Another first-timer

I have to plan a 10-night return driving trip from Sacramento, CA to Eugene, OR. I would actually like to be in Eugene for the last two nights as that is the only time my trip overlaps with that of friends. How long to drive from central Eugene to the airport at Sacramento? I am thinking I would scoot down the Interstate on the way back and perhaps dawdle up the coast on the way up towards Eugene. Any suggestions for stopovers on the way? I like the idea of a couple of two-night stops so that I can use them as hubs to explore locally. All help gratefully received!

Another first-timer

You could overnight in Ashland, we like the Plaza Inns %26amp; Suites or the Ashland Springs Hotel in this area for lodging. There are some great places for meals in Ashland: Amuse, Winchester Inn, Lark%26#39;s, Liquid Assets Wine Bar, Peerless and Chateaulin are a few of our favorites. In Talent there is New Sammy%26#39;s Cowboy Bistro which is excellent! Have fun! :)

Another first-timer

Eugene to Sacramento is about 7 hours. No need to overnight anywhere for that stretch.

Syrahgirl apparently misread your inquiry. Sometimes, we get too anxious to promote our own interests and don%26#39;t pay enough attention to the requester%26#39;s

It will take you about 8 hours to get from Eugene to SACTO (including meal, gas and leg stretching stops).

You can wave at Ashland as you zip by, but that%26#39;s about it.

Getting across to #101 to head up through the redwoods to the Oregon coast raises a few options. One would be to cut across on #80 to the San Rafael Bridge and go up through Santa Rosa...but you could easily get trapped in Bay Area gridlock. Another option would be to backtrack up I-5 to Williams and take #20 across via Clear Lake. And a third option would be to backtrack along a very dull, but fast, I-5 to Redding and take #299 to McKinleyville, just north of Eureka.

The first two options would give you a full view of the redwoods. And you could easily spend a couple of nights at the Benbow Inn near Garberville or someplace in the Eureka area.

You don%26#39;t say when you%26#39;ll be traveling, and that could alter some of the suggestions you might receive for activities enroute...and places to stay for the second (or third) two-night stay...Gold Beach (Rogue River jetboat trip?), Florence (dunes?) or Yachats. Given your 10-day time span, you should have plenty of time to travel, sightsee and still be back in Eugene the last couple of nights.

All really useful suggestions so far, guys. Thanks, I%26#39;ll get my maps out and study them. I leave Sacramento on the morning of 6 July (is that still Fourth of July holiday weekend?) and need to be back there for a 16.00 (internal) flight on 15 July. Sounds like I shouldn%26#39;t aim to do the drive from Eugene in a single hit as I don%26#39;t like early mornings or driving like a maniac!

The drive from Eugene to Sacramento is all major highway, not difficult and not requiring you to ';drive like a maniac.'; Parts are quite scenic. It%26#39;ll take you about 4 hours to get across the Oregon/California border. Then, you%26#39;ll have Shasta Lakes and Mt. Shasta to occupy your interest. After that, it%26#39;s just straight, straight dull highway to Sacto. I guarantee that once you get as far as Redding (about 6 hours)you%26#39;ll want to just go ahead and get there.

You could break it into two legs if you wanted, stopping overnight in Ashland as Syrahgirl mentioned, but you will be hard pressed to find reasonably priced lodging (if any at all) in Ashland around those dates.

If you left Eugene around 10, had lunch at Seven Feathers Resort in Canyonville (1 1/2 hours from Eugene just south of Roseburg) and took another break in Redding, you could still easily be in Sacto by 5-6 p.m. We usually leave around 6 a.m. to visit our kids in the San Francisco Bay Area and stop at Seven Feathers for breakfast...and make it to the South Bay area in time for dinner...a 10 hour trip.

Good thoughts but, for a 4 pm flight (with rental return, check-in etc) I think it would mean too early a start for me. I%26#39;d rather do an overnight and feel free to smell the flowers along the way!

Regarding your drive south on I-5 from Eugene to Sac, we tend to not drive for an 8 hour stretch unless we really have to (even without our 5th wheel trailer), so I understand.

Instead of Ashland, I%26#39;d suggest you go a bit farther south to the Mt Shasta area for an overnight. It%26#39;s rather pretty through there, and then you%26#39;ll be about half way. Here is a website with lodging options:

mtshastachamber.com/visitor/accommodations/

Going northbound, Oregonpoppa%26#39;s suggestion of taking CA Hwy 20 west from I-5 is probably the best. If you want to spend a couple of nights in one spot, I%26#39;d suggest the Eureka area - including the small towns of Ferndale and Trinidad. Then perhaps two nights on the Oregon coast? Would that work for your schedule?

Well, then....you could go upscale in Ashland or economy in Redding, where there are ample nice motels and restaurants and you%26#39;d be in for a much easier drive the next day. If you%26#39;d like to at least see Ashland, you could plan to have lunch there (figure 3 1/2 hours from Eugene). I%26#39;d say lunch AND a play (matinees are at 1:30), but I%26#39;d want to be sure you were in Redding before it got dark, since driving over the Siskiyou Pass and around Shasta Lakes can be a bit unpleasant at night.

If you decide to overnight in Ashland, the Super 8 Motel will run almost $100 per night (incl. taxes) and just about everything else will be significantly more expensive, if even available. For about the same money, you could stay in a Hampton Inn or Holiday Inn in Redding (with lots more choices in same price range).