West Coast Road Trip Itinerary
When asked about what my favorite trip has ever been, it’s always a tough one to answer, but my West Coast Road Trip is definitely in the Top 3! Here’ s a Travel Itinerary starting in Portland, going up to Astoria, down the Oregon Coast, into California and ending in Big Sur. This is a 10 day itinerary including: where we stopped, the cities we stayed in, hikes, viewpoints, activities, some restaurant recs (did this during COVID, so a lot of places weren’t open), and more!
sTART, DAY 1: Portland, OR
We flew into Portland and rented a car and then immediately drove to Astoria. If you are sticking around Portland for a bit, here are some recommendations:
- Salt and Straw: Ice cream shop
- Stumpton Coffee Roaster: Coffee shop
- Terrazo: Italian bistro
dAY 1: Astoria, OR
Portland –> Astoria: 98 miles, 1 hour 47 mins
Stops Along the way:
Goonies House!
Be respectful of the private property
Marine Drive
Walk around and do some shopping!
Astoria Riverwalk Viewpoint
We sat and watched the huge cargo ship while admiring the landscape around us.
Astoria-Megler Bridge
Check out the bridge up close. If you have extra time, cross the bridge and go to Cape Disappointment State Park!
DAY 1: Cannon Beach, OR
Astoria –> Cannon Beach: 26 miles, 40 mins
Stops Along the way:
Ecola State Park Viewpoint
Please learn from our mistakes and make sure your GPS takes you here! Ours said it was taking us to Ecola State Park and we ended up at a trailhead. We assumed you had to hike in a bit to get to the viewpoint, and after talking to other hikers we realized we were NOT in the right spot. We ended up on the “Lewis & Clark Discovery Trail” and while it was a nice/moderate trail, we ended up doing an unplanned 11 mile hike starting at 4pm. If you have time for a hike, I’d recommend it but if you’re simple looking for a viewpoint, go to the link above.
Haystack Rock
If it works out timing/weather-wise, definitely check it out at sunset! Afterwards, eat at “Ecola Seafood Restaurant & Market“. Whatever they catch that day is what’s on the menu!
NIGHT 1: Stay in rockaway beach, OR
Staying in Cannon Beach was a little pricier so we went south and stayed in Rockaway Beach for the first night.
Cannon Beach –> Rockaway Beach: 26 miles, 38 mins
DAY 2: Lincoln City, OR
Rockaway Beach –> Lincoln City: 58 miles, 1 hour, 20 mins
Stops Along the way:
Tillamook Creamery
As a Wisconsin girl at heart, a famous creamery like Tillamook is a must.
Oceanside Beach State Park – a Favorite
The city of Oceanside was beautiful. The beach was calm. We grabbed coffee and hung out on the beach while watching some surfers. I think because it’s off the beaten path a bit, it’s not as busy but we were also there earlier in the day around 10am. Regardless, absolutely try to squeeze a stop in here!
God’s Thumb – Favorite Hike
If you don’t like heights, you might not want to go all the way to “God’s thumb”, but if you think you can handle it, I highly recommend the climb! I had a bit of vertigo but it was so worth it for the views. Details on the hike here.
DAY 2: Florence, OR
Lincoln City –> Florence: 74 miles, 1 hour, 42 mins
Stops Along the way:
Devil’s Punchbowl
It’s a large bowl carved in a rock headland partially open to the Pacific Ocean. Waves splash into the bowl and spin around it. Super fun thing to see, for about 10 minutes and then it gets boring, lol. While you’re there, grab a sweet treat from Cliffside Coffee & Sweets. If you like wine you could do a tasting at Flying Dutchman Winery or grab a bottle to go like I did!
Devil’s Churn Viewpoint
If you get close to the “churn”, be VERY careful, especially if you have younger kids.
Thor’s Well
It’s like a drainpipe for the Pacific Ocean.
Heceta Head Lighthouse
You can stop by the lighthouse itself or view it from the Lighthouse and Sealion Beach Vantage Point. The Sea Lion Caves are also near this but you have to pay to go to that, heads up!
NIGHT 2: Stay in Florence, OR
We stayed in Florence night #2 and after all the hiking and stops, we just ordered pizza to-go from “Mister Pizza” and ate at our Airbnb!
day 3: dunes City, OR
Florence –> Dunes City: 7 miles, 10 mins
Stops Along the way:
ride aTV’s in the sand dunes
We rented ATV’s from Torex ATV Rentals and had SO much fun. This was a last minute add-in to our itinerary and ended up being one of my favorite things we did the entire trip.
day 3: Winchester Bay, OR
Dunes City –> Winchester Bay: 20 miles, 27 minutes
Stops Along the way:
Oregon dunes national recreation area
Upfront, I would skip this if you don’t have time. We drove on a rocky/sketchy road to get to the main area. It was very isolated and cool to have all it mostly to ourselves, but it wasn’t anything super spectacular.
day 3: Brookings, OR
Winchester Bay –> Brookings: 130 miles, 2 hours 35 mins
Stops Along the way:
Face Rock State Scenic Viewpoint
This area was a lot of fun to explore. You could walk through tunnels inside some of the rock formations that took you further out above the ocean. The beach spanned for miles and was a bit windy so be prepared for sand hitting you in the face.
Meyers beach
There are so many beaches you can stop at along the highway. And the best thing is that because there are so many, they’re never packed with people! We saw one other couple on this beach and that was it!
natural bridges
There are plenty of viewpoints right next to the parking lot of the “Natural Bridges, but if you’re a dare-devil, you can hike out to the “Bridge”. We made the mistake and took a trail that was to the left of the parking and coming up on that side of the bridge was extremely dangerous and terrifying. A local told us most people don’t go that way so I would suggest going on the trail that’s to the right and coming up to the bridge that way. You can see two people in this picture that went out that way. We ended up on the part that looks flatter to the left of them, right above the arch over the water and waves were crashing aggressively below us.
NIGHT 3: stay in Brookings, OR
We stayed in Brookings night #3 and cooked dinner in our Airbnb that night!
DAY 4: Crescent City, CA
Brookings –> Crescent City: 26 miles, 32 minutes
Stops Along the way:
Bell & Whistle Coffee House
This coffee shop was located right along the Port of Brookings so we grabbed some coffee and sat on the patio and enjoyed the peacefulness of the area.
jedediah smith redwoods state park
Driving in to the State Park you’ll take in the huge redwood trees and the Smith River is the cleanest river we’ve ever seen. We found this watering hole area that we had all to ourselves for a bit. You can find it here.
Hiking in jedediah smith redwoods state park
There are tons of hikes you can do in the State Park as well. Find some good options here.
NIGHT 4: stay in eureka, CA
This is something I would advice you NOT to do. We found a great Airbnb in Eureka but the city itself is very rundown. If you’re just looking for a place to stay for the night, then it’s fine, but we ended up grabbing groceries at the grocery store, cooking in our Airbnb again and then left early the next morning.
Crescent City –> Eureka: 84 miles, 1 hour 33 mins
Day 5: englewood, CA
Eureka –> Englewood: 47 miles, 52 mins
Stops Along the way:
Avenue of the giants
The Avenue of the Giants was fun to see but truthfully, we liked Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park better. But, it’s on the way to continue South so I still feel like it’s worth it to drive through!
Hiking in Avenue of the giants
There’s quite a few Easy hiking trails right off the road you can do. We did this trail and it only took us about 30 mins!
Day 5: Fort Bragg, cA
Englewood –> Fort Bragg: 84 miles, 2 hours & 2 mins
***There is an extreme winding road to get back out to the coast during this stretch that made me nauseous. I have never been car sick but we did stop at one point to take a break. Grab some Dramamine for this part if you easily get car sick!
Stops along the way:
Jenny’s giant burger
Since my name’s Jenny, we had to make a stop at Jenny’s Giant Burger. It was quick, affordable, and a great burger! Hop across the street to the glass beach but if you eat over there, find an area far away from the squirrels because they’ll try to steal your food.
nIGHT 5: stay in Point arena, CA
Fort Bragg –> Point Arena: 45 miles, 1 hour 6 mins
There aren’t a ton of options of places to stay in this stretch of the road trip so we ended up having to spend a little more to stay at a hotel, Wharf’s Master Inn, so heads up for anyone trying to plan a frugal trip. If you’re on more of a budget, see if there’s someone to stay South/North of Point Arena
dAY 6: Point Reyes, CA
Point Arean –> Inverness: 111 miles, 2 hours 55mins
Stops along the way:
Point Reyes Shipwreck
However, we did get to see the shipwreck before the roads were closed and we had to turn around!
dAY 6: Sausalito, cA
Point Reyes –> Sausalito: 50 miles, 1 hour 18 mins
Stops along the way:
Hike in Golden Gate national Recreational Area
There are so many trails to choose from here. Any one you pick will have amazing views. Here are some of the best trails!
Richardson Bay Houseboats
Go check out the fancy houseboats and grab some pizza at Bar Bocce!
Golden Gate Bridge
If you have time, go on the pedestrian walk or bike across the Golden Gate Bridge.
dAY 6: San Francisco, CA
Sausalito –> San Francisco: 7 miles, 16 mins
Stops along the way:
Lover’s Lane
A fun little stop but could skip if you don’t have time.
Baker’s beach
One of the best views of the Golden Gate Bridge!
NIGHT 6 & 7: Stay in San Francisco, CA
We stayed two nights in San Francisco. There’s a ton to do in San Francisco so we decided to spend some extra time there!
Day 7: san Francisco, CA
More things to do in san francisco:
Tartine Bakery
This bakery has won a James Beard Award and it’s definitely one of the best bakeries we’ve been to!
Mission dolores cafe
Right next to Tartine, we grabbed coffee from here before heading to Mission Dolores Park.
Mission dolores Park
Huge park with fantastic views of the city.
bernal Heights Park
A park with a 360 views of all of San Fran!
Jane the Bakery
Get the Cinnamon Roll!
Painted Ladies
Loved seeing these unique houses. Just know that the actual Full House house is a mile away!
Lombard Street
We parked nearby and walked around it but avoided driving down it because it was pretty busy.
Sea lions at Pier 39
This is a very busy tourist area but fun to see the sea lions.
Catch a sunset at ocean beach
Grab a beach towel, to-go food, and watch the sunset at Ocean Beach!
DAY 8: santa cruz/capitola, cA
San Fran –> Santa Cruz: 73 miles, 1 hour 17 mins
stops along the way:
Santa Cruz Boardwalk
Walk along the boardwalk, go on some rides, & hang out at the beach!
The venetians
You have to go see these awesome colorful houses in Capitola! There’s some shopping, restaurants and Capitola Beach all in this area.
Mr Toots coffeehouse
Great coffee and the balcony has great views of the colorful houses!
DAY 8: monterey, cA
Capitola –> Monterey: 38 miles, 42 mins
stops along the way:
old fisherman’s wharf
If you don’t mind crowds then check out the wharf but this is a big tourist area.
explore monterey
I didn’t find Monterey to be that exciting honestly. I would have preferred that we stayed in Santa Cruz or Capitola but there’s still a lot to see in Monterey.
NIGHT 8 & 9: Monterey, CA
We stayed two nights in Monterey because we planned on exploring a ton of Big Sur, but unfortunately Big Sur was closed down from forest fires. But we still managed to check out a few things and relaxed on these last couple days after a constant go go go trip.
dAY 9: Big sur, cA
Monterey –> Big Sur: 28 miles, 41 mins
stops along the way:
bixby bridge
Make sure to check out the bridge from both sides!
big sur sunset
Hop off the side of the highway in a safe spot and watch one of the beautiful sunsets.
eND – DAY 10: Fly out of San Francisco, CA
Monterey –> SFO: 101 miles, 1 hour 42 mins
We drove back up to San Francisco to fly out but if you are ending your trip where we did, consider flying out of Monterey Regional Airport or San Jose International Airport. Both airports are much closer and potentially could be cheaper!
