September 2020
ROAD TRIP!! Your favorite crazy wandering couple outdid themselves this time. We rented a campervan and drove all the way from Seattle down the coast to LA! And let me tell you, the views along the Pacific Coast Highway were unbelievable. We made lots of fun stops along the way for unique food, the great outdoors, and some pretty cool cities including Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles!
Check out our other pages for our FULL itinerary & highlight video!
Road Trip
Tips and Tricks
Campervan Rental: We booked through Escape Campervans. They were super easy to book through, reasonably priced, and even made last-minute accommodation changes onsite (we booked for the wrong month lol). The vans had fun, hand-painted designs but were all rather old. Ours actually broke down in San Francisco...luckily they were able to get us a replacement the next day, but said the turnaround time for a new van can be 2-3 days depending on your location.
Boondocking vs Campsites: We did a little mix of both boondocking & having reservations for campsites. What is boondocking you might ask! It's basically camping without a designated campsite - ie: on the side of the road, in a parking lot, at a park, etc. You definitely want to familiarize yourself with local laws before doing such. A few places that typically allow boondocking include Walmart, Costco, Sams, Home Depot, truck stops/visitor centers, and national forests. These sites however do not have access to water. A benefit of booking a campsite is that you can have access to showers, laundry, grills, etc.
Washington
Our Stops Along the Way
- Stay: Seattle [Chihuly Glass Garden, Pikes Market, Beecher's Cheese]
- Stop: Mount Ranier National Park
Additional Optional Stops
- Olympia National Park
- Mount St. Helens
Tips and Tricks
- Check out our post on Seattle, Vancouver, & Whistler for a complete guide on Seattle, WA! Last time we were here, we missed Chihuly Glass Gardens, but were able to check it out this time - BEAUTIFUL!
- We still love using AllTrails for all of our hiking information! They include maps, distance, difficulty, elevation change, and often even have pictures of what to expect.
- We chose Mount Ranier National Park because it was most "on-our-way" from Seattle to the Oregon Coast. Stop at the trailhead for Carter Falls for some awesome pictures in the river bed with Mt Rainer in the background! We opted for Snow Lake Trail which is a 2.2 mile out & back trail, moderate difficulty level.
Oregon
Best Eats
- Pelican Brewing
- We also packed a lot of our food to cook out the back of our van - including a traditional English breakfast!
- Tillamook Creamery
Our Stops Along the Way
- Drove thru: Astoria
- Stop: Cannon Beach - check out Haystack Rock & the tide pools
- Stay: Nehalem Bay State Park
- Stop: Tillamook Creamery - sign up in advance for a tour of their cheese-making process
- Stop: Yaquina Head Lighthouse
- Drove thru: Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor
Additional Optional Stops
- Hike Cascade Head Trail
- Newport Marina
- Seal Rock
- Thor's Well
- Portland (inland)
- Salem (inland)
- Silver Falls State Park (inland)
- Eugene (inland)
- Toketee Falls (inland)
- Umpqua Hot Springs (inland)
- Crater Lake National Park (inland)
California
Best Eats
- In-N-Out Burger
- Dutch Bros. Coffee
- SeaQuake Brewery (Crescent City)
- Silver's at the Wharf (Fort Bragg)
- North Coast Brewing Co. (Fort Bragg)
- Louie Linguini's (Monterey)
- Fish Hopper (Monterey)
- Dametra Cafe - best lamb shank we've ever had!! (Carmel-by-the-Sea)
- Cottage of Sweets - a traditional British-style sweets shop (Carmel-by-the-Sea)
Our Stops Along the Way
- Stay: Jedediah Smith Redwoods (near Crescent City)
- Hike at Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
- Stout Memorial Grove: 0.7 mile loop trail, easy difficulty level
- Boy Scout Tree Trail: 5.3 mile out & back trail, moderate difficulty level
- These trails were recommended to us by a local park ranger!
- Stop: Glass Beach
- Stay: Fort Bragg - we parked our van in the parking lot between Silver's at the Warf and Anchor Lodge, no problems!
- Drove thru: Point Reyes National Seashore
- Stay: San Francisco (see below for details)
- Stop: Monterey
- Cannery Row
- "17 mile drive" through Pepple Beach
- Stop: Carmel-by-the-Sea
- Enjoy the beach & romantic little town
- Stop: Bixby Bridge
- We parked at the top and hiked (very slowly & carefully) down to the beach below. Much of this was uncharted and consisted of near-vertical rock climbing. Please think carefully before attempting. But, boy, the views along the way and from the bottom were spectacular!
- Stay: Monterey Fairgrounds RV Park
Additional Optional Stops
- Lighthouse Jetty
- Ocean World
- Black Sand Beach
- MacKerricher State Marine Conservation Area
- Kayak at Fort Bragg
- Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens
- Sonoma Valley Wine Tasting - unfortunately, much of Sonoma & Napa were closed due to wildfires so we opted to skip these stops & stick to the coast.
- Point Arena Lighthouse
- Monterey Aquarium
- Scuba Dive at Point Lobos State Natural Reserve - some of the best kelp forest diving on the west coast with lots of natural wildlife!
- Big Sur - due to continued wildfires, we were unable to continue down the coast thru much of Big Sur. We decided to detour inland and went to Yosemite & Sequoia National Parks!
San Francisco
Best Eats
- Chinatown
- Ghirardelli Manufactory (ice cream & chocolate)
- Ferry Plaza Farmers Market: open Tues 10-2, Thurs 10-2, and Sat 8-2
- Tony's Pizzeria in Little Italy
- Fisherman's Warf/Pier 39
- Baked Bear (ice cream sandwiches)
- La Taqueria (Mission District)
Must do, Must see
- Golden Gate Park
- Japanese Tea Garden
- SF Botanical Gardens
- Mosaic Stairs
- Painted Ladies
- Chinatown
- Fortune Cookie Factory Tour
- Union Square Shopping
- Lombard Street
- Coit Tower
- Alcatraz National Park: book your tour in advance!
- Marshall’s Beach
- Landsend Labyrinth
- Lovers Lane
- Palace of the Fine Arts
- Mission Dolores
Tips and Tricks
- Stop at Battery Spencer on your way into SF from the north for picturesque views of the Golden Gate Bridge
- We boondocked off Bay St near the Gough St intersection. Verify the signs for street parking beforehand!
- We used electric bikes to get around most of the city - this was a great challenge, especially up some of the notorious hills! There is also uber/lyft & rental scooters to consider.
Yosemite National Park
Must do, Must see
- Drive thru, hike, and check out viewpoints in the famous Yosemite Valley
- Hike the loop to include Sentinel Dome & Taft Point (great views of Half Dome & El Capitan respectively)
- Hike to Vernal Falls +/- Nevada Falls. There is quite the elevation change associated with these trails so make sure to plan accordingly!
- Hike Half Dome: We were not able to do this hike but I wanted to share some information with you guys in case you are interested! This hike is for very experienced hikers/climbers. The pre-season lottery for permits is typically open in March of each year to hike the 16 mile round trip loop when cables are up on the dome from May to October. The elevation change is about 5,000 ft during which some of the ascent requires climbing cables. There is also a daily lottery that occurs for passes 2 days in advance that you can apply for throughout the year. Do not attempt this hike if you are unprepared or out of shape!
Tips and Tricks
- Campsites inside the park book 6 months in advance! We ended up driving in early that morning from Monterrey and then drove to our campsite in Sequoia late after a full day of hiking. You can also boondock in any National Forest which surround just about every National Park in the US. Be sure to park/camp at least 200 feet away from any road, trail, or water source.
- Due to COVID, Yosemite is requiring day passes to be purchased in advance. They will be selling them online up to 1 week in advance. If you were able to book a campsite, a day pass is not required. As these guidelines are constantly changing, I have attached the link here for the latest updates.
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
Must do, Must see
- General Sherman Tree: hike through the Giant Forest sequoia grove to see the world's largest tree (as measured by volume)
- Hike Moro Rock: 0.5 mile out & back trail, moderate difficulty level
- Hike Marble Falls: 7.4 mile out & back trail, moderate difficulty level
Tips and Tricks
- Campsites here book pretty far in advance as well. We stayed at Sequoia Campground & Lodge; they had showers which were much needed after all these hikes!
- At the time we went, we needed a day pass purchased in advance however, currently they are not requiring such. Be sure to check the NPS website frequently to stay up-to-date!
Los Angeles
Best Eats
Little Tokyo: We recommend Daikokuya for ramen!
Grand Central Market
Egg Slut: breakfast
Pacific Dining Car: iconic steakhouse, reservations required
SUGARFISH by Sushi Nozawa
La Tostaderia: ceviche
El Huarique: peruvian
Berlins: doner kebabs
Whaler: margs & fish tacos
Mezcalero: tacos
Yamashiro Hollywood: Cal-Asian Japanese Sushi
Must do, Must see
Griffith Park & Observatory: hike to the famous “Hollywood” sign, be sure to pack lots of water and avoid the hottest part of the day
Little Tokyo
Hollywood Walk of Fame
Rodeo Drive: luxury shopping
Drive thru Beverly Hills
Venice Beach: bikes, shops, muscle beach, street performers
Santa Monica Pier: more kid friendly than Venice Beach, amusement park, food & shops, end of Route 66 sign, 3 mile walk from Venice Beach, open late
Malibu Beach: quiet & less crowded, surfers, whale watching in winter
Museum Row on Miracle Mile
LA County Museum of Art (LACMA)
Urban Light: 202 restored street lamps
La Brea Tar Pits / George C Page Museum
The Petersen Automotive Museum
Architecture and Design Museum (A+D Museum)
Craft & Folk Art Museum
Miracle Mile Farmers Market for lunch: fresh produce, baked goods, many eateries as well as souvenir shops. This is also a great place to buy artisan goods and gifts
The Broad: contemporary exhibits and modern art collections
Yayoi Kusama installation “Infinity Mirrored Rooms"
Amusement Parks:
Disneyland (+Downtown Disney)
California Adventures
Six Flags
Knott’s Berry Farm
Soak City
Tips and Tricks
- Transportation: LA is full of traffic. Despite this, the best way to get around is by rental car. Try to avoid rush hour times and plan your day geographically to avoid crossing the city multiple times a day.
- We only had one night here (we spent a few extra days at Yosemite instead) and unfortunately did not get to do a lot of the things on this list, much of which was already closed due to COVID. Our favorite parts of what we got to do included the Hollywood sign hike, Santa Monica pier, and little Tokyo.
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