I have a wedding to attend in San Diego and have never been to the west coast. I would like to make a 2 week trip out of it and really see as much as I can of that part of the US. I am very adventurous and active - any specific or outstanding sites I should check out (besides the famous/typical stuff) on my way up the coast? Starting in San Diego - ending in Seattle. THANKS!!

Driving north, skip LA and get to the central coast a.s.a.p. Musts:
1. Drive the Big Sur coast (Cambria to Carmel takes a day, with frequent stops to hike up a hill, or down to a beach.
2. Carmel is very upscale, if you like that sort of thing. Monterey is touristy and pretty.
3. San Francisco is a fabulous city, one of the three best on earth, worth a few days at least.
4. Do you have time to head inland to Yosemite? It's great. Excellent for hiking before October.
5. Back on the coast: Mendocino is a pretty, artsy little town; the coast is as gorgeous as big sur.
6. Eureka is fairly depressed (and depressing).
Can't help you beyond Eureka; haven't been.
Enjoy!

Do a search in this forum with SF to Seattle as the text phrase and Oregon as the location. You'll find a very helpful post with good responses on that entire drive. I'm inclined to agree with the previous reply re/LA. You may find, however, that Santa Monica Pier or Venice Beach are worth stopping to visit - maybe rent some rollerblades or a bike, hang out and people watch for awhile. Try to find "Nepenthe" for lunch on the Highway 1 drive - it's near Big Sur. Consider the #1 tour at Hearst castle (need to reserve in advance). The aquarium at Monterey is awesome but allow at least a half day if you plan to visit. Pacific Grove (next to Monterey) is often recommended as best place to stay in that area - lots of inns and B&B's. Try "The Fisherman's Wife" for a reasonably priced and tasty seafood dinner. Also see about Point Lobos reserve in Pfeiffer Park. Edward Weston shot much of his famous nature photography there - worth seeing and it will only take a few short hours out of the drive. SF is definitely one of the world's great cities - allow yourself several days there if possible. Be sure to drive through the redwood forests when heading north after SF and be prepared for incredible scenery on the southern Oregon coastline - I think it's the most awesome coastal scenery anywhere in the US (and I've seen most of it).

Nepenthe is not as it used to be, but still quite an attraction. I agree with most of the above, would drive the 17 mile drive, but would go to the Monterey aquarium (reserve ahead for will call tickets) and then take a kayak out into the bay to look for sea otters. Farther up the coast you can stop in crazy Sta. Cruz, "Surf City, U.S.A."--if you'd like to have a surfing lesson contact Club Ed, but the time will depend on the tides. From Sta. Cruz I would cut over on Hwy17 to 280 and go to SF that way as the rest of the Peninsula coast can be very foggy. In SF you can rent a jet ski to play in the bay or plan to take the Alcatraz tour (book ahead). Leaving SF, I would go through Sonoma on 101 and stop in Healdsburg and vicinity for wine tasting. Then over to the coast, but I find the northern coast cold and desolate. Just my opinion! You don't say what your budget it--this part of the world can be very expensive. Have fun.

2 weeks should give you pretty much time to see a bit of LA as well-if you have never been to the west coast-I would at least stop-it really is a great town-great shopping-people watching, etc.

Since everybody so far has stopped at the Oregon area-maybe I will pick up form there since I live in Seattle. Most of the Oregon coast is really pretty beautiful and one of the most well visited towns in the northern part of Oregon is Cannon beach-it is especially great off-season. I mentioned in another part in the forum that we like to stay at the end of town near Haystack rock-it is a great little town-we spent Thanksgiving there once an d it was almost deserted.

Even though I live in Washington I don't really think our coast compares to the Oregon coast-I would spend more time on the Olympic Pennisula and maybe if you have time go to the San Juan Islands-lots of info in the forum under those headings. Seattle is very full of adventourous active people-my friend from SF calls it the land of the walking people since she was astounded to see all these hardy Scand. types out walking and jogging at the crack of dawn.

You don't mention the time of year you will be coming-but that might be the only hitch here-you gotta like to hike in the rain if you wait too long in the fall most years

have fun

I have lived in every part of the West Coast. Traveling from San Diego to Seattle is a pretty ambitious schedule. There have been many excellent suggestions. A lot depends upon the time of year. Hopefully you will be traveling in August or September. The California coast is pretty foggy in June and sometimes into July. October is the best month by far for California but not too suitable for Oregon or Washington. Seattlelites will disagree but you have to remember that playing in the water is their idea of fun. I prefer the sunshine.

Of course this is all academic as you are attending a wedding. Your travel schedule is dictated by the wedding date.

To make suggestion as to what to see or do is rather hard. it all depends on your preferences. I personally love San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Solvang area, Big Sur. San Francisco is a great city with many things to see and do. Oregon and Washinton are not my bag although I have traveled the complete coast and lived in Seattle and Portland as well as California. There are many things to see and do in both. I just would rather spend my time in Califonia. Before anybody gets excited, this is my opinion only. Others are just as valid. I think that the Monterey Aquarium is highly over rated. The 17 mile drive is great. I-5 is very scenic from Redding, CA north to Grants Pass, OR. I would not spend all of my time traveling the coast. Mount Shasta and Lake Shasta are pretty nice. The coast route is very slow and you will need more than 2 weeks if you drive only on the coast. It is very hard to see it all. I personally would skip the Oregon Coast and Washington Coast. I don't mean skip the states. How much coastal scenery can one take? The California coast is very scenic and you have some great cities to visit. Traveling inland I-5 in California is very boring until you reach Redding, CA where it becomes very scenic as you go north. I-5 through Oregon and Washington is very pleasant and quite scenic for the most part.

Well that is enough stuff for now. I have one minor little correction to Kam's suggestion. Traveling From Santa Cruz inland to San Jose and then to San Francisco is definitely the way to go. The only change I would make is to travel 17 to 85 ( Mountain View ) to 280. This way is shorter.

Amy -- Your Wisconsin camping correspondent again!! I didn't even take time to read all the previous advice here, but... W/ all that time to spare, you really should consider the Coast Starlight (the Amtrak train that runs from LA to Seattle; the first five hours right along the coast (WAY closer than the highway)...first class service all the way.... a real treat!

Amy -- Your Wisconsin camping correspondent again!! I didn't even take time to read all the previous advice here, but... W/ all that time to spare, you really should consider the Coast Starlight (the Amtrak train that runs from LA to Seattle; the first five hours right along the coast (WAY closer than the highway)...first class service all the way.... a real treat!