Pacific Coast Highway drive time?

To elaborate on my previous post, I live just south of Portland. I grew
up on the northern Oregon coast, my MIL lives near Newport, and we have
a niece that just moved south of Eureka, CA. I have driven the Oregon
coast and into the Northern California redwood country so many times
over the years that I have a good feel for how long I usually need to
allow to get somewhere. Below are my rough average travel times, leaving
from the south Portland area, following I-5 and then cutting over to the
coast via highway 20 (slightly longer than highway 18, but less traffic
and faster because you don't have to deal with bottlenecks and traffic
through Dundee, Otis Junction, and Lincoln City):

(South) Portland to Newport -- 2 hrs 15 minutes
(South) Portland to Florence -- 3 hrs 30 minutes
(South) Portland to Coos Bay -- 4 hours 45 minutes
(South) Portland to Brookings -- 7 hours 30 minutes
(South) Portland to Crescent City -- 8 hours 30 minutes
(South) Portland to Eureka -- 10 hours 30 minutes

If this is your first time driving the coast, there are lots of places
you are going to want to stop, but that is a separate post. The above
estimates are just for when you want to get from one point to another,
make the minimum amount of quick meal stops and restroom breaks, and
watch the scenery from the car window.

Although I haven't done the southern portion of the route for a few
years, I remember it being about another 4 1/2 to 5 hours from Eureka to
San Francisco via highway 101 and about 8 hours if I veered off onto
Highway 1 at Leggett. I only drove the section of Highway 1 between
Leggett and Point Reyes once. That was enough. Sections of the highway
are very narrow and curvy, and it is almost impossible to safely pass if
you get behind a slow-moving RV. Don't expect to make any time.

-- Walt

Thanks. I think we'll stick to the 101. Could you tell me,
approximately, how many hours the drive takes you?



Bob Gardner



- DB

In your dreams, Dennis. You have obviously not driven this route. There are
many, many 30-mph curves, and they are manageable at 40 but not much more.
Depends on what you are driving to some extent. And there is no way to get
around the semitrailer or RV problem where no passing is allowed.

Bob Gardner

"Dennis P. Harris" wrote in message
...
On 8 Feb 2006 19:26:37 -0800 in rec.travel.usa-canada,
"thirty-seven" wrote:

I'm planning a driving vacation from Portland, Oregon to San Francisco.
I will cut across from Portland to the Pacific Coast Highway and take
that most of the way to San Francisco.

I'd like to know, from anyone whose driven this stretch of the highway,
what I should expect for driving time?

well, i've done it overnight when we had drivers to switch off.

to allow for breaks, divide the distance in miles by 60 to get
the approximate driving time at 70 mph.

On 8 Feb 2006 19:26:37 -0800, thirty-seven wrote:
I'm planning a driving vacation from Portland, Oregon to San Francisco.
I will cut across from Portland to the Pacific Coast Highway and take
that most of the way to San Francisco.

I'd give it at least a couple of days.. it's pretty country.
However, if you're going soon, please check the road conditions --
there have been several landslides. Though those have been cleared,
that's always a possibility in the rainy season. IMHO, I prefer
26 from Portland to the coast, so you don't miss the Haystacks, etc.
near Cannon Beach.

In article ,
Walt Tucker wrote:
I only drove the section of Highway 1 between Leggett and Point
Reyes once. That was enough. Sections of the highway are very
narrow and curvy, and it is almost impossible to safely pass if
you get behind a slow-moving RV.

This is also a very scenic stretch of highway. It's well worth
seeing, depending on your priorities. To me, this is the most
scenic part of the Pacific coast in the lower US, in fact. Much
more impressive than Big Sur, say.

On Wed, 08 Feb 2006 22:46:34 -0900, Dennis P. Harris wrote:


On 8 Feb 2006 19:26:37 -0800 in rec.travel.usa-canada,
"thirty-seven" wrote:

I'm planning a driving vacation from Portland, Oregon to San Francisco.
I will cut across from Portland to the Pacific Coast Highway and take
that most of the way to San Francisco.

I'd like to know, from anyone whose driven this stretch of the highway,
what I should expect for driving time?

well, i've done it overnight when we had drivers to switch off.

to allow for breaks, divide the distance in miles by 60 to get
the approximate driving time at 70 mph.


You're insane. To average 70mph you'd have to do well over 100mph
most of the time to make up for turns that can't be taken over 40mph.
What the **** is the point of doing the PCH if you're going to drive like
a bat out of hell. Take route 5 if you've no interest in the scenary.

Todd Michel McComb wrote:

In article ,
Walt Tucker wrote:


I only drove the section of Highway 1 between Leggett and Point
Reyes once. That was enough. Sections of the highway are very
narrow and curvy, and it is almost impossible to safely pass if
you get behind a slow-moving RV.



This is also a very scenic stretch of highway.

Absolutely. The point I was making was that the entire distance between
Leggett and Point Reyes is a long haul, especially if you want to drive
it in a single stretch. Eight hours of driving 15 mph to 30 mph
switchbacks gets old very fast and easier (for me) to take in shorter
distances. If I were headed down highway 101 towards San Francisco and
wanted to take in part of this coastline instead of driving through
Redwood country, I'd probably be more likely to take a shorter detour
through the northern stretch (Leggett to Albion and then cut back into
101) or the southern stretch (cut over to Albion or Pt. Arena from Ukiah
and then drive south to Point Reyes) than try and drive the entire
length at once. That, or plan on splitting the drive into two days.

It's well worth
seeing, depending on your priorities. To me, this is the most
scenic part of the Pacific coast in the lower US, in fact. Much
more impressive than Big Sur, say.


Keep in mind I grew up on the Oregon coast, and sometimes you just want
to get where you are going. :-) Other times you want to sightsee. I
was down in Prairie Creek Redwoods state park last summer. I thought
the old road coast road that runs along the bluffs was one of the most
scenic sections of the Pacific Coast I've ever seen (and never
visited). Very beautiful and desolate. But then, most of the sourthern
Oregon and Northern California coast is very pretty. In some places,
you just need to know how to get there when there isn't an obvious route.

In article ,
Walt Tucker wrote:
... sometimes you just want to get where you are going. :-)

This is true. You had some good information, and I just wanted to
add a little enthusiasm for the less experienced/jaded reader. It's
a very nice section, but not a practical transportation corridor.
It just depends on your priorities. I think we all agree.

The Oregon Coast contains some really nice areas too. And I'm a
big fan of Olympic National Park, one of my favorites.

Kay Lancaster wrote:
On 8 Feb 2006 19:26:37 -0800, thirty-seven wrote:
I'm planning a driving vacation from Portland, Oregon to San Francisco.
I will cut across from Portland to the Pacific Coast Highway and take
that most of the way to San Francisco.

I'd give it at least a couple of days.. it's pretty country.
However, if you're going soon, please check the road conditions --
there have been several landslides. Though those have been cleared,
that's always a possibility in the rainy season. IMHO, I prefer
26 from Portland to the coast, so you don't miss the Haystacks, etc.
near Cannon Beach.

I plan on doing this the Friday and Saturday of the Memorial Day long
weekend. I plan on doing the drive from Seattle (cutting over to 101
south of Portland) to a hotel just north of San Francisco in two full
days. Then a day and a half in San Francisco, a day and a half in
Yosemite. Then one-and-a-half or two days coming back up the I-5,
depending on whether we spend half a day in Crater Lake Nat'l Park, if
the park's Rim Road is open that early in the year (which seems
doubtful).

- DB

I wrote:
I'm planning a driving vacation from Portland, Oregon to San Francisco.
I will cut across from Portland to the Pacific Coast Highway and take
that most of the way to San Francisco.

I'd like to know, from anyone whose driven this stretch of the highway,
what I should expect for driving time?

Thanks to everyone who replied. I now have lots of useful information
with which to plan that part of my trip.

- DB