Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip Itinerary: 7 Days in Oregon and California
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My wife and I got married in early June, so every year we like to take a trip or go on some sort of adventure to celebrate our anniversary, like we did with our Vancouver Island road trip. This time, we decided to plan a Pacific Coast Highway road trip starting in southern Oregon and driving down through northern California, but not in the way you think.
We didn’t decide to start our road trip from our location in Missouri. Instead, we planned to fly into Oregon, spend a week driving down the northern California coast to San Jose, where we would catch a flight back to Missouri.
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Our Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip 7-Day Itinerary: Oregon’s Applegate Valley to San Jose, California
In order to pull this road trip off, we rented a car at the airport in Medford, Oregon with the drop-off location at the airport in San Jose, CA at the end of our trip. It cost us a little more than it would have been if it had been returning to the same airport it was picked up in. But we had a limited amount of days for a road trip and wanted to make it work with flying in and renting a car. If we started the road trip from Missouri, we would’ve needed about another week to include the time it takes to drive from Missouri to the Pacific Northwest (which is about 2,100 miles).
At least we used my Southwest points at the time to snag free flights there and back, so really the only expense for transportation was the rental car. However, we’ve since switched to Alaska Airlines for our airline of choice. I think they’re cheaper, more accommodating, and their points seem to have more value (and rack up quicker).
Side note: You’ll realize as you read this itinerary that we stayed at an Airbnb for every stay. We didn’t do this because we only use Airbnb. We use any app that we can find cute and unique places to stay. We’re not affiliated with Airbnb in any way and don’t make money from Airbnb for telling you about our stays.
Day 1: Fly Into Medford, Oregon and Drive to Applegate Valley
After flying into Medford, Oregon and getting our rental, we headed to Grant’s Pass to stay at an Airbnb for our first night, which was the cutest yurt hosted by the nicest people. I’ve never gotten so many snacks from an Airbnb host as I did from this one.
It was for a very short stay and we planned to get up early the next day, so we didn’t need much. The yurt was located on the side of Applegate Valley, which I wasn’t able to get a good picture of because of the fog. Regardless, it was still beautiful. 10/10 would recommend for a beautiful and affordable stay.
We didn’t do the Applegate Wine Trail, but that’s also there if you’re into wine and like to go to tastings in a beautiful valley.
Day 2: Drive to Crescent City, CA and See The Redwoods
After leaving Grants Pass, we drove down highway 101 to California, where it merges into the Pacific Coast Highway (California Highway 1). The coastal scenery really opens up a little before you drive into Crescent City. This is where we stopped for some pictures before we headed to Redwood National Park. Fun fact: There’s no fee required to enter and drive through the park.
To close out the day, we headed to Trinidad, where we booked another Airbnb for 2 days at the Windrose Cottage. The property was beautifully set on a cliff overlooking the ocean, and the Airbnb was a white cottage on the side of the property. The owner was very cool and had a very mystical vibe. This was one of the most beautiful property grounds I’ve been on Airbnb, and honestly, is kind of my dream property. 😍
Then we ate some dinner at The Lighthouse Grill before we headed back to the Airbnb to get some much-needed rest.
Day 3: Explore Trinidad, CA
The location of our Airbnb was perfect. There was a beach across the road, and a delicious breakfast place a few miles down called the Seascape Restaurant. We had omelets and spuds (potatoes), spent the morning playing around on Trinidad State Beach, and took a nice walk after breakfast.
After naps, we decided to spend the day exploring other beaches, like Baker Beach, and little spots we could find around the area. We filled up our day driving around and stopping at any little beach or park we could find. I love exploring like this and looking for shells, rocks, or maybe a stray crystal. 👀
Day 4: Drive From Trinidad to Fort Bragg and See The Lost Coast
Leaving Trinidad was hard because it was just so stunning but we made our way to Fort Bragg for our next stop. We also planned to stay 2 nights in Fort Bragg, just 2 blocks from the ocean. But before that, we set on a side quest to find the Lost Coast.
The Lost Coast is an undeveloped strip of land in Humboldt County, and is the perfect mysterious side trip to check out if you can. The route is mostly gravel roads and it’s a doozy to try and get to (we drove by an old abandoned van flipped upside down in one part of the forest, which could only mean…noo that can’t be it). Even though we were running out of daylight hours and didn’t get to the trailhead, it was still worth it. The views are unbeatable, it feels completely remote without a speck of cell phone coverage or any grid to speak of, and a surprising amount of cute cows sprinkled throughout (including on the beach!).
Then we headed to our Airbnb in Fort Bragg. I loved this little garden area where the entrance was. It also kind of had a little bit of a New Orleans style feel architecturally when we got to our door. We got settled in with a power nap and headed to Noyo Fish Company for dinner. I recommend the Baja Fish Tacos.
Day 5: Eat At Egghead’s and Check Out Glass Beach
For our 2nd day in Fort Bragg, I started with a morning run at the Compass Rose Trail before we went to breakfast at Egghead’s.
Then we headed to MacKerricher State Park and Laguna Point. Laguna point has a fun and easy walking trail along the water, rock beach, and tide pools that we enjoyed. The wildflowers of the early summer also surround the area. We then went to check out Glass Beach and spent about an hour looking through cool rocks and exploring.
Day 6: Drive From Fort Bragg to San Francisco
We departed from Fort Bragg to continue our trip to San Francisco, where we stopped at Park Chalet in Golden Gate Park and explored the San Francisco Bay before finding our Airbnb in Larkspur.
Our Airbnb was a cute guesthouse nestled behind a property (but unfortunately, no air conditioning, and it was starting to get pretty warm out). At least it was surrounded by trees, so that helped. We took a hike on a small trail located across the street from the neighborhood we were in. I love little neighborhoods, where there are random hiking trails around like this. I mostly see that in cities in Washington and California and love it!
Related trip: Seattle to Olympic National Park: The Ultimate Scenic Road Trip
Day 7: See The Winchester Mystery House in San Jose and Stay on Mount Madonna.
Before leaving San Francisco, we grabbed brunch at Sweet Maple, which was the best brunch we had on the entire trip. You should definitely check this place out while you’re in San Francisco.
Being horror movie and paranormal buffs, we had to stop by the Winchester Mystery House before heading to Mount Madonna for our last night of our Pacific Coast Highway road trip.
If you don’t know the story of the Winchester House, let me give you the rundown. Sarah Winchester, heir to the Winchester rifle fortune, moved to California from Connecticut shortly after he husband’s death. That was when she started building The Winchester Mystery House, a Victorian-style mansion that took 36 years to complete from 1886 to 1922. The home was constantly evolving with stairways to nowhere, doors and windows opening to walls, and confusing hallways that come to a dead end. Her reasoning was to confuse the spirits of those killed by the rifles her family built their fortune on.
Anyway, it’s a stunning building and grounds.
Following our day exploring San Jose, we headed to Mount Madonna to stay in a yurt in the middle of the forest, which was built by a family toward the back of their property. It was one of the coolest places we’ve ever stayed. It was completely off the grid with no plumbing, had an outdoor shower and bathroom, and peaceful morning dew drops that made you feel like you were waking up in a wonderland of morning forest noises. We would 100% stay here again if we get the chance.
Wrapping Up Our Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip
Wrapping up our trip on the 8th day, we dropped off our rental car at the San Jose airport and made our way back to Missouri. It was an amazing trip and one that made us fall in love with the Pacific Coast Highway and the Northwest.
If you decide to take this trip, make sure to take as many pictures and videos as you can. You’re going to want to remember everything you can about what a beautiful, mystical, and eye-opening trip this is!
Where will your next adventure take you?
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Dani is an entrepreneur and one of the creators of hikingandroadtrips.com. She is obsessed with everything outdoors, especially hiking, traveling and will take any opportunity to #getoutside for adventure or to just vibe with the earth.