bkwaters

We were going to drive up the coast from San Fran to Portland in August but decided to avoid the construction on 101 at Last Chance Grade (by Redwood National Forrest). Instead we decided on the route I've attached. Does anyone have any advice? We were thinking of stopping 6 nights along the way and then 2 more in Portland.

btbg

If you do that you are missing some of the prettiest parts of California. At the very least you could drive up either 1 or 101 to 229 and then cut across to the east to go around the construction. However, if you have never seen the Redwoods before you would be missing a lot.

Are you sure that the construction isn't either in a place where you can take one of the side roads through the redwoods around it, or the wait times aren't short enough that it would be worth the wait.

You would be missing Trinidad, Patrick's Point State Park, Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, which has Fern Canyon in it, although that is a ways out a dirt road, and you would be missing the vast majority of the Redwoods.

Also, you are missing a lot of the Oregon coast by cutting over to I5 instead of going on up to Astoria and then down the Columbia. With that many days you could easily drive the entire Oregon coast, especially as you are skipping an awful lot of the California coast.

There really isn't that much to see along I5 in california. The detour to Lassen is worth a trip, and the caverns at Lake Shasta are worth a stop, but other than that you could easily drive that entire stretch of I5 in one day.

On the route you have shown you could also easily stop at Oregon Caves, although that is about a 20 mile, one way, detour. It looks like in Oregon you are driving down the cost from Brookings Harbor to Florence. At the very least go up to Newport before cutting across although I would encourage you to drive all the way up the Oregon cost.

Places to stay in Oregon include Brookings, Gold Beach, Bandon, Florence, if you like dunes, Newport, Cannon Beach, Astoria, Cannon Beach. Photographically the state parks near Brookings have great rock formations for sunset photos, as does Bandon.Gold Beach also has some good rock formations. If you hit weather right Shore Acres State Park has some of the biggest waves in Oregon, Farther north Thor's well and the spouting horn at Cape Perpetua are worth a look if the tides are right. Strawberry Hill State Park is good for tide pool photos. If you have never seen Sea Lion Caves, it's expensive, but probably worth a look. Farther north Cape Kiwanda in Pacific City is good photographically if you climb over the top of it to the north side where there are some nice arches. Hug Point State Park has a nice waterfall that falls right onto the beach, Cannon Beach makes great sunset photos, while Ecola State Park has some nice scenery. In Newport the rocky beach below Yaquina Head Light House is interesting, as is Devils Punchbowl, which is close to Depoe Bay. At low tide you can walk into Devil's Punchbowl, which gives you an entirely different perspective than from the top, although there are a couple of big steps, and it can be slippery.

We have driven the entirety of the Oregon Coast at least 50 times now, so if you want specific information about different parts of it just PM me.

Anyway, have a nice trip, but I would seriously encourage you to go farther up the California Coast than you are planning to do. You have several interesting parks that you are skipping that are south of the construction, such as a recreated Russian fort, and parks with very interesting rock formations such as bowling ball beach.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Great advice! I would go all the way up to Cannon Beach on 101 before turning east to Portland on 26.

bkwaters

Thanks so much. I really appreciate your help. I'll rethink the plan and PM you if I have additional questions.

ImageCreator Loc: Northern California

I-5 both in CA and OR is flat out BORING. Go up the coast and return on I-5 when you need to make a fast teturn.

ImageCreator Loc: Northern California

I wouldn't go to Portland if you paid my lodging in the best hotel.

mausernut01 Loc: Columbus Montana

I agree with that completely, but I wouldn't care to go to San Francisco either!

btbg

It's only about a 10 square block part of Portland and under the bridges that is bad. There is a lot of garbage from the homeless, but if you re sightseeing you won't see that. Just the core by the federal courthouse is really messed up. The homeless in Portland aren't nearly as dangerous as the homeless in San Fransisco yet, and there is only a small part of town that is unsafe at night.

If you want to go to the Japanese Gardens, the Zoo, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, or any other tourist attraction they are still fine.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Portland is a fine city that has just gotten some bad actors and bad press recently. Lived there when I worked for Tektronix and loved it. Japenese Gardens, Rose Gardens, and an hour or so to the coast, and hour or so to Mt Hood and an hour or so up the Columbia River Gorge to Multnoma Falls. i’d gladly live there again. If you want to live in a large NW city, I prefer it to Seattle and especially Vancouver.

mausernut01 Loc: Columbus Montana

Yeh, you are right and I was just being a smart azz . I have friends that live in Portland, and they like it there!

traderjohn Loc: New York City

Check out AAA they have a ton of information about your question.

blade050 Loc: NEPA

I’ll be making that same trip in August too. Landing in San Fran on 8/8/21. As of now my planned route is taking the 101 up to either Tillmock or Cannon Beach stopping 4 nights on the way north. After that a longer stay near Portland before heading back down to SF to fly home.

ISOlate Loc: Maine

In addition to all the great advice, plan for a short side trip east of Salem to Silver Falls state park. A lesser known gem.

NancyS Loc: SE Michigan

I just returned from that particular trip of SF to Portland. My strongest advice would be to not skip the Coastal Redwoods. There are two construction locations south of Crescent City and north of Prairie Creek. You can avoid being stopped by passing before 9 am or after 5 pm. There is also an hour in the morning and another in the afternoon when construction stops so cars can pass, but these times seem to be aspirational as traffic is heavy. But the Redwoods are not to be missed! Find "Big Tree" in Prairie Creek and hike as far as you want in "Cathedral Grove" -- even 100' will show you unbelievable giants. If you make the thrilling drive to Fern Canyon, you can take a short hike in to one of the film locations of Jurassic Park. The drive is not for the faint-hearted, though. There are a few elk herds that visit the meadows in morning and evening but they pale as subjects next to the Redwoods.

If you will be hauling your camera and a tripod (I did and highly recommend), outside Crescent City "Stout Grove" is a short loop hike with different settings around every bend. Cars spill out of the tiny lot down the road but if you arrive at dawn the place is yours and maybe one or two other visitors. I'll add a selfie I took. (I'm the red dot.)

You cannot go wrong with the Oregon Coast. Sea stacks, driftwood beaches, sand dunes, lighthouses. (Local secret: Dive on the Dock in Port Orford serves fantastic freshly-caught seafood.) Enjoy every bit of the coast.

My second recommendation is to trade in half a day from your Portland plans for a visit to the waterfalls in the Columbia Gorge. The first fall is 30 minutes east of the Portland airport. Some of the falls you can see from the road and others offer a short to long hike in. Take your pick -- and your pictures. Personally, I would take a full day in the Gorge.

Safe travels. Have a great time.

bamfordr Loc: Campbell CA

What btbg said. Do consider Oregon Caves and Shasta Caverns. Lassen is amazing and worth some extra time - especially Bumpass Hell. A detour to Crater Lake might also be a worthwhile addition. Enjoy your trip.