Road Trip: Portland, OR - San Francisco, CA

SWMBO and I are taking a road trip next weekend to San Francisco. We're trying to decide if we take the boring quicker route of I-5 all the way down or do we enjoy it and taker the longer scenic route down US-101? Has anyone done this ride before?

Right now I think we are heading out sometime Thursday Morning. Don't NEED to be in San Fran till later Friday evening (Outsidelands Festival in Golden Gate Park, Anyone else going?).

I have done both. I always thought I-5 out of Portland was a pretty nice ride until Redding. After that the drive is flat but you can make time.

We took the highway from Redding to the coast and then South on 101 which was pretty nice.

I've made both trips many times and much prefer 101 if you have the time. Cut over at Grants Pass to Crescent City. Drive through the redwoods especially Avenue of the Giants. Alot of breweries along this route all the way to San Fransisco as well. Lost Coast, Mad River, Eel River, Six Rivers, Bear Republic, Russian River, Stumptown, Moylan's, Marin, Lagunitas...the list goes on.

Blender said:

I have done both. I always thought I-5 out of Portland was a pretty nice ride until Redding. After that the drive is flat but you can make time.

We took the highway from Redding to the coast and then South on 101 which was pretty nice.

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I agree the trip is ok from portland to Redding. I hate the trip from Redding south.

Brewtopia said:

I've made both trips many times and much prefer 101 if you have the time. Cut over at Grants Pass to Crescent City. Drive through the redwoods especially Avenue of the Giants. Alot of breweries along this route all the way to San Fransisco as well. Lost Coast, Mad River, Eel River, Six Rivers, Bear Republic, Russian River, Stumptown, Moylan's, Marin, Lagunitas...the list goes on.

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101 through the Giants is KILLER its a must see but from portland to frisco on 101 is 3 maybe 4 days to enjoy it.. most of it is 35-40 MPH its a windy MO-FO.
Cheers enjoy the ride.
JJ

Never done it, but since moving to Eugene 3 weeks ago we have been thinking about it. I would much prefer 101. In any event, let us know what ya did and how it went.

We just did 101 a few weeks ago (with a side trip out to 1) and it was great. If you have the time, go 101. Unless you have a lot of time, I don't recommend going over to 1 (which runs along the coast), it looks close on the map but it's up and over coastal mountains so you can't go much more than 15mph. 101 is great though.

Many times, both ways. I5 is boring, but it can be done in 12 hours.

Since you have two days, do the 101. If you are a hophead, you MUST stop at Bear Republic. They just might have some RacerX on tap.

Brewtopia said:

Alot of breweries along this route all the way to San Fransisco as well. Lost Coast, Mad River, Eel River, Six Rivers, Bear Republic, Russian River, Stumptown, Moylan's, Marin, Lagunitas...the list goes on.

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You had me at breweries...HA....

We make it to Marin on the I-5 route in about 9 hours. The 101 is WAY cooler but will take you two days. I would go down I-5 a ways and then cut over, the cool part is really the Redwoods. If I had time, I'd go down to Grants pass and take 199 over to the coast, then down.

Like others have said, 101 is beautiful and gets you away from the boring stretch of desolation that is I-5. Not as bad as say I-80 through the Nevada desert, but it's a long stretch of nothing but rice fields for hours.

If it were me, and I could take a while to drive down...here's what I'd do.

1. I-5 from Portland to Redding
2. Hwy 299 from Redding to Eureka and get on Hwy 101. Do yourself a favor, and take a short detour up to Six Rivers Brewing. Once you get to 101, go north for about 10 minutes to McKinleyville. Nice place, with a view of the ocean in the distance, and more importantly a killer Kona Porter.

3. Head south on 101 down to Eureka, and you'll see the Lost Coast Brewery on the west side of the road. Nice old building with some pool tables in the back and some pub fare. Definitely try the 8 Ball Stout and the Downtown Brown.

4. Head south on 101 to Fortuna, where you can visit the Eel River Brewing Co.. They've got a nice patio, some good organic beers, and an appetizer of Calamari steaks that are to die for. Don't forget to throw a few horseshoes!

5. If you want to get a taste of Hwy 1, take it West towards the coast around the town of Leggett. Lots of windy turns here, so if you get queasy it may not be for you. However, if you endure the windy stretch of road you'll be rewarded with fantastic views of the rugged N. CA coast...and it will take you into Ft. Bragg, the home of the North Coast Brewing Co.. They make some fantastic food there, and have some glorious belgians and strong beers on tap, as well as a good wheat and pilsner.

6. Heading south on Hwy 1, you'll come to the turnoff to Hwy 128. This takes you through Anderson Valley which is just a beautiful drive. As a bonus, in Boonville just off the highway is the Anderson Valley Brewing Co.. Nice place to stop for a sample, a pint or a few bottles for later.

7. Keep heading south on 128 and this will eventually lead you back onto 101 just north of Cloverdale. At this point, there are all sorts of wineries about, and you are very close to Santa Rosa where you could hit Russing River Brewing.

8. South of Santa Rosa on Hwy 101 is Petaluma, where you can visit the folks at Lagunitas.

9. Just keep going south until you cross the Golden Gate bridge...and go to Anchor Brewing!

EDIT: Google maps shows me: 445 mi – about 9 hours 17 mins from Redding -> SF via the route I describe. Totally worth it though...just get a hotel room in Eureka or Ft. Bragg.

My wife and I did the 101 from Eugene to San Francisco when we were moving back from Eugene and it was a blast. We took about a week on that stretch camping in the red woods and the beach along the way. I would highly recommend it.

TwoHeadsBrewing said:

5. If you want to get a taste of Hwy 1, take it West towards the coast around the town of Leggett. Lots of windy turns here, so if you get queasy it may not be for you.

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This is the understatement of the year. It's basically 2 hours of turning your steering wheel hard to the left, then hard to the right, then hard to the left (careful now, don't fall off due to lack of guardrail), then hard to the right...rinse...repeat. (It was totally worth it though )

TwoHeadsBrewing said:

8. South of Santa Rosa on Hwy 101 is Petaluma, where you can visit the folks at Lagunitas.

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Just a quick note, Lagunitas is only open to the public from 3pm to 4pm for their tour and tasting and it is kinda hidden in an industrial park. That said, it is totally worth it, they are really nice there, they make awesome beer, and the tour was actually one of the better ones I've been on because it wasn't all pretentious (plus I got to talk homebrew with the owner, very cool).

OK, I think we're going to hit I-5 to Grants pass then cut over to 101 so we can go through the redwoods. Plan is to hit Eureka the first night. Maybe go to Lost Coast or Eel River.

Google says it's about 4hours to San Fran from there. We don't need to be anywere till about 5 on Friday...is there anywhere between Eureka and San Fran that is a MUST see? Don't think Lagunitas is gonna work with only 1 hour available for touring, though I'd love to hit them up.

Kilted Brewer said:

OK, I think we're going to hit I-5 to Grants pass then cut over to 101 so we can go through the redwoods. Plan is to hit Eureka the first night. Maybe go to Lost Coast or Eel River.

Google says it's about 4hours to San Fran from there. We don't need to be anywere till about 5 on Friday...is there anywhere between Eureka and San Fran that is a MUST see? Don't think Lagunitas is gonna work with only 1 hour available for touring, though I'd love to hit them up.

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If you can only hit one place in Eureka area, I'd hit Lost Coast. It's a fun place, and they usually have a nice selection. If you've already had a lot of their beers before, I'd go to Eel River.

Now must see place between Eureka and San Fran? Man, there is too much good stuff between those two points on the map! Here's what I would do, especially if I were going with my wife. Go down 101 and take the exit for the Avenue of the Giants...it's a beautiful drive through some amazing old growth redwoods. Then keep going south on 101 until you hit Hwy 20, and take that West to Ft. Bragg. Ft. Bragg is an OK town, but North Coast brewing is amazing for beverages and has a great menu. If you go south of Ft. Bragg on Hwy 1, there is an adorable little town called Mendocino that has tons of good shopping and a great view of the ocean. After that take Hwy 1 south to Hwy 128, and take that east back to 101. It's a great drive down the coast, then by the Navarro River, and finally through Anderson Valley.

I would also recommend North Coast in Ft. Bragg (Mendocino is also nice but a little too cute for me), only issue there is that it is going to make your drive time significantly longer due to the winding road that is Hwy 1.