Portland to San Francisco to Yosemite and back!
April 30, 2018 1:42 PM   Subscribe

Help me plan our road trip: Portland --> Oregon Coast --> California Coast --> Yosemite --> Smith Rock --> Portland

Hey all, hoping for some feedback on a road trip we are planning. We are flying into Portland June 19, renting a car, thinking of doing a big loop down the CA coast and back up inland through the Sierras and flying out July 4. We are a 30ish couple and we are used to driving long distances, but obviously we want to hit a balance of driving vs doing. We like nature, hiking, rock climbing, beer, food and generally exploring. We will be camping most of the way to keep costs lower and I plan to reserve sites for all the coastal spots.

Here's the itinerary. Looking for general thoughts (too ambitious?) as well as specific suggestions for stops and routes! I know there are a ton of questions about this region, I've done my best to read all of them and have come up with tis plan.

Tues, June 19-- Portland day 1 Flight gets in at 10 am

Wed, June 20-- Portland day 2

Thurs, June 21 to Sun June 25-- Four Days to Drive to San Francisco Pick up car and drive down the coast. Want to spend a day in the Redwood National Park for sure, and otherwise would like to break up the drive with hikes, tide pooling, wineries, breweries and ??. Route: Was going to take 18 to Lincoln City and pick up 101 south there. Then take 101/1 the rest of the way. Any adjustments I should make? How bad should we expect traffic to be?

Mon, June 25 SF/Bay Area Quick stop for potential exploration around SF, probably quick get together with family somewhere in Berkeley/Oakland/Santa Rosa

Tues, June 26-- Yosemite day 1 Not sure if we should look at reserving a camping spot outside of the park or try for a first-come-first-serve spot within the park. Thoughts?

Wed, June 27-- Yosemite day 2

Thurs, June 28-- Bishop, CA (climbing)

Fri, June 29-- Bishop day 2 (climbing)

Sat, June 30-- Drive from Bishop, CA to Smith Rock, OR Mostly just going to put in the miles here, but open to quick stops.

Sun July 1-- Smith Rock day 1 (climbing)

Mon, July 2-- Smith Rock day 2 (climbing)

Tues, July 3-- Drive back to Portland via Crater Lake and Bend Not sure if Crater Lake is worth the stop when we'll only have a few hours?

Wed, July 4-- Morning in Portland Fly out at 3

Things that were in the original itinerary that I sadly cut to give us more time-- Big Sur, Sequoia NP

Appreciate any thoughts on general feasibility, fun stops, practical things to be aware of, hiking/camping recommendations. None of the flights or car rentals or campsites are nonrefundably booked so I'm super flexible if you feel like this is all wrong. We're mainly doing a big loop because one-way car rentals were so expensive. Thank you!
posted by geegollygosh to Travel & Transportation (18 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Saturday June 30th is going to be a schlep. That's over 500 miles in one day on a mostly two-lane highway (that you do NOT want to speed on because the CHP is really bored through that stretch). I'd estimate it's going to be a 10-12 hour day of driving, depending on how many times you need to stop to pee or eat. You may want to see if you can pull a day from somewhere else and maybe think about spending the night in Lassen National Park.
posted by elsietheeel at 2:25 PM on April 30, 2018 [1 favorite]


Definitely with the following the speed limit. Many people ride bicycles on the Coastal Highway. It's a popular/recommended bike route.
posted by aniola at 2:40 PM on April 30, 2018


I'm not sure July 3 is feasible. Smith Rock to Crater Lake to Portland will be a LONG day. That's 8 hours of just driving, with no site-seeing or stops. If you want to see Crater Lake, can you hit it on the way up from Cali?
posted by hydra77 at 2:41 PM on April 30, 2018


There's a Portland area mefi camping meetup, I think on June 21.
posted by aniola at 2:41 PM on April 30, 2018


If you haven't bought your plane tickets, have you looked into the cost of flying into PDX and flying out from somewhere in California? You might pay a bit more on rental car, but you could restructure your vacation to optimize your time better.
posted by hydra77 at 2:42 PM on April 30, 2018


Sorry, I just noticed your note that one-way rentals were too expensive.
posted by hydra77 at 2:45 PM on April 30, 2018


As you head south from Redwood National Park on 101, make sure you stay on highway 1 to stay on the coast. Along the way, you can stop in to:

Glass Beach in Fort Bragg

Stop in at Mendocino, a cute coastside town.

Just south of Mendocino, rent a canoe on Big River and go up river with the in-coming tide for 3-4 miles, then head back down river with the out-going tide. Pretty peaceful and secluded redwood forest along the river route.

Then after Mendocino, to hit some wineries, head on highway 128 west through Anderson Valley. Here you will hit a lot of wineries, some mom-and-pop's that are making great wines, less snobbish then Napa. This region is known for Pinot.

Then, get on 101 south toward Santa Rosa to visit family.

As for Yosemite... I take it that all the In-Park reserved campsites are full? June 26 would just be about the time summer vacation starts for schools, but you are there during the week days, so it is kind of hard of a toss up. I would make a reservation for outside the park campsite just to have a guarantee of a place. But if you are trying for a-first-come-first-serve, make sure you get there really really early Tuesday morning.

On the way to Bishop from Yosemite, make sure you stop into Whoa Nellie Deli in Lee Vining for the best fish taco on that side of the sierra.

As for the Crater Lake... Yes, stop even for a few hours. It is spectacular.

I do agree with others, that your return trip has a lot of driving. So, although beautiful, is there a reason to head to Bishop then return instead of Yosemite then return? Maybe instead of Bishop, make a stop at Lassen National Park. Represented in the park are all four types of volcanoes found in the world.

Have fun!

Edit: I see you are heading to Bishop for climbing.
posted by gloturtle at 2:55 PM on April 30, 2018


Drive from Portland to San Francisco: Four days is a good time to allot, although you could cut it down to three if you need to add time somewhere else. Lots of previous Asks on this question, so be sure to check them out. I'll note that taking 18 rather than 6 means that you'll miss the Tillamook Cheese Factory (which is not the World's Most Amazing Thing Ever... but free fresh cheese curds?). The Redwoods National and State Parks system isn't just one park that you drive into, but more like a series of parks down the California coast just south of the Oregon border. I particularly recommend camping in Prairie Creek State Park. Patrick's Point State Park has tidepools and is a super cute little park with a bit of everything. Lots of good breweries in the main towns of Humboldt County, and you'll get the best food in the college town of Arcata, and the slightly upscale town of Mendocino. Be sure to take the Avenue of the Giants in South Humboldt. Travel will be slow but beautiful on the 1 portion of the trip. You shouldn't hit much traffic until you get into south Mendocino county, and start running into the folks coming back to the city after a weekend out, unless you hit construction work on the highway.

Yosemite: If you're climbers, why are you not climbing in the MECCA of climbing? I guess if you've only got two days and want to hike some of the sights... but, uh, I'd really consider shaving off time on your drive down the coast to climb *something* in Yosemite! If I were you, I would not spend precious time queuing to get a walk-in campsite (you have to get there really early and join the line before the ranger station opens up). You could try asking around at Camp 4 if someone has a spot you can throw your sleeping bags down at, or you can stay out of the park. Or you can try refreshing the Yosemite reservation system to get a campsite - I've had plenty of luck that way for even summer weekends (most people seem to cancel a spot 2-3 weeks ahead of their camp time, and you should *absolutely* book immediately if you see a spot open up online). If you're planning on staying outside of the park, try to get a very early start to beat the crowds at the entrance gate and to get parking in the Valley... it can get pretty brutal in the summer time, even on a weekday. With only two days, one day should be in Yosemite Valley and the other in Tuolumne. Skip Mariposa Grove since you'll have just seen the coastal redwoods. The pass through Tuolumne on 120 will absolutely be open by this time of year, so plan on going that route to Bishop. Eat at the Mobile gas station on 120 just before you turn onto 395 (no, really). Consider stopping at Devil's Postpile on the way down to Bishop!

Post-Yosemite: I'm not an outdoor boulderer, so I've never actually been to Bishop, but it's supposed to be a nice climbers' destination. Be sure to look up the locations of the best hot springs in the area. Nthing with all the others that the drive from Bishop to Smith Rock sounds... rough. If you wanted to break it up, there's some world-class climbing just southwest of Lake Tahoe at Lover's Leap. Lake Tahoe itself is quite nice too, and it'll be warm enough to jump in the water at that point. I haven't made it to Lassen National Park yet, but you're obviously going right by it... And I *do* recommend the Lava Beds National Monument as an interesting little spot (do a bit of caving!). Smith Rock is supposed to be AMAZING, so enjoy climbing there! Nthing that Crater Lake is worth for even a few hours, even if you stop at Lake Tahoe as well.
posted by Jaclyn at 3:06 PM on April 30, 2018


When you're doing the drive to SF, make sure you take the Avenue of the Giants offshoot that parallels the highway. It's magical, and I've always had dreams of biking through it since the first time I drove through it.

Yosemite - stalk the reservation site for cancellations (should be pretty easy since you're doing weekdays). Otherwise, Camp 4 should probably be no problem. Absolutely try to grab a site in the park if you can, there's nothing quite like waking up in the Valley.

It'll probably be too cold still to climb in Tuolumne.
posted by blueberrypuffin at 3:06 PM on April 30, 2018


Oh, and hikes in Yosemite: obviously Half-Dome is the classic, but it's a long day + there's the reservation system in effect now (if you extend your trip to three days in the park, there are 50 permits that open up each day for two days in advance). Yosemite Falls Trail is another classic, but get a VERY early start, otherwise you'll bake in the morning sun. I did a super nice loop last summer up the Four Mile Trail (you stay shaded all morning) to Glacier Point then down the Panorama Trail looping into the Mist Trail. Cathedral Lakes is the classic hike in Tuolumne (altho you should be climbing Cathedral Peak instead), but I think Clouds Rest is just as good. Pay attention to the weather reports, particularly in Tuolumne - the weather can switch from sunny 75 to 40 degrees with hailing & thunderstorms in under an hour in the high country.
posted by Jaclyn at 3:18 PM on April 30, 2018


blueberrypuffin there may be patches of snow in the shade (and mosquitoes aplenty) in Tuolumne in late June, but it still gets up to 70, 75 most days by that time of year. Right now NPS is expecting to open up Tuolumne Meadows to campers by mid-June.
posted by Jaclyn at 3:22 PM on April 30, 2018


Response by poster: Thanks so far everyone! Great ideas.

Will definitely rethink the drive from CA to Smith Rock-- Lassen NP looks great (so do the lava beds-- ugh, there's so much to do) and also will think about how to rework the Crater Lake day. My partner is the main advocate for the Bishop stop, but maybe we can get some climbing in early while it's still cool on that second day and then hit the road noonish up to Lassen or Lake Tahoe and buy ourselves an extra half day for that leg.
posted by geegollygosh at 3:45 PM on April 30, 2018


If you are adding a drive on your way to Smith Rock, why not stop at Crater Lake on the way?

Then when you leave Smith Rock you can head straight to Portland without the detour.
posted by yohko at 3:54 PM on April 30, 2018


As another alternate route that might structure your time a bit more preferably, you could do redwoods at Calaveras Big Trees and go to Yosemite from there, which is a maybe-couple-hour drive. Angel's Camp, near CBT, is where Mark Twain got the idea for his jumping frog book.

As for Yosemite, I think you might be OK on a Tuesday for a first-come campsite, but you might want backup plans just in case. Going the week or two before the Fourth probably works in your favor, crowdwise.
posted by rhizome at 4:53 PM on April 30, 2018


Unless you are planning to ski Mammoth (you can even in July!) I'd go up through Tahoe instead of Bishop, though I'm not a climber. The campground in South Lake Tahoe is right by the water and near all kind of downtown beer and fun, but it's a little loud and pricey (~$45). There are plenty of others that are a bit more isolated, and some insane views as you go around the west side of the lake (kinda scary too).

If you do decide to go down to Bishop, Crowley Lake Campground ($8 I think) is on the way, and has really nice views. There are a bunch of nice NFS campgrounds near Mammoth Lakes (some very close to town) and June Lake. The higher elevation might make for cooler camping.

BTW, Newport OR is the home of Rogue Beer and they have rooms upstairs from the public house (I've never stayed though, wah!)
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 5:42 PM on April 30, 2018


I tend to plan pretty aggressive trips, and I think your schedule is overaggressive. I did a quick map, and you're driving 2,000 miles on this trip, which is 33 hours at 60mph, and based on the roads you're driving, you'll be going a LOT slower than that much of the time. Figure you'd actually be driving closer to 40 hours plus stops, which is almost a quarter of your daylight trip hours spent on the road, and then there's setting up and breaking camp ~8-10 times.

Just as an example, the drive to Yosemite from the San Francisco is around four hours, and it can take an hour sitting in line to get into the park during the summer. The you have to setup camp and eat, so more than half of that day is gone before you've even started. Add time if you can't get a camping spot in the valley. You've got one day full day in Yosemite, and then you have to immediately break camp, eat and drive three more hours or more to Bishop, which means nearly half that day is gone as well.

At a minimum, I'd cut one major stop and add time to your other stops accordingly, and also explore doing an open jaw flight and car if at all possible. (Look for OAK, SJC, SMF, SFO). FWIW, a car from PDX to PDX and PDX to SFO for your timeframe is essentially the same price right now (about $950).

Also note that, the trees at Calaveras Big Trees are giant seqouias and not coast redwoods, as they are in Redwood NP. The biggest coast redwoods are thinner and taller than the giant sequoias. Giant sequoias are much more massive around the trunk, but not as tall. Both are extremely impressive. Be aware that there are three giant sequoia groves in Yosemite itself, though Calaveras Big Trees is also awesome.

Hope you have a great time!
posted by cnc at 5:46 PM on April 30, 2018 [3 favorites]


Nthing that Crater Lake is pretty amazing, even if you only spend a couple hours there. At that time of year, it should be quite clear and beautiful.
posted by Aleyn at 6:04 PM on April 30, 2018


One thing to keep an eye on: some of the roads you are talking about could still be closed for winter. The Tioga pass (from Yosemite to Bishop) is usually open by late June but not always. Lassen Park could still be closed. So could Crater Lake.

Lassen is great btw, but definitely not a "stop in for two hours" kind of park.
posted by Nelson at 4:07 PM on May 1, 2018


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