The Best US Road Trip Ever- U.S West Coast
*All work including photos and writing on this page is my own, except the link to the Tourism videos, freely available on Youtube.
A close up map of the route. I have shown the three stages of this road trip. Please view my separate pages on Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, L.A and San Diego for more in depth information on each city, this page just shows a summary. I recommend at least 6 weeks to do this trip properly or maybe do it in more than one trip. If you love Volcanoes you can also view several in Washington and Oregon, which I have named whilst you are in a part of the road trip to be able to take a detour to see them. Mount Rainier(Tahoma) is my favourite volcano in the Cascade mountain range which you will see on a clear day from Seattle.
This really is a spectacular road trip whether you do it in one go or in three different trips as we did. The best time to do it is June/July if you wish to visit the volcanoes or May-September if you don't wish to drive up mountain roads.
A close up map of the route. I have shown the three stages of this road trip. Please view my separate pages on Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, L.A and San Diego for more in depth information on each city, this page just shows a summary. I recommend at least 6 weeks to do this trip properly or maybe do it in more than one trip. If you love Volcanoes you can also view several in Washington and Oregon, which I have named whilst you are in a part of the road trip to be able to take a detour to see them. Mount Rainier(Tahoma) is my favourite volcano in the Cascade mountain range which you will see on a clear day from Seattle.
This really is a spectacular road trip whether you do it in one go or in three different trips as we did. The best time to do it is June/July if you wish to visit the volcanoes or May-September if you don't wish to drive up mountain roads.
This road Trip Starts in the city of Seattle (See my page on Seattle for what to do there). Spend a few days here in the Emerald city to get over your jet lag and relax, visit the Seattle Symphony Orchestra for the evening, take a stroll through one of the many parks, or along Alki Beach. If you have time visit at least one of the huge Volcanoes near here. Mount Baker, Mount Rainier (Tahoma), Mount St Helens and Mount Adams are the largest in Washington State, I love volcanoes! Below is Mount Rainier (Tahoma) |
Then you can take a ferry across to the Olympic National Park towards Port Gamble. The Edmonds - Kingston ferry is the one we took, just north of Seattle. You may see some Orca whales from the ferry. They live in this area. Stop for an ice cream and coffee in Port Gamble. Then head to Forks. It may be a good idea to stop here the night. The Miller Tree Inn is nice. Then the next day head south along highway 101 and don't forget to visit the Hoh Rain Forest for a hike, whilst driving through the Olympic National Park. Next head south across the bridge to Oregon, to the small city of Astoria, Oregon (pictured below) for a rest and some food. |
Then head down highway 101 to Cannon Beach, Oregon, below. This isn't a warm beach for swimming, but good for a walk. This part of the Pacific can have very cold winds even in the summer, but is beautiful. Take a brief stop here at this stunning beach! Mentioned by National Geographic as one of the most beautiful places on earth. There are several small boutique shops, art galleries and cafes here. Then head inland to a much warmer Portland.
PORTLAND, Oregon. This is a very up and coming city, a smaller version of Seattle. It is the home of Nike and Hipsters. It is where Mo Farah lived too. It is sometimes described as weird, but is different and well worth a visit! Portland is well known for its abundance of Roses. Also it has the most breweries and independent microbreweries of any city in the world. You may have seen it on the Food channel regularly as it has a plethora of great independent restaurants.
Then head South Towards Bend or Eugene, Oregon, Depending on which of the following parks or volcanoes you wish to see on the way down. I would say the Bend route is more scenic. You could visit the city of Springfield for a coffee if you are a Simpsons fan. There is a Simpsons Mural that you can take a photo of. If you have time I would highly recommend visiting the spectacular Painted Hills and Smith Rock State park before heading south towards Crater Lake, Oregon. A beautiful National Park. This lake is the deepest and cleanest in the whole U.S.
You can also stop at these volcanoes; Newberry Volcano, Mount Bachelor, Mount Jefferson, Three fingered Jack, Mount Washington and Mount Mazama, if like me Volcanology or just views of pretty volcanoes is your thing!
From Crater lake head south to Klamath Falls. This would be a good place to spend the night, if you didn't stay in a nice lodge at Crater Lake.
From Klamath Falls head South to another famous lake, Lake Tahoe just over the border in California. It borders California and Nevada. Pictured below.
Next head to the coast to
SAN FRANCISCO, stopping at the state capital of Sacramento and Sonoma wine country if time permits .
On Arrival in San Francisco spend some time there visiting all the tourist sites such as Union Square and Fisherman's Wharf and of course getting a photo of the Golden Gate Bridge! You will find many world class restaurants catering for all tastes. If you get time take a trip to Alcatraz and the Giant Redwoods.
On Arrival in San Francisco spend some time there visiting all the tourist sites such as Union Square and Fisherman's Wharf and of course getting a photo of the Golden Gate Bridge! You will find many world class restaurants catering for all tastes. If you get time take a trip to Alcatraz and the Giant Redwoods.
Next head down to L.A. The coastal road is just beautiful. The scenery will start to change from the green forests of the north, to the drier south. Stop off in Monterey, Big Sur, Santa Maria, Santa Barbara and Malibu for a stroll or overnight. Then head down to L.A. Whilst in L.A visit the beaches of Venice beach and Santa Monica, (I prefer Santa Monica!) see the walk of the stars and of course get a picture in front of the Hollywood sign. You are now in Southern California and really will notice a difference from the northern cities you have just visited. See my page on L.A to see all there is to do there.
Finally finish your road trip In San Diego. Spend some time here in this interesting city to relax on the beach before heading home. There is also plenty to do here if you get time including many parks for a stroll or hike or cycle. See my page on San Diego.
This road trip takes you to some of the best cities in the U.S, with breathtaking views of mountains, volcanoes, enchanting forests, lakes and national parks and stunning beaches as you discover the entire West Coast. I would allow 6 weeks to do it properly and really enjoy it. Or you could split it and do the northern part one year and the southern part another year. British Airways allow you to fly in to Seattle and back from San Diego with direct flights from London Heathrow. We did it in three parts over three years.
The West Coast of the U.S is well known for it's laid back liberal values and concern for the environment and the above cities all reflect these values although they all have their own unique qualities. The best time of year to do this is May- September. The North West can be quite wet and miserable (although not too cold) in the winter. Ideally I would recommend starting in June from Seattle, any later and you will run into wild fires, any earlier and it will be rainy in Seattle and you won't see the beautiful mountain skyline.
Dangers/hazards
Firstly don't be scared to go here. I am well aware of the hazards, but love to go here regularly!
Earthquakes:
Most people are well aware of the San Andreas fault. I have actually been to the town of San Andreas, but there is a much more deadly fault line off the North West coast from Northern California, Oregon, Washington and up to Vancouver BC, called the Cascadia Subduction Zone. This fault line hundreds of years ago produced a magnitude 9 earthquake, which sent a Tsunami to Japan! There are numerous documentaries about it, such as this BBC one. Since that was made, lots of retrofitting of older buildings in Seattle and other cities has been completed and the Alaskan Way viaduct was demolished and many scientists live in this area and are not worried it will cause an earthquake along the entire fault any time soon. However sensible precautions can be taken. If you are on the coast and feel a strong jolt or an earthquake, get to higher ground immediately as a Tsunami is possible and Tsunami shelters are now found on the larger beaches. I would far rather experience an earthquake in the US than Italy, Greece, Turkey etc where buildings are less likely to survive a strong earthquake, so don't worry about a visit to the US for fear of earthquakes. Just stay under a table if you experience one and the building should survive. Trying to leave the building would risk debris falling on you.
This site is interesting to see where the latest earthquakes are occurirng.
Volcanoes:
The Cascade mountain range in Washington and Oregon is made up of numerous volcanoes, the most famous is Mount St Helens which erupted in 1980. The most dangerous is Mount Rainier. If this erupted it would be catastrophic! All these volcanoes are well monitored now though and generally a cluster of small earthquakes around them gives a warning that they are becoming active.
Wildfires:
Sadly due to climate change wildfires are becoming more common all over the world and particularly in the West coast states in the summer. I like to keep an eye on this air quality and wildfire map when I am out there, being asthmatic. I also suggest taking N95 masks with you and keeping them in your rucksack as they can be expensive and hard to get when the air quality does suddenly get worse. I have needed these at times. Just keep an eye on this map and local news as these fires can spread very quickly.
Bears:
Bears are everywhere in the West Coast, particularly in the North West. Black bears are not really a problem unless you see a mother and cubs. Then she could attack you to protect her cubs. Generally make a noise whilst hiking and don't hike alone and the noise will stop them coming near you. If you do see one just clap and make more noise, avoid aye contact and they usually run off. Keep all food in bear proof containers provided in the parks if you are camping. Avoid wearing perfume and citronella bug spray or any sweet smelling shampoo etc whilst hiking. As far as I know Grizzly bears are only found in the North Cascades National park along the US/Canada border. They are more dangerous if you see one, stay calm and stand still, do not run, slowly back away if you are near a car or accommodation. talk slowly and calmly so it know you are a human and not a threat. Bear spray should be used if a bear charges at you when it is close to you. Check the wind direction so you don't spray yourself with it as it is far more powerful than pepper spray. Never use pepper spray on a bear as it will make it even more agitated.
The total driving time is 36hrs 1,908 miles. Don't try to take this road trip too quickly though, take time to see and appreciate the beautiful sites on the way. I would recommend doing it in two or three sections. I didn't do it in one go.