Ideas San Francisco to Corvalis, OR early Oct
 

We were planning a New England/Canada cruise but ran into some conflicts so I'm looking at alternatives. My husband has a meeting in Palo Alto Oct 6-9th and my son may be in Corvallis, OR then so we were thinking about heading up to Oregon to meet him either the week before or after that meeting. We've seen most the area around SF but I have no idea what there is to see or do between SF and Corvallis or what the weather conditions are like then. We enjoy hiking and outdoor activities. Would this be a good time of year to explore the area? If so, can anyone get me headed in the right direction with some places to consider along the way? We'll probably have 8 or 9 days and we pack a lot into our days when we travel.

Outdoor activities abound in Oregon. The first week of October is kind of a shoulder season, though - it could be still nice but by the end of October the rainy season has usually begun. If you're lucky it will still be nice in early October, but you never know.

The most obvious driving route (one way) is up US 101 from SF along the California and Oregon coasts (CA highway 1 up to 101 and the into Oregon). The Redwood National Forest at the northern part of the California coast is certainly a sight to see if you've never seen it.

The Oregon Coast is amazing as well; you could easily spend several days especially in the southern part. The Oregon Coast is dotted with parks, hiking trails, and amazing scenery. You could detour at Gold Beach and go up the Rogue River, too. If you are an AAA member, get their Oregon Coast tour map, which breaks out the highlights of the coast for you.

On the way back from Corvallis, you could take I-5 and stop by Crater Lake, an amazing natural wonder. 101 is generally a bit slower than I-5 so you might wish not to take 101 both ways, even though 101 is much more scenic; I-5 is faster but not particularly scenic.

One of my favorite hikes in the area is Silver Falls State Park which is east of Salem - 10 waterfalls and a 7 mile hike - some of the trail goes behind the falls

Its a pretty easy hike and although not as much water in the fall, it is usually nice and lots of pretty foliage.

Another nice hike if you coming up the coast is north of Florence- you can start at Devils Elbow State Park - walk up to the lighthouse and then another trail starts behind the lighthouse - there is a map at the trail head- takes you to a beach only accessible by hiking in

Drive up I-5, enjoy Mt. Shasta and Ashland, Crater Lake
if you want, then on to Corvallis.
Then you can drive home the Coast route.

Sunbum beat me to it, mentioning Silver Falls.

Mary's Peak in Corvallis is nice too, and has great views.

Not sure if you are interested, but you could also hit an OSU football game. Even if you are not interested, and need a hotel, I would book asap as the hotels bookup there for gamedays.

Thanks for all the suggestions. That gives me a good start. Sounds like going before the meeting is my best bet.

I'd do the Oregon Coast, then cut over to Corvallis by way of Mary's Peak. Beautiful countryside and early October should be nice weather.