Hi - Kind of overwhelmed as I plan this trip. We want to see some beautiful sights as well as visit some wineries. I've done Highway 1 from San Fran south and LOVED it. Is it worth taking the extra time to do Highway 1 north of San Fran? Is the Oregan coast worthwhile also (or which part is the best)? Can someone recommend a stretch that would be best done on the coast versus 5, or vice versa? We were thinking of taking 5 from Sacramento up through the Sacramento Valley - are there worthwhile wineries along the way? Then we thought we'd cross over to the coast but we don't know where the best point would be to do that - see CA coast or OR coast? Thanks a ton!

The coastal route, or even US101, is far more scenic than I-5, at least until you reach the Shasta area.

I don't know about Oregon, but in CA, there are only 3 routes to get to the coast north of Sacto. Hwy 126 out of Winters runs through the hills into the heart of the Napa Valley, then across US101 through the Anderson Valley to the coast.

Hwy 16 out of Woodland, or Hwy 20 out of Williams, run up to Clear Lake (they join just before the lake), along Clear Lake to US101 at Ukiah, then 20 goes through the Jackson State Forest to the Mendocino coast. Then, 299 runs from Redding to Arcata, just south of Redwood National Park, but by that time you're within striking distance of Shasta, so if you don't particularly want to see the redwoods, you might as well continue to Shasta.

There are a few wineries along Hwy 16 out of Woodland, in the Dunnigan Hills area, but it would be bit of a detour if you go back to 5.

The Oregon Coast is amazing. The southern part from Brookings to Lincoln City probably gives you the gist of it - from Lincoln City you could probably cut over to I-5. Note that I-5 itself isn't particularly scenic between Portland and Seattle, but it's pretty fast.

AAA has a great Oregon Coast Tour Map if you can get ahold of it.

Note that Highway 299 from Redding to Arcata is EXTREMELY curvy!!! I think it takes about three hours of very tedious, slow driving to get across. It is beautiful in parts, but if you make that drive, plan a lot of extra time. I haven't driven the other routes mentioned.

Andrew

Andrew is right about 299. Also, I got the number wrong for the highway between Winters and Napa Velley, it's 128 not 126. 128 is pretty curvy, too, there's a 15mph curve in one spot just as it passes the first winery, Nicolini, still up in the hills.

Thanks, Andrew & Sequoia, for your helpful info. Another ?, would you recommend taking 16 to 20 or 5 to 20?

Andrew, how much time should we allow if we do the Oregon coast from Brookings to Lincoln City? Maybe we'll cut over to 5 earlier than Lincoln City, or is it worth it to continue all the way up to L.C.?

Thanks, Jen

The length of time to spend on the Oregon coast really depends on your tastes and what you want from trip. Do you usually take whirlwind tours or more casual. Do you plan on hiking and exploring or just checking it out? On the coast you could spend 2 weeks or you could do it in a 3-4 days. You could drive all the way up in one day as well but you wouldnt see much other than the drive(which is as beautiful as it gets) There are plenty of towns worth stopping in all the way up the coast Gold Beach has the Rogue River Jet Boats, Bandon is a nice town (stop at the cheese factory for great cheese and ice cream if time allows a trip out Cape Arago Hwy is a nice diversion, Florence has a nice wharf area to wander, Newport has some great stuff, Cannon Beach gets lots of attention...and on and on. So it really just depends on how fast you want to do it. Have fun!

Ahhh...This site renews my faith in America & Americans. I appreciate the responses & love this dialogue. I live in Chicago & get caught up in the city life, but adore nature. Can't wait to breathe the western air. Thanks to those who have responded.

Hello! Just spent a week driving from San Francisco to Seattle. Wonderful trip! The first day we drove up through Sonoma, Geyserville and spent the night in Garberville. The next morning we toured the Avenue of the Giants (which parallels 101), drove up to Eureka and had lunch and then drove up the coast to Bandon, OR. We spent the night in Bandon. Great little town. The next day we drove from Bandon to Seaside, stopping for Sea Lion Caves, a dune buggy ride along the Oregon sanddunes and visited the Tillamook cheese factory. We spent that night in Seaside. We didn't care much for Seaside. If we could do it over again, I would probably stay in Cannon Beach. The next day we went to Mt St Helens (fabulous!) and passed Seattle on our way up to Anacortes, WA. Loved Anacortes! We went whale watching there the next day. We then drove back down to Seattle where we spent the next 3 nights. While in Seattle we visited the waterfront, Space Needle, Pike's Market , etc. The last day we drove up to the Sunrise Visitor Center at Mt Ranier National Park. It was a little cloudy but a beautiful drive. Rather than driving Interstate 5, I'd travel via 101. Have a wonderful trip!!!

jenbren, whether you want to cut over back to I-5 from the Oregon Coast south of Lincoln City depends on what you really want to do and see on the coast. If all you really care to do is take in the scenery, you'll probably get enough of a taste of the coast scenery before Lincoln City. But there are things like lighthouses, sand dunes, hikes, parks, etc. I would check out some tour books on the Oregon Coast or, as I suggested, the AAA Oregon Coast Tour Map which shows very specific points of interest.

I think if you merely want to sample the coast you could do Brookings to Lincoln city with two nights, maybe even just one if you want mostly to drive a lot and stop once in a while to check out scenic spots. Again, depends what you are interested in. There are great hikes along the coasts. Some people cut inland at Gold Beach to take a jet boat ride on the Rogue River. So again, it's up to you.

Andrew

The Northern California and Oregon coastline is just beautiful. I'd check out Mendocino in No. California, staying overnight if you can to bve able to walk the Headland, and visit the quirky shops and museum. The Coaast from Bandon, in Oregon upo to Newport is well worth seeing. Bandon is charming, and the best meal we had in our 2 week trip was at the White Rose, in old town. Florence is another town we enjoyed, with the Hecata Head Light house9 be sure and do a tour, off 101, the Sea Lion Cave, and the Oregon Dunes, all very close by. Dune tour is fun- we stayed at the River House, a motel right on the Stanislaw (sp.) river, and woke up to VBlue Herons and seabirds feeding just off our balcony.
Newport is fun, it and Lioncoln City have several festivals in the summer- maybe you will be able to enjoy them.
You'll have fun-