Road trip - SF to Portland
Discussion
I did 101 just to drive through the Redwoods, but cut over further up, can't remember where but we stopped the night in Garberville, so north of that. IIRC we crossed the border on the i5.
Depends if you want to take it easy and stop off at places, the coast road is nice, but not as fast as the interstate, obviously. I haven't been but there's the Dunes National park to see. The bit I know is from Sea lion caves up to Depoe Bay. Dunno if the clam chowder is still good at http://www.moschowder.com/index.php otherwise rugged coastline, pretty lighthouses....
Depends if you want to take it easy and stop off at places, the coast road is nice, but not as fast as the interstate, obviously. I haven't been but there's the Dunes National park to see. The bit I know is from Sea lion caves up to Depoe Bay. Dunno if the clam chowder is still good at http://www.moschowder.com/index.php otherwise rugged coastline, pretty lighthouses....
Nothing worth looking at on the I5 except the section from the OR boarder south to Redding Past Mt Shasta. I wouldn't say Susanville to OR was worth the detour either but not bad if you want to go to Tahoe and there is some interesting stuff like Lassen and Bernard falls if you detour back to the I5. Cant comment on the pacific coast in CA though.
North of the boarder in OR again the I5 is boring, like CA use it to get north south quick but nothing else. Inland US97 is pretty tedious 55mph road (OR doesn't do high speed limits or let you pump gas) but detour off US97 and you have crater lake which is a must see.
The coast road starts of nice and wild with quaint little towns and beaches and seal caves, but it gets tedious after a while and we found ourselves beating a path back to the I5 to make some faster tracks north to Salem.
The big problem with Oregon scenery, seeing it is incompatible with north south travel, all the roads that take you to scenery go more or less east/west across the mountains through the Forrest. (do you like pine trees?) in a kind of zig zag patten, The do have some nice wide roads with good surface and wide shoulders, its just they only let you do 55 on them, although last time it seemed like it was accepted up to 65mph but i wouldn't push it much on the interstate in OR
North of the boarder in OR again the I5 is boring, like CA use it to get north south quick but nothing else. Inland US97 is pretty tedious 55mph road (OR doesn't do high speed limits or let you pump gas) but detour off US97 and you have crater lake which is a must see.
The coast road starts of nice and wild with quaint little towns and beaches and seal caves, but it gets tedious after a while and we found ourselves beating a path back to the I5 to make some faster tracks north to Salem.
The big problem with Oregon scenery, seeing it is incompatible with north south travel, all the roads that take you to scenery go more or less east/west across the mountains through the Forrest. (do you like pine trees?) in a kind of zig zag patten, The do have some nice wide roads with good surface and wide shoulders, its just they only let you do 55 on them, although last time it seemed like it was accepted up to 65mph but i wouldn't push it much on the interstate in OR
ViperDave said:
you have crater lake which is a must see.
Good call! That's another way, to meander inland, 5 days is plenty of time so you could look at going via sisters, Mckenzie Hwy. If you go east the landscape changes from pines trees to wide open plains, almost desert like at Painted Hills. You could go up to the Columbia Gorge and come in to Portland from that way, or stop off at Mt Hood. just lots of driving...I just saw an ad on TV (in the US) which should give you some ideas of things to do and see in Oregon, which includes stuff the guys have mentioned.
http://traveloregon.com/7wonders/
http://traveloregon.com/7wonders/
I've just returned from Oregon and have done most of the route you are planning. Two years ago I drove SF to Grants pass, OR and just now Seattle to Grants pass.
It really depends on how long you want to drive each day, if I was going to do it again I would go SF straight across the golden gate and up the coast to crescent City, this way you get some of the best coastal views on hwy 1, hwy 1 is also very twisty, so rent something good, redwoods in Northern California , hwy 199 to Grants pass then I5 to gold hill, cut across the cascades, passing crater lake on the way to Bend via US97, detour on the cascade lakes highway and then make my way to Hood river on the Columbia river gorge, a great little town and then to Portland, avoid the I5, it is dull as, only good bit is between Redding and Grants pass but the cascades cut across and my Hood will be better than Mt. Shasta.
If you like brewpubs, Bend and Hood river rock !
It really depends on how long you want to drive each day, if I was going to do it again I would go SF straight across the golden gate and up the coast to crescent City, this way you get some of the best coastal views on hwy 1, hwy 1 is also very twisty, so rent something good, redwoods in Northern California , hwy 199 to Grants pass then I5 to gold hill, cut across the cascades, passing crater lake on the way to Bend via US97, detour on the cascade lakes highway and then make my way to Hood river on the Columbia river gorge, a great little town and then to Portland, avoid the I5, it is dull as, only good bit is between Redding and Grants pass but the cascades cut across and my Hood will be better than Mt. Shasta.
If you like brewpubs, Bend and Hood river rock !
Smack, great thanks, did buy a set of cheap snow chains from Walmart for £30 as it was looking likely that I might need them for the weekend I spent in Bend, had potentially 15" of snow forecast but only 8" turned up, still was good fun skiing in it and well timed by the locals comments about the lack of snow this season, really want to come back to Hood river in the summer, I bet it rocks then !
I don't think I will ever take the piss out of American beer again, they have great local brews now.
I don't think I will ever take the piss out of American beer again, they have great local brews now.
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