Tentative trip itinerary - any advice?

My husband and I are planning a trip in June; driving from Seattle, WA to Eureka, CA. I have looked over the threads here, researched our route on Google maps and took some tips from Frommer鈥檚 on specific sites to see along the Oregon coast. I鈥檓 hoping to get some feedback on our loose itinerary.

We have planned five days for the trip and are mostly interested in seeing the coast and the redwoods. We will be taking the scenic route 鈥?I realize this is going to take longer so we will be in the car a lot on this trip. We plan on making short stops along the coast but no major excursions. Any advice you can offer is appreciated.

Day 1 鈥?Drive to Mt. Ranier National Park

Day 2 鈥?Drive down the coast; hoping to make it to the Newport area with sightseeing stops along the way

Day 3 鈥?Continue down the coast to Coos Bay

Day 4 鈥?Drive to Redwood National Park

Day 5 鈥?Head home to Atlanta

Thanks!

Tentative trip itinerary - any advice?

Is there a specific reason you are wanting to visit Mt. Ranier? Generally, I would suggest Mt. St. Helens, as there are more things to see there, with the visitor%26#39;s centers, eruption history, wildlife, etc.

http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/mshnvm/

I will let the coast experts give you their guidance on stops along the Oregon Coast.

Tentative trip itinerary - any advice?

Thanks for the advice! The main reason for Mt. Rainier was the travel time from the airport; however, I checked Google maps once again and I believe we could do Mt. St. Helens just as easily.

Short time frame indeed, but you realize that.

If you are coming from Mt St Helens, you%26#39;ll probably be going southbound on I-5 to Kelso/Longview WA, then take Hwy 30 to Astoria? To give you an idea of timing, from Astoria to Newport is about 3.5 hours driving time, not counting stops.

I would *not* recommend the Three Capes loop, as the ocean views are somewhat limited along this road, and you%26#39;ll be seeing much more impressive vistas as you proceed south along the coast.

Depending upon what you prefer, you might look into staying in the tiny town of Yachats, about 30 minutes south of Newport. Very scenic, much smaller.

Unless you want to ride the dunes, I%26#39;d suggest continuing on farther south than Coos Bay, which is not on the ocean. Bandon is a pleasant little town on the ocean, but you may want to go even farther south. Yachats to Bandon is under two hours drive, and except for the part around Heceta Head, not too interesting.

The really spectacular scenery begins at Port Orford, so you could stay in Gold Beach or Brookings. I think Brookings is more scenic, and there is a Best Western there about 50%26#39; from the ocean! (It is admittedly not inexpensive - June prices will be about $160/night.)

Staying farther south will put you in a better position for your next day through Crescent City to Eureka.

Crescent City has a pretty little lighthouse that you can access at low tide only over a causeway; unique on the west coast. There is also an historical cemetery (Brother Jonathan) dedicated to an 1860%26#39;s shipwreck.

South of Crescent City you%26#39;ll be in the redwoods. Take the Newton Drury Scenic drive. It is actually old Hwy 101 and will loop back out to modern Hwy 101. It goes through big redwoods. Stop in Orick to look at the wood carvings - some are magnificent!

South of Orick is a nice rest stop, and in about 6 miles or so you%26#39;ll see lots of elk around Stone Lagoon and the red schoolhouse/barn. Trinidad is a nice short side trip to see the little harbour.

Some useful websites:

http://www.oregoncoasttravel.net/

http://www.nwcoast.com/lighthouses/oregon.asp

shannontech.com/ParkVision/鈥edwood.html

Honestly, I think Mt. St. Helen%26#39;s would be quicker and easier, but others may have different thoughts on that. Another thing to keep in mind, is if the weather is clear, you will be able to see Mt. Ranier from the freeway anyway. You don%26#39;t get the full effect of Mt. St. Helen%26#39;s from the freeway. Now, if it is overcast, it won%26#39;t be worth the drive up there, because you won%26#39;t be able to see anything anyway.

If you can squeeze it in, I think the drive up to Mt St Helens Johnston Visitors Center is worth it even if you can%26#39;t see ';the mountain';. Very impressive. In June you%26#39;ll have a good chance to see the mountain, though.

This is excellent advice. I believe we will try and squeeze in the drive to Mt. St. Helens as well, even if the weather is not ideal. Thanks for all of your help!

Newport, OR

http://discovernewport.com/

www.aquarium.org

Yachats/Cape Perpetua fs.fed.us/r6/鈥?/a>

Sorry, everyone, forgot to note that they were coming in June, and all the visitor centers should be open by then, so, they may find it worth the drive all the way up if the mountain is fogged in. Just don%26#39;t be disappointed if you don%26#39;t get the full effect.

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