe-dipping) and eat great food, all within a couple of hours of San Francisco.

https://beachboardwalk.com/
https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/americ...l_mission.html
http://www.yelp.com/biz/point-lobos-...reserve-carmel
Big Sur coast - http://gardyloo.us/20130119_61H1a.jpg

Here's a basic route - https://goo.gl/maps/Rmjf4hroKKN2 . This would include a transit of Mount Rainier en route to a brief drive through spectacular "old west" scenery along US 97 south from Yakima to the Columbia River, then west along the river to Hood River for your Mount Hood/Columbia Gorge days.

Then you'd head to the coast around Newport/Yachats and follow US 101 south along the coast and through the redwoods to the Golden Gate, then continuing south on CA 1 to Santa Cruz and the Monterey Bay area, then finishing in SF as you originally planned.

If this appeals, we can supply recommended timing and overnight location suggestions.

This is a leisurely trip.

If you don't want to drive to the Olympic Peninsula, consider Orcas Island (north of Seattle). It is a very desirable destination.

Cannon Beach, Newport, and Florence are on the list of places we like to stay on the Oregon coast, but Gleneden Beach isn't, and, in California, Crescent City does not have much to offer visitors.

HTtY

I'd swap Gleneden Beach for Depoe Bay or Newport in a heartbeat.

Hi,

Thanks all - fantastic information here. Really appreciated.

We are sold on more time/nights in Mount Hood and less in Mt Rainer - accommodation there was looking tricky. The Orcas islands also look attractive.

Have been reading up on Monterey / Big Sur area, and it does sound wonderful. We had not initially looked at anything south of San Francisco, but this looks like a great place to spend some time with the family! Happy to adjust our trip to spend time here.

So if we amend our plans, a couple of questions:

-If you going to pick 2/3 places (spaced for driving) on the Oregon coast where would it be? We had been thinking Yachats, Bandon, ...
-There are lots of options to see Redwoods in northern CA - is it worth seeing lots, or just choosing 1 or 2 places? Any tips on which?
-How long would you recommend in the Monterey area? In fact, open to advice on how to carve up our time for the trip?

And thanks for map link - really helpful, especially to see the distances.

Yachats and Bandon are fine, but the most scenic part of the southern Oregon coast is between Port Orford and the California border, so maybe Gold Beach or Brookings would be preferable to Bandon. Or consider just one location on the Oregon coast and add Mendocino on northern portion of California Hwy 1 south of the redwoods, a very picturesque town in a gorgeous setting.

The redwoods are spread out and linear, there's no one place that's particularly convenient for seeing more than a portion of the region. Crescent City is pretty meh as a destination (sorry, locals) as is the big town in the region, Eureka. Trinidad, a small town on a pretty cove just north of Eureka/Arcata is a nice base, albeit south of the Del Norte county redwoods, and Ferndale, a little south of Eureka, is a pretty village with some terrific Victorian architecture, but not many places to stay overnight. A big highlight south of Eureka is the "Avenue of the Giants" byway that parallels US 101 for some distance; this can be experienced as part of the drive south toward San Francisco.

Here's a very seat-of-the-pants timetable, more illustrative than anything else. Any number of variations on this theme are possible.

5-Aug Seattle
6-Aug Seattle
7-Aug Seattle
8-Aug Yakima (via Mt. Rainier)
9-Aug Hood River
10-Aug Hood River
11-Aug Hood River
12-Aug Yachats
13-Aug Yachats
14-Aug Gold Beach
15-Aug Gold Beach
16-Aug Trinidad
17-Aug Trinidad
18-Aug Mendocino
19-Aug Mendocino
20-Aug Santa Cruz
21-Aug Monterey
22-Aug Monterey
23-Aug Monterey
24-Aug San Simeon
25-Aug Monterey
26-Aug San Francisco
27-Aug San Francisco
28-Aug San Francisco
29-Aug San Francisco
30-Aug Depart

Again, just an idea.

like Gardyloo's itinerary -- the only slight change I might make is I'd add another night or 2 in Santa Cruz (it is a loooong drive down from Mendocino County so one night won't net you a day in the town) and I'd skip San Simeon/Hearst Castle. It is (to me) really interesting but your kids are really too young - especially the 4yo -- the tours are pretty long and not very kid-centric.

Kids love Santa Cruz -- beach, boardwalk, rides/, games, surfers, plus a steam train through the Redwoods in the Santa Cruz mountains.

http://www.roaringcamp.com

SC would be much more fun for the children than San Simeon.

Just make sure you work your Monterey Peninsula dates around the car week event. Arriving on the 21st is fine as Sunday is the final day but arrive on Thursday, Friday or Saturday and you may not find a hotel room.

Thinking of it, I agree with janisj re the Hearst Castle and little kids. That would remove some long drives. I also agree on more time in Santa Cruz; I forgot about the train.

I'd also put in a plug for a meal at the Samoa Cookhouse in Samoa, across the bay from Eureka. It's a fun place with a pretty cool "museum" covering the lumber industry in the Redwood Country. Meals served family-style in a former timber camp mess hall. http://samoacookhouse.net/

>>I'd also put in a plug for a meal at the Samoa Cookhouse<<

Ditto

Here are a couple thought on the CA leg of your trip.

Depending on your interest level, you may want to swing east a little and get some of the California wine country in Sonoma or Napa. There is also the Anderson Valley which is east of Mendocino.

Fort Ross might be a nice stop on your way south on Highway 1. This is north of Point Reyes. It's an old Russian fort.

Point Reyes in Marin County, north of San Francisco, is quite nice. You can check out redwoods in Muir Woods at the foot of Mt. Tam, one of the local promontories near San Francisco, and even drive to the top of Mt. Tam. The Marin Headlands offer great views of the Golden Gate.

If you are stopping in San Francisco the Alcatraz tour is really great. Fisherman's wharf, which you have to endure to take the tour, is very touristy But the park itself is not. Get the audio tour so you can hear the stories. And you get a short boat ride on the bay. You need to book the tickets the day prior.

Monterey Bay is great. You might try whale watching. Take dramamine or equivalent as people seem to have motion sickness trouble when they stop the boat closer to the whales. Carmel is higher end than Monterey, depending on your interests.

Point Lobos is a great park. And Big Sur is incredibly scenic. If you cannot make Big Sur at least get a taste of it with Point Lobos.

Wow, great to wake up to so many suggestions!

Gardyloo - thank for your itinerary, definitely going to base our trip around this...

So its shaping up to be:
7 nights in Seattle and Hood River
7-8 nights along the Oregon/CA coast (with a lunch at the Samoa cookhouse!)
6-7 nights between Santa Cruz & Monterey
3-4 nights in San Francisco

I agree to dropping San Simeon with the driving and young kids. We will also pass on Glenenden beach/Crescent city and focus on Yachats/Gold Beach etc.

I am tempted to stop in San Fran on the way down for a few nights, then down to Monterey, finally driving back in to SFO on the departure day. This would break up the long drive from Mendocino to Santa Cruz... Are there any problems with this approach?

Sonoma/Napa valley stop off sounds interesting - perhaps to a vineyard or brewery? Should we do this on the way down or does it need a stop over?

For Santa Cruz/Monterey - as they are relatively close, could we find one accommodation base for the whole stretch and visit both as needed?

Alcatraz and Muir Woods/Point Reyes are on the to-do list for our San Francisco time, thank you.

For accommodation I am looking at Airbnb/VRBO/hotels (although Hotels are more likely not to have a separate room for the kids which is not ideal). Are there any other places to look you would suggest?

Thanks all for taking time to respond - this trip is already feeling much better!

<i>I am tempted to stop in San Fran on the way down for a few nights, then down to Monterey, finally driving back in to SFO on the departure day. This would break up the long drive from Mendocino to Santa Cruz... Are there any problems with this approach?</i>

The only problem is that SF (city) is very expensive and not especially car-friendly; however given the size of your party you're going to have to rely on the car quite extensively as public transportation isn't going to be very convenient. A lot will come down to the specifics of where you stay, and what you plan to do with your time in SF. I suggest you spend some time working on that question; maybe some locals can chime in with kid activities that would suit your group for several days. Not knowing your kids, I'm frankly a bit stumped on how I'd spend that time were I in your shoes.

<i>Sonoma/Napa valley stop off sounds interesting - perhaps to a vineyard or brewery? Should we do this on the way down or does it need a stop over?</i>

The Napa/Sonoma valleys will be one of several major wine-producing areas along your route. There's a lot of wine produced in the area around the Yakima Valley and Columbia Gorge/Hood River zone (Hood River and Portland are also VERY big on the artisan brewing map) and again in the Willamette Valley, which lies on the way from Portland out to the Oregon coast. So while the Napa and Sonoma valleys are justly famous for their wine, they're also expensive and can be crowded during the summer, too. You'd have numerous opportunities "up the road," as it were.

<i>For Santa Cruz/Monterey - as they are relatively close, could we find one accommodation base for the whole stretch and visit both as needed?</i>

Santa Cruz and Monterey are around an hour apart, so it's feasible to base in one and visit the other. If you did so, I'd base in the Monterey/Pacific Grove/Carmel area and "reverse commute" to Santa Cruz.

<i>Alcatraz and Muir Woods/Point Reyes are on the to-do list for our San Francisco time, thank you.</i>

Muir Woods is unnecessary since you will have seen many redwoods on your way down the coast. Muir Woods can become very crowded. There are more redwood groves en route to Santa Cruz if you want more - google Henry Cowell and Big Basin state parks.

Once you have the skeleton of the route firmed, some more detailed planning for the stopover points seems justified.

>>Alcatraz and Muir Woods//Point Reyes <<

Gardyloo beat me to it . . . No reason on earth to visit Muir Woods. Just a hassle. The parks farther north up the coast are larger/better/much less crowded, plus you will visit Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park in Santa Cruz. And you can easily visit Pt Reyes on your drive down the coast en route to SF.

Yes you could base in one place for Santa Cruz and Monterey/Carmel. Easy day trips from each other. But I personally wouldn't You have enough time for a couple of days in Santa Cruz and several days near Monterey -- the vibes are totally different and there is enough in Santa Cruz to fill two days sou you'd be doing two drives up from Monterey. Much better IMO would be two nights IN Santa Cruz and 4 or 5 nights in the Monterey/Carmel/Pacific Grove area.

Short term vacation rentals are currently only legal in the city of Pacific Grove and inland Monterey county (i.e. Carmel Valley). Monterey County is working on a vacation rental ordinance for the coastal unincorporated areas (i.e. parts of Carmel outside of city limits, Pebble Beach, Carmel Highlands, Big Sur) but it's unlikely to be finalized this year and they've declared a moratorium in the interim.

Ok, here is a skeleton. I've added an extra day in Seattle to both get over jetlag and visit the San Juan islands. Thanks for tips on the wine scene, will look to take it in as part of the Hood River visit..

I've left San Francisco at the end - as this would also let me drop off the car before 30th if needed to save paying for parking.

In terms of the kids - in the cities we are planning to balance trips to parks/lakes/boat trips with some of the obvious sites - Golden Gate bridge, Fishermans wharf etc. Not too ambitous - even using the monorail in Seattle or the trams in SF will be exciting...

5-Aug Seattle
6-Aug Seattle
7-Aug Seattle / San Juan Islands
8-Aug Seattle
9-Aug Yakima (4.5 hours via Mt Rainer)
10-Aug Hood River (2 hours)
11-Aug Hood River
12-Aug Hood River + Brewing/vineyard visit.
13-Aug Yachats (4 hrs)
14-Aug Yachats
15-Aug Gold Beach (3.5 hrs)
16-Aug Gold Beach
17-Aug Trinidad (2.25 hrs)
18-Aug Trinidad
19-Aug Mendocino (Lunch in Samoa Cookhouse, Eureka) (3.5 hrs)
20-Aug Mendocino
21-Aug Santa Cruz (4.5 hrs)
22-Aug Santa Cruz
23-Aug Monterey (1 hr)
24-Aug Monterey
25-Aug Monterey
26-Aug Monterey
27-Aug San Francisco (2 hours)
28-Aug San Francisco
29-Aug San Francisco
30-Aug Depart

(Times are crude driving times from Googlemaps which may need a pinch of salt, I just wanted to see what each hop looked like)

Looks nice --

One thing - If you stick to the coast, the drive down from Mendocino will take substantially longer than 4.5 hours. While the 'drive' itself can be done in 4.5 to 5 hours w/o traffic (but traffic through the SF Bay region is more than likely), you will definitely want to stop at Ft Ross and possibly Pt Reyes and/or Bodega Bay. I'd count on pretty much an all day drive.

Or -- if you stick to 101 and don't stop anywhere - the drive could take as little as 4.5 hours, depending on traffic through the Bay Area

If you do take Hwy 1 (a great drive) I'd add one more night to Santa Cruz since you won't get there until probably close to dinner time.

If you take 101/sans stops -- then the 2 nights is probably OK.

(Googlemaps tends to be optimistic re drive times)

<i>7-Aug Seattle / San Juan Islands</i>

Me again. You can't visit the San Juan Islands in a day, unless you fly.

Instead, this is a terrific day outing from Seattle, one that involves a ferry ride, a couple of very cute waterfront villages, some terrific island scenery, and the biggest building in the world.

https://goo.gl/maps/5JChjpcGpxt

You head north from Seattle around 90 min. to Deception Pass State Park. Deception Pass is a narrow channel between Fidalgo and Whidbey Islands, and at tide change the water rushing through the passage is nothing short of amazing. There are viewpoints and beaches all around the park; it's a great spot to chill. http://gardyloo.us/083b.JPG and http://gardyloo.us/096b.JPG

You then head south on Whidbey through Oak Harbor (home of a US Navy airbase) to the first picturesque town, Coupeville. Not far from Coupeville is Fort Casey State Park, where there's a lighthouse and some cool coastal defense guns to crawl around (if so inclined.)

Farther south is the second and most attractive town on Whidbey, Langley. More waterfront cafes, galleries, etc.

Then it's down to Clinton and the ferry across to Mukilteo back on the mainland. Mukilteo is also a cute little town, with a great little lighthouse, good take-away fish & chips shop (Ivar's, also sit-down dining) and a big beach with driftwood for the kids to crawl over. http://gardyloo.us/20140531_3Ha.jpg

From Mukilteo you take WA 526, the "Boeing Freeway," which will take you past the Boeing Everett plant, home of the big jets and the biggest building in the world. (You can tour the plant - http://www.futureofflight.org/ .)

This is a terrific day trip, far easier than queuing for the ferry to the San Juans, cheaper and with more variety. Highly recommended.

@JanisJ - Thanks, yes with the little one we will need to break up the driving, so will extend the Santa Cruz nights and drop one off Monterey or SF.

@gardyloo - That sounds like a wonderful day out in Seattle, thank you for sharing. We will spend one of the days following that guide for sure - we had planned a ferry trip anyway, this looks like a much better approach. Sounds like you have some local knowledge!

Pretty happy with the high level plan now - going to start looking for accommodation and any "Dont miss" items on the way...