suggestions for a road trip?

Hi everybody. I was wondering if you have any suggestions for what to see/do on a 2 week road trip we%26#39;re planning.

The basic outline will be a triangular route from San Francisco - Seattle - Salt Lake - San Francisco in late May next year.

There are 4 of us, from Europe (Italy and UK), my wife and I in our 40s and our mothers who are in their 70s.

We%26#39;ve got two weeks in total. Any suggestions as to places to see are greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Russ

suggestions for a road trip?

Suggest you read Adamhornets trip report for some ideas.

Curious why Salt Lake. The Dalles to Salt Lake, 650 miles, not real interesting, and even less so beyond Boise. Salt Lake to Reno is less interesting and also 650 miles. The good stuff near Salt Lae is Yellowstone/Jackson Hole to north and Bryce/Zion to south

I suggest you come up 101 from SF seeing some wine countryy, Redwoods, Oregon coast turn inland to Portland see Columbia Riv Gorge east of Portland then north to Mt St Helens, on to Port Angles and Olympic NP at Hurricane Ridge to Seattle then 410 to Yakima through Mt Rainier south US 97 to Bend and central oreg Cascades then Crater Lake and back to SF on I-5 passing Mt Shasta.

101 to Portland can take a week if you fiddle along. I would figure as min 3 days.

Even that really may not give you much city time.

Can offer some more ideas but need to hear a little more.

suggestions for a road trip?

Hi Russ. That is a lot of ground to cover in two weeks. Unless you have a particular need to go to Salt Lake City, I%26#39;d suggest cutting that portion out of your trip. The mileage you would be covering would be 810 miles from San Franciso to Seattle (1306 KM) then 850 miles (1371 KM) from Seattle to Salt Lake City and another 750 miles (1209 KM) back to San Francisco. So, just over 2400 miles (3886 KM) in two weeks, leaving you little time to spend in any place and two exhausted mothers :)

Here are some suggestions: You%26#39;ll need a day at least to recover from your flight, so stay in San Francisco for two nights. There is a lot to see and do in San Francisco. You could then drive through the California wine country taking highway 101 through Santa Rosa. The wine country is not far from San Francisco, so you could have lunch there and continue north for your 3rd night, but you shouldn%26#39;t plan to get further than Eureka which is 440 miles from San Francisco. You%26#39;ll want to be sure to see Redwood National Park. The next three nights, spend on the Oregon coast as you travel north. Maybe Gold Beach the first night, Newport the second and then just off the coast in Astoria, the third. For the seventh night of your trip, you could be in Seattle. Spend a couple of nights there, and then down to Portland for a day and night (night 9). From Portland, head east along the Columbia River and spend the night in Hood River. It%26#39;s close to Portland and would be a beautiful drive. From Hood River, south to Bend for night 11. Then down to see Crater Lake (though in May, only the south entrance will be open as there will still be lots of snow). From there, over to Medford or Ashland for night 12. You could get from Ashland to San Franciso in one long day but an option might be to stay in Red Bluff and visit Lassen Volcanic National Park and the Adobe State Historic Park. Then, you%26#39;ll be back in San Francisco, ready for your flight home.

There are of course many options of where to stay nd what route to take. Once you have that more established, I%26#39;m sure experts in various areas will enjoy offering their suggestins for places to stay and things to do.

What are you interested in doing? Here are what I would recomend starting from the OR/CA border...

Ashland-interesting little town a throwback to the %26#39;60%26#39;s, with really great theater plays-mostly Shakespeare, but have other plays. Definetly a good place to stop overnight.

Crater Lake National Park- Bluest blue you will ever see! Up the mountain from Ashland/Medford then down back following N. Umpqa River (Hwy 138)- follow the Umpqua R all the way to the coast.

Oregon Coast-

Drive all the way up as far as you want to go north.

Portland -

Gotta love my home town! :) Too much stuff to do

Mt. St. Helens in Washington

Columbia River Gorge-heading east out of Portland

Eastern Oregon- John Day Fossil Beds National Monument- beautiful, remote country-if you cut down from the interstate you get to go through rolling wheat fields, forests, fossil beds and interesting colored rocks. This drive gives you a feel for eastern Oregon-which is very different from Western Oregon.

If you want to stick to the interstate, Baker City is pretty interesting. It has Oregon Trail stuff and the Geiser Grand Hotel.

Keep on writing and we can help you...

Oops forgot that the Crater Lake Hwy going North to N. Umpqua would not be open in May due to snow.

Agree with phril-once you get into Idaho(sorry Idaho) the interstate is rather boring to SLC. But Wasatch Mountains are nice.

Don%26#39;t want to question your motives, but It might be alot of ground to cover in two weeks?

I like the prevous suggestions for Ashland and Astoria. The Astoria/Seaside/Cannon Beach area on the northern Oregon Coast is very scenic with lots to do. We have family there now and they have a first-time visitor to the area with them. Here are some ideas of what to do in this area:

The Astor Column- the views from Coxcomb Hill are spectacular of the surrounding area and the Columbia River, you can also climb to the top of the tower if you wish.

Fort Clatsop- it is now rebuilt and is a very way to discover and enjoy some the history of Lewis and Clark

The Maritime Museum-located right on the Columbia River full of maritime history with first-class exhibits and the Columbia Lightship is docked there that is included with your admission to the museum.

The Riverfront Trolley-Runs along the river and is fully narrated, very scenic ride along the Columbia River that goes past a cannery and points out various movie sights in Astoria.

Wine Tasting- the Cellar on 10th and the Shallon Winery are are both fun places to taste. The Hotel Elliott also has wine tasting in their Vintner%26#39;s Room, in the basement of the hotel. We like to take our tastings up to the rooftop and enjoy the views from up tehre.

The Columbia River Day Spa- a very nice spa in Astoria that is located in an old Bank of Astoria building. I have enjoyed pedicures there and family just did the hot stone massage and herbal wraps that they said were heavenly.

In Seaside there is the prom that is fun to walk/ride on with views of the ocean and Tillamook Head, also there is a small aquarium o the prom that is fun to go through and feed the seals. Along the Necanicum River you can rent kayaks or paddle boats. Good seafood in this area also. (Ask for suggetions if you%26#39;re interested.)

In Cannon Beach there is the quaint town for shopping and art galleries, Haystack Rock and Ecola State Park. Indian Beach is a nice area here to watch the surfers. Gower St. Bistro, Wafarere at the Surfsand Resort, Bistro, Mo%26#39;s (ocean views here) are all nice places to grab a bite to eat in this area.

Happy Plannin and Merry Christmas! :)

I second the suggestion to read *and enjoy* Adamhornets trip report.

We drove and stayed for a day and night in Salt Lake when moving to Portland, I don%26#39;t think it is worth the drive out of the way, Seattle, Portland and San Francisco are so much more worth spending that time in.

I like the all the suggestions by the Oregon locals, I take their advice all the time too :)

Have a great trip !

Hi everyone.

Thanks very much for the feedback.

You%26#39;ve convinced me about Salt Lake! The main reasons for considering Salt Lake was the possibility that heading North in May we could find ourselves with two weeks of rain, whereas heading South East we should be able to get at least some hot weather if things got a little wet... Maybe I%26#39;m being pessimistic?

The other reason was to avoid doing the same route on the way back to SF, although I%26#39;m sure that this can be avoided with more careful planning on our part.

We%26#39;ve already done a trip around the South Western states, essentially everything below SF and East as far as Bryce/Grand Canyons, and have been to SF several times, so we probably won%26#39;t be spending a lot of time in SF itself, nevertheless the first night, after a long transatlantic will definitely be there, and probably the last couple of nights before flying home. The one thing in the general area that we%26#39;ve never seen is Yosemite.

So have I understood correctly that Crater Lake will still be inaccessible through snow in May?

In terms of the kind of things that we%26#39;d like to see, some things are dictated by our mothers%26#39; mobility. We won%26#39;t be able to do any long walks, especially over rough terrain, although we all like nature etc, especially if it involves the ocean or mountains. We%26#39;ll almost certainly like to stop briefly in the wine country, although not for any extended time as from our houseI can see grape vines (we live in the Chianti/Brunello region...) so it%26#39;s not such a new thing for us!

In terms of cities, we%26#39;ll definitely be going to Portland and Seattle, everyone we%26#39;ve spoken to says that they are great places. Does anyone know if US hire car companies allow trips to Canada? I%26#39;d like to spend a little time in Vancouver if possible.

So thanks again, any more advice and suggestions are EXTREMELY welcome. We%26#39;re looking forward to what will be our third ';Mad Mothers'; road trip to the States!

Happy New Year

Russ

Happy New Year, tjr16698,

Yes, you should be able to get up to Crater Lake via the south entrance to the park. It%26#39;s doubtful you%26#39;ll be able, or want to drive the rim road. But the views from Rim Village make the drive up worthwhile regardless. If you have any flexibility, pick a clear day.

and Happy New Year from me too!

Some car rental companies, might restrict cars being taken from the USA into Canada or vice-versa

One company with possible problems would be Dollar Rent-a-Car.

There should be no problems taking a car rented from Alamo from the USA into Canada.

You just have to return the car to the same rental company location that you got it from.

this was what I got from a car rental info site, we used to drive to Montreal from NY all the time, once we thought we were going to have a rent a car, so I did research then.

I have a feeling that the view of the vineyards from your home will be much more impressive than the views of vineyards in Oregon..lol.

I love Oregon but calling it wine country sometimes creates an image of California or Italy or France wine countries...it is nothing like that ..

In Oregon, a day, or even half a day would be sufficient for you ( imo)..

I don%26#39;t have much to add, but will post anyway, lol!

Yes, definitely go to the lodge at Crater Lake. It is worth it even without being able to drive all the way around the rim drive.

And yes, your views at home in Italy are MUCH better than our wine country!!! We were in awe the entire time we were in your country...it is so beautiful. So come and enjoy, but don%26#39;t say we didn%26#39;t warn you:)