Roadtrip from San Francisco CA to Vancouver BC, not along the coast or I-5

June 2, 2006 7:01 PM

I'm looking for route ideas and places to stop for a week-long driving trip from San Francisco CA to Vancouver BC, that stays east of I-5. I want to do some back country hiking and hit some hot springs along the way.

My wife, dog, and I will be have a little over a week to drive from San Francisco home to coastal B.C. (the dog won't be driving - he always has that annoying "no thumbs" excuse). I've seen much of the coast of WA, OR, and northern CA (hwys 101 and 1) before, and have been along the I-5 corrider plenty, so I'd like to see some of the rest of these three states.

We particularly enjoy back-country hiking and would like to spend a significant portion of time in the mountains. We'll be driving an AWD Subaru Justy, so rough roads are fine, although nothing you'd need a real 4x4 for. I'm also very interested in knowing about relatively undeveloped natural hot springs (best if they require a hike to reach) that are along the way.

Also interested in generally interesting stuff in the "rest" of these states that is worth considering planning our route around - weird attractions, stunning scenery, odd communities of nomads, etc. Recommendations for places to stay would be great too - somewhat off the beaten path, allows dogs, and not too expensive. Good places to camp would be appreciated as well.

I'm thinking of crossing the border back into B.C. at Osoyoos and taking Hwy 3 (Crowsnest Pass) back to the coast, but that's not set in stone.

posted by Emanuel to travel & transportation (11 comments total)

Mt. Lassen in Northern California has some great mountainous hiking and geothermal activity. Bumpass Hell is the largest in the park, but it doesn't take a very strenuous hike to get there. This site has pretty good write-ups of the rest of California's National Parks.
posted by muddgirl at 7:42 PM on June 2, 2006

If you don't mind heading a bit east cougar hot springs are a little over an hour off of I-5 east of Eugene, OR. It is very rustic with a very basic campground located about 4 or 5 miles farther up from the entrance to the springs. I would highly recommend stopping here if you can. It's very woodsy and quiet with some great places to swim too.
posted by chrisroberts at 7:49 PM on June 2, 2006

The Kahneeta resort in the Warm Springs Indian Reservation is a nice place. The swimming pools there are heated by natural hot springs.

It would probably be a good idea to get reservations.

US 97 is a very nice highway going up through eastern Oregon to The Dalles, which then continues north through eastern Washington State.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 8:04 PM on June 2, 2006

Coastal Oregon is probably one of the prettiest places on earth. Point Reyes, on the coast north of SF, is also not to be missed.
posted by doctor_negative at 9:03 PM on June 2, 2006

The Columbia River gorge is an astonishing piece of natural geology. It extends through vast stretches of Oregon and central Washington. Unfortunately I do not know specific locations, but I hope you get a chance to see it.
posted by matildaben at 9:18 PM on June 2, 2006

chrisroberts, those hot springs sound just like what I'm looking for. Clothing optional places are definitely good. Thanks!

doctor_negative: I agree - the coast of Oregan is gorgeous and Point Reyes is lovely (last time I was in the area, the elephant seals were molting - really cool!). However, that's actually the part of these states that I want to stay away from, because I've already seen it (multiple times).

Just to be clear (since some seem have missed this part of my question - maybe I wasn't explicit enough): I'm most interested in being in the Cascades and east of the cascades. I specifically want to AVOID the coast and anywhere too near I-5.
posted by Emanuel at 9:30 PM on June 2, 2006

Stonehenge isn't as far away as you'd think ...
posted by lisa g at 9:44 PM on June 2, 2006

hot spring locator
posted by hortense at 10:15 PM on June 2, 2006

Concretehenge (the local name) isn't actually all that exciting. (It's only a reproduction of the inner ring of Stonehenge, and it isn't aligned properly with the compass to actually do the "predict eclipses" thing.)

But near there is the Maryhill Museum, which has the oddest collection I think I've ever seen in a museum. When I was there I saw a huge collection of chess sets, a collection of medieval armor and weapons, a bunch of sketches by Rodin (but no actual final art work), a collection of artifacts about the Indian tribes of the NW, and the crown jewels of Romania, which are really quite spectacular.

Well worth a visit, just because of the general weirdness factor.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 10:39 PM on June 2, 2006

Crater Lake, OR. The bluest water I've ever seen and apparently some good hiking in the area. You could probably do a route taking in Lassen, Lava Beds National Monument, Klamath Lake & Crater Lake.
posted by i_cola at 11:03 PM on June 2, 2006

I've always wanted to take hwy 97 to the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway. Hasn't happened yet, but I've camped along the Umpqua River in the Umpqua National Forest- if you happen to be traveling down highway 138, the Steamboat Inn makes excellent breakfast. They've never batted an eye at our grubby, post camping appearance.
Umpqua Hotsprings is a beautiful , clothing optional, natural hotspring.
posted by oneirodynia at 10:45 AM on June 3, 2006