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Old 05-11-2013, 04:08 PM
 
Location: Seattle area
492 posts, read 1,041,291 times
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I think Rainier is not out of the way unless the trip is to be focused on beaches. It's the top "must see" in the state. There are rain forest areas around the southern base somewhat like Olympic NP. If the trip is before late July though, I'd probably skip it due to snow.

For my tastes, I'd drive from St. Helens to the Bend, OR area, then west to the coast and the dunes. From there to the Redwoods NP, which is much like the coastline of Olympic NP. Then it's a matter of choosing between continuing southward along more coastline to the wine country, or eastward to the Sierras. I'd go as far south as King's Canyon / Sequoia NP and then over to San Francisco, leaving from there. IMO King's Canyon is one of the sleeper highlights of CA. I think going on to San Diego is too much to pack in. Lassen and Crater Lake could be left for another trip. Yosemite is a "must see"; however, the best time to go there is in mid-May to mid-June when the waterfalls are flowing strong.

Last edited by Jalhop; 05-11-2013 at 04:19 PM..
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Old 05-11-2013, 05:07 PM
 
Location: Capital Hill
1,599 posts, read 3,132,464 times
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I don't think Bend OR is all that sceanic, not like the coastal highways. It's a good place to ski in winter and that's about it. It's an old lumbermill town that became a ski resort for survival. Mt. Rainer and Paradise are great sceanic areas but so is Hurricane Ridge in the Olympics. It's the choice the OP has to make. In fact there are many scenic routes to San Diego, mine was just a simple route that would maximises places of interest.
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Old 05-11-2013, 05:48 PM
 
Location: Seattle area
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tobester View Post
When will you be making the trip? June is not one of our more beautiful months. You might want to just get on I5, drive to San Diego (or elsewhere in SoCal) and enjoy sunshine and the beaches for two weeks.
June is often cloudy and foggy in California too. Haven't you heard of the June gloom?
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Old 05-11-2013, 07:05 PM
 
Location: Seattle area
492 posts, read 1,041,291 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vinylly View Post
I don't think Bend OR is all that sceanic, not like the coastal highways.
True, but I'm thinking variety in between the "must sees". There's actually a lot of interesting stuff to see in the Bend area in the summer. The path to Bend can include Mt. Hood, which is different from the other mountains in that you can get up to high elevation by car. And the path to Mt. Hood is the Columbia River Gorge, a must see.
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Old 05-11-2013, 08:43 PM
 
Location: Capital Hill
1,599 posts, read 3,132,464 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jalhop View Post
True, but I'm thinking variety in between the "must sees". There's actually a lot of interesting stuff to see in the Bend area in the summer. The path to Bend can include Mt. Hood, which is different from the other mountains in that you can get up to high elevation by car. And the path to Mt. Hood is the Columbia River Gorge, a must see.
These are all great areas but Eastwardly areas are mostly agriculture. Vast wheatfields and all that, and around the Gorge, on the river, wind surfing and windmill farms, also in summer it could get quite hot. I would say, just head South on hwy 101, starting from Seattle, across the sound by ferry to the Olympics, head south and they will have plenty of time to visit both San Francisco and San Diago. Just take side exursions from 101. Instead of spending a whole day in Seattle before leaving, take a day trip up to Mt. Rainer and back again, that's all it will take.
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Old 05-13-2013, 09:55 PM
 
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Don't forget the old "winery crawl" in Woodinville. Stop by Chateau St Michelle for sure.
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Old 05-13-2013, 10:44 PM
 
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,690 posts, read 57,994,855 times
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WHAT time of yr? VERY important for rte choice

You are gonna get a lot of various advice...Lots of ground to cover. Routes to take.

my $0.02 (Save Victoria / Olympic Peninsula for a separate trip, include Vancouver BC and North Cascades, San Juan, WA in that next trip. MAY is GREAT time for this trip (tulips and Rhodies)

3 days Seattle (if raining see the Klondike Gold Museum) Spend time at the Locks, and water front and old town. Take an evening ferry ride so you can come back into Seattle at dusk / dark.

See Tacoma parks / Zoo area and Olympia Waterfront. On to Eatonville and Mt Rainier (NICE camping). Be sure to see this enroute (FREE) danielklennert

Out through SE entrance; GREAT hiking at Ohanapecosh Ohanapecosh - Mount Rainier National Park
Stay at Packwood hotel (cheap, fun) BUY GAS !!!
At Randle go to east side of Mt St Helen's (windy Ridge) go view in the crater and new DOME and of Spirit Lake.

Head to Carson or Trout lake WA (no gas for a LONG ways). Enjoy some of the best Pacific Rain Forest (not quite as nice as Olympic, (you'll see that NEXT time) but nice.. and TALL). Go to hood River, or Stevenson (Walking Man) for good brew pubs (Skamania Lodge or Bonneville Hot Springs for night.)

Head over Bridge of the Gods then west on I-84 to Bonneville Dam (enjoy the gardens, hatchery and 7' kong sturgeon. + visitors center for Dam and Locks). Head west a LITTLE ways to Columbia Gorge Scenic Highway take that to Portland stopping at water falls and overlooks. Multnomah Falls Lodge is a great place to eat. When you get to Troutdale; near Portland,,, Go a few blocks to McMenamins - Edgefield Homepage. Then enjoy Portland's weirdness. See Powell's Books, and if in summer, Washington Park International Rose Gardens (often a free concert in Summer evening).

West on highway 26 (from WA Park / Zoo) to Cannon Beach (Highway 1). Be sure to stop at several waysides including Ecola State Park (campground in Cannon beach righ on creek near here, State campgrounds not too near (Manzantia) Jedediah Smith CG is CLOSED due to tree falling danger)), and Hug Point. Spend MUCH time on this beautiful beach with caverns, red cliffs, water falls and old Stage Coach road (original Highway 1 at low tide).

South through many nice beach towns (North 10 minutes if you want a 'carnival' / promenade = Seaside, OR).

Twin Rocks has GREAT driftwood beach. Tillamook has GREAT tours at cheese factory + Ice Cream and free cheese samples. Nice museums there too. Take 1 south to Coos Bay, (most beauty is NORTH of Newport, and SOUTH of Gold Beach (which is quite similar to No CA beach))

At Coos Bay... Head to Roseburg / Umqua River and then to Diamond Lake and Crater Lake.

From there South to Grants Pass then back to Coast via Crescent City / Redwoods.

Go to Samoa Cookhouse for decent 'Family Style Meal', or to see FREE museum. (very nice and interesting). Take time in Redwoods, nice camping / Lots of Beach / places to enjoy. I usually try to stay at Half Moon or Bodega bay.

In SF I Stay at Ft Mason Hostel, (Free parking , on bus line and hiking trail)

Santa Cruz and Monterrey are nice and spendy. I avoid the Big Sur coast (too curvy and slow) You might enjoy it...

I enjoy the fresh fruits and veggies in the 101 valley. (short cut 3.5 hr vs 6)

Do go through SLO (San Luis Obispo) and Santa Barbara, very nice area of CA.

Plenty of info to find on LA, but I do enjoy a French Dip at Phillipes, Philippe - Chinatown - Los Angeles, CA next to Union Station (as is Olvera street, and China town).


I missed a few spots...

America's Byways®: National Scenic Byways Online
Free Campgrounds for RVs
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Old 05-13-2013, 11:02 PM
 
Location: PNW
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Only bad part is you want be able to really see many sites in washington as most would follow the path that you set for yourself. But if you are in Seattle a few days definitely take a dinner cruise on the sound or trip to tillicum village. Explore Downtown and the City before heading south. You should drop by Mt Rainier before heading on Highway 101!
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Old 05-14-2013, 11:03 AM
 
3,695 posts, read 11,368,771 times
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You can do the coastal route, as mentioned above, or you can do the Cascade route. Either way it's a nice trip. Skipping the I-5 corridor is a good idea unless you are just trying to chew up the miles.

Personally, I'd skip the Olympic Peninsula in favor of going to Mount Rainier. Rainier is not that far off of I-5 and there are few places in the US that offer such a wide range of ecosystems in such a concentrated area. The Peninsula is nice, but Hurricane Ridge pales in comparison to Paradise and Sunrise. Most of the spectacular parts of the Washington coast are not accessible by car, and the Oregon coast is prettiest from Cannon Beach to the south.

I'd say Mount Rainier first,though Paradise and if you have time Sunrise. Head across to 410 and then to Yakima. South on 97 over Satus Pass to the Columbia Gorge. Head west to Portland then straight out to the coast.
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Old 05-14-2013, 12:42 PM
 
43,011 posts, read 108,004,288 times
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Wow! Great responses!

Update. We're made lots of changes. I need to finalize all of this within the next few days.

We've decided to save southern California for another trip so we can do more in Washington, Oregon and northern California.

Yosemite has been added. Arriving in San Fran and departing Seattle. We're thinking of reversing the trip.

My husband has insisted we stay in Seattle for two nights because he has a friend who retired there.

Here's a VERY rough draft of the new schedule. Keep in mind, we've eliminated spending time in the large cities.

Saturday -- Arrive in San Fran in late evening, stay overnight

Sunday -- Drive to Monterey/Carmel, stay overnight

Monday -- Drive Big Sur to Hearst Castle

Monday night -- Drive to Yosemite, stay overnight

Tuesday -- Enjoy Yosemite, stay overnight

Wednesday -- Drive all day to somewhere along the coast near Manchester, CA or Fort Brag (very disappointed in this idea but it's the only way to get on target with our northbound destination.

Thursday -- Drive to Redwood Forest, spend the afternoon in the area, stay overnight in Crescent City or somewhere nearby

Friday -- Drive to Crescent Lake, OR, check it out. Stay overnight at Coos Bay or Florence, OR.

Saturday -- Drive to Astoria, OR

Sunday -- Check out Mt. Rainier, stay somewhere near Olympic National Park, if not in it depending on how much time

Below is where I need help with what to do while I'm staying at the following areas while in Washington State!

Monday -- Visit Rain Forest, stay in Olympic National Park area

Tuesday -- More time in Olympic National Park, stay overnight again

Wednesday -- Head over to San Juan Islands, stay overnight

Thursday -- Enjoy San Juan Islands, stay overnight

Friday -- Seattle

Saturday -- Seattle

Sunday -- Fly home
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