Seattle → San Francisco

Day by Day

The Itinerary

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Day 1~3.5 hr

Seattle → Kalaloch

• Pick up the van near Sea-Tac

  Most depots are a short rideshare from SEA arrivals. Do the full walkthrough video, check propane and water before rolling out.
• Grocery run in Olympia or Aberdeen

  Last big supermarkets before the coast. Stock the fridge for three days — resupply is thin until Cannon Beach.
• Bluff-top camp above the Pacific

  Kalaloch’s A/B loops sit directly above the beach. Sunset from your camp chairs, fall asleep to surf — and you’re here two nights.

⛺ Kalaloch Campground · night 1 of 2

Side missions

Tree of Life — a giant spruce suspended over a washed-out cave, held up by bare roots, right by the lodge. Big Cedar Tree — a gnarled thousand-year-old giant just off 101. Beach 4 — anemone-packed tidepools at low tide.

My notes

Day 2Layover · day trip

Hoh Rain Forest Day

• Hall of Mosses loop (0.8 mi)

  A flat loop through bigleaf maples dripping with club moss — best in early morning fog. Add the Spruce Nature Trail (1.2 mi) along the Hoh River if you want more.
• Ruby Beach at low tide

  Driftwood logs, garnet-tinted sand, and the most photographed sea stacks on the peninsula — it’s on the way back from the Hoh.
• Zero tear-down tonight

  Leave the chairs out — the site stays yours. Roughly an hour each way to the Hoh, then an evening beach walk caps the first layover day.

⛺ Kalaloch Campground · night 2 of 2

Side missions

Forks — Twilight’s hometown; peak vampire kitsch, 30 min north. One Square Inch of Silence — the quietest spot in the lower 48 hides up the Hoh valley. Gate tip — arrive before 9am to beat the summer entry queue.

My notes

Day 3~5 hr

Quinault → Cannon Beach, OR

• Quinault rainforest loop

  A 0.5-mi nature trail near the historic lodge, with the World’s Largest Spruce a mile down the road.
• Cross the Columbia into Oregon

  The Astoria–Megler Bridge is four miles of river crossing. Astoria is worth a stop: coffee, the Column, and the Goonies house.
• Haystack Rock tide pools at low tide

  235 ft of monolith with anemones, sea stars, and nesting puffins (season runs into August). Check the posted tide tables and go at low tide.

⛺ Cannon Beach area

Side missions

World’s Largest Spruce — 191 ft of tree near Lake Quinault Lodge. The Goonies house — quick detour into Astoria, plus the Astoria Column. Seaside Promenade — bumper cars and corn dogs if the mood strikes.

My notes

Day 4~4 hr

Oregon Coast Drive

• Tillamook & the capes

  The Three Capes loop — Meares, Lookout, Kiwanda — beats 101 for the views.
• Tillamook Creamery

  Free self-guided tour over the production floor, cheese samples at the end, and the ice cream counter is the real headliner — get the squeaky fresh cheese curds too.
• Cape Perpetua lookout

  Drive up to the 800-ft stone shelter overlook, the highest viewpoint on the Oregon coast.
• Thor's Well & Spouting Horn

  A collapsed sea cave that appears to drain the ocean — most dramatic an hour before high tide. Stay behind the rail; sneaker waves are no joke.

⛺ Florence area

Side missions

Octopus Tree — a candelabra-shaped spruce at Cape Meares. Sea Lion Caves — ride an elevator into America’s largest sea cave. Darlingtonia Wayside — a bog of carnivorous cobra lilies near Florence.

My notes

Day 5~4 hr

Brookings → Redwoods (CA)

• Harris Beach State Park

  Sea stacks and tidepools right off 101, and gray whales sometimes spout offshore — perfect lunch stop.
• Cross into California

  There’s an agricultural inspection at the border — don’t carry firewood across; buy it where you burn it.
• First old-growth redwoods on the Smith River

  Stout Memorial Grove via Howland Hill Road is jaw-dropping and crowd-free — it’s a narrow dirt road, so check your rental’s rules on unpaved roads first.

⛺ Jedediah Smith Campground

Side missions

Prehistoric Gardens — life-size concrete dinosaurs lurking in rainforest at Port Orford. Battery Point Lighthouse — walk across at low tide in Crescent City.

My notes

Day 6~1.5 hr

Prairie Creek Redwoods

• Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway

  A 10-mile old-growth alternative to 101. Drive it slow, windows down — the Big Tree wayside is an easy must-stop.
• Roosevelt elk at Elk Prairie

  Herds graze the prairie at dawn and dusk. Keep 25+ yards back — they’re bigger and faster than they look.
• Settle in for two nights

  Shortest drive of the trip, so take it slow — pick a good site, string the lights, tomorrow is car-free.

⛺ Elk Prairie Campground · night 1 of 2

Side missions

Trees of Mystery — a talking 49-ft Paul Bunyan and a gondola over the canopy. Tour-Thru Tree — drive through a living redwood in Klamath (check the van’s clearance!). Klamath River Overlook — whales where the river meets the sea.

My notes

Day 7Layover · no driving

Fern Canyon Day

• Fern Canyon

  Fifty-foot walls of ferns where Jurassic Park 2 filmed. Summer requires a day-use permit booked ahead, and there are creek crossings — bring sandals.
• Gold Bluffs Beach

  Miles of empty sand below the bluffs — elk sometimes graze right on the beach. Pack a picnic and stay a while.
• Camp evening at the prairie

  Back to the same site, no tear-down. Elk usually wander the meadow around dinner time.

⛺ Elk Prairie Campground · night 2 of 2

Side missions

James Irvine Trail — the connoisseur’s route: 4.5 miles of prime old growth from camp straight to Fern Canyon. Big Tree wayside — if you somehow still want more, it’s ten minutes away.

My notes

Day 8~2.5 hr

Avenue of the Giants → Ferndale

• Avenue of the Giants

  The largest old-growth coast redwood stand on Earth — 17,000 acres. The 32-mile Avenue parallels 101; take every grove pullout you have patience for.
• Founders Grove & the Dyerville Giant

  Some of the tallest trees ever measured. Walk the fallen 362-ft Dyerville Giant end to end.
• Ferndale Victorian village

  Gingerbread storefronts from the 1890s — the whole town is a historic landmark. And tonight: a real shower.

🏠 Airbnb — Ferndale · mid-trip shower

Side missions

Shrine Drive-Thru Tree — Myers Flat’s leaning drive-thru redwood. One Log House — a home hollowed from a single log. Immortal Tree — survived lightning, floods, and loggers.

My notes

Day 9~3.5 hr

Ferndale → Mendocino

• Highway 1 through the Leggett curves

  The twistiest stretch of the trip — budget double the time the mileage suggests, and duck through the Chandelier Tree on the way.
• Glass Beach, Fort Bragg

  Coves of surf-tumbled sea glass from an old town dump — look, photograph, but leave it for the next person.
• Mendocino village

  Headland walks on three sides of a New England-looking town — Murder, She Wrote’s “Cabot Cove.”

⛺ Russian Gulch / Mendocino · night 1 of 2

Side missions

Confusion Hill — gravity-defying tilt house, baffling tourists since 1949. Chandelier Tree — the original drive-thru redwood in Leggett, right on today’s route.

My notes

Day 10Layover · no driving

Mendocino Layover

• Mendocino Headlands loop

  Wild bluff trails wrap three sides of the village — blowholes, sea arches, and benches made for doing nothing.
• Russian Gulch waterfall & Devil's Punchbowl

  A 36-ft waterfall in a fern gully and a collapsed sea-cave blowhole — both inside the park you're camped in.
• Paddle Big River

  Rent an outrigger canoe at Catch a Canoe and ride the tide up the estuary — harbor seals usually tag along.

⛺ Russian Gulch / Mendocino · night 2 of 2

Side missions

Skunk Train — rail bikes through the redwoods at Fort Bragg. Point Cabrillo Light — an easy bluff walk north of the village. Glass Beach — if you missed it yesterday, it’s 15 minutes up the road.

My notes

Day 11~5.5 hr · the big day

The Long One: Hwy 1 → San Francisco

• Sonoma Coast run — Point Arena, Jenner, Goat Rock

  The one long driving day — leave early. Climb Point Arena Lighthouse (tallest on the west coast), watch harbor seals where the Russian River meets the sea at Jenner, stretch your legs at Goat Rock.
• Cypress Tree Tunnel

  Photograph it early before the cars line up. The art-deco KPH wireless station behind it still transmits Morse on special occasions.
• Last redwoods at Muir Woods

  Parking must be reserved in advance at gomuirwoods.com. Afternoon slots are easier to grab.
• Battery Spencer & the bridge

  Stop in the Marin Headlands first — it’s THE bridge photo, looking down the towers toward the city — then cross the Golden Gate.
• Airbnb & a proper dinner

  Check in, shower, and find overnight street or garage parking for the van — watch the sweep signs.

🏠 Airbnb — San Francisco · shower before the flight

Side missions

Bowling Ball Beach — rows of spherical boulders, low tide only. Bodega church — Hitchcock shot The Birds here. Hog Island — oysters straight off the farm on Tomales Bay. SS Point Reyes shipwreck — the photogenic beached boat at Inverness. Wave Organ — a sea-powered acoustic sculpture on the Marina jetty. Musée Mécanique — wonderfully creepy antique penny arcade.

My notes

Day 12~0.5 hr

San Francisco → Fly Home

• Drop the van

  Fuel up, empty the tanks, and photograph every panel before handover to protect the deposit.
• Fly home from SFO

  Rideshare or BART from the drop depot. Give yourself three hours — SFO security lines earn their reputation.

✈️ Fly home from SFO

Side missions

Bison paddock — real bison grazing in Golden Gate Park. Pier 39 sea lions — one last marine send-off before the flight.

My notes

Logistics

Plan & Book

1 · Pick your van (updates the budget below)

Links: The Fonz · Escape · Roadsurfer · Outdoorsy · Peace Vans. Confirm one-way Seattle→SF, unlimited mileage, insurance & deposit.

2 · Book it all

Money

Budget — 2 people, all-in

Edit any number — the total updates and saves on this device. Picking a van above sets the rate and drop fee.

Pre-Trip

Shopping List