What is the most beautiful possible drive from LA to Seattle? (best, winter)

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by usernametaken

Are there any areas near the ocean or hills that are dangerous (sharp curves, little protection fencing on the ocean facing side etc...) in case you are a bit distracted by the scenery?

Once you get north of San Francisco. If you are distracted by scenery, you may die along the Mendocino coast.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by David Aguilar

Not kidding here: I go up CA-99 until Sacramento and take I-5 the rest of the way, and am always completely visually satisfied.

99 and 5 really? Those two drives can suck the soul out of you. Martin Lawrence drove that and came out a white man it's that bad.

[angelenogirl]

Originally Posted by Gentoo

99 and 5 really? Those two drives can suck the soul out of you. Martin Lawrence drove that and came out a white man it's that bad.

I'm in the process of completing that drive for the second time in two weeks. (Greetings from Salem, OR!). It's not that bad.

[kadylady]

I-5 is nice once you get north of Redding, CA. South of there....it sucks. If you have the time, do the coast. When you hit Washington, head over to I-5 and up to Seattle.

[hamellr]

I've done the Highway 1/Highway 101 drive quite a few times and prefer it over I-5. As others have said, once you get North of Redding, I-5 really isn't that bad. South of there I feel like killing myself, every single time. "Why am I driving this yet again?" while my wife is sleeping in the back seat.

I also like to take the 97 cutoff at Weed and go up through Klamath Falls, Crater Lake and Bend, before cutting back to I-5 on 84.

[Count David]

Originally Posted by Gentoo

99 and 5 really? Those two drives can suck the soul out of you. Martin Lawrence drove that and came out a white man it's that bad.

I always come out slightly more Latino and slightly more redneck, but I'm okay with it.

I enjoy crappy. It makes me appreciate everything else that much more. I love those "ACCIDENTES??? 888-8888 billboards between Bakersfield and Modesto. Plus, you avoid that 27 mile long dairy along I-5.

I don't know what the problem is with I-5 between Sacramento and Redding. Something wrong with "wide open spaces", with mountains far off in the distance?

Can anybody honestly say they'd like avoiding Mt. Shasta? It's all beauty from Shasta Lake on as far as I'm concerned.

I just drove I-80 through Nebraska last week. Give me 99/5 any day of the week over that.

[Botev1912]

Originally Posted by Gentoo

All the way to 15??? 5 would have been closer and faster.

That doesn't say 15, but I5 (I-5)

[Hemlock140]

Having spent my first 40 years in CA and the rest here in Seattle area, I would suggest this trip though it will take a lot longer:

Up 395, slight detour to Yosemite, then through Carson City to Tahoe.

89/70 through Quincy, to Lake Almanor, then 36 to 101 near Fortuna, north to
Eureka, Crescent City, into Oregon.

Stay on 101 to Tillamook, Cannon Beach, Seaside and Astoria. Cross into WA
at Longbeach, stay on 101 to Aberdeen then catch 12 to Elma, then 8 to I5 near Olympia and on up to Seattle.

[shaylahc]

I took i-5 from Seattle to LA (and back!) and I didn't think it was that bad. North of Redding you have the Siskiyous (sp?) and Mt Shasta. Pretty, but I hated driving it. I liked the road South of Redding because it was straight and flat. Not a fan of mountain driving.

Then again, I was driving alone with 5 children, there are no views in the world that could distract me from that. The highlight of the trip was when 2 of them broke out into a fistfight while sitting in rush hour traffic in Portland.

Next time, we fly :-D

[datbird]

So We are going to take a road trip with 4 young kids to Disney land this winter. Any advice on a sort of Hybrid? like where could I get off the main route a couple of times and get the most bang for the buck? Before moving here almost a year ago my wife had never been to any part of the west coast, so I'm excited to show her and the kids everything I can.