California - 7 days LAX - Seattle drive

Hi

Planning a trip for May 2010
I have 7 days (not counting the day i fly into LAX or out of Seattle) to drive from LA to Seattle.

Would appreciate any thoughts / comments on places to see / stay. Current thought is a drive up the coast with a side trip to Yosemite but nothing is fixed except the flights into LA (from Sydney, Aus) and out of Seattle (to Washington DC)


Thanks in advance :)

David

A trip up the Central California coast along Highway 1 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_Route_1) (primarily between San Luis Obispo and Monterey and especially through the area of Big Sur) is often called one of the most scenic drives in the world (in some ways, reminiscent of the Great Ocean Road). A trip up that would, naturally, include a stop at Hearst Castle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearst_Castle).

Before you get that far north, too, stop in Santa Barbara (http://wikitravel.org/en/Santa_Barbara)--a charming, upper-class-resort-feel town with a historic Spanish Catholic mission. The next town up the coast, San Luis Obispo (http://wikitravel.org/en/San_Luis_Obispo), has a similar feel and is also worth a stop.

If you're at all into wine, the Santa Ynez Valley north of Santa Barbara is a prominent wine region (made famous by the movie Sideways). Further north, there's [my hometown!] Paso Robles, another well-known wine region, though that would require a slight detour from the route up Highway 1.

You could continue up the California and Oregon (and, if you'd like, Washington, too) coasts north of San Francisco along US Highway 101, and that's definitely a gorgeous option, but it's also slow. It depends how much time you take on the southern end of your trip and/or how much time you spend in cities like San Francisco and Portland.

A side trip to Yosemite is definitely worthwhile, IMHO. (Gotta run off somewhere now, but if I think of something else, I'll be sure to post back.)

Trip to Yosemite is always an excellent idea. One of the most beautiful places ever.

But, keep in mind, even in May, much of the high country might still be snowed in. Yosemite Valley will be okay but Tioga pass very likely closed. See http://www.monobasinresearch.org/data/tiogapass.htm for probable dates.

That is a long drive. There are many worthwhile places to visit along that route. You are going to have to trim your list to make the trip enjoyable.

Some places and sites to consider. You will NOT be able to do all of this.

LAX up the coastal route to Santa Barbara, then further to/through San Luis Obispo, Morro Bay, San Simeon (Hearst Castle area), Big Sur and Monterey/Carmel. An alternative would be to go inland after Santa Barbara to the Central Valley for a visit to Sequioa/Kings Canyon National Park (giant sequoia trees) and continuing north to Yosemite.

From Monterey, you could continue along the coast to San Francisco or go inland to cross over to Yosemite.

Although you can continue north from San Francisco along the coast, it gets just a bit boring. I'd suggest going inland to and through Napa Valley (or staying inland if going from Yosemite) and then to Interstate-5/SR-99 and proceeding north inland past Lassen Volcanic National Park (definitely worth a day), past Mount Shasta and the Whiskeytown Recreational Area and on to Crater Lake National Park in Oregon.

Portland, Oregon is a beautiful city and worth a visit. From there, the drive through northern Oregon and southern Washington is easy and Seattle is definitely worth a couple of days in itself.

All-in-all, a VERY busy 7 days. Trim your list of visits and pick a few that you really want to see. Leave some time for Seattle at the end and either do your coastal driving along the south-central coast of California or the Oregon coast, which is beautiful and rugged. You probably can't drive the whole way along the coast and still have time to see anything else.

You just have too many great sites to visit and not enough time to do so. LA, Santa Barbara, Central Coast, Monterey, San Francisco, Napa Valley, Sequoia Park, Yosemite Park, northern California (which is MUCH different from southern Cal.), Crater Lake, Oregon Coast, Portland, Washington Coast, Seattle and many others. Oh, and over 1200 miles to drive.

Have fun choosing a few. ;)

Thanks everyone

I've been to Crater Lake before and i thought it was fantastic - i had hoped to go again but the trip is early May and i understand things don't open until mid/late May due to the weather ?

Based on some initial thoughts i'm looking at staying at:

LA (day of arrival - recover from flight...)
San Luis Obispo
San Fran
Napa
Yosmite
Redding
Portland
Seattle

Yosemite to Redding and Redding to Seattle look like long days of driving though?

Thanks again !

David

Yosemite to Redding and Redding to Seattle look like long days of driving though?They're each a solid day, but easily doable. Mapquest has Yosemite to Redding, California, as being about 6 hours (probably a little less in reality). Redding to Seattle, Washington, is about 10 hours according to them (I thought it'd be a little further). If you don't want big days, I'd definitely suggest breaking up that Redding-Seattle drive with a stop in Portland, Oregon.

If you get an early start for Redding, you can turn off at Red Bluff and head over to Lassen Volcanic National Park.
http://www.nps.gov/lavo/index.htm

If you get an early start for Redding, you can turn off at Red Bluff and head over to Lassen Volcanic National Park.
http://www.nps.gov/lavo/index.htm

Thanks

Am i likely to get in in early May or will the snow have the roads closed ?

It's really hit or miss depending how much snowfall. They have a chart on their web site going back 29 years and there have been some early openings in April and May. This year it opened on June 4, though the two prior years it opened on May 18.
http://www.nps.gov/lavo/planyourvisit/lassen_roadsandtrails.htm

If you get an early start for Redding, you can turn off at Red Bluff and head over to Lassen Volcanic National Park.
http://www.nps.gov/lavo/index.htm

Ah, yes--I'd forgotten about that! I went through there once several years ago (actually, maybe nine or ten years ago! How time flies...), and it's definitely a worthwhile stop if the roads are open. It's reminiscent of a mini-Yellowstone, with steaming fumaroles and things.

You won't, but if you end up with extra time when you're nearing Portland, a drive up the Columbia Gorge is very pretty (and the dams are pretty impressive). You could follow that up with stops at a couple of wineries in central Washington and then cut over to Seattle via I-90.

Of course, that would cause you to miss Mt. St. Helens, which I would also consider a worthwhile stop if you have time.

Ah, yes--I'd forgotten about that! I went through there once several years ago (actually, maybe nine or ten years ago! How time flies...), and it's definitely a worthwhile stop if the roads are open. It's reminiscent of a mini-Yellowstone, with steaming fumaroles and things.

You won't, but if you end up with extra time when you're nearing Portland, a drive up the Columbia Gorge is very pretty (and the dams are pretty impressive). You could follow that up with stops at a couple of wineries in central Washington and then cut over to Seattle via I-90.

Of course, that would cause you to miss Mt. St. Helens, which I would also consider a worthwhile stop if you have time.

Now that's quite a detour :eek:

Be sure to drive thru a Redwood Tree- kind of a cool experience, if not a bit touristy :p

But yes, Highways 1 and 101 north of San Fran are great! (and if you are running low on time... you can always hit I-5 :p)

I make this drive (both ways) on average twice a year and am pretty familiar with all of the various routing options available. FWIW I've also driven some foreign pals (Brits) on this route on a couple of occasions.

First, a couple of basics. In terms of behind-the-wheel time, you're looking at around 20 hours from LA to Seattle if using the inland route (Interstate 5.) If you use the main coastal highway, US 101, then make it around 27 hours, assuming you cut over to I-5 somewhere in Oregon, rather than following it all the way to the Olympic Peninsula to the west of Seattle (in which case 30 hours.)

If you want to use California SR1, add an additional 3 or 4 hours for each of the southern (San Luis Obispo - San Francisco) and/or northern (Sausalito - Leggett) portions of SR1.

So the butt-in-drivers-seat options vary from 20 to around 35 hours. If you have seven days, you're talking about 3 - 5 hours drive time per day, i.e. a loaf. So the key becomes where do you want to detour or stop over?

IMO there are a couple of non-negotiable things for foreign visitors to see on this route.

First with a bullet are the Redwoods. These are located on the coast (US 101) from a little south of Eureka pretty much to the Oregon line. There is nothing in the world like them. You can get great ocean highway scenery along the Great Ocean Road; you can see stunning mountain scenery in Canada, Switzerland and Chile, but you can only see the Redwoods here.

Second is the Columbia Gorge. North America is a land of mighty rivers, and the Columbia is a big'un. In May the waterfalls along the Gorge will be in full flow, the apple blossoms in the Hood River valley will still be around (probably) and the crowds won't be thick yet.

Third, the cities. You're talking about three (or four) of N. America's most beautiful and enjoyable cities in SF, Portland, Seattle (and Vancouver BC, if time permits.)

The May itinerary I would recommend would go like this…

Day 1 - LA to San Simeon via US 101 and SR 1. Make an early start, have a coffee and a drive-around in downtown Santa Barbara. Try to be at the cutoff for SR1 (around San Luis Obispo) by around 1 PM. Your target is to make one of the last bus departures to tour the Castle before closing. Don't worry - in May the days will be long enough to handle it.

Day 2 - San Simeon to San Francisco. Not a very long day, but plenty of places to pull off - coffee at Nepenthe in Big Sur, Point Lobos State Park, a stroll around downtown Carmel (or a late lunch in Carmel or on Cannery Row in Monterey. If time allows, visit the aquarium in Monterey. Carry around Monterey Bay up to Santa Cruz, then you can pop over the hills and use I-280 into SF.

Day 3 - At leisure in San Francisco

Day 4 - SF to Mendocino. Over the GG Bridge and follow SR1 along the coast through Bodega Bay up to Mendocino, a lovely drive.

Day 5 -- Mendocino to Gold Beach. This takes you through the Redwoods in one day. It's around 6 hours of driving, but numerous opportunities for pull-offs into some Redwood groves, and toward the end of the day, alongside the road for some superb coastal scenery. It might be a longish day, but there's no reason to arrive too early into Gold Beach (alternative is Brookings) - not much going on in these towns, unless the fishing charters are working or there are some nearby whales offshore.

Day 6 - Gold Beach to Portland. Head north along US 101, stopping to gawk at the superb scenery. There are numerous State parks along the coast here, most of which are very gratifying. When you get to Reedsport, turn inland along SR 38, and follow the Umpqua River (initially through a gorgeous canyon) to the junction with Interstate 5 at Drain. Push the right-hand pedal and rocket north toward Portland, veering off onto I-205 (the eastern bypass) when it forks off the main freeway south of the city. Your destination for the night is McMenamin's Edgefield - www.mcmenamins.com - a hoot and a half of a hotel/distillery/brewery/winery/movie/garden/golf/gallery property crafted from the former Multnomah County Poor Farm, in Troutdale, right at the western mouth of the Columbia Gorge.

Day 7 - Portland to Seattle (the long way.) Head east from Troutdale along the "historic Columbia River Highway," one of the most spectacularly beautiful short drives in the USA. The road runs along the top of the Gorge (Interstate 84 down at the bottom) and offers numerous pull-outs and overlooks, and passes several waterfalls which will be quite thunderous in May. At Hood River, cross over the Washington side of the river and continue along the north bank until you reach Maryhill. If you're interested in fine art, a stop at the Maryhill Museum (www.maryhillmuseum.org) is very worthwhile - see many of Rodin's plaster studies for his later works, a fine collection of Native American arts and crafts, and many other exhibits set incongruously in this amazing mansion overlooking the Columbia River, Mt. Hood in the distance, and the sagebrush (which may well be full of flowers in May.) Oh, and Stonehenge (http://www.maryhillmuseum.org/do.html#stonehenge) is just down the road.

Turn north on US 97 and roll through some fabulous "Old West" scenery, with Mt. Adams to the west, over Satus Pass and through the Yakama Indian Reservation until you hit I-82 near Toppenish. Follow I-82 to its junction with I-90, then rapidly over the Cascades to Seattle.

This route is like a primer on the landscapes of the far west. You've got it all - wonderful Mediterranean-climate coastline and lovely cities, rugged coastline and the Redwoods, followed by more rugged coastline, then the big river and finally some old west-red rocks-scenery leading to snow-capped mountains. All this and great beer too. What's not to like?

... First with a bullet are the Redwoods.
Meh! Toothpicks! :D

He wants to go to Yosemite. The Mariposa Grove has some REAL trees - sequoias. ;)

Seriously, I'd say do the coast route EITHER LA-SF or SF-Eureka but not both. There is too much of California to see that is not coastal. Frankly, aside from the redwoods, that north coast stretch of 1/101 is pretty boring.

There is too much of California to see that is not coastal.

Pumpkin Center and Bodfish for example. :)

Frankly, aside from the redwoods, that north coast stretch of 1/101 is pretty boring.In places, agree. In many other places, disagree. IMO there are many times the detour to Yosemite is not worth the payoff; to Sequoia even moreso.

That said, if the OP is from Oz, much of US 101/SR 1 is not that different from some of the scenery along the east coast of NSW and the south coast of Victoria - down to the Eucalyptus trees. An alternative overall route might be to head up to Fresno, duck into Sequoia or Yosemite, then take SR 49 up to Grass Valley or I-80 before cutting over to the Bay Area. Depending on when in May, the Gold Rush country can be lovely, with some cool old towns. It might consume the extra day in SF but the OP could go from SF up through the Redwoods on 101, then cut over to Grants Pass on US 199 and make up some time on the freeway into Portland. Depends on what floats boats.