West coast photo trip
Apr 24, 2019 23:24:50 #
Thanks! For a photographer slow always seems like good advice, that’s a good reminder for a novice like me. I’m retired now and am trying to slow down and smell the roses as they say. I’m this case stop and take a picture of the roses 🌹! Thanks for the advice.
Apr 25, 2019 00:32:33 #
South of Eureka CA, “Avenue of the Giants.” Side road through beautiful redwood forests.
Apr 25, 2019 00:51:54 #
I would strongly recommend that you drive the coast north to south, not the other way around. Nearly all of the pullouts are on the ocean side. That means that if you are driving north you have to stop and cross oncoming traffic to get to the pullouts. In addition, it is easier to see where you want to pull out when you are driving on the side of the road closest to the coast.
Also, even though I don't find fault with the advice others are giving you they are sending you to the most crowded portions of the coast.
Where the best places to see are depends on what the weather is like, what kind of vehicle you are driving, what the weather is like, and how much you want to hike. Much of the best part of the coast in both Oregon and Northern California is hard to get to, and consequently you can have huge portions of the coast all to yourself if you are willing to work.
Starting from Astoria there are three nice waterfalls near Astoria that aren' directly on the coast. Youngs River Falls is the best known, but Fishhawk falls is beautiful if you hike up the creek from the bottom instead of looking at the falls from the top. Beaver Creek Falls is the third. There are two Beaver Creek Falls in the Oregon Coast Range, the one near Astoria is hard to get to, but worth it if you like to hike.
The best way to see Ecola State Park is to hike from the south end of Seaside to Ecola State Park over the head. It's about a seven mile hike one way, but goes through beautiful old growth, with occasional great views of the coast.
South of Cannon Beach there are two nice falls that drop straight on the beach. The best known is Hug Point, which is a short hike. The other is on a more remote beach, I think it's short sands beach, but I may be wrong. It's a longer hike, but at low tide the falls are beautiful.
Further south my favorite spot is at Devils Punchbowl. Most people just look at the Punchbowl from the top. The better choice is to take the trail north of Devils Punchbowl that goes to the marine gardens. Once you reach the beach hike north if you want to see the tidepools. Hike south if you want to go inside Devils Punchbowl. You need low tide for either photo opportunity.
North of Newport the beaches make good photos at sunrise or sunset, especially when it is near low tide. Thre is rocky structure for forgrounds and Yaquina Head Lighthouse is in the distance looking south.
Yaquina Head photographs well, especially from down on the beach south of the lighthouse.
If you want to shoot shore birds the Newport Aquarium has a great bird display and their octopus and sea otter exhibits are also good.
From Waldport to Florence the coast isn't so pretty, but if you like sand dunes there are some great dunes, especially as you near florence. Hecita Head Lighthouse is also good.
Cape Perpetua is OK for photography, but if you happen to hit it when there are no crowds and Thor's well is active, then it is truly great photography.
There is plenty of stuff once you are south of Florence. Bandon has sea stacks that shoot great in fog or at sunset. Shore Acres and Sunset Bay state Parks near Coos Bay are nice, as is Gold and Silver Falls State Park. There are also waterfalls heading into the coast range from near Florence. Shore Acres has a nice garden that should be blooming in May, and has a lot of bird life, including hummingbirds. It also has some of the biggest waves in the state when the weather is bad.
Near Reedsport the Dean's Creek Wildlife Refuge has some of the best elk viewing in the country, although the elk probably won't have good racks while you are planning on being there, but there should be calves.
We like Humbug Mountain State Park. There is limited beach access in the area, but if you find a beach there you will have it to yourself. If you want to see an oddity, near Humbug Mountain there is f weird attraction that features life sized dinosaurs set in old growth forest. Kind of corny, but might be worth a look if you want to see something really different. There are also good sea stacks near Gold Beach and near Brookings.
Once you hit California if you have a car that is ok on dirt road that has a couple of fords of shallow streams you should look up Fern Canyon. It is one f the highlights of the Northern California Coast.
I like parts of Jededia Smith State Park for the Redwoods because it tends to be less crowded than some of the other parks. In addition the Smith River, which flows through the park photographs well. Humbolt Redwoods state park is also good as is Patricks Point state park. If you are really adventurous the portion of the California Coast called the lost coast is really nice. Most of it requires a lot of hiking, but both the north and south end are marginally accessible by road.
Once you get down near Fort Bragg there are some state parks that have really nice rock formations on the coast and the area heading into Point Reyes is nice.
If you like to hike and have the time pm me and I will give you some places to hike that are off the beaten path.
Also, even though I don't find fault with the advice others are giving you they are sending you to the most crowded portions of the coast.
Where the best places to see are depends on what the weather is like, what kind of vehicle you are driving, what the weather is like, and how much you want to hike. Much of the best part of the coast in both Oregon and Northern California is hard to get to, and consequently you can have huge portions of the coast all to yourself if you are willing to work.
Starting from Astoria there are three nice waterfalls near Astoria that aren' directly on the coast. Youngs River Falls is the best known, but Fishhawk falls is beautiful if you hike up the creek from the bottom instead of looking at the falls from the top. Beaver Creek Falls is the third. There are two Beaver Creek Falls in the Oregon Coast Range, the one near Astoria is hard to get to, but worth it if you like to hike.
The best way to see Ecola State Park is to hike from the south end of Seaside to Ecola State Park over the head. It's about a seven mile hike one way, but goes through beautiful old growth, with occasional great views of the coast.
South of Cannon Beach there are two nice falls that drop straight on the beach. The best known is Hug Point, which is a short hike. The other is on a more remote beach, I think it's short sands beach, but I may be wrong. It's a longer hike, but at low tide the falls are beautiful.
Further south my favorite spot is at Devils Punchbowl. Most people just look at the Punchbowl from the top. The better choice is to take the trail north of Devils Punchbowl that goes to the marine gardens. Once you reach the beach hike north if you want to see the tidepools. Hike south if you want to go inside Devils Punchbowl. You need low tide for either photo opportunity.
North of Newport the beaches make good photos at sunrise or sunset, especially when it is near low tide. Thre is rocky structure for forgrounds and Yaquina Head Lighthouse is in the distance looking south.
Yaquina Head photographs well, especially from down on the beach south of the lighthouse.
If you want to shoot shore birds the Newport Aquarium has a great bird display and their octopus and sea otter exhibits are also good.
From Waldport to Florence the coast isn't so pretty, but if you like sand dunes there are some great dunes, especially as you near florence. Hecita Head Lighthouse is also good.
Cape Perpetua is OK for photography, but if you happen to hit it when there are no crowds and Thor's well is active, then it is truly great photography.
There is plenty of stuff once you are south of Florence. Bandon has sea stacks that shoot great in fog or at sunset. Shore Acres and Sunset Bay state Parks near Coos Bay are nice, as is Gold and Silver Falls State Park. There are also waterfalls heading into the coast range from near Florence. Shore Acres has a nice garden that should be blooming in May, and has a lot of bird life, including hummingbirds. It also has some of the biggest waves in the state when the weather is bad.
Near Reedsport the Dean's Creek Wildlife Refuge has some of the best elk viewing in the country, although the elk probably won't have good racks while you are planning on being there, but there should be calves.
We like Humbug Mountain State Park. There is limited beach access in the area, but if you find a beach there you will have it to yourself. If you want to see an oddity, near Humbug Mountain there is f weird attraction that features life sized dinosaurs set in old growth forest. Kind of corny, but might be worth a look if you want to see something really different. There are also good sea stacks near Gold Beach and near Brookings.
Once you hit California if you have a car that is ok on dirt road that has a couple of fords of shallow streams you should look up Fern Canyon. It is one f the highlights of the Northern California Coast.
I like parts of Jededia Smith State Park for the Redwoods because it tends to be less crowded than some of the other parks. In addition the Smith River, which flows through the park photographs well. Humbolt Redwoods state park is also good as is Patricks Point state park. If you are really adventurous the portion of the California Coast called the lost coast is really nice. Most of it requires a lot of hiking, but both the north and south end are marginally accessible by road.
Once you get down near Fort Bragg there are some state parks that have really nice rock formations on the coast and the area heading into Point Reyes is nice.
If you like to hike and have the time pm me and I will give you some places to hike that are off the beaten path.
Apr 25, 2019 05:51:35 #
DougS
Loc: Central Arkansas
One word of warning. Sneaker WAVES. Fairly common along that coast. Just when you think everything is o.k... Easy way to get your feet and pants wet!
Apr 25, 2019 09:26:36 #
Virgilsviews wrote:
Great suggestions ! Thank you! With what was said about crowds I think I’ll plan on going up the coast may 10th - 17th. I have to end up in Yakima before May 18th, my son-in-laws graduation from med school. I was originally planning on doing my photo trip down the coast after the graduation, but it sounds like it might be better to go before and avoid the crowds. I’ll try to hit the places you all have suggested 😊🙏.
The bad thing about heading south to north along the coast is that all the turn offs are on the west side of the road. That means that you have to cross traffic every time to stop at an overlook and then cross it again heading back north. I would recommend doing the north to south trip in spite of any crowds.
Apr 25, 2019 10:14:42 #
Regarding my Columbia Gorge recommendation and ORpilot's comment, he is right about most trails being closed. However, for a day-trip side-trip there wouldn't be time to take any trails very far; some are several hours long. There is still a lot to see, especially the great waterfalls, along the scenic road which has wayside parking at all the good places. If you are only coming through once I still recommend it highly, but also don't overlook the other sites that have been recommended. Plan your trip around how much time you have.
Apr 25, 2019 12:10:53 #
amfoto1
Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA
Oregon coast has three different regions... To the north are the sea stacks... very photogenic. In the middle are wide sandy beaches and cute beach towns. In the south it's steep, rugged cliffs.
The coastal highway the whole length of Oregon and in most northern Calif. is US 101 (not Hwy 1). At the town of Leggett, Calif. 101 heads inland and US Hwy 1 splits off and becomes the coastal highway.
Much of the coastal "highways" are 2 lane, twisty and windy... rather slow going. If you have the time, great! The scenery just goes on and on and on! If your time is limited, head inland to Hwy 5 for 4-lane or more, divided highway and faster travel. Some of the best scenery is on the coast... But there's a lot to see on side trips inland, both in Oregon and in N. Calif.
Many years ago, taking a similar trip except in the opposite direction and heading north, our van broke down on a rather lonely stretch just north of Brookings, Oregon. We were lucky though, for repairs it turned out to be a short tow into Port Orford (the westernmost town in the continental U.S. and the only deep water port between Portland and San Francisco). We ended up staying in that little town for 4 days and 3 nights. That turned out to be some of the best time we've ever spent on vacation! We were planning to drive right through Port Orford (which is about half a mile long, one stop light)... but fate made us stop and learn what a great little town it was (and hopefully, still is).
I agree about Redwood N.P. in N. Calif. It's a big, wonderful place and far enough off the beaten path that there are rarely any crowds (unlike Yosemite).
Continuing south on 101, you'll come to an old logging town called Fortuna. But just before you get that far, there's a turn-off to Ferndale, which just a couple miles off the highway and was the town in the Jim Carrey movie "The Majestic".
Shortly after you turn onto Hwy 1, you'll see Ft. Bragg and then Mendocino, which was the town that served as the setting for the TV show "Murder, She Wrote" with Angela Lansbury.
From Mendocino south, you had better have reservations, especially on weekends.
It's a beautiful drive, but slow going down Hwy 1 from Mendocino to San Francisco. You'll have to decide between continuing on the coast or heading inland to Hwy 101 for faster travel. There are some neat towns on the coast.... and I would recommend a side trip into Point Reyes N. Seashore, which is only a short drive N. of San Francisco.
From San Francisco, you'll need to decide whether to travel relatively slowly along on the scenic coast (very slowly on weekends!) or enjoy the over-crowded Bay Area freeways and take Hwy 101 or Hwy 280 south down the peninsula, through San Jose, about 30 mi. south to Gilroy, and from there it's about a 3 hour drive to Yosemite via Hwy 152 East. If you opt for this route, Hwy 280 is a lot more scenic than Hwy 101. Also try to avoid commuter hours 6 to 9 am, 4 to 7 pm weekdays... because traffic often slows to a crawl and the approx 85 or 90 miles can take 4 or 5 times longer than it should. Assuming you aren't driving alone, there are diamond lanes that can help (restricted during commuter hours). If you spend any time in the Bay Area you'll also find toll lanes that are open for anyone to use during non-commute hours.
If you take the scenic coastal route instead, you'll pass through some neat little towns, some popular surging areas, more lighthouses and pass some great seafood restaurants. Just south of Santa Cruz you can take Hwy 153 through Watsonville, Gilroy, etc. almost all the way to Yosemite. However, if you have time, there are also some really nice towns just a little farther south.... Monterey, Pacific Grove, and Carmel, for example. Between the last two, there's the 17-mile Drive (which we toured so often when folks visited us, we referred to as the 595-mile Drive).
You can find tons of travel info online. Search for your specific interests. For example, if you want to see lighthouses, you can plot a map online for the locations of all of those. Hint, your route in Oregon will pass about 16 lighthouses.... depending upon how far south you go in N. Calif., you might see another dozen or so. Another example, if you want to see wildlife, there's a neat safari park in Roseburg, Oregon. There was a private zoo in Brookings and a wolf sanctuary near Jacksonville, too. It's been a long time since I traveled in those areas, so I don't know if those are still there. But you can use any number of specific interests to help narrow your search for travel info.
The coastal highway the whole length of Oregon and in most northern Calif. is US 101 (not Hwy 1). At the town of Leggett, Calif. 101 heads inland and US Hwy 1 splits off and becomes the coastal highway.
Much of the coastal "highways" are 2 lane, twisty and windy... rather slow going. If you have the time, great! The scenery just goes on and on and on! If your time is limited, head inland to Hwy 5 for 4-lane or more, divided highway and faster travel. Some of the best scenery is on the coast... But there's a lot to see on side trips inland, both in Oregon and in N. Calif.
Many years ago, taking a similar trip except in the opposite direction and heading north, our van broke down on a rather lonely stretch just north of Brookings, Oregon. We were lucky though, for repairs it turned out to be a short tow into Port Orford (the westernmost town in the continental U.S. and the only deep water port between Portland and San Francisco). We ended up staying in that little town for 4 days and 3 nights. That turned out to be some of the best time we've ever spent on vacation! We were planning to drive right through Port Orford (which is about half a mile long, one stop light)... but fate made us stop and learn what a great little town it was (and hopefully, still is).
I agree about Redwood N.P. in N. Calif. It's a big, wonderful place and far enough off the beaten path that there are rarely any crowds (unlike Yosemite).
Continuing south on 101, you'll come to an old logging town called Fortuna. But just before you get that far, there's a turn-off to Ferndale, which just a couple miles off the highway and was the town in the Jim Carrey movie "The Majestic".
Shortly after you turn onto Hwy 1, you'll see Ft. Bragg and then Mendocino, which was the town that served as the setting for the TV show "Murder, She Wrote" with Angela Lansbury.
From Mendocino south, you had better have reservations, especially on weekends.
It's a beautiful drive, but slow going down Hwy 1 from Mendocino to San Francisco. You'll have to decide between continuing on the coast or heading inland to Hwy 101 for faster travel. There are some neat towns on the coast.... and I would recommend a side trip into Point Reyes N. Seashore, which is only a short drive N. of San Francisco.
From San Francisco, you'll need to decide whether to travel relatively slowly along on the scenic coast (very slowly on weekends!) or enjoy the over-crowded Bay Area freeways and take Hwy 101 or Hwy 280 south down the peninsula, through San Jose, about 30 mi. south to Gilroy, and from there it's about a 3 hour drive to Yosemite via Hwy 152 East. If you opt for this route, Hwy 280 is a lot more scenic than Hwy 101. Also try to avoid commuter hours 6 to 9 am, 4 to 7 pm weekdays... because traffic often slows to a crawl and the approx 85 or 90 miles can take 4 or 5 times longer than it should. Assuming you aren't driving alone, there are diamond lanes that can help (restricted during commuter hours). If you spend any time in the Bay Area you'll also find toll lanes that are open for anyone to use during non-commute hours.
If you take the scenic coastal route instead, you'll pass through some neat little towns, some popular surging areas, more lighthouses and pass some great seafood restaurants. Just south of Santa Cruz you can take Hwy 153 through Watsonville, Gilroy, etc. almost all the way to Yosemite. However, if you have time, there are also some really nice towns just a little farther south.... Monterey, Pacific Grove, and Carmel, for example. Between the last two, there's the 17-mile Drive (which we toured so often when folks visited us, we referred to as the 595-mile Drive).
You can find tons of travel info online. Search for your specific interests. For example, if you want to see lighthouses, you can plot a map online for the locations of all of those. Hint, your route in Oregon will pass about 16 lighthouses.... depending upon how far south you go in N. Calif., you might see another dozen or so. Another example, if you want to see wildlife, there's a neat safari park in Roseburg, Oregon. There was a private zoo in Brookings and a wolf sanctuary near Jacksonville, too. It's been a long time since I traveled in those areas, so I don't know if those are still there. But you can use any number of specific interests to help narrow your search for travel info.
Apr 25, 2019 15:37:11 #
Thank you so much! I think you changed my mind for good reasons to go north to south 😊!
Apr 26, 2019 09:30:50 #
amfoto1 wrote:
We were lucky though, for repairs it turned out to be a short tow into Port Orford (the westernmost town in the continental U.S. and the ONLY deep water port between Portland and San Francisco).
We were lucky though, for repairs it turned out to be a short tow into Port Orford (the westernmost town in the continental U.S. and the ONLY deep water port between Portland and San Francisco).
Interesting but tell me what is Humboldt Bay?
Apr 26, 2019 12:23:32 #
Virgilsviews wrote:
Hello fellow hedgehog’s! I’ve been reading posts for the past year but this is my first post. I’m going on a road trip down the west coast from Astoria Washington to Yosemite N. P. Any suggestions on what not to miss or a blog or website I can turn to for help? I want to take landscape pictures. Thanks in advance for your help!
Recently drove full circle of Oregon and not including Northeast Oregon, (Hood River, Mt. Hood and Bend), I think you would miss out if you did not see Cannon Beach, the scene of numerous movies, and go inland to make sure to see Crater Lake...
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