hi way 101

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mn blue skies II

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Mar 18, 2014
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Minnesota
Planing a west coast trip want travel thru Oregon.  Is the 101 the best route and coming from Idaho where is the best place to start and head north.  We will be pulling a 5er. 
 
mn blue skies II said:
Planing a west coast trip want travel thru Oregon.  Is the 101 the best route and coming from Idaho where is the best place to start and head north.  We will be pulling a 5er.
US-101 along the Oregon coast is a wonderful scenic drive.  It is slow driving though.  More details about what your plans are.  "Travel through Oregon" could be a 3 day drive or 6 weeks.
 
Hi, where in Idaho are you starting from And how long are you gojngbto be months road?

We drove down the 101 in 2016 and it was mostly a good road.

Are you planning on stopping in Oregon? I would highly recommend John Day Fossil Beds, Bend/Sisters and if you have time go to Crater Lake.

Oregon coast - some info we gleaned on our trip and in no particular order (you have probably done your homework and know about these places so apologies if I am telling you what you already know)....

We were driving south and got as far as Gold Beach (Jerry's Jet Mailboats is a fantastic day out). 

We stayed at William M Tugman State Park near Winchester Bay, nice park, lots of spaces and relatively quiet. Between Coos Bay and this state park are some of the largest sand dunes on the coast. I'd recommend spending time on the dunes if you are adventurous.  Rental places near the dunes.  There are other dunes to the north but not as nice.

Winchester Bay has a huge public RV Park which is really cheap but no hookups (if remember correctly), but there is water and dump station and all concrete.  At the right time of year, great fishing here, we watched a guy land a huge salmon from the shore.

There are a lot of state parks on this coast, a lot of them have walk ins. 

Beverly Beach is a popular one I believe, you walk under the road to the beach.

You c?n watch the whales from lots of places up the coast and Depoe Bay has a few resident Gray whales and does boat trips. 

There's a place to watch the sea lions called the Sea Lion Caves, we didn't do it but it looked popular.  Also look out for the Devil's Churn.

Cape Lookout State Park is really nice and right on the beach.  We went crabbing at Netarts Bay and stayed in Netarts Bay Garden RV Resort which was nice, before we saw the State Park.  Tillamook is nearby.  Watch for some lumpy bits of road around this area, may be tree roots.

Cape Meares is nice too.  Bayocean Peninsula is great to go walking along the beach and has an interesting history.  Nehalem and Manzanita also beautiful.

Cannon Beach was a very popular place, its a lovely town.  Ecola State Park worth a visit.

There are several beaches to collect agates and a few with good rockpools.

Cape Blanco was one of the most beautiful State Parks but when we were there the dump station was not available.

Bandon beach and the surrounding area is really nice.

Lots of lighthouses to see, Yaquina Head really lovely.

We also drove into Washington past Astoria up to Long Beach and Oysterville, we just missed out on a car rally with all the old hot rods.

It would be impossible to say which place was best.  Oregon is all pretty incredible.

You'll have a fantastic time.




 
SeilerBird said:
I much prefer highway 1 to 101 and I used to live virtually underneath 101 in Ventura for ten years.

Highway 1 joins the 101 at Leggett I think Tom. Highway 1 in CA is awesome too.
 
Head to Portland, take I5 north to Longview, WA, cut across the bridge back to Oregon.  Follow west to Astoria.  From there 101 south as far as you want to go.  101 at least i  Oregon is best traveled north to south.  All the turn outs will be on your right, no crossing traffic and all the scenery will be on the right.
This allows you to stop and see the Columbia river and the waterfalls at their best before your coast experience.  Remember summers on the coast are extremely busy, so reservstions are strongly recomended.
 
Coming out of Idaho we were thinking of heading south to Newport Or. and then heading north to Seattle and then into Canada.  is this a good RV road and are there any places to sight see.  I have not been to Seattle in 50 years and want to see the pacific. 
 
Like I said earlier, reverse your plan.  South on 101 is the best trip.  Why znewportz.  The south coast is so much nicer.
 
The Oregon coast is the Pacific at it's best. Why not consider Canada first? You could then take I-5 to Burlington then go west to Coupeville and take the ferry to Port Townsend. From there south to (I believe) 12 and follow it to Astoria. That way you miss the madness through Seattle.
 
mn blue skies II said:
Coming out of Idaho we were thinking of heading south to Newport Or. and then heading north to Seattle and then into Canada.  is this a good RV road and are there any places to sight see.  I have not been to Seattle in 50 years and want to see the pacific.
"Is this a good RV Road."  That is a very subjective question.  The road is a normal width road with good center stripes.  Very little pave shoulders.  The road does wind and twist with some ups and downs with curves.  Nothing too steep, but some 5% grades for a half a mile distances.  Much of the road as very little areas to pass, although there are some center lane passing zones. 

I have driven this area in my 29' Class A pulling a toad w/o a problem.  It is just slow driving. 

I would suggest going to Eugene, and then SR-126 over to Florence then following US-101 north.

In Washington, be sure to visit the Olympic Peninsula to see the coast and the rain forests. 

Plan on 2-3 weeks to travel from Florence to Astoria with several day stops every 50 miles or so.  Lots to see and do. 
 
Consider spending time along the southern Oregon coast.  If you dip into Northern California you will experience the magnificant Redwoods.
 
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