Route advice for a PCH/101 drive up the cost from the Bay Area to Seattle

[Otter74]

I just made a verbal commitment to buy an old BMW I've been looking at to replace my Saab. I'm in Chicago, the BMW is in the east bay. The location is part of the appeal. My partner and I are spending a 5-day Memorial Day weekend in Bellingham, WA visiting good friends. Now, instead of flying there, I'm going to fly to SFO two days early and drive the car up the coast. I'll leave it with my friends and we'll both go back at the beginning of July to drive it home via Montana, etc.

The only parts of the PCH/US1 that I've driven have been from roughly Santa Monica to Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz to Big Sur, so the whole trip will be new to me. One thing I am not going to do, at least until I get near Seattle, is take I-5 unless there's a good reason to. As long as I can get to SEA to pick up my sweetie late on Thursday night, I want to take an enjoyable route. So I'd love to get some beta from people who have driven this part of the coast. Which parts are most worthwhile? Which parts least? What towns or views or whatever are maybe particularly worth stopping at? are there any inland N/S highways worth taking?

In the past I saved links to old posts from Pelicans who described fun driving routes that they took, but I checked and none of them cover where I'm going.

[blucille]

sorry for your loss Saab > BMW

[LWJ]

So the Coastline in Washington isn't really much of a thing. I am sure there are snippets that you can do but I am not really aware of anyone ever doing such a drive. So, for arguments sake, let's assume you will drive inland for Washington.

The Oregon Coast is spectacular. The road is slowish, has large RV's and really isn't a "fun" drive. But it is absolutely breathtaking at times.

Great towns are Newport, Mazanita, Cannon Beach, Astoria going from S to N.

What I would do is this: Drive CA to OR up 101. Then once into Oregon, take a Right and head over HWY 38 to 138. That gets you into Roseburg. A blah lumber town with a killer wine industry. Abacela is a favorite. Also there was a Syrah just up the road that blew my socks off. Continue 138 past Diamond Lake (bring a fishing rod, if you want to catch some absolute PIGS) and swing by Crater Lake. It is spectacular. Grab lunch at the lodge. Continue up HWY 97. You will go through Bend which is a fun town. Good restaurants and beer. Up over the Columbia River (still on 97) you will go through the Yakima Reservation. I just drove this road last week. It is a favorite drive. Few cars. Beautiful setting. The road follows a lovely little stream for a while that is simply idyllic. You will come into Yakima. A funny little ag town. Great Mexican food. It is lovely in the Spring but hot in the Summer. Continue to Ellensburg and then take I90 into Seattle. I90 is also a lovely drive through the Cascades.

OR, you could go up the Oregon Coast, take HWY 30 from Astoria and go to I84 continuing onto Biggs Junction and take HWY 97 into Washington. But that is a BIG lateral detour to miss I5.

Have fun!

[Seahawk]

^^^ I have nothing to add. Great route which I have added to my walk about later this year.

It is a long drive, btw. Enjoy.

[Tobra]

Looks like there is construction up by Ft Bragg, until tomorrow? Put in the Highway number, it tells you the story for that road.

https://roads.dot.ca.gov/

[MikeSid]

I've driven the coast from Monterrey, CA to Eureka, CA. And from Florence, OR to Astoria, OR.
If you are entirely avoiding I-5, two days is not enough time to get from SF to Bellingham. Even without traffic or getting stuck behind an RV, you won't be able to navigate that road at a sufficient speed to make the trip in 2 days.

SF to Eureka via coast hwy will take an easy 8 hours.
Following LWJ's advice will get you to Bend in another 8 hours.
Then head north to Leavenworth WA - via LWJ's route except I'd continue over Blewett Pass to Hwy 2. Then head to I-5 and north to Bellingham.

I think that's a doable drive, but will take about 25 hours of driving time. In my younger years, this would be a 2 day drive. Now, I'd do it in 3.

[LWJ]

Also. Anyone driving through the lovely metropolis of Portland send me a shout. I can meet for exceptional coffee, beer, or point y'all to some food carts.

While the PNW is very grey and wet in the Winter, it is about the most lovely place in the US in the Summer. Come and spend.

[Otter74]

Originally Posted by blucille

sorry for your loss Saab > BMW

Oh, stop, this is hard enough I've had the Saab (a Canadian '85 SPG - I've posted a photo of it before) since 2017 and it's been a great car. But I swore when I bought it that it would be catch and release - own it 3-4 years, leave it better than I found it, pass it on, try something else. There are lots of cars I'd love to experience. Would have sold it last year but I hit a deer and had to get it fixed. Now I'm finishing my to-do list for the car to sell it in June or July. I *know* I'm going to miss it and even just miss the way the interior smells, but this is also an exercise in letting go for me. I'm already attached enough to my keepers, the 911, the Fiat and the SE-R. Also, I enjoy my cars for driving them and for the experiences I can have with them, and the road trips involved with the BMW are a large part of the appeal. I bought the Saab in Vancouver, BC and flew out and drove it home and had a fantastic trip. I'd like to have a new fantastic trip.

The car, btw, is an E12 with a powertrain swap from an early E34.

Originally Posted by Tobra

Looks like there is construction up by Ft Bragg, until tomorrow? Put in the Highway number, it tells you the story for that road.

https://roads.dot.ca.gov/

Thanks for that reminder. I'll see if CADOT has an app like CODOT does. Trip will be in a couple of weeks.

Originally Posted by LWJ

So the Coastline in Washington isn't really much of a thing. I am sure there are snippets that you can do but I am not really aware of anyone ever doing such a drive. So, for arguments sake, let's assume you will drive inland for Washington.

The Oregon Coast is spectacular. The road is slowish, has large RV's and really isn't a "fun" drive. But it is absolutely breathtaking at times.

Great towns are Newport, Mazanita, Cannon Beach, Astoria going from S to N.

What I would do is this: Drive CA to OR up 101. Then once into Oregon, take a Right and head over HWY 38 to 138. That gets you into Roseburg. A blah lumber town with a killer wine industry. Abacela is a favorite. Also there was a Syrah just up the road that blew my socks off. Continue 138 past Diamond Lake (bring a fishing rod, if you want to catch some absolute PIGS) and swing by Crater Lake. It is spectacular. Grab lunch at the lodge. Continue up HWY 97. You will go through Bend which is a fun town. Good restaurants and beer. Up over the Columbia River (still on 97) you will go through the Yakima Reservation. I just drove this road last week. It is a favorite drive. Few cars. Beautiful setting. The road follows a lovely little stream for a while that is simply idyllic. You will come into Yakima. A funny little ag town. Great Mexican food. It is lovely in the Spring but hot in the Summer. Continue to Ellensburg and then take I90 into Seattle. I90 is also a lovely drive through the Cascades.

OR, you could go up the Oregon Coast, take HWY 30 from Astoria and go to I84 continuing onto Biggs Junction and take HWY 97 into Washington. But that is a BIG lateral detour to miss I5.


Have fun!

Thanks - that's some great beta. I'm open to inland routes that are worthwhile but I sort of insist on the coast for at least some of the good parts because I've been wanting to do it forever. In 1998 I took my first big road trip right after finishing engineering school. I spent a month in my '93 Sentra SE-R driving from Atlanta to Idaho to go mountain biking and camping, then to WY for hiking and camping, then UT and the Bay Area and down to LA. On the day I was driving from SF to LA I was going to take the PCH but lollygagged hard and had to take I-5 in order to make it in time to meet my great-uncle for dinner. I have regretted missing the coast ever since.

All that said, my goals are both some great driving roads and awesomely beautiful scenery.

[Tobra]

Oregon maybe has something like that too, road app

[Otter74]

Originally Posted by MikeSid

I've driven the coast from Monterrey, CA to Eureka, CA. And from Florence, OR to Astoria, OR.
If you are entirely avoiding I-5, two days is not enough time to get from SF to Bellingham. Even without traffic or getting stuck behind an RV, you won't be able to navigate that road at a sufficient speed to make the trip in 2 days.

SF to Eureka via coast hwy will take an easy 8 hours.
Following LWJ's advice will get you to Bend in another 8 hours.
Then head north to Leavenworth WA - via LWJ's route except I'd continue over Blewett Pass to Hwy 2. Then head to I-5 and north to Bellingham.

I think that's a doable drive, but will take about 25 hours of driving time. In my younger years, this would be a 2 day drive. Now, I'd do it in 3.

I've visited parts of the Oregon coast - Cascade Head at least twice, also I think Nesokwin on one of those weekends and also Tillamook and Astoria. This was when I was visiting the same friends when they lived in Portland. So I'm interested in driving it if most of it is spectacular. But I'm not being religious about avoiding I-5. Like Portland to SEA I will very likely just take I-5 because the good stuff will have been behind me and it'll be dark anyway.

I'd like to keep my driving time to about 18-19 hours total, driving for much of Wednesday and all of Thursday. I don't have to be at SEA to pick up my sweetie until like 11PM so I have lots of time that day. At 48 I still have no problem doing a 12-hour day (I've driven from Detroit or Chicago to Atlanta at least once a year for the last 25 years and I always do it in a day except for last Christmas when I couldn't avoid a storm) but I want to leave at least a little time to stop and enjoy the scenery.

Originally Posted by LWJ

Also. Anyone driving through the lovely metropolis of Portland send me a shout. I can meet for exceptional coffee, beer, or point y'all to some food carts.

While the PNW is very grey and wet in the Winter, it is about the most lovely place in the US in the Summer. Come and spend.

I've been to Portland lots of times and loved it. Now that my friends there moved to Bellingham I'm not likely to go, but if the timing makes a stop possible I'll holler.

[masraum]

Interesting. I was curious about the drive as recommended by LWJ so I mapped it out on Google.

The only possible change that I wonder about is possibly taking 97 a bit farther north to 2 which would bypass having to drive through the SEATAC area.

LWJ's route


Same thing, but bypassing SEATAC metro.


It looks like a LOOONG drive that to be enjoyable, would need to be minimum 3 days, but probably better at 4 days.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Otter74

I
I'd like to keep my driving time to about 18-19 hours total, driving for much of Wednesday and all of Thursday. I don't have to be at SEA to pick up my sweetie until like 11PM so I have lots of time that day. At 48 I still have no problem doing a 12-hour day

If you cut out all of the inland stuff that LWJ mentioned in OR and WA, that gets you a lot closer.

[masraum]

possibly extend your coast driving farther north

[LWJ]

That last route is what I would do. I5 isn’t so bad.

[Otter74]

I’ve driven I-5 from Olympia to Portland - when I got my Saab I took the ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles and it was fine. in Washington I’ll just make time, because the good stuff will be behind me. I learned tonight that my friend in Pasadena has driven the whole coast from LA to near Seattle and confirmed the good parts for me. Thanks for those routs suggestions, @masraum. I’m routing myself to SEA and then driving us to Sudden Valley late at night where our friends are.

[Mahler9th]

Several of my SF Bay Area PCA racing friends and I used to head to The Sea Ranch every fall after racing season.

We'd go up through wine country-- always stopped at a few wineries to "stock up."

We'd arrive in Geyersville, then take the Stewarts Point-Skaggs Springs Rd across to HW 1/coast.

In the early years most of us drove our AX/Track cars. We always drove at or under posted speed limits.

[Mahler9th]

Also: the BMWCCA chapter in our area is one of the largest in the US and has some great members.

If you have or anticipate needs whilst in NorCal, you may want to make some network connections ere you depart.

They have a web site.

[dyusem]

Lots of great feedback above and it will be difficult to choose an exact route as there are many special roads and not enough time to enjoy them all.

I've been fortunate to have lived in WA & CA, and travel frequently between those homes so please do ping me and we can review in real-time your route-making, david

[Otter74]

I'm looking forward to the trip! I'm also reluctant to get rid of the Saab, LOL. @dyusem, I'll PM you.

[masraum]

Not a recommendation since I know that you're limited a bit. Just a statement.

I've not driven these roads, but if they are anything like the roads that I've driven in the Seattle - Ranier - Mt St Helens area, I suspect this would be a great drive (although obviously not coastal).




Many years ago, I drove from Seattle to Ranier, and then to Mt St Helens, and that drive was glorious (despite the Pontiag Grand Am rental car). Then a few years back, we drove from Seattle to Carnation to Cle Elum to Spokane to Mt St Helens and back to Seattle. Almost all of the driving (except to/from Spokane) was pretty amazing. In some ways, that was better because I was in a modern audi. But I was with the missus, so I did rein things in a bit. The drive with the grand am I saw pretty much no traffic. In the mountains nearest Mt St Helens, I drove until the brakes started to fade. Then I started shifting the automatic trans and gave the brakes a rest. Then I switched back to the brakes. It was foolish, but I was young.

It seems like almost anything that takes you through the cascades is going to be pretty good driving.