Highway 101 west of Portland

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Kevin Means

Kevin Means

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We're planning a trip this summer to Nehalem Bay State Park in Oregon, which is right off highway 101 west of Portland. I know that some parts of 101 aren't well suited for large RVs, but I don't know about 101 in that area. I was hoping someone here was familiar enough with the area to help me select the most suitable route. Our motorhome is 43 feet long and we'll have a toad. We'll be coming from the south, but I don't mind driving through Portland, going west on 26, then south on 101, but if there was a better route, I'm all ears. Thanks

Kev
 
You won't have any problem with 101 north of SF. There are some twisty sections so you will need to slow down and take your time. We prefer it north to south for the best views, they are spectacular.
 
Pretty far south Lou... we'll be coming from San Diego. I'd love to take the 101, I just don't which parts of it are suitable for big rigs that are towing. That's good to know Roy, thanks.

Kev
 
You'll travel a little slower than taking the super slab all the way to Portland, but 101 is a nice drive even south of SF and is spectacular along the Oregon coast. It's a federal road and its 2 lane stretches have 12 ft. wide lanes and shoulders its entire length.  CA route 1 is what you want to avoid with a large RV.

The only sticky part is going through San Francisco, the trick there is to time your trip to avoid the morning and afternoon commutes.  Take Interstate 280 north from San Jose and 19th Ave. (Ca 1) through S.F.  to the Golden Gate Bridge.  I-280 travels along the ridge line and misses most of the Bay Area cities.  19th Ave. is a flat 6 lane boulevard, just stay in the middle lane and you'll be fine.  The Golden Gate Bridge has no toll northbound, southbound is like the southern CA toll roads - you either have to prepay the toll on their website or they'll mail you a reminder.

Pacifica RV Park S.F. RV Resort in Pacifica to the south or Marin RV Park in Greenbrae to the north are good bases if you want to spend a day or two exploring the S.F. area in your toad.  Of the two, Marin will have the warmer weather, Pacifica is in the fog belt.  They're both basically just parking lots but good overnight stops.
 
We drove 101 this summer from Crescent City to Hwy 20 where we turned off to catch I-5. (did NOT want to drive through the Bay Area.) It was perfectly fine for our 30' Class A.
On the way home, we also drove 101 from Brookings, Oregon all the way into Washington. The only problems we had were (a) the wind...it was blowing so hard, it seemed like the only time we were on the road was when we were going across it...otherwise, good road...and (b) I missed a turn in some small town. Ended up on a tiny farm road...where we finally turned around at a dairy farm  :-[
Otherwise, it's a decent road...and well suited for RV''s...as long as you're not in a hurry to get to your destination. (besides...IMO, the trip is always as important as the destination...maybe more so)
 
Hey Kev, look back at my Western Trips blog from earlier this year. There were a few parts of Hwy 1 that I wouldn't advise MH travel, especially in your size.  101 was good most of the time though.
 
I've travelled it from north of the Astoria bridge (WA to OR over the Columbia) to SF. I'm also 43' and tow a full size Chevrolet PU. You'll love the spot in the redwoods where the trees roots are cracking the fog line on the road because the trunk of the 3' diameter tree is 6" (inches, not feet) off the road. But that's not a length problem it's a width problem. I've done it twice in the last 2 years, no problem for you to do it too.

Ken
 
That's Armstrong Redwoods State Park, south of the Avenue of the Giants scenic byway.  One or two trees, with reduced speed limit and warning signs for less than 1/4 mile.
 
I've driven 101 from the Olympic Peninsula to LA.  The only parts I think you need to be concerned about are going through the San Francisco Bay area and going through the LA area. Much of the highway is scenic, and you will need to slow down for curves, small towns, and traffic. The redwoods are the windiest, but also some of the most beautiful scenery. I don't think you will have any problem on account of the size of your rig. Just try to hit LA and SF at sometime other than rush hour. I avoid Sunday on 101 in SoCal. Everybody is on the road on Sunday. They must go back to work on Monday to rest up for the next weekend of driving!  :eek:
 
Regarding getting through the Bay Area you can also take 580 out of San Jose through the East Bay and then hookup with Hwy 37 which will hook up with 101 just south of Novato. We stayed at Novato RV park which was much nicer than Marin RV park, though both are typically a bit tight. And Novato being about 30 miles north of the GG bridge.

We stopped in Cloverdale, Eureka (hated Redwood Acres RV park) and Gold Beach (Turtle Rock RV park). Nehalem Bay State park and the town of Manzanita is very enjoyable but lots of kids during summer months.
 
BTW, the Avenue of the Giants Scenic Byway north of Garberville is a length of the old road that's been bypassed by the freeway.  It winds along the river at the bottom of a canyon and has some of the most spectacular redwood trees in existence.  You can drive the Avenue in the motorhome without issue, but you'll be limited to seeing the trees through the windshield.  There are several pullouts and parking areas with walking trails winding through the big trees, but most if not all of the parking areas are too small for a motorhome and toad.

If you have the time, make the Benbow Valley RV Park one of your stops and drive the Avenue in your toad.  It was originally owned by Trailer Life publisher Art Rouse and is now a KOA.
 
That road is regularly traveled by logging trucks. I'm pretty sure your RV wouldn't have any trouble.  8)
 
Kev


I don't know how much time you have but it takes awhile to travel the coast all the way to WA. We have spent a week seeing 101 from LA to the Bay Area and didn't dawdle much. A couple of years ago we spent a month from SFO to Portland but we were in retirement mode, the Oregon coast will consume a week on vacation. And those times do not include the time we have spent in SFO, the wine country around Napa and Sonoma, Portland, or other side trips off the coast.


Incidentally Route 26  is one of the easier ways to get on/off the coast if you are headed directly to Newhalem Bay.
 
Chet,
I remember that occasion and thanks to being crowned by the RV forum Moab group in Bryce Canyon to King as being the oldest active forum 4-wheel driver so I was surrounded by all my followers to change my tire with their power tools'

Ardra, I will be lurking on the forum to follow your adventures. We will miss you and Jerry.

Jeff.
We love to see you and Sue when you visit the Bay area

chris & Mimy
 
Last summer we drove 101 from Port Angeles, WA to Brookings, OR with no problems any where. Its a beautiful drive. We spent about a month and a half on that route. We ended up in Brookings and had to head back north for the FMCA rally in Redmond. We couldn't go in to California anyway, we left our passports home.  ;D
 
Kevin, retirement???  How long will you be traveling?  While I-5 up through Yreka can be a loooong drive, once you're in Oregon, things green up quite a bit and the ride is quite enjoyable.  I wouldn't rule out I-5 if you have limited time. 
 
Kevin Means said:
We're planning a trip this summer to Nehalem Bay State Park in Oregon, which is right off highway 101 west of Portland. I know that some parts of 101 aren't well suited for large RVs, but I don't know about 101 in that area. I was hoping someone here was familiar enough with the area to help me select the most suitable route. Our motorhome is 43 feet long and we'll have a toad. We'll be coming from the south, but I don't mind driving through Portland, going west on 26, then south on 101, but if there was a better route, I'm all ears. Thanks

Kev
Click to expand...

I've taken your route and it's fine, but I would recommend Rt 22 west from Salem to RT 18 to the coast then north. Just watch your GPS through Salem and across the bridge. You might even look at Google earth of the area. If your tired on the way out the is a Casino (Spirit Mountain) with nice RV parking after 22 joins 18. Other than negotiating Salem, this is a nice route. I've take this route many times.
 
Thanks for the suggestion Ken, I'll look into that route. It sounds like 101 would be a great way to go from the bay area, but It'll have to wait until I've got more time. Nice to know it's doable in a big rig though. Yeah Gary, I technically "retired" but I'm gone so much in my "part time" consulting job that sometimes I barely have time to get my shirts cleaned and exercise the generator between trips. It's great money but be careful what you ask for...

Kev
 
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