West Coast Journey Input Needed Please!

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AKers

AKers

10 Year
Joined
Nov 8, 2011
Threads
1
Messages
47
Location
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Hey guys/gals!

I live in Alberta, Canada and am trying to plan a trip down the west coast of the U.S ultimately ending up in Tucson, Arizona (yes I know that's further east). I would like to stay as close to the ocean as possible so my planned route is as follows:

> I'll cross the border @ Bellingham and basically follow I-5 (I think) south to Grants Pass,
> From Grants Pass, head SW to Crescent City,
> From Crescent City, head S basically following the 101 all the way to Oxnard, CA,
> From Oxnard, I would like to take the P.C.H to L.A and then from L.A, head to Anaheim (Can't forget Disneyland!),
> Then from Anaheim head east until I can take the #10 all the way to Phoenix,
> Then obviously from Phoenix head south to Tucson.

Can anyone recommend some good sites to see/attractions along that route? I don't mind taking small deviations in order to get to the attractions.

I'm not doing it in one long haul either, ha ha. I'll definitely be over nighting at different spots along the way.

If you also feel that I should stay away from certain places/areas then by all means please let me know, or if I should go a certain route because it has better scenery.

Ideally I would like to make the trip from April 26th to May 5th.
 
Hell, you aren't going to enjoy much driving down I-5 to Grants Pass. You'll miss the WA and OR coasts. I'd drive to Victoria, BC and spend some time there. Then take the ferry down to Port Townsend, WA and head out to the WA coast on US-101. You can visit the rain forest, Forks, Queets, Kalaloch, Moclips, and Ocean Shores. There's great scenery along the way and lots of places to camp or lodge. Then you can continue down 101 across the Columbia River to Astoria, OR and check out Cannon Beach, Tillamook (great Aircraft Museum), Lincoln City, Florence (you can rent dune buggies to run the sand dunes), and the great views down the rest of the OR coast to Crescent City. You're going to miss a bunch of nice driving if you head straight down I-5 to the CA border.

Have a good trip. :)
 
Good to know, thanks guys. Luckily nothing is set in stone yet. I have a max of 9 or 10 days so I don't know if i'll be able to get to all of those places you mentioned spotcruiser but thanks none the less. That Aircraft Museum sounds really cool too.

I totally did not see the #1, from what I can see on Google Maps it is quite the road. The main reason why I chose the #5 was because I will be picking up a rear bumper/tire carrier in Chilliwack, BC and was going to go down through Abbotsford heading for Bellingham. I suppose I could cut over to the coast down near Eugene or something and then head down the 101 until I get to the 1.
 
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If your going to be heading down the I-10 out of LA your welcome to stop by and have dinner, check your rig over and crash for the night. Depending on the day or days you come thru mabe we could make a trip up to Calico Ghost Town for some desert wheeling. We are about an hour and a half south of LA off I - 10. or we could just take a few fire trails close by. Keep us posted
 
The drive from Oxnard to Malibu and Santa Monica along PCH (aka Highway 1) is nice. That time of year you should not be getting alot of traffic or crowds during the week days, except commuters in the morning and evening. Mid-day is the best.

Watch your speed, because the place is CRAWLING with highway patrol, deputy sheriffs, and the Malibu and Santa Monica cops, all with radar.
 
I second doing the Lost Coast. You definitely need to do The Avenue of the Giants in Redwood National Forest.
 
Hi All,

kajaki, do you have any particular aims for this road trip?

For example, the territory you will be traveling through is chock-full of (beer) microbreweries, so lots of tasting opportunities.

Or are you more interested in nature viewing, culinary pursuits, or ??

Hope you have a great time on this trip! :D

-Alan



kajaki said:
Hey guys/gals!

I live in Alberta, Canada and am trying to plan a trip down the west coast of the U.S ultimately ending up in Tucson, Arizona (yes I know that's further east). I would like to stay as close to the ocean as possible so my planned route is as follows:

> I'll cross the border @ Bellingham and basically follow I-5 (I think) south to Grants Pass,
> From Grants Pass, head SW to Crescent City,
> From Crescent City, head S basically following the 101 all the way to Oxnard, CA,
> From Oxnard, I would like to take the P.C.H to L.A and then from L.A, head to Anaheim (Can't forget Disneyland!),
> Then from Anaheim head east until I can take the #10 all the way to Phoenix,
> Then obviously from Phoenix head south to Tucson.

Can anyone recommend some good sites to see/attractions along that route? I don't mind taking small deviations in order to get to the attractions.

I'm not doing it in one long haul either, ha ha. I'll definitely be over nighting at different spots along the way.

If you also feel that I should stay away from certain places/areas then by all means please let me know, or if I should go a certain route because it has better scenery.

Ideally I would like to make the trip from April 26th to May 5th.
Click to expand...
 
I'm not that big on breweries because I don't drink, haha. I'm more interested in the scenery, I haven't driven down the west coast before so as touristy as it may sound, I wouldn't mind getting souvenoirs from each state along the way. Something more than just pictures.

I quite enjoy seeing ghost towns and historical landmarks/sites too.
 
kajaki said:
I've always wanted to drive through the Redwood trees but with my LC80 i'm not sure if I'd fit, does anyone know the height of the cutout(s)?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't count on fitting an 80 through one of those. The joy is in driving among these massive, beautiful trees. They are amazing and it's right off the 101.
 
And if you come down the 1 and need a place to camp in the Santa Cruz area let me know. I gots some tent space.
 
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