My husband and I will be arriving in Portland on a Sat evening and flying out of San Francisco a week and a day later. I%26#39;ve never been to either place (or the west coast at all for that matter). We%26#39;d like to spend two days in each city and a day in Sonoma. Do we have time to do the coastal drive down? Where are good stopping points along the way? I think we%26#39;d could stop Tuesday and Wednesday nights, with the Wed. stop being fairly close to Sonoma. Any suggestions for where to stop and where to stay are really appreciated.) We generally prefer the inn/B%26amp;B atmosphere, if we can get it for less than $150 a night. Is that a reasonable price or should we be checking out motels?
Portland to San Francisco
The Oregon coast is the best reason to visit the state, but with the time you have, I don%26#39;t know that I%26#39;d recommend it. There%26#39;s so much to see/do/experience that I think you might end up regretting not having giving yourselves more time. And ';vacation'; and ';regret'; don%26#39;t belong together. ;-)
As an alternative, I suggest I-5 south, then up to Crater Lake for a few hours. Maybe spend that night in Ashland. Next day, take hwy 199 from Grants Pass to Crescent City in northern CA, then south on hwy 101. That route will take you through the redwoods. You%26#39;ll be awestruck at seeing both Crater Lake and the redwoods, and you don%26#39;t need to spend much time at either to create minds-eye images that will last for years.
Portland to San Francisco
Hi Gael. Welcome.
I%26#39;m assuming that you are meaning that you would like to be 2 days in Portland and 2 days in SF, a day in Sonoma and the other 3 days enroute.
The answer is yes, you have time to ';do'; the coastal drive down, if you are not coming at a time when there are minimum stay requirements along the coast.
The good stopping points along the way will depend on what your interests are for the trip- the Oregon/NoCal coast is very diverse and quite beautiful in its own rugged way, and nothing like what you have in South Carolina. If you are thinking of ';hanging out'; at the beach like you would at home, think again! :) The water on this coast is VERY cold, so you won%26#39;t be swimming in these waters unless you wear a wetsuit, but beachcombing here is just amazing as we have tidepools and shoreline that have no equal is the southeast. ( having lived in every state on the southeastern seaboard I can say that with confidence).
You don%26#39;t mention your inspiration for a day in Sonoma, but as a BIG fan of the Sonoma region, I would you suggest that you consider extending that if your reason for going there is the wine experience. Sonoma is a big area and the wineries are very spread out and each AVA has its own charm. I would strongly suggest that you post on the Sonoma forum for advice on B%26amp;B lodging, but be specific as to whether you mean the town of Sonoma ( small and very charming), Sonoma valley, or sonoma county- see www.winecountrygetaways.com for help if you aren%26#39;t sure about the regions and which towns are where, they have good maps.
Depending on your interests, I would think that either Newport ( has lots of attractions and is a central ';hub'; for the Oregon coast) or Yachats(further south, quieter, extremely scenic) would be a good stayover point on the OR coast, however I assure you that one of our local experts will be best able to advise you.
I haven%26#39;t spent any time on the NoCal coast in recent years, so I%26#39;m not comfortable with ideas for that area.
I know that some OR posters disagree with this, but to me the ';Mile-By-Mile Guide to Hwy101'; published by Oregon Coast magazine is an exceptional resource for folks coming out here. They have a website: www.VisitTheOregonCoast.com which I have found very helpful.
www.TravelOregon.com is also very helpful- this is the web location for the Oregon Tourism commission which publishes the Oregon Travel Planner. You should be able to find good information to help your planning at either site.
You will LOVE Oregon.
Footloose
Well, you already know you won%26#39;t have much time to experience much along the way, but if you simply want to see some beautiful scenery with an ocassional stop, I think you can see about half the coast in your time frame.
There are portions of Hwy 101 that are inland, and there are three main areas of exceptional scenery: north/central/south. The north I think won%26#39;t be practical, the central maybe, and the south is doable. There are fewer trees in the south, but it%26#39;s more open.
Once you pass into CA south of Crescent City, you will drive through groves of redwood trees, around huge lagoons, and see lots of forests and farmland both.
Working backwards from Sonoma, there is a town called Garberville that has a famous historic inn, called the Benbow Inn. Although it is not a B%26amp;B, the standard rooms are just within your price range I believe.
http://www.benbowinn.com/
I think it%26#39;s about 3 hours north of Sonoma, so that would work.
So that leaves one overnight in between Portland and Garberville, and I would suggest Bandon on the southern coast. Bandon to Garberville is about 4 hours, not counting stops -- and Portland to Bandon is about 4.5 to 5 hours.
The only problem is that Bandon is somewhat skinny on B%26amp;Bs, but does have several good to nice motels/inns either oceanfront or ocean view.
The route you might take from Portland? South on I-5 to Curtin, take Hwy 38 toward Reedsport (there is a little shunt marked #99). Well marked. Then Hwy 38 to Hwy 101, and south. you%26#39;ll be on Hwy 101 all the way until Santa Rosa or Petaluma, whichever way you decide to go to Sonoma.
Check out the TA reviews list for Bandon; also click on the hotels tab:
tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g51758-c2-Bandon_Oreg鈥?/a>
If you didn%26#39;t mind driving a bit farther on your day to Sonoma, the Eureka CA area has a number of B%26amp;B%26#39;s. Check Ferndale, Fortuna, and Eureka itself. To see more of the Oregon coast, you could stop at Yachats (very pretty tiny town), which is about 3.5 hours from Portland, then drive 6.5 hours to Eureka.
So you have several options :-)
Thanks for all the excellent advice. I love this site! Just for clarification, here%26#39;s our itinerary...
Sat. evening (arrive in Portland)
Sun and Monday (Portland)
Tuesday (get up early and hit the road) -- Tuesday night, stay in-route somewhere -- can we make it to Brandon?
Wednesday (drive to Sonoma) -- Wed. night stay at northern end of Sonoma County
Thursday -- Sonoma wineries and head into San Francisco
Friday and Saturday -- San Francisco
Sunday morning -- fly out of San Francisco
Do you think getting from Portland to Brandon in one day is reasonable, with a few stop to check out the scenery along the way. I don%26#39;t care if it%26#39;s very late when we get in. I wish we had one more day to make the drive. But that would mean only one day in either Portland or San Francisco.
Another question -- a friend suggested that we not have a car in either Portland or San Francisco. We%26#39;d just need one for the drive Tue.-Thurs. Is this feasible. We%26#39;d have to take a cab or some sort of public transport to the airports. Renting a car in one place and dropping it in another is very expensive so I%26#39;m looking to cut costs.
Portland to Bandon is only about 4 1/2 hours, so yes very doable in a day even adding in some sight seeing. And yes, both Portland and SF are great cities for walking and using public transportation.
You%26#39;ve already received some great advice about your Oregon itinerary. I know this is the wrong forum, BUT since I just got back the other day... here are some suggestions for Sonoma. :-)
Make a reservation for the Mayo Reserve Room%26#39;s food %26amp; wine pairing in Kenwood. You can make same-day reservations (we just called ahead from Healdsburg). Also definitely stop at the Jack London Village in Glen Ellen (turn onto Arnold Rd at the light on the hwy and follow it for a couple miles). JLV is a great collection of shops and restaurants. There%26#39;s a nice olive oil %26amp; balsamic store w/ free tastings, ';Wine Country Chocolates'; w/ free tastings (and YUMMY Fleur de Sel Caramels), aaaand... the cheesemonger.
If you like cheese plan a solid half hour or more at Raymond %26amp; Co cheesemonger where it%26#39;s $5 for a tasting and learning a LOT about cheese (and the cheese makers, and the goats, and the rennet, and...). (If you go, tell him those girls from orrr-eeee-gawwwn sent you.)
Yum. Have a great trip!!!
Sorry to keep amending this. You guys are so helpful! We are planning to take the 101 all the way down. I know this will add to the time but seems worth it for the scenery. Mapquest says that it will be 9 hrs. from Portland to Bandon via that route.
I just want to give a pat on the back to the regulars on this forum who consistently respond thoughtfully to each person requesting information about routes through Oregon...even though they%26#39;ve done so numerous times in the past. They treat each requester as if he/she was the first to ask the question.
I tend, on the other hand, to get involved on more specific questions and don%26#39;t have quite the patience to take on the wide open pleas for guidance. Of course, coastal and Portland destination experts get more business than I do for Eugene/Springfield...but they never seem to tire of being helpful and, most important, responding to a requester%26#39;s particular interests and situation. Their advice us almost always knowledgeable and objective...and, when they don%26#39;t have a ready answer, they take to time to help the requester do the required research.
Forum participants who only promote their own interests, try to impress with personal info on their summer cottages or perform as shills for locations without any semblance of objectivity are thankfully quite rare on this forum.
Again, my hat is off to my wonderful TA colleagues.
Not having a car in Portland is very doable, it all depends on what you plan on doing while here. MAX from the airport is very convenient.
If you are planning on just hanging downtown, Pearl District, etc. you shouldn%26#39;t have any problems without a car.
However, if you are planning on exploring, for instance, the Gorge, Mt. Hood, or Mt. St. Helen%26#39;s, a car would definitely be required for that.
Orpoppa...those were very kind words that you shared. Lots of people around here could use a pat on the back from time to time, including yourself!!
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