Skip LA to SF coast or not?
 

I have read through tons of coastal posts on here, so please forgive yet another... I just couldn't find what I was looking for.

I am planning a coastal trip in the 2nd to the last week of May (the week prior to Memorial Weekend). The trip was originally supposed to be an Oregon coast trip that originated in San Francisco so we could catch some Redwoods, too. After reading numerous posts, I heard that the coast from SLO to SF was pretty nice, so I thought about including that as well, but it will speed things up a bit. So, my question is, should I just fly into SF and drive north, or should I fly into LA and drive north along the coast (ultimate destination is Portland).

1) Crowds? Are they bad the week before Memorial Day? I was kind of hoping kids would still be in school, etc. I really don't want to be stuck in constant traffic.

2) Weather/Fog? Is late May a good time?

If I were to start in LA and drive north, my itinerary would be something like this.

a) fly in LAX late Friday nite spend night near airport.
b) drive up to cambria next day spend the night
c) drive the distance from cambria to SF in one day... spend the night in SF
d) leave no time for SF, just continue up coast to redwoods the next day. spend the night near Phillipsville (Humboldt area)
e) explore Avenue of the Giants for half day then drive north and spend the night somewhere near the CA/OR state line.

The rest of the trip I have alloted for Oregon. So, based on what I've typed above, would it be better to just split all those days between SF/Redwoods, or is the itinerary above reasonable?

Thanks for your help!

I'd fly in to SFO or SJC or Monterrey, drive SOUTH for a day or two to see Big Sur and as far south as San Simeon, then head north. I've driven SF to San Diego twice, along the shore, and the northern part of the trip, especially the Big Sur area, were by FAR the most breathtaking. From San Simeon on south, it was flat, beach condos, traffic, blah. Big Sur, on the other hand, and Point Lobos just south of Carmel, took my breath away. I'd recommend flying to either SFO or San Jose or Monterrery, driving south, detour to Point Lobos, spending the night in Big Sur, seeing the elephant seal rookery south of Big Sur in the morning (amazing amazing amazing, depending on time of year - we did it early June and saw tons, including babies), and then turning around and heading north.

I forgot the fog question: fog comes and goes, but around there, it's part of the beauty. Spring is better for fog-free viewing near Big Sur than summer.

Oh, and north of SF, don't miss point reyes. Also, detour inland toward Guerneyville, and drive my favorite road from Occidental to the coast -- on a sunny day. Breathtaking. The Armstrong National Forest is near there too, worth a stop.

Highway 1 from Malibu to San Francisco is one of the most beautiful in the world. Circumstances don't change that.

I wouldn't add LA/SF unless you are willing to spend the time. Just driving from LA to San Francisco in 2 days simply isn't long enough to see/do anything enroute.

I'd want a <u>minimum</u> of 4 days - otherwise you don't have time to explore anythng except look out through your windshield as you drive past.

I also have a concern about your SF/Phillipsville day. That is a pretty long haul w/ a LOT to see along the way. Unless you just plan on tooling up 101 w/o seeing some of the gorgeous places enroute, I would take a couple of days minimum for that leg.

The drive from Malibu to San Francisco hugging Highway 1 all the way is about 425 miles, and we have done it many times in two days driving. True, there is much to see along the way and four days would be much better (the same could be said about Paris, London, the Amalfi drive, etc.)

However, there is no reason to deprive yourself of this great experience.

If you want less Highway 1 driving, I suggest you do the stretch from Santa Barbara to Santa Cruz.

Thanks everyone! I think I will go ahead and spend two days doing the coast from LA to San Francisco. I know that I will not be able to stop much, but I still think that I would enjoy the drive.

Way to go. Please give us a report.

Happy Trails to You