(Last Updated On: May 3, 2024)

I lived in Northern California and Oregon and made the commute MANY a time and shared a general guide of the must see areas! And I’m back with a full San Francisco to Portland Road Trip itinerary thanks to all your requests. Here I break down the best places to see on your road trip along the coast and include many local gems that you might have missed. I’m excited to share this!

If you haven’t checked out my original post that I’m referencing, find it here: Ultimate Northern California Oregon Road Trip Itinerary where I link many resources for each location for more specific planning details.

San Francisco to Portland Road Trip

In this San Francisco to Portland Road Trip Itinerary I break down the destinations into 9 days to best enjoy and see these locations. You can absolutely speed through this a bit faster if you’re on a tighter deadline. And if you’re starting in Portland, just reverse it!

Day 1: San Francisco to Avenue of the Giants

• Drive Time: around 5+ hours depending on traffic
• Where to Stop: Founders Grove, Shrine Drive Through Tree, Avenue of the Giants Scenic Byway
• Where to Stay: Burlington Campground, Benbow Historic Inn, Scotia Lodge, Humboldt Redwoods State Park Campground

Optional Add On: Mendocino to Fort Bragg

A lot of you asked about detouring from Highway 101 to Highway 1 and generally I wouldn’t recommend it if you are on a tight timeline. The roads are much slower going, and are decently out of the way. HOWEVER, if you have the time (I would budget a full extra day at least), do check out Mendocino and Fort Bragg.

• Drive Time: San Francisco to Mendocino is 3.5 hours
• Where to Stop: Redwood Canoe Rental, Glass Beach, Mendocino Skunk Train and Rail Bikes, Mendocino Headlands State Park, North Coast Brewing, Downtown Fort Bragg, Downtown Mendocino, Pomo Bluffs
• Where to Stay: Little Elk Treehouse, Inns of Mendocino, Beachcomber Motel, Mendocino Grove, Mendocino Headlands Campground

Day 2: Eureka, Arcata, & Trinidad California

Depending on your timeline, you could definitely push for more time in this area. There are a lot of stunning beaches with essentially no one there and I fell in love with this area when I lived here.

• Drive Time From Avenue of the Giants: 1 hour
• Where to Stop: Sequoia Park, Sequoia Redwoods Skywalk, Humboldt Bay Social Club, Samoa Dunes, Sue Meg State Park, Luffenholtz Beach, Moonstone Beach, Houda Point, Wedding Rock, College Cove, Septentrio Winery, Cafe Mokka Finnish Saunas and Hot Tubs
• Where to Stay: The Front Porch Inn, Carter House Inns, Humboldt Bay Social Club

Day 3: Redwoods National Park & Crescent City, CA

• Drive Time from Eureka: 2 hours
• Where to Stop: Fern Canyon, Damnation Creek, Crescent Beach Overlook, Enderts Beach, Seaquake Brewing, Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park, Howland Hill Road, Battery Point Lighthouse
• Where to Stay: Ramblin Redwoods Campground, Redwood Treehouse Airbnb, Sunset Sanctuary

Day 4: Brookings, OR & Samuel H Boardman Scenic Drive

Welcome to Oregon! This stretch has some incredible coastal landscapes that are definitely worth stopping at. And most of them are pretty short hikes or walk up viewpoints.

• Drive Time from Crescent City, CA: 1 hour
• Where to Stop: Natural Bridges, Whaleshead Beach, Secret Beach, Myers Creek Beach
• Where to Stay: Harris Beach State Park Campground, Blue Bird Treehouse Airbnb, Mermaid’s Muse Bed and Breakfast

San Francisco to Portland Road Trip | Day 5: Floras Lake State Natural Area & Bandon, OR

• Drive Time from Brookings: 2 hours
• Where to Stop: Blacklock Point Trail, Face Rock Scenic Viewpoint, Bullards Beach State Park, Old Town Bandon
• Where to Stay: Bullards Beach State Park Campground and Yurts, Lamplighter Inn, Bandon Inn OR if you can snag a last minute cancellation Heartland Treehouse is such a unique experience

Day 6: Oregon Dunes & Florence, OR

• Drive Time from Bandon: 1.5 hours
• Where to Stop: John Dellenback Dunes Trail, Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic Viewpoint, Cape Creek Bridge, Sea Lion Caves, Sand Master Sandboarding, South Jetty Beaches
• Where to Stay: Driftwood Shores Resort, Siltcoos Hideaway, South Jetty Sand Camping

Day 7: Cape Kiwanda & Pacific City

• Drive Time from Florence: 2.5 hours
• Where to Stop: Neskowin Beach (on the way!), Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area, Pelican Brewing (beers/food with great ocean views!), Tillamook creamery tour, the day use parking for pacific city beach has some of my favorite views! grab something from Stimulus coffee and bakery and enjoy the views.
• Where to Stay: Headlands Coastal Lodge and Spa, Hart’s Camp Airstream Hotel or check out this incredible treehouse airbnb I stayed in!

SF to Portland Day 8: Oswald West State Park & Cannon Beach

• Drive Time from Pacific City: 1.5 hours
• Where to Stop: Cape Falcon Hike, Elk Flats Trail, Hug Point State Recreation, Sunset at Haystack Rock, downtown Cannon Beach.
• Where to Stay: Inn at Haystack Rock, Inn at Cannon Beach, Webb’s Scenic Surf, Wright’s for Camping

FINAL STOP: Portland!

From Cannon Beach its an easy 1.5 hours to Portland, OR. If you’re sticking around Portland I recommend checking out these guides I have:

• Ultimate Waterfall Guide for Portland
• 20 Best Oregon Photo Spots
• Ultimate Oregon Loop Road Trip

Conclusion: San Francisco to Portland road trip

I hope this breakdown helps you plan your ultimate Northern California Oregon road trip up the coast! This makes for a pretty packed itinerary, so you may want to cut out the spots that don’t interest you as much. OR just do this trip multiple times like I have haha. AGAIN – if you want more information on each destination head to the original post HERE. Let me know if you have any questions 🙂

Share and Save for Later! Thanks for your support!