West Coast Birthday Extravaganza
 

My husband would like to do a trip from the Seattle area either down to the Monterey area or up to Alaska for his birthday next year. We would be flying into Seattle around Labor Day and have 2 weeks to enjoy the coast and surrounding areas. We have been given a lot of information on what to see in Seattle, but what about along the Coast? Which holds more allure - going North or going South? Any suggestions?

Are you considering an Alaska Cruise or land based only? September is getting a little late for parts of Alaska. Most cruises stop around the first week of September and the ships re-position to Hawaii, OZ, etc.

Two weeks is not very long for a road trip From Seattle to Monterey. Flying open jaw into SeaTac and out of SFO would help a LOT. But it would still be rushed depending on how many days you stay in Seattle. The Oregon/CA coast is fantabulous -- but also slow going.

In September autumn is starting to appear in parts of Alaska, for example there's wonderful fall color in Denali NP by Labor Day. However that part of Alaska (Southcentral, Interior) is a long way from Seattle and with just two weeks you'd need to allocate most of your time to Alaska, flying in both directions.

One alternative that comes to mind would go like this:

Fly to Juneau, Alaska (change planes in Seattle) and spend a day or two enjoying Alaska's lovely capital city. Then board a southbound ferry from Juneau to Bellingham, Washington, around 90 minutes north of Seattle. The ferry ride takes three days and you'll travel through the superb Inside Passage - the protected inland waters between the mainland and numerous islands.

In Bellingham, pick up a car and head south - to Seattle, then Portland and the Columbia Gorge, then out to the coast and follow US 101 all the way to San Francisco or Monterey. Using my preferred route, which hits the Oregon coast at Reedsport, you only need around three days "wheels turning" to cover the distance from Seattle to SF, so if you spent 5 or 6 days on the "northern" part of the trip, that would still give you 7 or 8 days to travel down the coast. You'd have time for the Gorge, maybe a stop in the Willamette Valley wine country, the southern Oregon coast (IMO the most scenic part) and then the redwoods in northern California.

Here's a map of the overall route - https://goo.gl/maps/phAfN

Maybe this is more ambitious than you're thinking, but you did say you wanted an "extravaganza."

Ferry info - http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/

I'd prefer to head south. I love the Washington, Oregon, and California coasts. Plus the time of year for the weather, better south than north.

September is the absolute BEST month weather-wise on the Oregon/California coast. That is when all us locals head there (I'm going next Tuesday) -- September is summer on the coast.

Sept. can be rainy and blustery in Alaska. I'd head south. :)

Something I agree with janisj on, The Oregon coast is great in September.
Think about taking the early train from King St. station (beautifully remodeled) to Portland.
Rent the car in Portland and head for the coast.
If the drop off fee is too much you can always head back on I-5 to drop back in Portland and fly home from there.

Here's what I would do . . . we did this about 10 years ago to celebrate my and my son's birthday in a 2 week period, and it was a great adventure:

Start in Seattle and visit Seattle (beautiful city!).
Rent car and drive up to Vancouver, British Columbia, a coastal seaport.

Take the ferry (with the car) to Victoria BC.

Take the ferry from Victoria to the San Juan Islands (Friday Harbor is a nice place to stay).

Then take the ferry back to Seattle via Anacortes.

All coastal areas, and at that time of year still have all of the wildlife, the whales (orcas!!!) and beauty.

We went whale watching in Victoria, but in the San Juan Islands, you can just drive to any of a dozen parks with look-outs, and just sit on the rocks and watch then swim by. It is such an amazing experience.

Labor Day can be beautiful in Seattle, but this year it wasn't so much.

We took a cruise to Alaska from Seattle in July, and we didn't see good weather until we got back to Victoria BC at the end of the cruise. The crew said that the weather was beautiful a week earlier.

Surfegirl has described a very good itinerary.

We never tire of Mt. Rainier, the Columbia River Gorge, the Oregon Coast, and the Redwoods.

HTtY

After having lived in the northwest for 70 years I would second both Gardyloo's and Surfergirl's suggestions ... and would have a hard time choosing between the two of them ... a lot depends on whether you prefer to get to California or to get to Alaska -- too little time for both. (But a great reason for a second trip in the future).

It wasn't clear whether you were talking about ship travel, air, or auto to Alaska. Much too rushed if by auto (hard, rough, long drive). A mix of flying and boat cruise makes sense.