USA Westcoast Route

We spent 3 months on our road trip along the coast. Washington, Oregon, and California – three completely different states. Dense forests, babbling rivers, sand dunes, mountains, beaches, and dry desert regions. You’ll experience it all here! To make sure your trip is a success, here are a few general tips:

Prices

If you’re going on a road trip along this coast, you should be prepared not only for changing weather but also for varying prices. While Washington and Oregon are often moderate and affordable – especially since Oregon doesn’t have sales tax – California is significantly more expensive.
Here, fuel, accommodation, and groceries can quickly add up, particularly in big cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Fuel

These price differences are especially noticeable when it comes to fuel. California had the most expensive fuel we encountered: 1 gallon of diesel (3.8 L) cost $6.60 (about €1.70/L). In Washington, 1 gallon of diesel cost around $4.30 (€1.13/L). The cheapest fuel we found was in Oregon, where 1 gallon of diesel was $3.60 (€0.95/L).

National Parks

If you plan on visiting national parks and staying at campgrounds, you should book early. Campsites are often fully booked months in advance.

Wild Camping / Boondocking

But just because campgrounds are full doesn’t mean you have to skip the national parks. Many national parks are surrounded by national forests or BLM land. Camping here is legal and often free or much cheaper if you stay at USFS (United States Forest Service) campgrounds.

Washington – Natural Wonders and City Vibes

Our road trip started in the beautiful state of Washington, also known as the Evergreen State. The San Juan Islands, a quiet archipelago that serves as a counterpart to Vancouver Island, were our first stop, as you can see orcas here from June to September – even from the shore! After that, we headed to the Mt. Baker Wilderness with its stunning mountain landscapes, which were still covered in snow in June. Then we continued on to North Cascades National Park, one of the most dog-friendly national parks (if not the most dog-friendly), since much of the park is actually national forest, making hiking with dogs easy. Of course, hiking without a dog is also possible. Our favorite hike was the one to Blue Lake – absolutely breathtaking, though even in June, there’s still snow. Our personal highlight in Washington was the Mount St. Helens area, an active volcano (unlike Mount Baker) that we even got to hike inside! A lava tube is accessible, and it was a very unique experience – a bit of a hidden gem!

We didn’t visit Seattle because we were more drawn to Washington’s nature. Another highlight we skipped was Olympic National Park because we felt the rainforests of Vancouver Island are quite similar. However, if you’re unfamiliar with them, Olympic National Park is definitely worth a visit.

Oregon – Untamed Coasts and Hot Springs

From Washington, we continued to Oregon, where we celebrated the 4th of July. Oregon is especially famous for its wild coastline, so we visited Astoria, which has a small film museum. Oregon has many filming locations, so for movie buffs, Astoria is a must.
Did you know that the movie The Goonies was filmed in Astoria?
Another filming location was Ecola State Park, which is attractive not only for movie fans. The view of the coast from here is especially beautiful! But honestly, almost all of Oregon’s coastline is scenic. Some particularly noteworthy spots along the coast include: Sunset Beach (camping on the beach), Cannon Beach (a particularly beautiful and expansive beach), Cape Lookout State Park (a long peninsula with plenty of space for a beach day), and of course, the sand dunes!
The Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area is just a small part of the sprawling dune landscape that stretches from Florence to Coos Bay. Some parts are protected, while others are open for ATVs (4x4 vehicles), so off-road enthusiasts will have a great time here. We then headed inland, intending to relax at the Umpqua Hot Springs. Unfortunately, we ended up driving into a large wildfire area, so we couldn’t enjoy the hot springs or visit Crater Lake National Park.

However, we did visit the Soda Mountain Wilderness, and Jo ventured out solo with a tent for the first time, hiking a small section of the well-known Pacific Crest Trail.

California – From Giant Trees to Surf Spots

In California, we started with the Redwood National Park, where we were awed by the gigantic trees. These are the tallest trees in the world. The Trinity Alps Wilderness is a real hidden gem that not even all Californians know about. We did a three-day hike there that absolutely blew us away! In Napa Valley, we visited a small farm and tasted delicious wine and (this is for all the nerds out there) saw the “Windows XP hill.” Do you remember the background image of a green hill? That hill is in Napa Valley – although it’s now a vineyard, but still looks pretty!

San Francisco was an absolute must – the Golden Gate Bridge, Little Italy with its enticing aromas, and the hilly streets all impressed us. We were glad our van fit into a monitored parking garage, as San Francisco has a reputation for car break-ins. Mavericks, the beach known for its giant waves, wasn’t too spectacular when we visited, as the winter storms hadn’t hit yet, so the sea was calm. But if you’re there at the right time, don’t miss it!
A relaxing end awaited us in Santa Barbara, a charming town before L.A. with a Spanish flair that really gives off vacation vibes. Afterward, we continued to Los Angeles, spending much time by the sea where Georg went surfing. Amazingly, dolphins swam close to the shore every day – but be careful, there are sharks here too! Since we’d already mentioned film fans in Washington, a studio tour in L.A. was a must. We chose the Warner Bros. tour and really enjoyed it. Of course, a walk along the Walk of Fame was also part of the experience.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t visit everything and missed Yosemite National Park, Lake Tahoe, and Mammoth Lakes.
However, we did visit Death Valley and drove through the lowest point in the U.S. (-80 meters). It was a pretty cool feeling!

What’s next?

After our road trip along the West Coast, we’ll head through Utah to Yellowstone National Park. We also plan to visit New Mexico and Arizona before heading to Mexico in December. We don’t have a set route, just a lot of points on our map that we want to see – though we know we won’t be able to visit them all!