1 day visit advice

My husband and I will be in San Francisco in mid June. What would be the scenic route to Lake Tahoe, about how long would it take and what kind of driving can we expect? What can you suggest to do on a 1 to 2 day visit, love nature but not in great shape and like non touristy places, good views and eats.

1 day visit advice

OPPS sent to wrong forum but will be in Cannon Beach area.Am thinking of driving from Portland, stopping in Astoria, Cannon Beach and staying in Florence or Yachats. Does this sound doabble, any suggestions.

Thanks

1 day visit advice

Doable? Yes. Advisable? Not if you%26#39;re hoping to make many stops along the way. The drive time alone from Portland via Astoria to Yachats would be about six hours. On the plus side though, you%26#39;ll have daylight until 9:30pm or so.

I agree, where do you suggest an overnigt stay.

Go from Portland to Astoria on Hwy 30. Depending upon just where you start in Porltand, it will take about 2 hours. Nice drive, but no stops really necessary.

Then drive south on Hwy 101. How many more hours do you want to drive? Newport would be about 3.5 hours from Astoria, not counting stops.

The problem is that the highway goes inland from just north of Tillamook all the way to Pacific City/Neskowin, then back inland again until Lincoln City. Also, I know your budget is about $125, and many oceanfront hotels are more expensive than that.

There is a tiny little town of Neskowin (very tiny!) about 15 miles north of Lincoln City which has this hotel:

www.oregoncoast.com/pacificsands/rates.html

Lincoln City has many hotels, but is a rather congested city which stretches miles in a long strip, but has many restaurants and other services.

Thanks for putting the distance in perspective. Actually we will be starting our road trip in Seattle and have 6 -7 nights for leisure travel, avoiding touristy places, enjoy scenery,good eats and wine.

What route do you sugggest from Seattle to Astoria and how long would this take? What would a good first place to spend the night ? I liked what I read about Yachats and Florence area for another 1-2 night stay then heading down the coast to the redwoods for another 1-2 days. Where do you recommend in this area?

I live on a small island so my judgement of distance is definetly not on the big scale of the NW.

Hello mjt49!

From Seattle there are two possible routes to the Oregon Coast.

The first: starting out along I5 to Longview, WA and then cutting along the coast on Highway 30 into Astoria, and then Highway 101 into Warrenton, Seaside, and then Cannon Beach. Once you get past I5 and Longview, this will be the most scenic route.

The second: start out on I5, take the exit near Olympia (I%26#39;ll have to check with my father for the name - I%26#39;ve taken this route only two or three times compared to several hundred for the other), and eventually wind along the Washington Coast, taking the Astoria bridge across into Astoria. Not as scenic, per se, plus takes slightly longer - unless they%26#39;re doing road construction on the Washington-Oregon (Lewis and Clark) bridge, in which case it would save you hours.

Downtown Seattle to Astoria will take you about three and a half to four hours to drive with minimal stops; add a half hour for Seaside, and another half hour for Cannon Beach. I%26#39;d spend the first night in Seaside, Cannon Beach, or Arch Cape if you want to enjoy the beaches; some of the best U.S. beaches are located in Cannon Beach and Arch Cape.

Great places for enjoying nature include: Multnomah Falls (just south and east of Astoria), Ecola State park (filmed in Goonies and Kindergarten Cop) in north Cannon Beach, Haystack Rock just south of downtown Cannon Beach, Hug Point in south Cannon Beach, and Short Sands/Oswald West State Park on your way in to Arch Cape. The breakdown: Ecola has the views and rocks you can climb on plus good surfing waves; Haystack Rock is very picturesque (you can%26#39;t walk out to it though, it%26#39;s an animal sanctuary); Hug Point has caves and a man-made ';highway'; carved into the cliff wall; and Short Sands/Oswald West State Park has camping, a great surfing beach, and it%26#39;s significantly more quiet than the others.

If history%26#39;s also your bag, check out the shipwreck of the Peter B. Iredale and Fort Stevens, both in Warrenton (between Astoria and Seaside). Fort Stevens was both a WWII and Civil war fort, and still has bits of both installations set up.

Another little known sighting: for a surreal animal experience, pull over off the highway coming in to Astoria just before the Safeway on your right; along the wharf, you%26#39;ll see literally hundreds of sea lions sunning themselves on the docks!

Hope that helps!

:-)

downtownjulie--I think you are thinking of something else:) Multnomah Falls is east of Portland, by about 25 miles or so. So a good 2 hours from the coast.

There is also Fort Clatsop in Astoria that is interesting if you%26#39;re into history. Check out the Bridgewater Bistro in Astoria for a nice meal with beautiful views of the Columbia River. www.oldoregon.com I hope you have a great trip! :)

I thought Oswald West SP was closed indefinitely?

HB: You are correct. The campground is closed. Day use area is open though. I am guessing they haven%26#39;t figured out what to do about those trees yet.