Hi,
I need help with an intinary!
I am taking 8 days in late August to travel the pacific coast. I'm flying into Seattle and renting a car. Flying out of LA..I plan on spending 1 night in Vancouver and then driving down the coast. I need to find somewhere to spend a day and night bewteen Vancouver and San Francisco..Any thoughts?
I plan on 1 night in Vancouver, 1 night elsewher, 2 nights san fran, a night elsewhere, 2 nights LA..

This is a lot of driving.

I would either fly into Vancouver, or eliminate it from my itinerary on this trip.

Investigate Ashland, OR, as a place to stop on the drive between Vancouver and San Francisco (or between Seattle and SF).

From San Francisco, drive to Carmel. At Carmel take Highway 1 down the coast, stopping at Cambria for the night. Continue on Highway 1 to Malibu and Santa Monica.

Vancouver, WA, right?

That is a crazy itinerary - sorry - but you are driving hundreds of miles a day. Do you just want to do the drive, or do you actually want to see/do anything along the way?

If just a road trip w/o much except SF and LA - then it really doesn't make that much difference where you stop. You'll have to go down I-5 if you want to make it from Vancouver (or Seattle) to SF w/ just one stop. You simply will not have time to drive the coast route - again unless all you want to do is drive. On I-5 you could stop over in Ashland or perhaps Mt Shasta.

Sorry, this itinerary is rushed and requires a lot of driving but it is not "crazy" if Brenden is young, has only one week to travel, wants to visit friends, and wants to take a peek at the cities he lists and the countryside between them.

It's not my idea of fun, but while hiking in Arches NP I once met a young man from Germany who was having a wonderful time driving back and forth across the U.S.A. with little idea of where he had been or where he was going.

Brenden seems to be way ahead of that fun-loving guy.

(And, Brenden, if Vancouver is not the one in WA, I suggest you spend a night in Seattle and don't go to Vancouver BC.)

Definitely, the trip isn't crazy if it is simply a way to get from the NW to SF for a couple of days and then on to LA for a couple of days. But if you plan on driving the coast and seeing anything else - then yes, it is crazy. You specifically mentioned driving down the coast after Seattle, so I assumed you planned on sightseeing along the way.

Vancouver to SF takes approx 13 hours if you go down the coast - that's just the drive time w/o breaks, sightseeing, or meals (and longer if a weekend because of traffic). So in reality it is about 18-20 hours of travel over your 1 night/2days.

What do you mean by "coast?" We don't consider I-5 the "coast" here, but that might be what you are referring to. The actual coast road, in Oregon, is beautiful, but a slow haul.

Vancouver BC to San Francisco is 948 miles, or 15 hours. With your peddle to the metal on I-5, count on Vancouver to Seattle - 2 hrs
Seattle to Portland - 3 hrs
Portland to Ashland - 4 hours
Ashland to SF - 6 hours

This is not counting the wait at the boarder, rush house in cities or any delays along the way (of which there can be many due to traffic).

Taking I-5 and stopping in Ashland is a good plan.

San Francisco to LA is 382 miles on I-5, or only 5 hours. This is where you take your time and go the actual coast road. The CA coast is beautiful. It is actually similar geographically to the Oregon coast but has quite different vegetation, lacking the rain forests, fog and trees.

Have a great trip!

Oh, oh! Sorry! I missed it! I thought you meant Vancouver BC. I see you are flying into Seattle, so you are staying the night in Vancouver WA. Ah!
You could indeed go west at Portland to the OR coast and drive down it, then cut back in to Ashland for the night. Or you could stay in Yachats, and cut back in and get I-5.
Better plan. Personally, I'd stay on the coast, rather than Ashland, but it depends whether you want the nature of the coast, or the culture of being in a town with a great Shakespeare festival.

I'm skipping Vancouver!
My Girlfiend and I are going to a wedding in Seattle and then taking a week to get to LA..
So where would be a good place between Seattle and San Fran to spend a night and a day? and then bewteen San Fran and LA?
Thanks for the comments.

This is wasn't you were asking, but your plan seems flawed to me. To get the most bang for your sightseeing buck I'd fly from Seattle to SFO, spend a few days, then rent a car and drive down the coast to L.A.. Take 3 nights to do it and then spend 2 nights in L.A.

I thought the story was something like that.

Ashland is the most interesting place to stop in Oregon (they have a Shakespeare Festival and all that goes with it). The drive from Seattle is 450 miles and 7-8 hours without stops.

If you decide to continue on to Redding, CA, the distance from Seattle is 600 miles and about 10 hours of driving (without stops).

From San Francisco to Cambria (the stop for Hearst Castle) the drive is 250 miles and 5 hours of driving because the portion from Carmel to Cambria is on scenic Highway 1.

Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Pismo Beach are three of the many other places you may prefer to stop on your way to LA.

Cambria is about 4 hours to LA the fast way, but it takes longer if you stay on Highway 1 through Malibu and Santa Barbara.

If you stop in Santa Barbara, the drive to LA is shorter, etc.

Have fun.

Marina Dunes is a beautiful oceanfront resort located in Monterey, about one hour south of SF, if you're interested in staying that close to the city. Stayed there three years ago...beautiful, clean suites with a great restaurant on site. They have internet specials...stayed for around $100/night.

http://www.monterey.com/mcp/marinadunes

I've stayed at Marina Dunes, and don't think they could get $100.- in August. More chances on a weekday, not on a weekend (Fri or Sat) though. I like Ashland as your stopping place also.

I'm pretty sure Marina Dunes will be much more than $100. The site says $99 - $499 -- and I'll bet the only time you'll get close to the $99 is on a tuesday in Feb. Late August is the highest of high seasons - I just plugged in Thurs. Aug 30 for an example and available rooms are from $179 - $299.