Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 01:41 pm

Have you seen postcard-worthy photos from the USA west coast and told yourself, man, I’m going to go there someday?

Well, today, we want to show you how! In this blog post, we asked a few travel bloggers to highlight their favorite USA’s west coast road trip, especially since some of these hidden treasures are only accessible by road. TIP: A lot of these recommended road trips are only day or weekend-long drives from major big cities on the west coast.

The three states in the US that cover the Pacific coast are California, Oregon, and Washington. So let’s start exploring the best on this west coast drive.

California

San Francisco to Carmel by the Sea

By Priya Vin from Outside Suburbia

One of our favorite West Coast road trips is from San Francisco to the little towns in Northern California and a drive up Highway 1 to Big Sur.  There are many little towns perfect for weekend trips, whether you have two or three days.  During one such trip, we fell in love with the charming seaside town Carmel-by-the-Sea.  It is a quaint village with fairytale cottages, white sand beach, some forests, and natural parklands – no cookie-cutter houses or fast food restaurants here!

Wake up early and walk to the beach, stroll around the village, go on a couple of scenic drives. Drive to Big Sur, have lunch with a view at one of the restaurants where you can see the land meet the ocean and be back to catch the sunset.

The next day, take in the scenery along the 17-Mile Drive in Monterey which takes you through the rugged Pacific coastline (you can see beautiful flowers in Spring and Summer), as it weaves through the Del Monte Forest. Don’t miss getting a picture of the Lone Cypress!

San Francisco to Los Angeles (HWY 1)

By Richa from MyTicklefeet

When it comes to west coast road trips, nothing can beat the gorgeous and most romantic Highway 1. The most popular stretch on the Pacific Coast Highway or Highway 1 road trip is between San Francisco to Los Angeles along the coastal route. You can drive on this highway in either direction; we choose to drive from the north in San Francisco to Los Angeles. 

This drive is best enjoyed if you give yourself at least 3 days to take all the important stops on this road trip. If you have more time it’s even better to can explore the smaller cities on the way such as Monterey, Morro Bay, Solvang, etc. Make sure to check for any road closures on Highway 1 before heading on the road. When we drove this stretch there were major closures in the Big Sur portion of the highway due to mudslides. 

San Francisco to Napa Valley

By Catherine D’Cruz from We Go With Kids

There are so many great road trips in California, and one of our favorites is from San Francisco to Napa.  It’s only about an hour drive, assuming no traffic (which is admittedly omnipresent in the San Francisco region).  We really enjoyed combining the big sights of San Francisco, including the Golden Gate Bridge and Muir Woods with the more rural, rolling hills of Napa.  It’s an easy road trip to take even for a day or overnight.  Just make sure to designate a driver while in Napa.

We traveled from San Francisco to Napa in October, which was harvest time in Napa, and our winery tours highlighted the Fall harvest, and it was the grape stomping season.  With two young boys, we opted for some of the more family-friendly wineries when visiting Napa with kids and particularly recommend Sterling Vineyards for the gondola ride, Andretti Winery for the fountains, Grgich Hills Estates for grape stomping, V. Sattui Winery for sandwiches and Beaulieu Vineyard for our favorite wine.  We can’t wait to visit Northern California again and return to San Francisco and Napa.

San Francisco to Sonoma County

By Victoria from Bridges and Balloons 

Road tripping around Sonoma, California is the perfect way to experience all the county has to offer, from its vineyards to the redwoods to the coast. It’s often chosen as a relaxed alternative to Napa and is home to some of California’s best farm-to-table cuisine. The temperatures are often higher than in San Francisco, so it’s an ideal sunny break.

The whole journey, as a round-trip from San Francisco, is around 300km, which is around four hours on the road, not taking in all the stops. I’d recommend taking at least three days, stopping for one night on the coast (around Jenner), another in the forest (in Guerneville/Forestville) and a final one in the wine towns (Healdsburg is the cutest). Alternatively, you could base yourself in one of those places and take day trips from there. The ideal time to visit is during harvest season in the fall.

Sequoia National Park TO Kings Canyon to Yosemite NP

By Kris from Nomad by Trade

Though road-tripping California’s Pacific Coast Highway is better known, don’t miss a chance to take a trip through the Sierra Nevada mountains on the western side of the state. There you’ll find three National Parks close together that make for an incredibly scenic west coast road trip. We flew into Los Angeles and departed from San Francisco, but you could do it in any order, or look for flights into the much closer, but smaller, Fresno airport.

Start your journey in Sequoia National Park, home to the world’s largest tree by volume and stand in awe of the massive trunk named General Sherman. You may think you’ve seen big trees before, but you’ll stand corrected when you’re in its presence. Adjacent and sort of intertwined with Sequoia are Kings Canyon, National Park. This park also has sequoias, but its main attraction is its namesake Kings Canyon. You can take a winding drive down into the canyon for some spectacular views, waterfalls, and hiking trails.

Your final National Park is Yosemite, which may well be the queen of them all. The famous Yosemite Valley is absolutely spectacular and you’ll be amazed by its famous granite cliffs, the tallest waterfall in North America, and wildlife. Don’t miss Glacier Point, which takes some steep uphill hiking or a drive, because that iconic viewpoint is worth all the effort. You’ll find Yosemite hiking trails for all skill levels, so don’t be intimidated by its reputation.

The best time for this road trip is late spring because most of the roads should be open by then (the road into Kings Canyon and Glacier Point Road in Yosemite among others close for the winter) and the waterfalls will be absolutely roaring with snowmelt. Summer is also a great time, but you’ll be facing higher crowds, and some of the waterfalls like Yosemite Falls will be almost dry by then.

If visiting in winter, be prepared for additional road closures during snowstorms and bring tire chains as they can become mandatory at any time. Regardless of what time of year you visit, be sure to know some basic mountain driving skills as it can be difficult and/or dangerous to try to navigate the winding park roads if you’re not prepared to use your gears to control your speed. If you don’t plan on doing much hiking, you could spend one day each in Sequoia and Kings Canyon and 2-3 days in Yosemite. But if you plan to hit the trails, you should plan to add an extra day or two per park. 

Las Vegas to Yosemite National Park

By Inma from A World to Travel

One of our favorite road trips to date is the route between the city of Las Vegas (state of Nevada) and Yosemite National Park (state of California). This southwest road trip, which can last from two or three days to a week, goes through the wonderful Death Valley (pictured here, and located in southeastern California in the Mojave Desert), one of the hottest places in the world in summer. If you are not a fan of high temperatures or crowds, we advise you to do it in spring or autumn. Otherwise, you will have to deal with the extreme weather of this area in summer and the crowds (and sometimes also forest fires) that ravage Yosemite.

The landscapes that you will find along the way, along with the contrasts of moving from one of the most ‘crazy’ cities in America to the relative calm of Death Valley leave everyone impressed. Enjoy it!

Los Angeles to Santa Barbara and Solvang

By Richa from MyTicklefeet

To catch the best views of cruising along the famous Pacific Coast Highway you don’t have to go too far from Los Angeles. Santa Barbara is about 2.30 hours away from Los Angeles if you avoid LA’s crazy traffic. Make sure you are driving on highway 1 and not highway 101 to get the best coastal views.

Explore the cute little town of Santa Barabara and if you are up for more adventure then drive another hour north to Solvang. You will be pleasantly surprised by this Danish town in the heart of California. They have some of the best pastries in Solvang. And within a few minutes from Solvang is Central California’s wine country – Santa Ynez Valley. We highly recommend stopping by one of the wineries here on your way back to LA.

It can be done as a day trip from LA but I recommend staying overnight in Solvang or Santa Baraba to explore the towns at your leisure. On your way back to LA, we highly recommend stopping at Sandy Dune near Sycamore Cove Beach on Highway 1 to see an epic sunset on this west coast drive.

Palms Springs to San Diego

By Dhara from It’s Not About the Miles

One of the most fun road trips you can do in California is from the desert city of Palm Springs to the coastal city of San Diego. The drive from Palm Springs to San Diego via the Interstate takes just over 2 hours in normal traffic. Thus, while you can definitely make this a trip lasting several days, San Diego is also one of the best day trips from Palm Springs that you can do.

San Diego is a destination where you can spend a day, a weekend, or a week and still have a fabulous vacation. In just one day, you can visit Balboa Park, with its numerous gardens and museums, get some beach time at La Jolla, and fill up on yummy Mexican food. With more time, you can zip down to Mexico, hike in Torrey Pines State Park, and explore the California coast north and south of the city.

While you can do this trip any time of year, I would avoid high summer, when it can be foggy along the California coast, and winter, when it is likely to rain. Spring and fall would, therefore, be my picks for the best times to visit San Diego.

To avoid delays on the Interstate, pick non-peak times to do the drive if you can.

San Diego to Guadalupe Canyon Hot Springs, Mexico

By Jenn and Ed from Coleman Concierge

Imagine off-roading through the Baja wilderness to a hidden hot spring. Does it sound like a dream or a nightmare? What if I told you that this was not only doable but a relatively easy weekend ride from Los Angeles or San Diego?

The achievable adventure factor of this road trip makes it one of the best in all of California (even though you’re technically in Mexico) Guadalupe Canyon Hot Springs is a magical desert oasis that’s perfect for every season.  Each campsite even has a private hot spring piped in from the geothermal head just up the canyon. You can soak in under the stars in the soothing water all weekend, but like most road trips, getting there is half the fun.

The real adventure begins in Mexicali where you pull of I-8 and cross into Mexico on Highway 111. Any time you drive into Mexico, you’ll need Mexican insurance. You can purchase it along the way, but it will be less expensive on-line. Crossing from the US into Mexico is easy, but don’t take produce or meat. Just go grocery shopping in Mexicali for the weekend campout. Make sure you leave Mexicali with a tank full of gas and a cooler full of food on the road to Tecate.  You’ll join up with Highway 2D just outside of town, and three miles later, pull off the road onto Laguna Salada, a dry lake bed. Now the fun begins.

When you make your reservation, they’ll provide a GPS route to you with the turnoff and crossing for the dry lake bed. Any passenger car can make the roughly 45-minute lake bed crossing, but you’ll want a high clearance vehicle to make the final approach into Guadalupe Canyon.  You’ll feel like you’re a thousand miles away, even though you can still see the lights of Mexicali on the horizon. On the way home, we’d suggest continuing down 2D to Tecate and crossing back over there. Tecate has the shortest borderlines of all of the California crossings. We only had two cars in front of us when we returned to America.

Pacific Northwest (Oregon & Washington)

Portland to Columbia River Gorge

By Richa from MyTicklefeet

Portland is a perfect starting point for a bunch of road trips in Oregon. One such road trip is from Portland to Columbia River gorge chasing waterfalls along the way. This can be done as a day trip from Portland or add an overnight stop in Hood River if you are extending the trip to explore Mt. Hood region.

Columbia River Gorge is home to a number of waterfalls but unfortunately due to the damages caused by the forest fires of 2017 some of them are inaccessible. Not to worry, you can still visit Oregon’s most popular waterfall – Multnomah Falls as well as a few other Portland waterfalls in the gorge. In addition to waterfalls, there are a ton of easy to moderate hikes that you can do in Columbia River Gorge. One such hike we did through the Columbia Gorge forest was the Latourell Falls loop hike.

Oregon Loop road trip

By Michelle from Roam Redmond Oregon

In this “Best of Oregon Loop,” you’ll see the fertile Willamette Valley, impressive Columbia River Gorge, snowcapped Cascade mountains, high desert in Central Oregon, scenic wine country, and rugged Pacific Coast. While the trip can be done in a minimum of 3 days (there are less than 11 hours of driving time), it is better enjoyed over one or two weeks. For the best weather, visit between June and September.

You can start your trip in Portland, Oregon’s largest and most popular city, and home to its major airport. Then head East on I-84 through the Colombia River Gorge to the trendy windsurfing town of Hood River. Stop by local apple farms as you drive South through Mt. Hood National Forest and pass even more mountain peaks on your way to the high desert of Central Oregon.

Oregon’s high desert is ideal for outdoor adventure activities, from river rafting to mountain biking. Next, make your way back over the mountain range to Silver Falls State Park. Here, you can enjoy 10+ waterfalls on one trail – and even walk behind two of the falls! Continuing back into the Willamette Valley, you can explore Oregon wine country.

Finally, continue West just one hour to reach the Oregon Coast. Climb the sand dunes at Pacific City and stop at the Tillamook Cheese factory on your way back to Portland.

Portland to Seattle

By Melissa from Roux Roamer

On a good day or if you time it just right, leaving around 10 am it takes about two and a half hours to drive from Portland to Seattle (or vice versa). If the traffic is bad or you miss the “good traffic window” then it can add an hour or more. If biking is your thing, then you should check out the STP ride that happens every July because let’s be honest the PNW is beautiful in July.

A good place to stop for lunch is in Kalama or in Centralia at a McMenamin’s. It’s a local “chain” that’s always a fun experience for people new to the area.

If you’re ready for some amazing hiking and scenery, traveling in the summer, I highly recommend you detour to Mt Rainier National Park. You won’t regret seeing Paradise in the National Park. Mt St Helens is also a great detour.

Crater Lake, OR to Cape Flattery, WA 

By Sara from Our Kind of Crazy 

If you’ve ever driven up the West Coast, you’re probably already familiar with all the amazing beach stops along the way. One road trip we think is highly underrated is the drive from Crater Lake in Oregon, to Cape Flattery in Washington. Crater Lake is just a few hours off the coast and is a stop worth your while. This lake is the deepest lake in the United States.

After you check out the lake, you can head up the coast stopping along some of the beaches along the scenic route. Thor’s Well is a great stop on the way. It’s a natural wonder that looks like a bottomless sinkhole draining the sea. And be sure to stop at Spouting Horn or Cook’s Chasm where you can watch a blowhole over the cliffs. You’ll end your drive in Cape Flattery, Washington, the Northeastern most point of the United States. Be sure to take the walkout to the point, where you can get some amazing views. This road trip is best done in around 4 days or so, depending on how slow you want to take it. 

Wow, those are some incredible recommendations!  We sure do hope this post gave a little kick to your driving shoes.

If you liked this post then don’t forget to inspire your friends and family by sharing it with them.

Happy Road Trippin’!