In September, Mrs DocH and I are arriving in LA and then have three weeks to be tourists. We need to arrive in Vancouver for a few days at the end of September. Thinking of a mix of flying and driving. Could anyone suggest a route and or things to see on the way? We like sightseeing, wine tasting, good restaurants, photography and walking, but dont like spending more than a few hours a day in a car, although could do a couple of long days if it necessary. We would like to spend a few days at least on beaches. Thanks for your help.

Is this a OW or RT between L.A. and Vancouver? You could take about a week+ driving up and another week+ driving down. I'd recommend heading slightly inland to the west side of the Sierra Nevadas and drive up CA route 49 ('49er gold rush trail) which takes you past/through/by Yosemite and many old gold rush towns as well as some wine country (see it while it's still somewhat quaint and relatively unspoilt/undeveloped). This will take about 2-3 days (preferably 3). From there, switch to CA 89 that'll take you through Mt. Lassen and from there to Weed and up to Crater lake. I'd budget at least 2 days for this At this point, you can stop or drive up I-5 to Vancouver (1 day at most unless you want to stop).

On the way back, you can drive down the coast (around Olympic peninsula would be nice but not sure how much you see) and basically follow the coast all the way down on US 101. 1 week would be nice. You can go inland north of S.F. to visit Napa/Sonoma.

Of course there are many other things to see but this will give you a good taste of the west coast.

Thanks for the reply ^

It is a one way trip. We are flying back to the UK from Vancouver.

'tis a pity the trip is OW as you could be missing some spectacular scenery.

I recommend a few days in the L.A. area for beaches, then head inland to Yosemite and CA 49 to --- Downieville or Auburn or even to CA 49 at its northern terminus). From there, head back out to Napa/Sonoma along the Feather River (CA 70?) and then to the coast, up US 101 (ideally from S.F. to where it cuts inland). May want to go up to Ukiah/Eureka until you get to southern Oregon and the oregon Dunes, cut inland to Crater Lake (work arond getting a place to stay at Crater Lake Lodge if you can). From there, you can go inland to go north (nice arid country with lots of ancient volcanic features), and cross back to the coast on US 20 (North Cascades highway) to Burlington and up I-5 to Vancouver (or go up Chuckanut drive for more coastal scenery).

You were warned - just some suggestions (gasp) -

Travel Day 1 - Leave LA on SR1 (Malibu - coast road) - follow SR 1 to junction with US 101 at Oxnard. Late breakfast/early lunch stop in Santa Barbara. Visit Mission Santa Barbara - lovely Spanish era mission in the foothills above the city. Continue north on US 101 to SR1 exit to Morro Bay. Overnight at Morro Bay or, if time, continue to Cambria.

Travel Day 2 - Early start, north on SR1 to Hearst Castle at San Simeon. Tour Hearst Castle. Continue N. on SR1 to Big Sur. Late lunch or early meal (or snack) at Nepenthe, Orson Wells & Rita Hayworth's famous pad. Continue north on SR1 to Carmel/Seaside for overnight.

Travel Day 3 - Prowl around Carmel/Seaside shops. Visit Cannery Row (Steinbeck associations) in Monterey. Continue north on SR1 to Santa Cruz. Ride on the roller coaster at the amusement park in Santa Cruz. Continue north on SR1 to San Francisco for overnight.

Travel Day 4 - Leave SF on US 101 over the Golden Gate Bridge. Exit on SR1 toward Stinson Beach. North on SR1 to Mendocino for overnight. Picturesque village used in several films.

Travel Day 5 - North on SR1 to junction with US 101 at Leggett, continue N. on US 101 to (also Victorian-era) Ferndale for the overnight. For dinner, head into Eureka, follow signs across the bay to Samoa, dinner at the Samoa Cookhouse, last surviving log camp mess hall - comfort food served "family style" by your granny. Or, somebody's granny.

Travel Day 6 - North on US 101 through the Redwood groves - stopping at as many as possible. Bet you five quid this will be the highlight of the drive. After Crescent City, continue on US 101 into Oregon. Overnight at Gold Beach, stopping for gobsmack moments at view pullouts off the road.

Travel Day 7 - Continue north on US 101, pulling over for oohs and ahhs as needed; don't miss the sand dunes near Florence, or Heceta Head Lighthouse a bit north of Florence. Overnight at Yachats (Ya-hahts.)

Travel Day 8 - Keep heading north on 101 - all the way to Astoria, then over the bridge at the (amazing) mouth of the Columbia River. Overnight in Long Beach, Ilwaco, or Oysterville along the Long Beach peninsula, opposite Willapa Bay. Reason for this overnight is dinner at the Ark restaurant, in Nachotta, a few miles north of Long Beach.

Travel Day 9 - Back to the river, east on SR4 past several historic towns (big Lewis and Clark associations around here) to Interstate 5 at Longview. South on I-5 to junction of I-205, south on I-205 back over the Columbia to the junction of I-84; east on I-84 to Troutdale exit; overnight at McMenamin's Edgefield, the former Multnomah County Poor Farm transformed into a hotel/B&B/cinema/brewery/winery/distillery/golf/garden� place. www.mcmenamins.com.

Travel Day 10 - East on the "old" Columbia Gorge Highway (not I-84; the old road starts in "downtown" Troutdale near the Edgefield) - stopping at various outlook points to goggle at the amazing Columbia Gorge. Visit Multnomah Falls (or other falls accessed off the old road) and the hatchery at Bonneville Dam. (See the enormous sturgeon hovering like dinosaur submarines in the ponds.) Cross the river at Cascade Locks or at Hood River (windsurfing capital of the Americas/world) and continue east on Washington SR 14 to Maryhill. Visit the Maryhill Museum, with views back toward Mt. Hood on the Oregon side. Also don't miss the copy of Stonehenge just east of US 97 on the Washington side. Backtrack to The Dalles (Oregon) for the night - several okay hotels and B&Bs.

Travel Day 11 - North on US 97 from Maryhill, over Satus Pass and through the Yakama Indian Reservation, to Toppenish. Lunch at the tribal headquarters; try the buffalo burger. Overnight somewhere in the Sunnyside-Yakima corridor for serious wine tasting - some of the best wines being made in the US nowadays. See http://www.wineyakimavalley.org/wineries/index.asp .

Travel Day 12/13 - North on US 97 through more red-rock country to Chelan. Overnight. Next morning, take the Lady of the Lake cruise up amazing Lake Chelan deep into the heart of the Cascades. Back to Chelan that night. No-car day.

Travel Day 14 - North on US 97 through the heart of the US apple growing region and major cowboy-and-Indian country to the Canadian border, overnight in Osoyoos or west on BC 3 to Princeton or Hope. BC 3 is one of the most beautiful drives in the region at this time of year. Stop at fruit stands or buy some most excellent BC hard cider or (also excellent) wines from this part of the province.

Travel Day 15 - into Vancouver.

Note these are travel days only. Obviously you should spend some additional time in San Francisco or LA or Vancouver or� Plus I'm cutting out Seattle, the Olympic Peninsula, Mt Rainier, Crater Lake, etc. etc. - you can't do it all.

What you'll see, though, is the amazing variety of this part of North America. Look at it - Malibu mansions, Spanish missions, rugged coastal scenery, the tallest trees in the world, more rugged coast, the great river of the West, desert and red rocks and wineries and Alpine lakes and� and� Not to mention some cities that scream to be explored and savored.

I've done all of these routes - together or separately - I don't know how many times, and I've had the pleasure of showing them off to visitors from the US and overseas on a few occasions. I still get excited just writing about it.

Of course these are just suggestions. There are infinite riffs on this theme. Happy planning.

Gardyloo is generally right on. I would maybe add Napa/Sonoma Valley, but that's about it.

I think the key point is to go up the coast on 101 rather than east of the Cascades to Crater Lake etc. Crater Lake is fine if you've got all the time in the world, but if I were you I'd do it some other time.

Yachats is a nice little city, but no fine dining. I'd go a bit further north, maybe stay at Salishan, and have dinner there or better yet at Bay House.

I wouldn't skip the Napa Valley either, but I'd do it as a day trip from SFO rather than an overnight.

Not a huge fan of Salishan, but agree no "fine dining" in Yachats (or, IMO anywhere else in the Florence-Newport stretch.)

To be honest, if the OP wanted to cut a day or two out of this itinerary, it could be done easily by peeling away from the coast at Reedsport, taking SR 38 over to the freeway, then north to Portland (or, maybe better, to the Yamhill Co. wine country.) SR 38 follows the Umpqua through a gorgeous canyon for a ways, and is (IMO) the nicest route through the Coast Range to I-5. They will have seen enough beautiful coast on Calif. SR1 and US 101 in Oregon that it won't be that huge a sacrifice to skip the bits north of Reedsport.

There is plenty of great food and lodging in Napa, especially if you can score a res at French Laundry. I'd spend the night there and then cut over to the coast.

I agree that SR38 is a great route, but if you cut over there you miss the parts of the coast with the rocks and great wave action. I'd consider compromising by going through Lincoln City, then taking 18 to 99 and up through the Oregon wine country, but you do miss Astoria etc that way.

I also agree about resturants. Florence has some good ones, Newport some fair ones, and then in Lincoln City you have some pretty good ones: Bay House, Salishan, and Black Fish.

Thanks hugely for all the responses ^ . I'm going to get the maps out now and start planning.