Roadtrip, Portland to San Diege

My husband and I are flying to the west coast, in august, and would like to drive from portland to sd or sd to portland. any suggestion on places to stop/stay/eat. We like to stay in small ma %26amp; pa motels

Roadtrip, Portland to San Diege

How long do you have.? Have you been here before? Or is the west coast new to you?. Where do you plan to go other than San Diego and Portland?

Roadtrip, Portland to San Diege

omigod, do you have any plans so far? That is a long drive, a few nights in hotels and hundreds of miles of scenery and sightseeing.

Have you got any ideas of what you want to see or do? Budget?

I suggest you read a good guide book and all the California and Oregon posts and get some help that way, too.

Good luck..that is a big trip you are planning :)

phirl, we have been to sf before. my husband drive from sf to sd 30 years ago, so everything is different. we could take 10 days if we need to. we r pretty good w/traveling long distances by car. as far as other places to go, i don%26#39;t know there r a lot of places between the two cities.

scarlett01, the milage is less that 1300. (piece of cake). we did 3000 in 7 days last august. r there any interesting towns along the way that would be nice for a 1 nite stay. we like to travel about 300 miles/day, so we still have time to check out the town we stay in. as far as budget i try to keep it as cheep as possible. the trip is all about the sceenery not the room. we like to say in small motel/hotels, family owned places.

If you have not been here and from IL you should drive the coast.

with 10 days you can spend 5 or 6 getting to SFO, and another 3 or 4 SFO to SD

The coast drives slow, both from traffic and stops to make

Two trips out of portland to consider are Columbia Gorge to Hood River and Mt St Helens

Cal-1 south from Monterey or Big Sur is very good almost as good as Oreg coast. Cal 1 north of SFO also very nice but I would skip that It is a long trip and slow trip and and not near as many nice stops as Depoe Bay to Reedsport. I love the coast but too much can be too much. Take your time through the redwoods. Those are worth a few stops.

And I have not even mentioned Crater Lake and the Cascade Mtns.

phirl, thanks for the suggestions, sounds good. we did drive the coast from sf to carmel in 2002. it was great.

The best part from Carmel south, but if you have already done that also head inland to the mountains Yosemite will be crowded, but great place to visit so is Tahoe. But you can probably get better help on cal boards

Hi Sarge, we did Florida to Portland in 5 days, it was fun but unfortunately, we drove straight through, we did not stop to look at much but whatever scenery was there on the drive..

If you look through the Oregon forums here, there are some already posted questions about this drive..I was considering it also and posted a question.

Lots of luck, the Coastline here on the West Coast is just so amazing..

Being a recent transplant from Los Angeles to Portland, I have a few suggestions. In the past 6 months I%26#39;ve driven from either L.A. to Portland, or vice versa so I%26#39;m pretty familiar with the roads.

Let%26#39;s see...

I would recommend you start your trip in Portland and drive douth towards San Diego. Being that you%26#39;ll want to drive a portion of your trip along the coast, virtually all of the turnouts are only accessible via the south bound lanes, this is espesially true in Big Sur.

Since time does not seem to be a factor, when heading south towards San Diego, avoid the 5 and 99 freeways in California anywhere south of San Francisco/ Sacramento. During this portion definitely drive down the coast. The 5 and 99 south cut through the most desolate depressing farm land California, if not the U.S., has to offer. The passenger in your car could fall asleep for four hours, wake up, and still not be sure you%26#39;ve moved one mile. Hmm...reminds me of driving through West Texas.

As for sites, In California as you travel south from San Francisco, stop in Monterey or Carmel. If your up for staying in an eccentric place in an amazing location, try Deetjen%26#39;s Big Sur Inn. It%26#39;s really rustic, but romantic and charming with a really great restaurant.

Heading south on 101 Cambria or Morro Bay is worth a stop. Of course stop off in Santa Barbara, which is a stunning town.

In L.A. and San Diego, there are so many sites to see, you%26#39;ll have to budget your time wisely based on interest, museums, shopping, entertainment, scenery...

As for Portland, when ever my family visits we take them out to see the Columbia River Gorge which is stunningly beautiful. Also, in Portland the city will have a lot of neat ativites to see and do. Highlights for me were all of the Farmer%26#39;s Markets, downtown and the Pearl, and Washington Park (particularly the Rose Garden%26#39;s). Of course, Cannon Beach is fantastic. I%26#39;ve visited many west coast beach towns and found Cannon Beach to be my favorite one. It%26#39;s lush and beautful, full of lowers and interesting shops, but still accessible and not pretentious like so many of the beach towns you%26#39;ll visit in California. It%26#39;s a must see.

Have a great time on your road trip, and enjoying the planning, which is half the fun.

Stephen

Since it seems phirl has convinced you to do the coast route, and you should, here is a blurb I wrote recently for another post. Take Hwy 26 west out of Portland to Seaside and the adventure begins.

';DISCLAIMER: You are about to be referred to several sites that are Oregon State Parks. For more information on the parks I am about to mention, visit www.oregonstateparks.org

Astoria/Warrenton: Lots to do and see here, especially as it relates to Oregon and National History. Fort Clatsop, Fort Stevens State Park, and the Columbia Maritime Museum are just a few. If you are staying o/n, I hightly recommend The Holiday Inn Express on Hwy 30 at the foot of Bond Street (west Astoria).

Cannon Beach: Ecola State Park and Haystack Rock are two of the biggest draws here and should not be missed.

Oswald West State Park: On Hwy 101, 11 miles south of Cannon Beach. You have to get out and walk to really appreciate what ';Os West'; has too offer, buit after a 1/3 mile walk into a beautiful rainforest, you will get your just reward! The Most beautiful spot on the Oregon Coast IMHO! Just south of the main developed areas of the park, Hwy 101 crosses over Neah-Kah-Nie Mountain. AT THE VERY LEAST, stop and take in the views from one of the many pullouts. If you%26#39;re up for it, a three mile hike to the top of teh mountain will certainly be a highlight of your trip.

Three Capes Scenic Route and Cape Meares and Cape Lookout State Parks, southwest of Tillamook. Beautiful drive, especially north to south. Visit Cape Meares Lighthouse.

(I%26#39;ll let phirl and others fill in the Lincoln City-Newport section).

Yachats. Spend a little time here. It%26#39;s a small town but it really is a gem. Right on a rocky bluff built out into the ocean. If fact, I hightly recommend staying here. The Overleaf consistently sits at the top of Oregon%26#39;s ranking for motels. If it too much for your budget, there are several others: The Fireside, next door to the Overleaf; The Adobe just a little further south; The Shamrock Lodgettes just south of the river. Aside from being charming and beautiful, it%26#39;s also centrally located to Newport and Florence. Just south of here is Cape Perpetua with arguably the best tide pools on the coast. They also have a wonderful visitor%26#39;s center and lots of hiking. If you like fish-n-chips, Try Leroy%26#39;s Blue Whale on Hwy 101 or for more ';fancy'; fare, The Drift Inn just south of Leroy%26#39;s.

Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic Viewpoint, between Florence and Yachats. Considered the most photographed lighthouse on the entire west coast, you%26#39;ll see why!! There is a B%26amp;B in the Historic Keeper%26#39;s House as well.

Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area (ODNRA) stretches from Florence, 42 miles to Coos Bay. Sand dunes are not normally associated with beauty, after all, they%26#39;re just sand dunes. But these are truly beautiful. I hightly recommend taking some time to view. Take a buggy ride or rent a quad if your up for it!

Hope this helps!';

I%26#39;d like to add that I spent the last two days at the Best Western at Agagte Beach in north Newport and found it to be a very nice facility and nice location. I remember when it was built by Hilton many years ago, but changed hands quickly and several time since I believe. None-the-less, I would recommend staying here to anyone who wants to stay in Newport.

~Den~