The entrance road takes you through lush Sitka spruce forests that are home to deer and elk. Here are the stops I suggest for a Pacific Coast Highway California road trip itinerary. We are thinking of taking this drive during the week of Christmas. What type of car would you rent for 4 of us? Pacific Coast Highway Directions: Its a short drive south and a little east along U.S. 101 from Long Beach to cross the Astoria into Oregon. taking my 13 and 17 year old with my wife. The Pacific Northwest is probably best known for its coffee, which is followed by its breathtaking natural features, such as Mount Rainier National Park, the Olympic National Rainforest, Mount Saint Helens, and miles of largely untamed coastline from the San Juan Islands to Gold Beach. Especially watching the sun set over Morro Rock in the distance! Im at work surfing around your blog from my new apple iphone! Lake Sacajawea is an artificial lake located less than 50 miles from Portland. My husband and I are both 62 in pretty good shape and planning to do this trip from Portland to San Diego in late September 2019 over 2 weeks. Valerie-thanks for the great overview. Tillamook, Oregon. If youre considering a drive down (or up) the western coast of the U.S., look no further. My first true adventure began as a six month voyage around South East Asia as a fresh faced backpacker and ever since Ive lived a semi nomadic existence, clocking up visits to over 40 countries. You should have no problem making it down the road in December. I know we wont see everything, but its the only time frame we have. Great info . Rising 14,410 feet toward the cloudy Pacific Northwest sky, Mount Rainier dominates the landscape in central Washington State. Northeastern Rustic LLC, 2761 U.S. Rte 2, Smyrna Mills, ME 04780, USA. do you have a printable version of this? And there are plenty of options along the north shore of the Colombia River that offer stunning views and a relaxing stay. Now we want to take our girls on the same trip. runs several daily buses with five stops, and tempts passengers with free WiFi, power outlets, and no dreaded middle seats. Unless youre driving the lengthy coastal route, youll find the best scenery aboard Amtrak. I have one question where is the best place to fly into? Washington Park Arboretum to Seward Park. Hah, sounds like a good bonding experience, Angela! Whether youre planning a San Diego to San Francisco, Seattle to San Francisco, San Francisco to San Diego, Seattle to San Diego road trip, or somewhere in between (Los Angeles! If you prefer not to stop for long, you can take a detour and follow the scenic Five Mile Drive to Owen Beach. Tourists will enjoy watching the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean in Astoria, a stunning coastal town, along US Route 30. This route seems less popular than the other because it's a bit longer. Address. The park spans 236,381 acres of natural land, including all of Mount Rainier, an active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest. This is such a great resource. Such a thorough guide! This first segment is about 114 miles and has two-and-a-half hours of driving if you do it all at once. Heather, you saw the rest of the post, right? This sounds like a great trip the PCH + inland Oregon! I think its going to be a tough year fro travel! P.S. Thats right folks, West Seattle, uou really cant go wrong with a cruise on Alki because youll get to see stunning views of the Sound, Olympics and downtown. Once youre in Seattle, there are so many places to choose from for a relaxing stay that its barely worth making suggestions. It is the home stadium of Seattle Mariners, a professional American baseball team based in Seattle. As the tallest lighthouse on the U.S. Pacific Coast, Pigeon Point Lighthouse is picturesque, and you can view it from several different angles along the nearby coastline. There are several places to park if you want to get out and . Glad to help, Dan! So the verb lament is correct in the present tense, and the tense of recommend earlier in the paragraph. Follow the highway south as it winds inland and along the coast. Youll get glimpses of beautiful greenery as well as views of Lake Washington. Thank you for any other tips. One of the most popular Seattle scenic drives, you don't even have to leave the city for breathtaking views of lush greenery and ancient trees. Head out to explore tide pools, view the puffins that roost on the rock from early-spring to mid-summer, or see the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge. The mountain route will take you past the famous Mount St. Helens and into the spectacular Mt. I hope this helps. But my priority for this trip is just going straight down the PCH so that should help me prioritize. Thank you, and your blog is fantastic! Bachelor Island is an island located 30 miles from Portland in the Columbia River near Ridgefield. The Point Reyes Lighthouse is only open to visitors from Fridays to Mondays (weekends) from 10am-4:30pm. Our cities are ever-evolving and full of exciting, untapped potential. riverine, estuarine, or the Nisqually Reach nearshore. You can also take guided mountaineering classes from three professional area mountain schools. Crater lake was amazing!! That said, there are plenty of nice ones depending on which part of town you want to stay in. Distance. We will be stopping to see the sights along the way but not for strenuous hikes. Thanks for reading and asking, Hunter! Your website is very helpful. Vancouver to Victoria: 70 miles/3 hours. Take the coastal route for a longer, more scenic drive, and you can hit up Canon Beach or even Tillamook, where you can tour the Tillamook Creamery. It's titled, Scenic Drive from Seattle to Portland, but the items listed in the text aren't on the route between Seattle and Portland; rather they are detours from it or separate trips out of Portland. The drive from Seattle to Vancouver takes approximately 2 hours and 37 minutes, depending on traffic and weather conditions. I am planning 14 days to take in the sights. There are loads of cool things to explore in/around this small PNW town, including Olympic National Park! Is this possible?? Pacific Coast Highway Directions: Follow CA-1 south out of L.A. to avoid the citys notorious traffic as you make your way along the coast. After some great urban exploration, pull out the hiking shoes, drive a bit out of the city, and check out some of the fantastic hikes that the Seattle area has to offer. You will miss Seaside & Cannon Beach on this route, so your next stop will be Newport (#9). Have a great trip! One of the requests I get asked for is a Pacific Coast Highway map with all of the stops I suggest, so I used Roadtrippers to put together this one. After making the trip myself in 2014 and exploring the PCH extensively while living in Washington and California, Ive put together this comprehensive guide to the great stops, breathtaking sights, and sense of unbelievable freedom you can find if you drive the Pacific Coast Highway. Save. What you suggested (Anaheim > SLO/Madonna Inn > Half Moon Bay) is a great two-day itinerary. Now if you need some Twin Peaks vibes in your life, a drive to the stunning Snoqualmie Falls will surely do you well. I hope you have a great trip whenever you can make it! Both routes take place mostly on highways and smaller roads, making the driving interesting. The Mount St. Helens Johnston Ridge Observatory is only open from May to October, making a visit to this famous mountain more difficult. Before you get started, making sure you pay the feebefore you arrive and nail down a mountaineering/climbing permit from the Park Service. Amazing, Melanii! I am traveling with my husband, brother and our 4 year old. Hi Valerie, Great tips! Hi Valerie, I am doing the PCH drive southbound from Seattle and as far as we can go for 5 days. 2. But take your time: Both Olympia (the capital) and Tacoma (home of the Museum of Glass) are worth a stop. I do not care to get into the Los Angeles areaHowever, the Sequoias are a must. 270 miles. Thanks for your comment, Manny. Accessing Mt. This stunning road winds through the Columbia River Gorge along the river, passing tons of incredible waterfalls, lookout points, and more. Hi there, I am thinking of taking a solo trip down the PCH from Long Beach, WA to LA? Crescent City is a great spot for an overnight stop (or longer) depending on your itinerary. It is enormous and offers a ton of sights and activities. Also, I love your pictures! I want to fly out to the NW and drive to Crescent city, then go inland to see the redwoods, Bend, and Mt. Crescent City is the first city youll enter when driving southbound into California along the Pacific Coast Highway (or last if youre headed northbound). Drive time: 32 hours. Hoping to do this mid Sept 2020. Send me a pic if you remember . Thanks for your help in advance!!!! Rainier, plenty of coastlines, and Redwoods. We want to make the best out of drive there. We already have this email. Its really up to you to decide where you want to end and figure out the closest rental car/airport option from there, but there are airports of all sizes throughout the region. We plan a trip to San Jos, California because of its diversity, beautiful scenery, and exceptionally high outputs. ENJOY the sightseeing trip of a lifetime. I do not plan to do any shopping at stores, so our money would be spent on a rental vehicle, hotels, gas, and food. The proposed itinerary for 7-day Seattle to San Francisco road trip. PCH bucket list road trip done! The Pacific Coast Highway runs along two highways: In Washington and Oregon, the best weather of the year happens between June and September. Point Defiance Park is a great place to unwind after a long drive and is a good spot to bring the family or older travelers not big on epic hikes. And other than his military time at Ft Lewis many years ago, we have never lived nor toured the west coast at all. The road trip between the two cities, on the . Do you happen to know or can you suggest a source with info about the road conditoin in the light of recent terrible weather in California. Where is Crater Lake? The latter tells about the history of the region and has a super-interesting map of the more than 50 shipwrecks around the region. Instead of rushing, taking a more scenic route will turn this road trip into the perfect weekend adventure. You did a fantastic job with this giude, everything is straight to the point but provided in a fun and educational way. Be sure to plan your trip on a day the lighthouse is open for tours, so you can climb the steps down to the lighthouse and lookout beneath the clouds across the sea. What day of the week would you recommend starting from WA? How can we apply this info in the reverse, Catherine, its pretty easy just plan it out by reading my article from the bottom to the top! Thanks for reading, Dale. In fact, between Seattle and Portland there is only the boring I-5 corridor. AAA has no candle to this. The tower is decorated with artwork chronologically depicting the regions history. It also features a boardwalk, boathouse, beaches, trails, an off-leash dog park, and an old-growth forest. 12 of the best hikes to see wildflowers in Washington this summer, A post shared by capturing the bliss of life (@capturing_bliss_of_life). Thanks for reading, Oleg. Always exploring, wherever she ends up, you can be sure she will be out hiking, biking, skiing, and paragliding. We are doing the PCH this July and August coming from Yellowstone, Glacier and Teddy Roosevelt NP it has been on our Bucket list for quite some time after this trip we only have Alaska to visit and we will have visited all the States !! Great name btw . This guide is great, do you have a Google map itinerary to download with the stops? When venturing from the i5 highway, the trip takes approximately 12 hours and 45 minutes of non-stop driving. If you're pressed for time, make Cannon Beach your top priority. So with that in mind, here are 10 of the most scenic drives near Seattle to take this summer. 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