San Francisco Circular 15 – A wonderful route along the mountain ranges of California, Oregon and Washington from south to north and along the Pacific coast from south to north. This is a great trip for those who love marine mammals (it includes many days along the sea), for those who love high mountain ranges and for those who love pictureistique towns and beautiful cities. The disadvantage of this route is the fact it includes relatively long drives.
Pay attention: you may skip the drive to Shelter Cove and hence shorten the trip in one day; travelling in this route in October can be marginal due to closed roads in higher altitudes (mainly Lassen, Crater Lake and Mount Rainer National Park); the trip includes driving the Tioga Pass road in Yosemite that is open for a relatively short period every year (see opening and closure dates here).
Day 1 – Land in San Francisco and spend a few hours in the city
Lodging location: San Francisco
Day 2 – Spend the day in San Francisco
Lodging location: San Francisco
Day 3 – Enjoy one more day in San Francisco
Lodging location: San Francisco
Day 4 – Drive north to Jenner and on the way stop at beautiful Wrights Beach and at Duncans Landing (a wonderful viewpoint), 2 hours drive
Lodging location: Jenner
Day 5 – Drive north on the extremely scenic portion of HWY 1 to the town of Fort Bragg, on the way stop at Goat Rock State Beach (here you may walk to the mouth of the Russian River), Salt Point State Park and in Mendocino (with it’s galleries, restaurants and beautiful coastline), 2.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Fort Bragg
Day 6 – Visit MacKerricher State Park and then drive to the scenic coastal town of Shelter Cove and enjoy the afternoon in the area, 2.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Shelter Cove
Day 7 – Drive to Eureka through the Avenue of the Giants, 2.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Eureka
Day 8 – Visit the southern and central region of Redwoods National and State Parks, 1.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Crescent City
Day 9 – Visit the northern region of Redwoods National and State Parks
Lodging location: Crescent City
Day 10 – Drive north along the dramatic coastline of HWY 101 towards Bandon (Oregon), on the way stop at: Harris Beach State Park, Lone Ranch Beach, Meyers Beach, he scenic town of Port Orford and Cape Blanco Lighthouse, spend the afternoon along the scenic Bandon coastline, 2 hours drive
Lodging location: Bandon
Day 11 – Continue driving north to Newport and on the way stop at: Cape Arago State Park, Simpson Reef Viewpoint, Shore Acres State Park, Sunset Bay State Park, Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area (hike the John Dellenback trail), Sea Lion Caves, Smelt Sands State Recreation Area (near the town of Yachats), Seal Rock Viewpoint, 3 hours drive
Lodging location: Newport
Day 12 – Drive north on Hwy 101 to the coastal town of Cannon Beach and on the way stop at: Yaquina Head, Cape Kiwanda, Cape Meares, Tillamook Creamery, 2.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Cannon Beach
Day 13 – Visit Ecola State Park located near Cannon Beach and then drive to the western part of the Olympic National Park, on the way stop in beautiful Astoria and at Lake Quinault, 3.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Kalaloch or Forks or La Push
Day 14 – Visit the western part of the Olympic National Park and drive to the northern part of the park, 2 hours drive
Lodging location: Port Angeles or Lake Crescent
Day 15 – Visit the northern part of the Olympic National Park and Hurricane Ridge, 1 hour drive in each direction
Lodging location: Port Angeles or Lake Crescent
Day 16 – Drive to Seattle, on the way visit Dungeness Spit, and take a short ferry ride to Seattle from Bainbridge Island, 20 minutes ferry ride plus 2.5 hours drive (see map here)
Lodging location: Seattle
Day 17 – Enjoy the day in Seattle
Lodging location: Seattle
Day 18 – Drive to Mount Rainier National Park and visit the Sunrise area of the park, 4 hours drive
Lodging location: South Mount Rainier or Paradise or Longmire
Day 19 – Hike and travel in the Paradise area of Mount Rainier National Park
Lodging location: South Mount Rainier or Paradise or Longmire
Day 20 – Drive to Portland and on the way visit the western slope of Mount Saint Helens (see map here), 4.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Portland
Day 21 – Visit Portland and drive east to the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area (on the way to Portland don’t miss a stop at Multnomah Falls), 1 hour drive
Lodging location: Hood River
Day 22 – Take a hike in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area and drive south to Bend, 3 hours drive
Lodging location: Bend
Day 23 – Visit the Newberry National Volcanic Monument and drive to Crater Lake National Park, 3 hours drive
Lodging location: Crater Lake
Day 24 – Visit Crater Lake National Park, short drive
Lodging location: Crater Lake
Day 25 – Drive to Lassen Volcanic National Park and enjoy the afternoon hours in the park, 5 hours drive
Lodging location: Drakesbad Guest Ranch or Chester or Burney or Redding (see more information regarding lodging near the park here)
Day 26 – Visit Lassen Volcanic National Park, short drive
Lodging location: Drakesbad Guest Ranch or Chester (see more information regarding lodging near the park here)
Day 27 – Drive to Lake Tahoe and spend the afternoon near the lake, 3-4 hours drive
Lodging location: South Lake Tahoe
Day 28 – Enjoy a day of rest and recreation in Lake Tahoe, short drive
Lodging location: South Lake Tahoe
Day 29 – Cross north Yosemite along the scenic Tioga Pass HWY (route 120) and drive to the Yosemite Valley, 4.5 hours drive
(the Tioga Pass HWY is usually open from the end of May/June until October. See status here)
Lodging location: near Yosemite Valley
Day 30 – Travel and hike in Yosemite Valley, short drive
Lodging location: near Yosemite Valley
Day 31 – Visit Glacier Point and Mariposa Grove in south Yosemite, 1.5 hours drive in each direction
Lodging location: near Yosemite Valley
Day 32 – Drive to San Francisco, 4 hours drive
(on the way you may go on a rafting trip here)
Lodging location: San Francisco
Day 33 – Fly home
– In order to fill this route with content – see our California and Northwest USA destinations pages, where you can find articles that include suggestions what to do in various locations along this route.
