Experience the stunning beauty of the Pacific Northwest and Northern California on this luxury journey from Seattle to San Francisco.
This luxury coastal road trip will take you from Seattle and the forested islands of Washington’s Puget Sound to San Francisco and the towering redwoods of Northern California. You’ll experience the natural wonders and culinary delights that this magnificent stretch of the Pacific Northwest has to offer and rest your head in luxurious boutique hotels and authentic inns that overlook empty beaches, rugged coves and tumbling rivers. This is a road trip where you’ll need no invitation to adjust to a slower pace, allowing you to take it all in as you wind your way south from Seattle to San Francisco.
Seattle
Day 1 and 2
Upon arrival, venture out into this vibrant city on foot, by bike or ferry from your base at the Four Seasons.
The following morning head to Pike Place Market, Seattle’s hub for fresh, local produce and seafood. Here you’ll meet your private chef guide for a personalized, tasty and educational ‘behind the scenes’ visit. They will share their sourcing strategies and provide a couple of their own tasting creations using seasonal ingredients from their favorite vendors.
Later that afternoon, you’ll take to the skies as you soar high above the Puget Sound and San Juan Archipelago in a seaplane, watching the pine-covered islands and city unfold below. End your day with dinner at one of Seattle’s award winning restaurants, such as Opus or Carnivore.
Cannon Beach
Day 3 and 4
Leaving Seattle, follow the Puget Sound towards Washington’s capital Olympia, before turning to the coast and crossing the mighty Columbia River. You’ll pass small farming towns surrounded by cranberry bogs, before reaching the charming coastal town of Cannon Beach and The Ocean Lodge, your beachfront home for the next couple of nights.
This morning it’s time to raise your heart rate as you ride ‘fat tire‘ bikes along the wide beaches at low tide. After a freshen up, head to the forested cliffs at Indian Beach for a gourmet picnic lunch. However you spend your day, make sure to end it with sunset over the Pacific and an evening roasting s’mores over the fire, watching the stars and listening to the crashing surf.
Depoe Bay & Gold Beach
Day 5, 6 and 7
Before your coastal road trip continues, meet a local fisherman for a crabbing outing in one of the protected coastal bays. After lunch (hopefully of freshly caught crustaceans), your route south connects the jutting headlands of the Three Capes Scenic Loop and winds through green pastures, small beach towns, sand dunes and temperate forest. In Depoe Bay, a coastal gem built on a rugged stretch of rocky shore, you’ll find your home for the night at the intimate Whale Cove Inn.
Today’s journey will take you past some of Oregon’s most iconic coastal landmarks with evocative names like Devil’s Punchbowl and Thor’s Well. Near Coos Bay, stop for an ATV adventure in the Oregon Dunes, the largest coastal dune system in North America. These windswept dunes and neighboring beaches make for the perfect playground. End your day at Tu Tu’ Tun Lodge for a quiet night on the Rogue River but not before experiencing a stretch of coastline, aptly known as the ‘fabulous 50 miles’.
After breakfast at Tu Tu’ Tun, you’ll be collected at the lodge’s private dock for a jet boat ride upstream, following the old mail route along this unspoilt stretch of the Rogue River. Back at the lodge, relax with a good book, lounge by the pool, try your hand at some fly fishing or…do nothing at all!
Northern California Coast and Redwoods National Park
Day 8
Start the next day by crossing the border into California, passing the Avenue of the Giants, the Richardson Grove and the ‘Drive Through’ Tree near Klamath, as well as some more off-the-beaten-path spots. Stop and wander among these ancient giants, before heading towards the black sand beaches of Shelter Cove and the Inn of the Lost Cove for a cozy night high above the cliffs.
Mendocino and Sonoma
Day 9 and 10
You’ll continue to hug the rugged shores as you slowly wind your way through coastal hamlets and thick stands evergreens on your way to Mendocino. Here the Brewery Gulch Inn awaits on a windswept bluff overlooking the rocky shores and Pacific beyond.
Spend the day exploring the town of Mendocino on your own or enjoy a leisurely paddle up the Big River in a handmade, redwood canoe,as you explore the protected estuary with a private naturalist guide.
San Francisco
Day 11
The last leg of your trip from Seattle to San Francisco is something to savor. The Mendocino coast is known for its wild and rugged shoreline, turquoise waters and inviting coastal towns. Stop for a lunch of freshly shucked oysters along the way before crossing the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco.
Opt to spend a few more days exploring San Francisco, either basing yourself in the heart of the city or across the bay in Sausalito.
