My mother and I are planning a driving trip from San Francisco to Seattle in July. Here is our proposed itinerary:
Day 1 San Francisco
Day 2 Napa/Sonoma/Calistoga - stay in Santa Rosa
Day 3 Santa Rosa to Eureka via coast (stops in Mendocino and Avenue of the Giants)
Day 4 Eureka to either Lincoln City or Cannon Beach
Day 5 Lincoln City or Cannon Beach to Seattle (stops at Mt St Helens)
Day 6 Whale watching from Everett
Day 7 Seattle sightseeing
Day 8 Seattle sightseeing

Any thoughts or suggestions on this itinerary? Any other "must sees" along the way? Is it too ambitious to drive the entire Oregon coast in one day?

Day 4 is too long. Try stopping in Florence or Newport instead. The road between Eureka and Crescent City is scenic and slow. Best Redwood viewing in this area.

Day 5 (either from Lincoln City or Cannon Beach) is too long if you must visit MSH.

Are you returning by land or air? You could pick up MSH on the return.

I've got a problem with Day 3. Mendocino is not exactly "on the way" from Santa Rosa to Eureka. Route 1 does not go all the way through. Mendocino is a long-ish drive off 101, and then you have to come back to 101 to get up to Eureka.

Also, why stay in Santa Rosa? If you are going to do the Napa Valley, stay in Calistoga and then take the Alexander Valley route back over to 101 when you leave the Napa Valley. Much more charming and no wasted backtracking.

I agree that Day 4 is too long. You will want to see some of the Oregon coast -- it's quite beautiful.

The truth is, if you want to do any more than drive through the places you have listed, a week is a bit short for what you have planned. You want to do the Napa Valley, Mendocino, the Oregon coast, and Seattle. My recommendation would be to take the week to make the drive from SF and see some of Seattle. Leave the Napa Valley and Mendocino for another trip.

I have no specific suggestion on how to change, but San Fran to Seattle direct is a pretty long drive, and you've added a number of long detours. It seems like an awful lot of driving for an 8 day trip IMO.

I need some clarification here - since you mention SF as day 1, do we assume you are arriving from somewhere else and then "doing" SF, Napa/Sonoma/Calistoga, Mendocino, and so on, ending up w/ 2 days in Seattle?

If so I wouldn't wish that trek on my worst enemy. Everywhere you are going is terrific - but just waaaaay too many of them for 6 days. I'm not counting the last 2 days in Seattle because that is the only place you seem to be lighting for more than about an hour. Everything else is long drives and short stops -

We are flying into SFO and out of Seattle 8 days later. We have visited San Francisco on previous trips so we are only planning a day here. We will be in Seattle for 3 days but will go whalewatching one of those days.

Just for reference, luvtravl, it's almost 1000 miles from SF to Seattle. I know when I first moved to California I had no idea the distances were so large in the west.

Oh - I miscounted - you are actually trying to do SF, Napa/Sonoma/Calistoga, Mendocino, the Oregon coast, and Mt St Helens in a bit over FOUR days, since you are staying the 5th night in Seattle.

And to piggyback on what Marilyn says, it is a looooong way, but your itinerary is even longer because of the various detours.

You really are trying to go too far, and see too much in too little time.

Just the straight drive would be a lot but to add even a little sightseeing in SF/Napa/Mendocino/Oregon coast makes this really, REALLY difficult.