Highway 101 CA., OR., WA

[robertp777]

Planning a trip up the west coast from San Francisco to the Canadian border. My question is how rough is the trip in a class A motorhome?
I am driving a 38' towing a car. Would this be too risky or is the road good to drive. Thanks

[Roy_Lynne]

You said to Canada and you'll have to abandoned 101 at some point to get there. The most scenic and best route would be to follow 101 on the west side to Port Townsend and then take the ferry to Coupeville, and hook up with I5 just beyond Deceptions Pass. Your other alternative is to take Hwy 3 off 101 and take the Narrows Bridge over to Tacoma and then to I5 or go almost all the way around to Olympia and catch I5 there Going through Seattle isn't fun, but once through, youll have beautiful sights and wonderful campgrounds. The ferry will cost about $70-80 bucks, the price of the Narrows is going up and I'm not sure what it costs for an RV and going to Olympia is doable but you have to deal with traffic from there up and thru Everett WA.

[answerswillvary]

Beautiful views along the Oregon Coast.

[Bird_chaser]

We did this route with our 33' fifth wheel. We picked up 101 in Sonoma, stopped in the redwoods, found the Oregon coast to be spectacular. Stopped at Coos Bay, we were steps away from the ocean. Lots of great scenery and wonderful places to stop. The road is very good as has been stated before the small towns will slow you down so don't be in a hurry. I had no issues with the curves or grades. Just hard to keep your eyes on the road when you're surrounded by gorgeous views.

[jamesu]

djgarcia wrote:

mockturtle wrote:
US 101 is fine, albeit a bit twisty in places. Have done it in a 36' MH with toad. I would stay away from SR 1, though, in a big rig. In fact, I don't think 38' motorhomes are permitted on Hwy 1.

The hardest part of your trip will be getting from S.F. across the Golden Gate Bridge. From there on 101 is a great RV friendly route. Just relax and smell the roses from the Oregon/ Ca. border and through Washington. The Oregon small little towns can slow you down to 30-40 mph. There are some great views of the ocean in Oregon but not as many in Washington.

What "djgarcia" said: "...some great views of the ocean in Oregon but not as many in Washington." About the only views of the Pacific on 101 in Washington is the approx 15 miles from Kalaloch north. Just like Oregon, the Washington coast is awesome, but you just don't see it from this highway. Use your road map and explore. Take the state highways that branch off 101 to the (1) Long Beach, (2) the Grayland, and/or (3) the Ocean Shores areas in SW Washington. They are all a ways off 101, but without doing so you never really experience the beaches in Washington.

[fly-swatter]

The worst part of driving 101 is having to stop all the time for the great views. We did our trip in September a couple years ago so the traffic wasn't bad and wouldn't hesitate to do it again.

[kalynzoo]

If your not in a rush, 101 is fine and lovely. At some points it is two lane, and at some points you have turns, but nothing that would be of any concern to a traveler not on a tight schedule. There are plenty of places to stop and lots of things to see. However, large fuel stops are few and far between. So if you see a fuel stop at 1/2 tank, go ahead and fill up. It will make the trip more pleasurable. Happy Trails

[MarkTwain]

mockturtle wrote:
US 101 is fine, albeit a bit twisty in places. Have done it in a 36' MH with toad. I would stay away from SR 1, though, in a big rig. In fact, I don't think 38' motorhomes are permitted on Hwy 1.

The hardest part of your trip will be getting from S.F. across the Golden Gate Bridge. From there on 101 is a great RV friendly route. Just relax and smell the roses from the Oregon/ Ca. border and through Washington. The Oregon small little towns can slow you down to 30-40 mph. There are some great views of the ocean in Oregon but not as many in Washington.

[Ed_Gee]

Y-Guy wrote:
Driving 101 through Oregon is pretty easy. Southern part is inland from the beach in some areas, plenty wide and very easy drive. Once you get North of Florence it gets narrower and lot more curves and ups/downs.

Use the turn outs, let traffic get around you. Watch your speed, and even closer when you pass through the many small towns. During the summer the tourists are as thick as mosquitoes in the mountains.

Pretty much what Y-Guy said, above, but hope you don't misunderstand. This stretch of 101 North of Florence is also just fine for motorhomes/trailers. We do it all the time in a 35' motorhome with toad.

[Y-Guy]

Driving 101 through Oregon is pretty easy. Southern part is inland from the beach in some areas, plenty wide and very easy drive. Once you get North of Florence it gets narrower and lot more curves and ups/downs.

Use the turn outs, let traffic get around you. Watch your speed, and even closer when you pass through the many small towns. During the summer the tourists are as thick as mosquitoes in the mountains.

[paulj]

US101 is freeway south of the bay area. To the north it is mostly 2 lane, with some stretches of 4 lane or divided in the more urban area.

[aerbus32]

For 101, think freeway. For 1, think 2 late congested road following the contours of the coast. All of 101 is fine for RV's, parts of 1 are not. Alot depends on your timeframe & what you're after. I'm of the opinion, that given the time, it's best to use 101 to access the parts of 1 to be avoided in an RV. For instance, 1, just north of SF, is not where I would drive an RV. So we found a good park & took the dinghy.

[donn0128]

101 is a decent highway. Lots of teuck traffic during the week, tourists all summer, especially heavy on weekends.

[mockturtle]

US 101 is fine, albeit a bit twisty in places. Have done it in a 36' MH with toad. I would stay away from SR 1, though, in a big rig. In fact, I don't think 38' motorhomes are permitted on Hwy 1.