SF to Seattle - Driving Trip

ToxicPaddy

So I'm heading to the west coast of the US in March and looking to drive from SF to Seattle via Portland.

So I have a few questions for anyone who has done this trip:

1. What rental car company did you use and would you recommend them?

2. I'm going to take the coastal road so I'm looking for a recommendation for places to stop and stay between SF and Portland.

3. Anything you recommend to see along the way?

4. What's a rough cost to cover fuel for the trip?

Any other info would be appreciated.

Thanks

Tox

chocksaway

I have nothing to add except to say that i am insanely jealous. Its the number one trip I want to do if i ever have money

helimachoptor

I'll stick up my plan from 2013later on, how long are you planning to take?

Dave1442397

I haven't done that trip. I drove the coastal route from Portland north, but never south, so all I can tell you is that gas has gotten cheap again. It's currently around $2.15 - $2.20 a gallon in CA, so figure around 1000 miles at 20mpg (depending on what you rent, of course) and you're only looking at a little over $110 in gas money.

hfallada

NYTimes just recommended Bend, OR as a top 50 place to go to this year. So maybe try Bend on the way to Portland

ProudDUB

Stop off in Napa or Sonoma & do some winery tours. Even if you aren't into wine, it's great craic. Ditch the car (so you can drink ) and do one of the guided tours. We did one just before Xmas and it was great. The guide knew all the gossip and scandal surrounding all the wineries and how certain families came to own them and all the skullduggery involved going back to the 1800's. It was brilliant.

Go for a drive/hike in the Columbia River Gorge area near Portland. The scenery is spectacular & if it has rained recently (which it probably will have, considering the area) the waterfalls will be really beautiful.

InTheTrees

Ive driven the coast road between sf and la many times, and ive driven interstate 5 between sf and Seattle many times.

But never the coast road between sf and Seattle. Highway 101.

I think you can do some sections of each because otherwise it will be a very long time. Four days? I know I-5 through the mountains of southern Oregon is really pretty, and the town of Ashland is a good place to stop.

How long will you have in Seattle? Because there's also the puget sound, mountains and the Olympic penninsula.

ToxicPaddy

Cheers for the replies guys. Just running out the door here but will reply in detail later. Keep the suggestions coming

Clav

I have family on the west coast and have driven between SF and Seattle several times.

My two cents:
1. Interstate 5 is a horribly boring road so best avoid it if you can.

2. As posted above, Nappa and Sonoma are well worth a visit and I also agree about doing a guided tour.

3. 101 north of SF and the southern half of Oregon is one of the most amazing drives you will ever take. Not much in the way of interesting towns - although for pure strangeness sake Eureka is worth a very brief look - but the natural scenery is stunning. It seems every other bend in the road there is some other incredible vista to look at, particularly when you are right beside the coast. If you havn't read up on any of the guide books, make sure you take in "avenue of the giants".

4. The northern half of Oregon is not nearly as nice as the southern half. Don't get me wrong, it's still a pleasant coastal drive but there's none of the epic scenery.

5. Astoria is on the Oregon/Washington boarder and you probably have a decision to make here. Follow 101 around the Olympic peninsula or else cut over to I5 and head straight to Seattle. I've done both routes and honestly if you're pressed for time, there is nothing terribly interesting to see if you follow 101. If you do have a little bit of time to kill, a side trip to Mt Saint Helen's is very achievable once you are on I5 in southern Washington.


Overall the road is quite good quality but more akin to decent Irish national routes than the usual US 4 lane highways. Two notes of caution, when in a built up areas, do pay attention to the speed limit as you are very likely to be pulled over. If you do get stopped, pleading extreme stupidity and a bit of "Top O the morning to you officer" might be your best defense. Road fines in Oregon can be eye watering... Secondly, parts of 101 are a little twisty, even if it is a good road, pay attention to road signs. If you get a warning about a 40 MPH corner coming, best to drop down to 35 otherwise you run the risk of a giant redwood being permanently attached to your bumper.

In terms of how long the trip takes, that is really up to you and how much driving you want to do. I drove 101 over 5 days during the summer just gone but equally, I've done the I5 between SF and Seattle in 1 long day. You will relatively easily do 200 miles in a day allowing for plenty of stops. For the more northern sections, you can increase that to 250/300 easy enough. Astoria to Seattle along 30 and I5 is about 4 hours give or take.

In terms of accommodation, I've only ever stayed in motels. Expect to pay $120 - $160 per room per night. The rooms tend to be huge and generally have 2 double beds in them so if you have a group and don't mind sharing, it works out cheap enough. During the summer just gone, I booked ahead as we were traveling over a holiday weekend but all other times I have just showed up in a town and gotten accommodation. A possible exception might be Nappa/Sonoma as that tends to be busy.

Hope you enjoy the trip.

helimachoptor

do what clav says...

I had done a shed load of research and was also going to Crater Lake, OR. But due to the shut down it put a spanner in the works.

When you're heading north, Napa and Sonoma are very nice.
Avenue of the Giants is very nice and oddly un touristy.

Coos Bay is supposed to be a nice area

Enjoy it op and post plenty of pics when you get back!

ToxicPaddy

Cheers for the replies guys.

I won't be driving straight to Seattle, I'm stopping off in Portland for a few days to visit a friend there.

I'll be going SF - Napa (overnight there) - Coastal route 101 and then swing inland to Portland then onto Seattle. From there hopping up to Vancouver either by ferry or train.

I'm hoping to leave Napa on the Wed morning and be pulling into Portland on the Sat evening. Not a huge amount of time but I'll happily drive 300+ miles a day.. as long as I get some nice scenery

I plan to avoid boring interstate highways unless unavoidable. I prefer smaller roads on scenic routes with small towns to stop in for food and coffee breaks or overnight.

ToxicPaddy

Just in the middle of the trip so I said I'd post an update.

Stayed for 3 nights in SF, did the usual touristy bits, Alcatraz, Fishermans Wharf, Golden Gate bridge, plenty of spinning around on the trolleys which was great fun and a few other bits around the city

I loved the atmosphere in SF but it's expensive especially with the weak Euro.

Next was off to Napa to do some wine tasting.

Visited Lewis Winery, not generally advertised and you have to contact them to get a private tasting, excellent wines and very nice family run operation.

Next were the more commercially known ones of Robert Mundavi, Hess and finally Mumm.

At each we had small private tastings, some with food or chocolate, others without.

It's an expensive way to pass the day. Each tasting ranges from $40 to $80. There were others from $125+ which I couldn't really justify.

Napa town itself is lovely, very quiet at night but lots of nice restaurants covering most budgets and wine is everywhere. The place is still recovering after the earthquake two years ago but it's getting there. Definitely worth a visit.

Sonoma just down the road is also a lovely town. Very picturesque and well worth a visit.

Left Napa this morning about 9.30 and drove up the 101 stopping off to see some sights and turning off up for the Avenue of the Giants. A spectacular drive through the redwood forest which is a quiet road that criss crosses the 101. Well worth a drive.

Stopped off tonight in Eureka. A mid size typical town beside the sea and had a very decent steak dinner in Shamus T-Bones steak house. Shamus being a Golden Labrador who was the owners dog who loved T-Bone steaks

Heading up to Newport tomorrow which is about 7 hours north. Continuing up the 101 through the redwood national park so going to stop off along the way at a few times to see a few sites along the coast.

I'll post another update in a few days.

InTheTrees

Livin' the life.

Enjoy this unseasonably great weather. This is the second year in a row without any kind of Real Winter.

ToxicPaddy

Update no.2 as promised.

Newport was lovely, stayed in a small family run Inn on Nye beach. The beach there is amazing and the town is lovely. Had some fantastic seafood in a small restaurant down on the waterfront and watched the sealions play havoc with the gulls over the fishermens bits being thrown over board. They make some racket I tell ya

Headed up the coast, stopping off at a few light houses includung foulweather bay which is fairly spectacular. Interesting history of the lighthouse and a decent exhibition centre for it.

Also stopped off at some small towns for breaks before heading for Portland.

Portland itself is a small compact city with a nice vibe to it and lots of micro breweries. Well worth a visit if you are into craft beer. I think you could do a tour of the breweries and forget about the wine here which is also plentiful. Best pinot noir in the US I believe

We were staying with a friend out in Beverton so had to do some shopping in the Nike employee store which is huge and we went a little over board so had to purchase another bag to fit everything into.. oops :P

So just sitting on the Amtrak Cascades train now about to pull into Vancouver. It's relatively cheap compared to flying, about €180 for two, one way in Business class which is well worth it. Takes about 8 hours but its very comfy, lovely seats, plenty of leg room and free WiFi

Next on the agenda is 6 nights in Vancouver.
Here for Paddys weekend, so that should be fun

Will post another update soon

Paul_Hacket

I did this route as part of a long road trip from San Diego up to Vancouver about a decade back. It was awesome and I'll post some recommendations later if I get a chance but two things that come to mind straight away are to take a side trip east to visit Mount St Helens volcano (about an hour or so north east of Portland) and to consider continuing the trip onwards to Vancouver (only 2.5 hours drive past Seattle).

Mount St Helens is beautiful and still active. It last exploded in 1980, killing 57 people at the time and creating an amazing landscape in the process. The flattened and charred perimeter of trees surrounding the blast zone was still visible when I visited.

To be honest Seattle itself as a city didn't impress me that much. After several weeks spent exploring the National Parks and the countryside of the Pacific Coast I was looking forward to enjoying some nightlife in Seattle but found the city surprisingly sleepy. Vancouver on the other hand is one of the top three cities I have ever visited - it was a revelation. You should seriously consider doing a loop up there if you have the time.

EDIT - next time i'll read the responses and note the date of the OP before responding. Sounds like you're having fun!