Best attraction of driving in Northern California, particularly further up north of San Francisco and even further north of Mendocino County is…wait for it…amazing collection of redwood groves! Living in California for 7+ years, I am still discovering new faces of California every time I drive through this elongated coastal State. Hop on Highway 101 or Highway 5 and try driving north and south. You will find yourself in the middle of epic contrast between arid desert and lush greenery. California is nature’s wonderland.
Road trip in Northern California only requires loosely planned weekends. In other words, outgoing Californians like you and me can go on adventure any weekend – You can backpack in beautiful Lassen Volcanic National Park on a weekend or make a long drive up to Oregon for Crater Lake National Park, and of course you are absolutely accessible to Yosemite National Park if you are in the mood for serious nature recharge. Although the area has been closed for most part of last year due to fire, Big Sur and Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park is another awesome weekend getaway which can easily be combined with stopover in beautiful city of Monterey.
As you can see, there are many possibilities for epic weekends in Northern California and beyond.
This past Christmas break, I took impromptu road trip from San Francisco to Portland for woods, hot springs, beers, and good coffee!
Leg 1 – San Francisco to Eugene, OR
Drive from San Francisco to Portland usually takes about 11 hours, which isn’t terrible if you are experienced road tripper but this could be rather exhaustive journey if you take it all in one haul.
On the first day of our road trip, we decided to lodge in Eugene, OR and visit Terwilliger Hot Springs (also known as Cougar Hot Springs) the next day. Terwilliger Hot Springs is natural hot springs in Willamette National Forest that flows right next to Cougar Reservoir. Stopover in soothing hot springs was brilliant idea especially in the cold winter weather!
Terwilliger Hot Springs was clean and nicely maintained natural pools in the middle of forests by the flowing river.
How to get to Terwilliger Hot Springs from Eugene?
- Hot Springs Parking Lot is approximately 55 miles east of Eugene.
- Pay $6 day pass fee to the park ranger either at the trailhead or at the pool. CASH ONLY.
- From the parking lot, it is about 0.25 mile easy trail walk to get to the pool. Clothing is optional. Soak and enjoy!
While you’re in Eugene, there are several great breweries and restaurants that need to be visited. Ninkasi Brewing Company is a small and cozy local brewery with heated patio in the back. This place is perfect for group gathering. Tap & Growler is another delightful stop for delicious Italian sandwich and many beers on tap.
Leg 2 – Portland, OR
I’ve visited Portland once before in 2014 and pretty much covered the essentials as seen in my old post here. Although I had great time then, this time was much enjoyable mostly owed to good company that I shared the trip with (lovely couple seen in the pictures).
Portland is synonymous to awesome breweries and coffees: Stumptown Coffee and Coava Coffee are two mandatory stops for coffee aficionados, and Cascade Brewing Barrel House and Commons Brewery are my new found loves for genuinely delicious pints of hoppy quench. If you are keen on good coffee and beer, I would recommend paying visit to above fine establishments.
Another big appeal of Portland is its greenery.
One essential stop outside of the city is Wahkeena and Multnomah Falls. These waterfalls are easily accessible by car from Portland (mere 40-50 min drive).
Needless to say, Multnomah Falls is one of the most popular destinations and gets very crowded throughout the year. I would recommend parking the car near Wahkeena Falls which is considerably less crowded than the Multnomah Falls parking area. You can access both waterfalls by hiking on short 0.5 mile trail path that connects the two.
During our visit in Portland, we have stumbled upon the Christmas Festival of Lights at The Grotto. This annual Christmas event in NE district was brilliant place to experiment with slow shutter speed setting on my Sony A7 and soak in the festive mood of the winter.
Leg 3 – Redwood National and State Park
On our drive back down to San Francisco, we’ve stopped at Redwood National and State Park and explored one of the world’s tallest redwood groves. This park is home for tall redwood trees including the famous Hyperion Tree tucked in the depth of arboreal labyrinth. The most important destination in this park, The Tall Trees Grove, is accessible only with permit that you can register for free at one of the visitor centers.
Here’s tips for fellow travelers planning to visit Redwood on the way from Portland to San Francisco:
- Leave Portland in the early morning by 4am. This will give you sufficient time to enter the park and explore the Tall Trees Grove before reaching San Francisco at night.
- Make a stop at Hiouchi Visitor Center to register for permit and receive lock combination to open the gate to the Tall Tree Grove Trailhead Parking.
- It takes about 7 hours drive from Portland to reach the Tall Tree Grove Trailhead Parking. Buy yourself a can(s) of Stumptown Coffee cold brew — You will appreciate this decision later.
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Redwood National and State Park is collection of forests that spreads along the Pacific coast, and therefore this region has very distinct microclimate throughout the year. Bring warm layer to accommodate for cold weather. Visiting the park is free, but you will need the issued permit in order to access certain parts of the preserved areas like the Tall Trees Grove.
Tall Trees Grove is located southeast of Orick town and can only be reached by moderate to strenuous 4 mile hiking to/from the parking lot.
How to reach the amazing Tall Trees Grove?
- Acquire visitor permit (FREE) at one of the visitor centers; I recommend Hiouchi Visitor Center since it is located along Highway 199 on the way from Portland!
- Get to the entrance gate to Tall Trees Grove Trailhead Parking (approximately one hour drive from Hiouchi Visitor Center) and use the *number combination* included with the permit to unlock the gate.
- Drive down the dirt road to reach the trailhead parking lot.
- Hike on maintained trail following the numbered spikes (1, 2, 3, and so forth) to reach the Tall Trees Grove loop.
- Gaze above your head to admire the spires of incredible tall redwood trees.
If you are National Geographic fanatics like myself, you probably heard about Hyperion Tree that is the giant of redwood tree towering above the rest of groves. While it is known this world’s tallest tree is still standing in Redwood National Park, its exact location is not disclosed to public (though you can Google it and locate the geological location…). Tall Trees Grove is, with my humble guess, pretty much the area where the mystic influence of Hyperion is in full swing. I can feel the presence of some incredible power in this area and I was struck by awe when I gazed upon the barely visible spires of tall trees. Although I’ve visited many redwood forests before, the energy that I could sense here was something very special and different from the others. Go there and you’ll figure.
I hope this information somehow aid you on your next journey plan!
If the season is right and time permits, you must also try and make a stop at Crater Lake National Park to complete the road trip experience.
Cheers!
Hey! Are you interested in seeing/buying full size print of pictures you see in my blog? Feel free to contact me for inquiries.
『ビッグ・サー～Big Sur and Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park』
『ヨセミテ国立公園～Yosemite National Park』
『ラッセン火山国立公園～Lassen Volcanic National Park』
