4 week trip down Hwy 101

[cansevin]

My wife and I and 1 year old son are planning a 4 week trip down highway 101. Starting at the Canada border and making our way down the Washington, Oregon and California coasts.

Any suggestions or advice? We are just in the preliminary stages of designing it. We are looking for campsites on the beach.

Any advice would be great at this point.

Chris

[skinnybumplip]

ohh what a fun road trip,make sure you check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium its amazing, also Kirk creek campground thats if your going to do the trek through big sur.i have a bunch more ideas but thats good for now,if you end up comimg all the way to SD let us know there are a few great spots along the beach down here.

[Hamlet]

OOH, a road trip! Hamlet and his people love road trips. There are some wonderful beach side or beach close campgrounds in Southern California. It does matter when you travel, though. For this summer, many/most of the campsites in SoCal are probably already reserved, especially on the weekends. If you can leave in early September, you would be able to find sites pretty much any day. The weather is still nice, even up by the border. Remember, summer doesn't end until late in the month. Here's a website to get you started for SoCal: gocalifornia.about.com/od/cabeaches/a/beach-camping-southern-california.htm

[boandsusan]

Oh boy! that sounds like so much fun. What model Shasta do you have? I`m not familiar with that part of the country so no advice here on camping spots or sight seeing. Years of camping with my children taught me to pack light on the clothes and carry as much food(snacks etc) from our home town as possible . I also made sure I had a wash line and clothes pins as it always seemed to be when we were no where near a laundry station, that the kids had accidents with their clothes or bedding . Most of all have fun. Plenty of pics please.

[mobiltec]

Stop at half of the places you want to see on the way down, and the other half of the places you want to see on the way back up. It always looks completely different going the other way and you won't be just doing a long boring drive back up trying to make a deadline. I have lived in So Cal all my life and done your trip a few times myself.

[Gone Kayaking]

You'll have a choice to make about staying on 101 or going over to the coast on Hwy 1 at a number of junctures in in California. Or you could do 1 down (it's longer) and 101 back up. I have many favorite places along this route-- My advice if you can is to wait until September...best weather, fewer people, open campgrounds. In the summer it can be pretty crowded in California....Oregon not so much.

Washington...Love Olympic Peninsula Hoh Rainforest

Honeyman State Park at the Oregon Dunes (fun fun fun)
Gold Beach at the mouth of the Rogue River

Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, Redwood Nat'l Park or Patricks Point all in the Redwoods north of Eureka/Arcata
If you really want to get to remote coast head out the Sinkyone Wilderness State Park or Shelter Cove on the Lost Coast.
Fort Bragg (Skunk Train to Willits), Mendocino
Salt Point State Park/Kruse Rhodedendron Preserve
Jenner is a good spot to head back to 101 or out to Hwy 1
Then you are in the wine country Napa Sonoma
Pt Reyes/Inverness beautiful

Of course you'll want to spend some time around San Francisco area. Campign is a little slim ....would try finding a spot at Memorial County Park in San Mateo County...mid week first come first serve. Make reservations at other places.

South of SF take Hwy 1
Ano Nuevo
Santa Cruz
Monterey and Big sur as others have said. IF you are okay with boondocking head up one of the roads that leads into the National Forest here...free camping
Limekiln is a neat state park too, but you're going to be hardpressed to find summer availability
Lots of folks like Cambria...cute shops (not my thing)

After Santa Barbara I'm of no help

AM in Oakland....please let me know if you are going to close. Ive got room in my driveway for a night if you are good at backing up!

[hellonwheels]

Most of the coastal State Parks from Santa Barbara to San Simeon are booked well in advance, but Morro Bay, San Simeon, and Pismo take walk-ups. You may find prime real estate along the Rincon in Ventura, depending on the day you pull in. The Rincon will not disappoint, but it's dry camping with porta-potty outhouses. Feel free to PM me on any groiunds from Ventura to San Simeon, I also have some knowledge of gounds leading up to, and in, Big Sur.

Have a wonderful trip!!!

[ModernMe]

You are in for a great trip. I love that route, no matter how many times we travel it. Seems you have gotten a lot of advice for California, here is a link that might help with Oregon
www.sunsetrvs.com/monthly-rv-road-trip.html
Have fun!