Pacific Coast Highway Trip Questions!

[Pro-8250]

My wife and I are planning by car (no camping) a two week road trip in September. Our main focus is the Pacific Coast Highway (California, Oregon, Washington) but some other areas on the way out and back we would like to see are but not limited to...Moab and eastern Utah areas, Reno/Tahoe, Sequoia National Park, Yosemite, Hearst Castle, Crater Lake, Mount Hood, Coeur d' Alene, etc. We are in the planning stage at this point but I figured I would try here now before the usual SnoWest summer time slow down occurs. I am not into big cities so I am thinking about starting the PCH portion of the trip just north of LA but may have to trek through San Francisco or maybe just start just north of San Fran instead? Any advise or response good or bad is appreciated.

 

[jerrydecoy]

I grew up here in Coeurd’Alene and if you haven’t been to this area it would be one to put on your list. Beautiful place... especially in late summer!!! Lots to see and do!

 

[Pro-8250]

I grew up here in Coeurd’Alene and if you haven’t been to this area it would be one to put on your list. Beautiful place... especially in late summer!!! Lots to see and do!

It is actually about number one on my wife's list. Thanks!

 

[High Voltage]

Kelly if you go to Coeurd’Alene you will not be to far from our new build by Helena,MT. You should stop by, and say hello ?. Nick

 

[89sandman]

The Southern Oregon coast is very picturesque. I wouldn't pass up the chance to rent a quad and hit the dunes at Coos Bay, Winchester Bay or Florence. We are headed there next week for spring break and ride over there a ton during the spring/summer/early fall.

 

[rhino89523]

PCH is a great drive, but slow. There are some great sections of it but again it is slow so it takes time. I personally am not a SoCal guy. I grew up in the Santa Cruz mountains but I have driven all of Hwy 1 from Portland to where it turns into the 5 around Dana point. I think the So Cal part of the 1 is Historic but there is traffic and I don't personally find it to be all that Scenic. The portions around Santa Barbara get better but for me the good stuff starts around Morrow bay. Big sir is very pretty, but for me if I wanted the full peaceful coastal experience I'd probably do from SF north, it is so pretty that direction. As someone else said the 1 running even further north through Oregon is amazing it starts to look like Maine or something up around that Coos Bay stuff and the dunes look cool. There are little lakes and streams on one side of the road with the ocean on the other and it is so green. I grew up right on the edge of Big basin Park, that is a pretty cool area and Big Trees is great as well. I am not sure what you will be driving but the lost coast north of Fort Bragg is a neat area but you need a high clearance vehicle.

Yosemite is beautiful but can get very crowded. it is not as busy up top by Tuolumne Meadows but that isn't the quintessential Yosemite view, a great spot for the drive up view is Glacier point, all hikes in Yosemite require at least 5 miles before you start to lose some people...before that its mostly paved walks crowded like a city.

I live in Reno/Tahoe now. Tahoe is worth a look for sure, the section through emerald bay being probably the most scenic. Save a little time for a walk to the water or a stop. Great swimming holes on the east side. The water is very clear and you can see in it quite a distance. It is always cold, its a good swim but cold. Most the other Reno Tahoe stuff involves more of an activity like riding dirtbikes, boating , fishing, etc...or gambling of coarse. Not sure what your after there. Virginia City is kind of cool...sort of a leftover gold rush town, wooden sidewalks etc. Pyramid lake is amazing, also very clean, it's on Indian Reservation. It's in the middle of the desert so its one of those "really there is a lake out here?" and then you see it...almost the size of Tahoe, great wake boarding when it lays down which is often, great place to sink a boat when the wind comes up that is also often. Some great Hot springs around in Nevada...again not sure what you are driving most are high clearance. Hwy 395 from gardnerville to about Ridgecrest is very scenic.

Utah I love, for me Zion is my favorite but I like driving in Utah a lot.

 

[Pro-8250]

The Southern Oregon coast is very picturesque. I wouldn't pass up the chance to rent a quad and hit the dunes at Coos Bay, Winchester Bay or Florence. We are headed there next week for spring break and ride over there a ton during the spring/summer/early fall.

Do you have a link on where to rent quads in those areas? Thanks.

 

[Pro-8250]

Kelly if you go to Coeurd’Alene you will not be to far from our new build by Helena,MT. You should stop by, and say hello ?. Nick

That is a possibility. We may stay in Deer Lodge. I love that whole area. Thanks.

 

[Pro-8250]

PCH is a great drive, but slow. There are some great sections of it but again it is slow so it takes time. I personally am not a SoCal guy. I grew up in the Santa Cruz mountains but I have driven all of Hwy 1 from Portland to where it turns into the 5 around Dana point. I think the So Cal part of the 1 is Historic but there is traffic and I don't personally find it to be all that Scenic. The portions around Santa Barbara get better but for me the good stuff starts around Morrow bay. Big sir is very pretty, but for me if I wanted the full peaceful coastal experience I'd probably do from SF north, it is so pretty that direction. As someone else said the 1 running even further north through Oregon is amazing it starts to look like Maine or something up around that Coos Bay stuff and the dunes look cool. There are little lakes and streams on one side of the road with the ocean on the other and it is so green. I grew up right on the edge of Big basin Park, that is a pretty cool area and Big Trees is great as well. I am not sure what you will be driving but the lost coast north of Fort Bragg is a neat area but you need a high clearance vehicle.

Yosemite is beautiful but can get very crowded. it is not as busy up top by Tuolumne Meadows but that isn't the quintessential Yosemite view, a great spot for the drive up view is Glacier point, all hikes in Yosemite require at least 5 miles before you start to lose some people...before that its mostly paved walks crowded like a city.

I live in Reno/Tahoe now. Tahoe is worth a look for sure, the section through emerald bay being probably the most scenic. Save a little time for a walk to the water or a stop. Great swimming holes on the east side. The water is very clear and you can see in it quite a distance. It is always cold, its a good swim but cold. Most the other Reno Tahoe stuff involves more of an activity like riding dirtbikes, boating , fishing, etc...or gambling of coarse. Not sure what your after there. Virginia City is kind of cool...sort of a leftover gold rush town, wooden sidewalks etc. Pyramid lake is amazing, also very clean, it's on Indian Reservation. It's in the middle of the desert so its one of those "really there is a lake out here?" and then you see it...almost the size of Tahoe, great wake boarding when it lays down which is often, great place to sink a boat when the wind comes up that is also often. Some great Hot springs around in Nevada...again not sure what you are driving most are high clearance. Hwy 395 from gardnerville to about Ridgecrest is very scenic.

Utah I love, for me Zion is my favorite but I like driving in Utah a lot.

Hey thanks for all the info. Yes if Yosemite is busy like Yellowstone we may pass on that. The one thing we are thinking is it will be less crowded in September. I think like you mention starting north of SF is our best option and that will work well because my wife is most interested in Oregon and we hear September is a great time of year there. I agree Utah and Nevada are pretty awesome and we like taking some of the back roads out there. My daughter and I will be on a road trip out there the first week of May. Bismarck>West Yellowstone>Island Park>Pocatello>Las Vegas. I love US Hwy 93 north of Vegas. I wish I could spend months driving the back roads in Utah and Nevada. Have you been on the loneliest Hwy in America? Ely NV to Reno? I want to drive it in September, but my wife is not quite on board with that.
I agree with you on that whole area of Utah. Bryce, Zion, and that whole south east 1/4 of Utah. Thanks again!

 

[rhino89523]

My best friend lives in Durango CO and I live near Reno. I drive the lonely road every time I go see him or really almost every time I drive east. I like it a lot better than driving I-80 and depending where I am going I can make just as good of time. The lonely road (50) I think you would probably love. You can drive sometimes an hour or so and not see another car or really any sign of life other than the road you are on, for me that is very peaceful and I can just get right with my head and my thoughts....for my wife and the rest of my family I think they just get bored as hell. I enjoy the great basins, I like getting to the top of the hill and seeing where the next hour of my drive is going to take me...for my family I think they keep hoping over the hill is a city with something to do or a sign to look at.

I love it, you would probably dig it, you know your wife best but my guess is she will probably hate it, even when you stop there isn't chit. The towns are teeny and have a gas station and a bar...thats about it. Plan your fuel stops, know how far your car can go. I'm a motorcycle head and my bike needs to find fuel about every 150miles or so depending how I am riding it. I have ridden it from South Carolina to California and many in between. The closest I have ever come to running out of gas was on the 50 and the extra terestrial hwy outside of Vegas. Some of the stations didn't have card readers and weren't open so I soldered on and almost ended up walking.

 

[Pro-8250]

My best friend lives in Durango CO and I live near Reno. I drive the lonely road every time I go see him or really almost every time I drive east. I like it a lot better than driving I-80 and depending where I am going I can make just as good of time. The lonely road (50) I think you would probably love. You can drive sometimes an hour or so and not see another car or really any sign of life other than the road you are on, for me that is very peaceful and I can just get right with my head and my thoughts....for my wife and the rest of my family I think they just get bored as hell. I enjoy the great basins, I like getting to the top of the hill and seeing where the next hour of my drive is going to take me...for my family I think they keep hoping over the hill is a city with something to do or a sign to look at.

I love it, you would probably dig it, you know your wife best but my guess is she will probably hate it, even when you stop there isn't chit. The towns are teeny and have a gas station and a bar...thats about it. Plan your fuel stops, know how far your car can go. I'm a motorcycle head and my bike needs to find fuel about every 150miles or so depending how I am riding it. I have ridden it from South Carolina to California and many in between. The closest I have ever come to running out of gas was on the 50 and the extra terestrial hwy outside of Vegas. Some of the stations didn't have card readers and weren't open so I soldered on and almost ended up walking.

Sounds like you like the open road as I do. My wife may like Hwy 50. After all she is from North Dakota.
As far as stopping somewhere and there isn't chit, that is what I love about it. It's so different than here where there is nothing but trees and water. Lots of water. Its all great here but I love the open landscape that the west has to offer. My wife and I are those nerds who stop along the Hwy out in the middle of nowhere just to read a point of interest plaque. It would drive the kids nuts when they were little. We both will like the coastal highway I am sure and it will be nice to take our time. I just hope there are not too many antique shops along the way.

 

[rhino89523]

Hwy50 is one of the most open landscape roads you will ever see. I'm a roadside history plaque reader as well, all kinds of pony express old west stuff on the 50. The thing I have done with my kids they did like was just stop in the middle of 50 in the middle of the night, kill the car, kill the lights, zero light pollution and just star gaze...they still talk about that...you could see everything.

 

[turbolover]

I would start the PCH down around Carmel and Monterey. Then cruise up north and check out Santa Cruz. San Fran is worth a drive through. Stop at Pier 39 Fishermans wharf and get a bowl of Boudiens(sp) Sour Dough Bread and Clam Chowder for lunch. Head on up north and check out the red woods and Muir Redwoods(not sure on the exact name)

once you get up north of Cannon Beach and Seaside Oregon drive out on to the beach around Warrenton, OR. It is part of the highway system for about 6 miles or so and has road signs and everything. You can cross the Columbia at Astoria and check out the light house just north of there in WA.

In Idaho if you come through Island Park, Stop at Big springs and check out Johnny Sack's Cabin. The guy was only like 4'10 and built a cabin on the land by the springs. It is open in the summer on weekends for touring. It literally looks like a dollhouse because he built everything sized for him. Small chairs, tables, beds, counters and everything. Watch your head because it has doorways sized for him also. Came out here from Jersey after WWI to play the French Horn in his buddies band. Take some bread and feed the fish under the bridge there.
From there head south and take the Mesa Falls Scenic Highway from Last Chance to Ashton. You can walk right down to the Upper Falls. 140' Drop, top to bottom and its spectacular. The Lower Falls can be seen from the Roadway a mile or so further south. You can walk to them but it is much harder to get to and you can't get a very good view of it after slugging through all of the crap after you hike through the walk in campground.
You can also take the road about a half mile north of the Upper Mesa Falls area and head East about 6 mile. You can get to the Warm River Springs. There is an old Forest Service cabin there that you can rent to stay in overnight. Nothing fancy at all, no electricity or running water but the views are fantastic. The Warm River Springs comes right out of the side of the mountain. They suggest filtering before drinking but we drink it all the time and never had any problems. (gubment CYA I guess)

If your feeling adventurous and not driving a car. You can take the Flagg Ranch Road from Ashton over to Flagg Ranch. It is North of Jackson and just south of the Park Entrance, right by Moran Junction. It is 20+ miles of dirt road. Most of it you could drive in almost any car. However there is about a mile and a half of rough, rocky terrain that you probably could scrape a car over but I have never wanted to try it. Almost any kind of 4x4 with tires will drive over it easily.

 

[flatspeed]

Sounds like you are trying to fit alot into a two week trip. Ive done the pch a few times, the last one being almost a one month trip, and each time I wish I had allocated more time.

Id plan for a small section with no real end goal and just see how far you make it..otherwise you will spend alot of time on the road just trying to meet your schedule and it wont be enjoyable.

 

[rhino89523]

X2 what he said^ it's slow driving and being on schedule makes it tough. You want to be able to spend a little time in some of the little towns...pescadero for an Abalone sando at Duarte's with a 50/50 chowder is as good as it gets for this guy...but Abalone in general is where its at for me. I would do what he said and just pick a starting point and run it till you need to change direction.

When I said I have driven the whole thing from Portland to So/Cal it was not in one trip. I lived near Santa Cruz and was a surfer so from Santa Cruz to San Francisco, and the other way to Monterey or so was just stomping grounds. I worked as a doorman at some of the clubs in SF and have had my fill of that, it's different now than it was 20 years ago. My last time there I swore I will never go back...not to get all political but when that pretty young lady got "accidentally killed" when somebody accidentally pulled the trigger in a crowd...oh wait pulled the trigger accidentally twice in a crowd it solidified for me my feelings from the time before. The city is unsafe....and I lived there for a while. I must be getting old.

 

[Pro-8250]

I would start the PCH down around Carmel and Monterey. Then cruise up north and check out Santa Cruz. San Fran is worth a drive through. Stop at Pier 39 Fishermans wharf and get a bowl of Boudiens(sp) Sour Dough Bread and Clam Chowder for lunch. Head on up north and check out the red woods and Muir Redwoods(not sure on the exact name)

once you get up north of Cannon Beach and Seaside Oregon drive out on to the beach around Warrenton, OR. It is part of the highway system for about 6 miles or so and has road signs and everything. You can cross the Columbia at Astoria and check out the light house just north of there in WA.

In Idaho if you come through Island Park, Stop at Big springs and check out Johnny Sack's Cabin. The guy was only like 4'10 and built a cabin on the land by the springs. It is open in the summer on weekends for touring. It literally looks like a dollhouse because he built everything sized for him. Small chairs, tables, beds, counters and everything. Watch your head because it has doorways sized for him also. Came out here from Jersey after WWI to play the French Horn in his buddies band. Take some bread and feed the fish under the bridge there.
From there head south and take the Mesa Falls Scenic Highway from Last Chance to Ashton. You can walk right down to the Upper Falls. 140' Drop, top to bottom and its spectacular. The Lower Falls can be seen from the Roadway a mile or so further south. You can walk to them but it is much harder to get to and you can't get a very good view of it after slugging through all of the crap after you hike through the walk in campground.
You can also take the road about a half mile north of the Upper Mesa Falls area and head East about 6 mile. You can get to the Warm River Springs. There is an old Forest Service cabin there that you can rent to stay in overnight. Nothing fancy at all, no electricity or running water but the views are fantastic. The Warm River Springs comes right out of the side of the mountain. They suggest filtering before drinking but we drink it all the time and never had any problems. (gubment CYA I guess)

If your feeling adventurous and not driving a car. You can take the Flagg Ranch Road from Ashton over to Flagg Ranch. It is North of Jackson and just south of the Park Entrance, right by Moran Junction. It is 20+ miles of dirt road. Most of it you could drive in almost any car. However there is about a mile and a half of rough, rocky terrain that you probably could scrape a car over but I have never wanted to try it. Almost any kind of 4x4 with tires will drive over it easily.

Thanks again. I have been to IP several times but I always wondered if it would be worth it to take Hwy 47 and check it out. Now I know and we will do that for sure. We always stop in West for pizza at Wild West Pizza and wings at the Buffalo bar, and Connies and Ponds in IP.. Is it true you can see the Tetons from Hwy 47?...... Right now we are looking at renting a car on both trips. It's fricken cheap!

 

[Pro-8250]

Sounds like you are trying to fit alot into a two week trip. Ive done the pch a few times, the last one being almost a one month trip, and each time I wish I had allocated more time.

Id plan for a small section with no real end goal and just see how far you make it..otherwise you will spend alot of time on the road just trying to meet your schedule and it wont be enjoyable.

Yeah, that has come to mind. We have a total of 16 days on the pch trip, so it's good to get the planning started now. We will have to sit down and write all of our goals down and go from there.
My wife's sister lives in Seattle and she said Oregon is better that WA as far the coast is concerned.???

 

[volcano buster]

101 in WA doesn't run along the coast like it does in OR. The southern half of 101 in OR is better ocean scenery though.

If you come inland to Crater lake, Newberry Crater/Paulina SE of Bend is a neat destination, then you could stay on that side of the hill and cross over on 26 by Mt. Hood on your way back to the coast.

 

[Pro-8250]

Yeah, I hear that Crater Lake is worth seeing. Thanks.

 

[rhino89523]

crater lake is pretty cool, I think Tahoe is better but I’m partial to the area haha