West Coast Trip (Hwy #1?)

Hwy 1 is beautiful. But at times, it is very narrow and curvy. Not to mention a couple very steep switchbacks. Hwy 101 is much easier, just not nearly as nice.

Problem is that 101 is not really the coast. If you really want to do the coast, it's Hwy 1. It can be done. I've seen some very long rigs do it. If you're confident in your rig's abilities and your driving abilities, you'll be fine.

How far south are you wanting to go? At some points close to the Bay Area, Ca, Hwy 1 and 101 are the same.

I have hauled my trailer down a good portion of hwy1 in Oregon and California. IT can get VERY BUSY in the summer months and spooky at times with people in a big azz hurry to get where they are going. It is a beautiful deive though.

Chris

Just don't miss #1 through Big Sur. Marin County to the Golden Gate isn't too bad, either. If you visit Point Reyes, you'll be on the very Western point of continental US.

I recommend finding base camp spots and driving Hwy 1 without towing. You have a lot of rigs in your sig. Is the photo your current rig? What is the length? That might be doable with the precautions mentioned above.

I'm only familiar with the Pacfic Coast Hwy (Hwy 1) from the Bay area to Orange County. It is a beautiful drive, but definitely white knuckle at times in the wrong rig. High cliffs with minimal shoulders and lots of curves.

I'd suggest taking SR-20 westwards from its junction with I-5 at Burlington, towards Anacortes, then south over the Deception Pass bridge. Follow it to the "Coupeville" (really "Keystone") ferry and sail over to Port Townsend. From there, follow SR-20 to where it meets Hwy 101 and head west then south. We've done that a couple of times, taking 101 all the way along to Crescent City, CA. There are some lengths that aren't close to the ocean, but it's a beautiful trip.

We didn't go further south than Crescent City, but headed across the mountains to I-5 and back home.

An additional suggestion - with your relatively short rig, you might also want to consider Chuckanut Drive from just South of Bellingham to Burlington.

As a former Washingtonian RV traveler, I made the trip from Seattle to SoCal several times. My preference is to drive from SoCal north to Seattle because you will be in the inside lane and will not have to hug the narrow shoulder on the ocean side of the highway in places. But if you have to start from Seattle I would drive south to Olympia WA and then catch Hwy101 to take you around the Olympic Peninsula, down the WA coast into Oregon. Stay on Hwy101 throughout Oregon and into NoCal. At MP 614 on Hwy101, turn right onto CA Hwy 1 and stay on it til you reach SoCal. As others have said, Hwy 1 can be extremely curvy and slow in the Summer with all the vacationers. But the photo of your rig looks like a 23' or 24' which is small enough to minimize the "white knuckles" your DW may get as she looks down the dropoff into the ocean. This is primarily a tourist route so many places on the coast will be closed during late fall and winter months so plan accordingly. Your 7 - 10 day trip will be more than sufficient for this trip. Several years ago I stopped at the Sea Lion Caves near Florence OR. SAVE your money--only go if you've never seen a sea lion before.

I'll never forget the time I tried #1 northward out of SF driving a sports car. Only lasted a few brief miles and couldn't take all the very tight slow speed corners. Turned back and went up the 101. Maybe that stretch is the worst and the rest is okay? The views would be worth it though.

Yeah, forget the cost of the sea lion caves but their homemade fudge is pretty good. If it's just sea lions you want to see (ie., not the caves), you can do that for free at the pier in Santa Cruz.

Better not have vertigo or be afraid of heights...

the bear II wrote:
HWY 1 is a great drive you just have to take your time. It's very beautiful and lots to see.

But there are dangers...curves, hidden intersections/driveways, narrow, wildlife, mudslides, landslides....

We've been on it 10 times in my life. 3 of those times we were stopped due to landslides/mudslide. You either turn around (2 hours to nearest crossover to Hwy 101) or wait until they clear the highway (6 hours)

Watch the weather reports avoid if there will be a heavy rain storm.

Would it be do-able with a 29' TT? Would there be anywhere to camp along the route?

RedRacer: If you are driving a 29' TT, your overall length will be around 50'+ which means very slow driving on Hwy 1. Just be prepared for a lot of one finger salutes as cars pass you by.

Thanks all for your many (and varied) suggestions! We have just finished a tour of Yellowstone and didn't slide off any of the switchbacks there... so it's onward ho!! down Hwy 1 with our 23' rig!!