See detailed maps here: part a, part b, part c
San Francisco Circular 5 – A wonderful route along the mountain ranges of California, Oregon and Washington from south to north and afterwards along the Pacific coast from north to south. 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 – Arrive to San Francisco and visit the city
Lodging location: San Francisco
Day 2 – Visit San Francisco
Lodging location: San Francisco
Day 3 – Drive to Yosemite National Park and visit the Yosemite Valley, 4 hours drive
Lodging location: near Yosemite Valley
Day 4 – Visit Glacier Point and Mariposa Grove in south Yosemite, 1.5 hours drive in each direction
Lodging location: near Yosemite Valley
Day 5 – Cross north Yosemite along the scenic Tioga Pass HWY (route 120) and then drive north to Lake Tahoe, 4.5 hours drive
(the Tioga Pass HWY is usually open from the end of May/June until October. See status here)
Lodging location: South Lake Tahoe
Day 6 – Drive to Lassen Volcanic National Park and enjoy the afternoon hours in the park, 3-4 hours drive
Lodging location: Drakesbad Guest Ranch or Chester (see more information regarding lodging near the park here)
Day 7 – Drive to Crater Lake National Park and enjoy the afternoon hours in the park, 5 hours drive
Lodging location: Crater Lake
Day 8 – Spend the morning in Crater Lake National Park and then drive to Newberry National Volcanic Monument and enjoy a few hours in this the beautiful park, 3 hours drive
Lodging location: Bend
Day 9 – Drive to the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area and take a hike or visit sites in this region, 3 hours drive
Lodging location: Hood River
Day 10 – Drive to to the Portland and enjoy the day in the city (on the way to Portland don’t miss a stop at Multnomah Falls), 1 hour drive
Lodging location: Portland
Day 11 – Drive to Mount Rainier National Park and on the way visit the western slope of Mount Saint Helens (see map here), 4.5 hours drive
Lodging location: South Mount Rainier or Paradise or Longmire
Day 12 – Hike and travel in the Paradise area of Mount Rainier National Park, short drive
Lodging location: South Mount Rainier or Paradise or Longmire
Day 13 – Drive to Seattle and on the way visit the Sunrise area of Mount Rainier National Park, 4 hours drive
Lodging location: Seattle
Day 14 – Enjoy the day in Seattle
Lodging location: Seattle
Day 15 – Take a short ferry ride from Seattle to Bainbridge Island and drive to the northern Olympic Peninsula, on the way visit Dungeness Spit, or Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park, 20 minutes ferry ride plus 2.5 hours drive (or 4 hours drive if driving to Hurricane Ridge)
(see maps here and here)
Lodging location: Port Angeles or Lake Crescent
Day 16 – Visit the western part of the Olympic National Park, 2 hours drive
Lodging location: Kalaloch or Forks or La Push
Day 17 – Drive to coastal town of Cannon Beach and on the way stop at Lake Quinault and in beautiful Astoria, 3.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Cannon Beach
Day 18 – Visit Ecola State Park located near Cannon Beach and then drive south on Hwy 101 to Newport and on the way stop at: Tillamook Creamery, Cape Meares, Cape Kiwanda and Yaquina Head, 2.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Newport
Day 19 – Continue driving south to Bandon and on the way stop at: Seal Rock Viewpoint, Smelt Sands State Recreation Area (near the town of Yachats), Sea Lion Caves, Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area (hike the John Dellenback trail), Sunset Bay State Park, Shore Acres State Park, Simpson Reef Viewpoint, Cape Arago State Park, 3 hours drive
Lodging location: Bandon
Day 20 – Spend the morning in along the scenic Bandon coastline, and the continue driving south along the dramatic coastline of HWY 101 towards Crescent City (California), on the way stop at: the Cape Blanco Lighthouse, the scenic town of Port Orford and at Meyers Beach, Lone Ranch Beach and Harris Beach State Park, 2 hours drive
Lodging location: Crescent City
Day 21 – Visit the Redwoods National and State Parks and drive south, 1.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Eureka
Day 22 – The final destination of the day is the scenic coastal town of Shelter Cove, on the way drive through the Avenue of the Giants, 2.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Shelter Cove
Day 23 – Spend the morning near Shelter Cove and then drive to Fort Bragg (located on scenic HWY 1), on the way stop at MacKerricher State Park, 2.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Fort Bragg
Day 24 – Drive south on this extremely scenic portion of HWY 1 to the town of Jenner, on the way stop at the town of Mendocino (with it’s galleries, restaurants and beautiful coastline), and at Salt Point State Park, and Goat Rock State Beach (here you may walk to the mouth of the Russian River), 2.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Jenner
Day 25 – Drive south to San Francisco and on the way stop at beautiful Wrights Beach and at Duncans Landing (a wonderful viewpoint), 2 hours drive
Lodging location: San Francisco
Day 26 – 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.
