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We are planning to take a trip to the Redwoods this year and wonder which is the best road to travel from Washington to Crescent City, CA? I5 seems good but as you get further down the mountains seem larger and my husband doesn't like driving narrow roads between mountains. I see 199 heads to the coast to intersect 101. If we take the coastal road it might take longer but would keep us out of winding mountain roads. Does someone have experience with either of these routes? Thanks.
Unfortunately, 199 is the very definition of a winding mountain road. Going back, you'll be used to it. Just allow yourself enough time. I5 is boring, 101 constantly twisting and turning but not as bad as 199. You will have a wonderful trip. Don't skip the "Trees of Mystery" just south of CC. World's greatest "tourist trap" (be sure to get a bumper sticker) and be sure to rid their tram up to the top of the mountain. Incredible view. We saw whales.
I have taken 101 down to the Redwoods before from Seattle. Loved it! So worth the slower drive. We drove I-5 back - boring, but we did veer off and visit Crater Lake and Bend, OR.
We are now planning to take our kids to the Redwoods down 101 next summer. Don't miss the sea lion caves near Newport Oregon. Also, check out Canon Beach, OR and Seaside, OR. The dunes in OR are also really interesting to see.
I read that you're moving back to VA. We are considering abandoning Seattle (born and raised) for Richmond. I say you must drive 101 before you leave. It will be a great memory to take with you!
I would suggest taking I-5 South to Grants Pass and then 199 over to the redwoods. When I did that I had no idea what to expect. About the time you enter into CA you will go thru a tunnel. When you come out the other end you will be amazed at the trees. Then when heading back North take 101.
After more trips from Seattle to the redwoods than I can count (really) my preferred route for a good combination of time and scenery is I-5 south to Oregon Hwy 38, which follows the Umpqua River out to the coast at Reedsport, then south on 101. You get the speed of I-5, SR 38 is very scenic, and then after Bandon you get the best of the Oregon coast to the state line.
Note the best redwood groves are south of Crescent City, all the way through Eureka to the Avenue of the Giants byway. US 101 between Crescent City and Trinidad can be quite slow and twisty in parts, fast in others.
Gardyloos' suggestion is probably the best, if you are taking a trip to the redwoods like you say. I drive to the Coast Redwood about every 6 weeks. Always I-5 and usually Hy. 199.
About any feedback that I-5 is uneventful, consider that Hy. 101 has plenty of uneventful sections as well.
I-5 is uneventful to the inattentive IMO. The straightest stretch is farmland between Wilsonville and Cottage Grove. But afterward, I find the rolling hills near Roseburg nice. As well as the mountains toward Wolf Creek and Grants Pass. And its 4 lanes of highway too. Wide. In fact, a third lane was recently added on a couple of hills for trucks.
Hy. 199 is not really a tight winding road all the way. There's a 45 minute section like that, but the scenery is remarkable. These forks of the Smith River start the journey toward Grants Pass.
So if you like to burn daylight, 101 is still nice, and may like that long slow option both ways. But if an entire day's worth of daylight hours are worth gaining to use in the redwoods, and the coast there, remember that.
Just once, I tried 101 to see what I thought as an alternative for a redwood trip, and I won't repeat it. Besides, there is a lot of lagoons and coast at the redwood area. Plus the Brookings and Gold Beach area just 30 to 60 minutes over the border.
If you want a slow crawl down 101 to the redwoods, feel free, although you can't see coast all the way.
If you take the short route from Seattle using Hy. 101 and bypass Portland, it's 11 hours. And on the coast highway, you can bet it will be the entire 11 hrs. If you go on a weekend, consider it may be 12 hrs or 13 hrs. due to traffic.
If you jet down I-5 and miss rush hours, you can do it in about 7.5 hrs. Maps says just over 8 hrs., but if you do 65 to 70 mph, you can leave Seattle at 6am and be in Jedediah Smith Redwoods SP by about 2pm, just after lunch.
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