suggestions for must not miss scenics spots North Calif., Oregon coast

[skip_wilson]

<p>Hi to you all:<br>

We will be traveling north from San Francisco, California this September via auto on coastal highway #1 and on to Newport, Oregon via US 101. We have not done this drive before and see that there are so many State Parks, etc. If someone has driven this route before or are familiar with sections of it, I would appreciate any suggestions for not-to-be-missed photostops, vistas, and communities that you remember as highlights. We will allow several days looking for scenic photo opportunities and interesting short hikes on our way up the coasts. Any memorable B&B's are also appreciated. Can't wait. Thanks in advance.</p>

<p>Skip Wilson</p>

[photoprospect]

<p>The only place I've been to personally that is relevant to you is Cannon Beach with its impressive Haystack Rock. Definitely not to be missed. Ecola park nearby is also very beautiful.</p>

<p>Jean</p><div></div>

[bob_flood1]

<p>If you schedule allows time, take the Skunk railroad out of Fort Bragg - it goes into a redwood forest with plenty of shots to be had. That area advertises themselves of having the same appearance as New England. Having grown up in New England, I disagree. But it's still a scenic coast.</p>

<p>Oregon has a lot of lighthouses, and most are in settings that make for good shooting opportunities. Just check a map for where they are.<br>

Just inland from Reedsport on OR38 is an elk refuge. You can expect to see them grazing in the early morning and late afternoon.</p>

<p>Add my vote for Cannon Beach.</p>

<p>Can't help with the B&Bs.</p><div></div>

[wade_keenon1]

<p>You're in for a treat. The area around Brookings/Beverley Beach St. Park on the far So. Coast has many sea stacks. Check any number of the pull outs/parking spots at Samuel Boardman St. Park just north of Brookings. A trip up the Rogue River on the jet boat from Gold Beach is worth looking into. Oregon Dunes between Coos Bay and Florence. Get an iconic shot of Heceta Head Lighthouse just north of Florence. Also, definitely check out Cape Perpetua, between Florence and Yachats. Google "Thor's Well" for images; great capture at high tide. There is much on the south and central Oregon coast to rival or best Cannon Beach, which I agree is a great spot but a good 2 1/2 to 3 hours north of Newport. Recommended reading: "Photographing Oregon" by Greg Vaughn. Have a great trip.</p>

[sheldonnalos]

<p>Also definitely stop at Bandon and get out and shoot sunset on the beach there. Easy access and lots of wonderful sea stacks. I'm sure they'd have a nice bed and breakfast there. I'll echo the comments for Samuel Boardman State Park, Thor's Well/Cape Perpetua, Yachats, and Heceta head. </p>

<p>There's a nice bed and breakfast in Depoe Bay (about 20 minutes north of Newport) called the Channel House. My wife and i have stayed there on several occasions (including our honeymoon) and it's always been wonderful. </p>

[craig_gillette]

<p>Fort Ross and the Bufano Peace Statue (adjacent to Timber Cove Inn just north of Fort Ross) aren't too far north when starting out from the Bay area. If looking for some small towns to explore, Mendocino is likely easily recognized from various tv and movie productions. Ferndale (near Eureka) is a very Victorian logging community. There is a lot of history around Humboldt Bay, and several interesting communities there as well. Fishing and logging industries were important and remnants like the Samoa Cook House retain some of the historic flavor.</p>

[SteveH]

<p>Here's some spots I found on a recent trip down the Oregon coast: (1) Munson Creek Falls, (2)Darlingtonia (carniverous pitcher plant) preserve/bog, and (3) Beaver Creek Natural Area - all easily accessible via short side trips off Hwy 1. Also don't forget the lighthouses in California and Oregon, all easily "google-able." A fun and funky place is Prehistoric Gardens (life size dinosaurs in a rain forest) near Port Orford, as well as a nice hike up Humbug Mountain nearby. Port Orford in general, the port Orford Jail, and the Port Orford Heads Life Saving Station. Just north of Port Orford is a side road up the Elk River into some national forest land (primitive camping up there) that's really nice. That's about a day or two's worth right there. Also here's a link to waterfalls you might be interested in checking out: http://www.waterfallsnorthwest.com</p>

[frank_b._baiamonte]

<p>Going north from San Francisco there are a lot of things to see just north of the city. One of my favorites is the lighthouse at Point Bonita. It is only open to visitors Saturday, Sunday and Monday from Noon to 3:00pm, but well worth the effort. You can see more pictures of Point Bonita and the Marin Headlands in <a href="http://frankbaiamonte.smugmug.com/Travel/CA-Coast-Nov-2012/">this gallery</a>. This area is also good for views of the Golden Gate Bridge.<br>

<img src="http://frankbaiamonte.smugmug.com/Travel/CA-Coast-Nov-2012/Marin-Head-Pt-Bonita/i-n2wwGxn/1/L/51FB8621-L.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="530" /></p>

<p>Further north is Muir Woods, well worth a stop to stretch your legs with a nice walk through the trees.<br>

<img src="http://frankbaiamonte.smugmug.com/Travel/CA-Coast-Nov-2012/Muir-Woods-Point-Reyes/i-KG5cMw9/0/L/51FB9494-L.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="530" /></p>

<p>Continuing north you'll get to Point Reyes, with another great lighthouse.<br>

<img src="http://frankbaiamonte.smugmug.com/Travel/CA-Coast-Nov-2012/Muir-Woods-Point-Reyes/i-98wbxmH/0/L/51FB9695-L.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="530" /></p>

<p>More images from Muir Woods and Point Reyes <a href="http://frankbaiamonte.smugmug.com/Travel/CA-Coast-Nov-2012/Muir-Woods-Point-Reyes/">in this gallery</a>.<br>

Someone else mentioned Fort Ross, and Bodega Bay is nice place to check out too.<br>

Can't help with the B&Bs but for a great hotel in a perfect location in downtown San Francisco check out The Chancellor, which is just off Union Square. We've stayed there many times, it's always been very nice, and a great value as well.</p>

 

[arie_vandervelden1]

<p>If there's any way, try to do the trip southbound. You'll be on the correct side of the road to hit the pull-outs. Northbound it is much more difficult to turn against traffic. You'll miss a lot.</p>

<p>Some suggestions: Pt. Reyes nat'l seashore. There's much more to see and do than the lighthouse.<br>

At Ft. Bragg, go see Glass Beach and McKerricher State Park.<br>

Go see the redwoods. Avoid the crowds at Muir Woods and go see some out-of-the-way places like Big Hendy or Montgomery Woods. http://www.redwoodhikes.com/<br>

Go sample Northern California wines in Anderson valley. Laid back, unpretentious, and the wines are exceptional. http://www.avwines.com/<br>

Go tidepooling at low tide, anywhere along the N.Cal or Oregon coast.<br>

Go check out the dunes near Florence at sunrise or sunset.<br>

And, when you get to Newport, treat yourself to some fresh oysters and perhaps a fresh dungeness crab right off of the fishing boat.<br>

Enjoy!</p>

[david_henderson]

<p>I know the Oregon section better than the California coast, though I've photographed both. Looking at Oregon, travelling north, the first area of real interest is the Samuel H Boardman State Scenic corridor which includes quite a number of sandy beaches with rocks and stacks. Better ones include Lone Star Beach, Harris Beach, and further north at Pistol River/Myers Creek. Its a very photogenic area and probably best to stay at Brookings Harbour (where there's a decent Best Western on the beach, with a restaurant opposite, or at Gold Beach. </p>

<p>Pretty much all the way to Newport there's a succession of beaches, some of which are very attractive and many worth a walk . I do particularly like Bandon, where you can stay overlooking the beach with its many sea stacks at the Sunset Motel , Vern Brown addition where the block has stairways down to the beach. Its probably one of the best walking/photographing beaches I know and for someone who lives 6 000 miles away I've spent a lot of time there. Other beaches I like are at Bullards Beach just north of Bandon where there's a lot of driftwood and you can access the old Coquille light that way too. Theres a lot of lighthouses along this coast including Cape Blanco and Yaquina Head near Newport, and if you give the beaches between Bandon and Newport the time they deserve it's going to be a slow journey and even though its only about 120 miles you might want to think about breaking your jounet at Florence or Yachats ( where you can find Oceanfront hotels and restaurants.) </p>

<p>Newport itself has a dull strip but also a gritty older harbour section downhill from the main road along the north side of the river. It has some excellent nautically themed murals on the sides of several of the wooden buildings and there's more in the alleys between them. I like Newport. Good food at the Saffron Salmon in the old port area.</p>

<p>Finally let me potentially make life a little easier by indicating areas that I haven't found particularly photogenic. Shore Acres is one; Cape Perpetua is another though the views along the cost near the Cape, around Yachats, are wonderful. The Oregon Dunes are another. Its not that these places are unpleasant- though I've never seen much when taking the road to the top of Perpetua. Its just that the area is good the the extent that they don't fot me stand out.</p>

<p>You'll have noticed that the Cannon Beach/Ecola State Park referred to above are about 125 miles north of your quoted destination.</p>

<p>There is a useful book called "The Oregon Coastal Access Guide" by Kenn Oberrecht available online ot locally and I have found it useful to get you to the coast and avoid the many dead-ends. There's a similar volume for California by the California Coastal Commission. </p>

<div></div>

[acjtucson]

<p>I highly recommend Bowling Ball Beach(Schooner Gulch SB) north of San Fran. It's pretty neat if you can get a sunset with a favorable tide(~1 ft or so). If you walk about 10 min north of the "bowling balls" there are some interesting rock formations exposed at low tide. Contrary to what you might read online about accessibility, it's accesible. Erosion has worn out the end of the trail down to the beach so what would have been a nice stairs is now like a rope ladder, but accessible nonetheless.<br>

You may want to check out Robert Hitchman's Photograph America Newletter. He has several issues that would be relevant to where you are headed. </p>

[skip_wilson]

<p>thanks to you all. I enjoyed many of your pictures and after hitting Google Maps with the photo section checked, I literally could trace some of the scenery all the way North. Thank you for your suggestions. Skip</p>

[tudor_apmadoc]

I drove highway one from San Francisco to Arcata last year and loved it

 

You can seen some of the pics I took at

 

Areas I can highly recommend

1. Point Arena light house

2. Avenue of the Giants (redwoods)

3. Fern Gully

4. Town of Ferndale (Victorian architecture)

5. Arcata farmers market on Saturdays (yes there are still hippies, and they moved to Arcata)

[joe_willmore]

<p>I think the Oregon Coast is the most diverse collection of beach experiences packed within a few hours of driving of any coastline in the world. Truly amazing. <br>

My recommendations:<br>

--Cannon Beach with the haystacks. Shoot 'em on the beach and also from Ecola State Park (lovely view)<br>

--Sand dunes (Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area or Cape Kiwanda state park).<br>

--Stereotypical NW beaches as well (fog, rocky shore, dead trees) <br>

--Entrance to the Columbia River</p>

 

[bill_force]

<p>"Devils Punchbowl" in Oregon, awesome view.</p>

[daverave]

<p>I've spent many a weekend on the NorCal coast. Once you get past Pt Reyes the crowds really thin out. Bodega Head SP is well worth the short detour off of Hwy 1. Spectacular and possible whale sightings. I also like Salt Point State Park along the Sonoma coast for scenery. Fort Ross is interesting and there are some good short hikes there. Mendocino is a great place to stay, lots of B+Bs in the area or stay in the historic hotel in town. Cabrillo Lighthouse, another state park is worth seeing for the restored lighthouse. The Skunk Train that someone upthread mentioned is inoperable at the moment due to a recent large tunnel collapse, may not be back this summer. I agree with skipping Muir Woods and the crowds there especially since you'll be going through lots of better redwood parks farther north like Prairie Creek and Humboldt. In Prairie Creek SP (part of Redwood NP) is the famous Fern Canyon, a short hike from Gold Bluffs Beach campground, a great place to pitch a tent. I have lots of images of these places in my California's Coast folder here on PN. Have a great time!</p>