Portland to San Fransisco Trip

edro

Lifer
Apr 5, 2002
24,328
68
91
I am leaving for Portland in a few months and need some suggestions on destinations for a trip from Portland to San Fransisco.

We have a week to make the trip and are interested in Pacific Coastal views, wine country, National Parks, "World's Largest Donut" type monuments and tourist traps.

Also, any suggestions on hotels, etc are welcome.

We are renting a car in Portland and driving down the coast.

Thank you West Coast people!
 

Sukhoi

Elite Member
Dec 5, 1999
15,298
84
91
Portland area check out all the waterfalls along the Columbia River Gorge. West of Portland on the coast the Ecola State Park is cool. Other stuff to think about...Crater Lake NP, Lava Beds NM, Lassen Volcanic NP, Redwoods NP, Muir Woods, Golden Gate Recreation Area on the NW side of the bridge.
 

AreaCode7O7

Senior member
Mar 6, 2005
931
1
0
Wine country, eh? What roads are you driving down?

Tourist traps:
http://www.oregonvortex.com/
Bigfoot country in Humboldt County

Wine County:
Check out Mendocino and Sonoma in addition to / as replacements for Napa. Napa tastings can be pricey (Sonoma can too). Mendocino is a little more sparse but they've got good wines and typically lower or no tasting fees.
If you're going to do Napa, I highly recommend the Silverado Trial starting at Highway 128 in Geyserville as one of the prettiest and best wine tasting routes. If you're not taking a tour bus, do what my husband and I do: only do one tasting per place, both of you taste it, and have the non-driver finish it off. Drive SAFE! Lots of people are on the road besides you.

Wineries:
Bennett Lane has FABULOUS wines worth the tasting fee
Parducci has a fun zin chocolate sauce and if you ask nicely, they'll make you a zinful shot with it and their zin
Jeriko makes a great sangiovese, and it's organic
Fetzer had a GREAT winery and gardens in Hopland but I think they closed it down :(
Navarro has good wines, and Boonville is a cute rural spot to stop for lunch
Avoid Cakebread; pricey wines and TOURIST CITY
Alexander Valley Vineyards has some neat wines and a nice little wine cave
Avoid Andretti; just not worth the stop, no matter what Wine Enthusiast says

Coastal views:
Check out the town of Mendocino. Beautiful bluffs, nice little downtown that's worth about a half day of walking around. They've got some good beaches to wander. Check out Glass Beach if you like collecting sea glass. There's debate on whether a ship carrying bottles sunk or if it used to be a dump, but either way it's a fun walk. Fort Bragg can be a nice spot too. The Sea Ranch (that's the name of the town, complete with "the") has some nice views. Bodega Bay and Half Moon Bay, much further south, are Bay Area hang out spots.
 

beguile

Senior member
Oct 28, 2004
447
0
0
If you're looking for cheap food in San Francisco. You can head down to Chinatown.

Interesting destinations to go to in SF:

World's Crookest Road on Lombard
Golden Gate Bridge
Twin Peaks

Go down to Pier 39
Visit the Wax Museum
Ripleys Believe it or Not
Look at sea lions
 

andylawcc

Lifer
Mar 9, 2000
18,185
3
81
Originally posted by: AreaCode707
Wine country, eh? What roads are you driving down?

Tourist traps:
http://www.oregonvortex.com/
Bigfoot country in Humboldt County

Wine County:
Check out Mendocino and Sonoma in addition to / as replacements for Napa. Napa tastings can be pricey (Sonoma can too). Mendocino is a little more sparse but they've got good wines and typically lower or no tasting fees.
If you're going to do Napa, I highly recommend the Silverado Trial starting at Highway 128 in Geyserville as one of the prettiest and best wine tasting routes. If you're not taking a tour bus, do what my husband and I do: only do one tasting per place, both of you taste it, and have the non-driver finish it off. Drive SAFE! Lots of people are on the road besides you.

Wineries:
Bennett Lane has FABULOUS wines worth the tasting fee
Parducci has a fun zin chocolate sauce and if you ask nicely, they'll make you a zinful shot with it and their zin
Jeriko makes a great sangiovese, and it's organic
Fetzer had a GREAT winery and gardens in Hopland but I think they closed it down :(
Navarro has good wines, and Boonville is a cute rural spot to stop for lunch
Avoid Cakebread; pricey wines and TOURIST CITY
Alexander Valley Vineyards has some neat wines and a nice little wine cave
Avoid Andretti; just not worth the stop, no matter what Wine Enthusiast says

Coastal views:
Check out the town of Mendocino. Beautiful bluffs, nice little downtown that's worth about a half day of walking around. They've got some good beaches to wander. Check out Glass Beach if you like collecting sea glass. There's debate on whether a ship carrying bottles sunk or if it used to be a dump, but either way it's a fun walk. Fort Bragg can be a nice spot too. The Sea Ranch (that's the name of the town, complete with "the") has some nice views. Bodega Bay and Half Moon Bay, much further south, are Bay Area hang out spots.

thanks Areacode707

 

Xstatic1

Diamond Member
Sep 20, 2006
9,140
50
86
Originally posted by: beguile
If you're looking for cheap food in San Francisco. You can head down to Chinatown.

Interesting destinations to go to in SF:

World's Crookest Road on Lombard
Golden Gate Bridge
Twin Peaks

Go down to Pier 39
Visit the Wax Museum
Ripleys Believe it or Not
Look at sea lions

:thumbsup:

plus:
alcatraz
ghirardelli square
drive down the world's crookest road (lombard)!
fisherman's wharf
chinatown - has good almond & fortune cookies

 

ed21x

Diamond Member
Oct 12, 2001
5,410
6
81
Also head over to Union Square, get some steak at Lawry's, stop by the Metreon to pet the Aibo. Also, don't forget the Palace of Fine Arts, catch a short film at the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley, and go to InNout.
 

RossMAN

Grand Nagus
Feb 24, 2000
78,794
266
116
Originally posted by: Sukhoi
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: RossMAN
If you find the worlds largest donut near Portland, lemme know :)</end quote></div>

I passed up on it for a bacon donut. ;)

Rasberry filled?
 

Sukhoi

Elite Member
Dec 5, 1999
15,298
84
91
Originally posted by: RossMAN
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: Sukhoi
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: RossMAN
If you find the worlds largest donut near Portland, lemme know :)</end quote></div>

I passed up on it for a bacon donut. ;)</end></div>

Rasberry filled?

I don't think so...seemed to have some sort of maple glaze. Not that I remember too much of it. ;) That place did have an amazing selection.
 

Zenmervolt

Elite member
Oct 22, 2000
24,512
21
81
If you've got a sportscar, drive CA-1 from Legett to Fort Bragg is among the best drives I've ever had (it will make passengers carsick though). If you have to get back to US-101, take CA-128 just south of Albion, another great road and it will hit US-101 in Cloverdale. On US-101 there's not much point in going south of Cloverdale though. I'd say just take CA-1 all the way in.

I'm not big on cities myself. My own recommendation would be to avoid SF until you absolutely have to be there and concentrate on the coast. Just follow CA-1 south.

ZV
 

edro

Lifer
Apr 5, 2002
24,328
68
91
Originally posted by: PowerEngineer

Add another recommendation for Crater Lake
I really wanted to go there, but we think it is too far away from the coast for our tight schedule.
 

edro

Lifer
Apr 5, 2002
24,328
68
91
It looks like we are going to try:
Tall Tree Grove in Redwood National Forest
and
Muir Woods in Golden Gate National Recreation Area
 

edro

Lifer
Apr 5, 2002
24,328
68
91
We are also going to be staying in Sonoma for 2 days.

Any wineries or restaurants with great views, that we should try?