Best Pacific Northwest Road Trips (and When to Take Them) (2023)

FAQs

What is the best time of year to visit the Pacific Northwest? ›

The most popular time to visit the Pacific Northwest is from June through early September. The PNW is known for its nearly perfect summers, but heat waves can happen. Wildfire season tends to pick up in July and typically lasts through late September. Late September through October is a great time to visit the PNW.

To drive the entire coastal Highway 1 California takes 10-12 hours without stops. But this road trip is all about the stops! Plan on a minimum of 3 days and 2 nights. However, a 5-day itinerary is ideal for the San Francisco to LA trip with the first and last night spent in each city.

Recommended Road Trip Length

It takes at least 12 hours to drive the Pacific Coast Highway. We recommend taking a minimum of 3 days to explore, and the trip can easily last 2 weeks with lots of stops along the way.

Even though you could go on a west coast road trip year-round, the best times to hit the road are April through June or August to November. The summer months are certainly sunnier and warmer, but any desert location will be absolutely unbearable during the hot summers.

The best time of the year to drive the Pacific Coast Highway is in mid-to-late February through April. California's rainy season typically ends in early February, turning its golden hills bright green and covering the coast with colorful wildflowers which last through April and into early May. What is this?

For us, the best times to drive the Pacific Coast Highway are from late spring, through summer, to early fall. In July and August you have the best chance of almost-perfect weather, but you also have the busiest crowds and high-season hotel prices.

As a general rule, it's better to start your Pacific Coast Highway road trip in the north and head south so your car is always in the lane closest to the ocean. That way, there's nothing blocking your view of the cliffs during your drive down and you can really enjoy the sights.

You could start your West Coast USA itinerary from lower down the West Coast such as in Los Angeles or Palm Springs, or from higher up such as Portland. That's the best part about road trips, the itinerary is yours to decide as you plan your West Coast American tour.

The best time of day to start a road trip and travel by car is early in the morning, before rush hour. You should plan to leave around 6:00 AM if you're only driving a short distance and even earlier for long trips. Starting in the mornings is safer due to less traffic and fewer accidents.

How many miles is the perfect road trip? ›

If you follow the route suggested, you'll travel across all 48 contiguous states and never leave the country. Take a look for yourself below. If you actually plan to execute the trip, you should budget 13,699 miles of driving — or about 224 hours.

The rainy season extends from October to March with December normally the wettest month, however, precipitation is rather evenly distributed through the winter and early spring months with more than 75% of the yearly precipitation falling during the winter wet season.

For the best chances, head to a dark sky and be patient. The best times to see the northern lights is usually between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time, according to the Space Weather Center.

Are There Better Days To Drive Long Distances? If you are looking for the best day to drive long-distance, Sunday is the day that tends to have the least amount of traffic on the roads. However, Tuesdays have the least amount of crashes according to the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration).

Safest Month on the Road

Overall, January through March are safer months for driving. The rest of the year has a significantly higher rate of accidents per month.

Most crashes or near-misses happen at the times you would expect drivers to be tired: 4 to 6 a.m., midnight to 2 a.m. and 2 to 4 p.m., according to NSF. Drowsy driving puts everyone on the road at risk.

The best month for the coast is usually September, with good weather often holding on into October. In the Cascades and eastern Oregon's Blue, Elkhorn, and Wallowa mountains, snowfall is heavy in the winter and skiing is a popular sport.

Oregon Coast Road Trip Itinerary Route

Our recommended route for the Oregon Coast starts in Portland and ends at the incredible Samuel H Boardman scenic corridor. The ideal length of time for this route is 14 days (which is how long the route took us), but it is possible to do it and see all the sights in 10 days.

September and October are also pretty good months for driving the Pacific Coast Highway, although it can get a little chilly once you're up north of San Francisco. The coast of California typically has pretty mild weather all year, which means you'll never have to deal with snow or hard winds on your trip.

What is the most scenic California coast drive? ›

The Highway 1, aka Pacific Coast Highway, road trip that passes through Big Sur on California's Central Coast is perhaps the most famous scenic drive in the Golden State.

It's best to take this trip in the summer, when weather is mild, and let the locals take the streets in the winter, when chains on your wheels may be necessary. One of the coolest (and most daunting in the winter) features of this highway is it crosses three different mountain passes: Coal Bank, Molas and Red Mountain.

If you are driving along a road or highway that is not considered to be a freeway, then technically it's legal to park along the side and get some sleep.

The Pacific Coast Highway is one of the most scenic drives in America. The PCH is technically just Route 1 in California, but that road turns into Route 101 in Oregon and Washington, creating a journey that follows the entire Pacific Coast, providing plenty of clean, fresh air and ocean scenery.

Big Sur. At Big Sur, the most spectacular portion of the Pacific Coast Highway 1 begins, where huge, rugged cliffs and forested inlets overlook the pounding surf below. Whale-watching is popular here at certain times of year; depending on the season you can see blue, gray or humpback species breeching off the coast.

The route covers about 270-miles, which translates to seven hours of driving time, so make sure to stop along the way and plan for overnight accommodation.

Roadtrippers is the #1 road trip planning tool in the USA and Canada, with more than 38 million trips planned to date covering more than 42 billion miles.

The July–September high season is the best time for warm, dry days. July and August are the warmest and driest months in Washington and it's high season – even Seattleites get a little sun. Most visitors opt to visit in summer and early fall (July through September).

Ideally, you'd come to Washington DC for a whole week or more! If that isn't feasible, we suggest that you need at least 3 days in Washington DC. There is enough here to fill up your days with attractions, museums, and tours, as well as great food, music, and art.

What month is best to visit Washington? ›

The best times to visit Washington, D.C., are from September to November and March to May. In the autumn, the sweltering summer is gone, taking with it most of the high season tourists. All that's left are crisp breezes and changing leaves, which, by the way, look great against all those marble monuments.

How Long Can You Safely Drive a Day? A good rule of thumb is to expect to safely drive 8 hours each day of your road trip. 8-hours a day is less than the 10 hours a day regulation that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requires passenger-carrying drivers to follow.

For every 4.5 hours driving you should take breaks amounting to 45 minutes. For long-distance driving, this means you can drive around 500 miles safely in a day. You should adjust this figure based on the speed limit and likelihood of other circumstances such as toll roads, fatigue, and extended traffic or breaks.

When driving long distances you should take a break every two hours for at least 15 minutes. Stop to rest frequently for a total of at least 45 minutes per 4.5 hours of driving to prevent fatigue and increase alertness. Plan to visit rest stops every 100 miles during your long road trip to enjoy a comfortable drive.

The Olympic Peninsula Loop Drive is a stunning scenic road that follows Highway 101 for over 300 miles through the park. Beginning in Port Angeles, the loop passes the majority of attractions and things to do in Olympic National Park.

Yes, you can drive a WATV on public roads, but not all of them; not even close. Let's start with speed limits. WATVs are only allowed on roads with speed limits of 35 mph or less. In some instances you can't even cross a street with a higher speed limit.