One-Month Itinerary from San Francisco to Seattle via Vancouver BC
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Original post
VL
Hi there,

I’m planning a month-long trip that’ll take me from San Francisco to Seattle, stopping in Vancouver BC along the way. After tweaking this route every which way and trying to balance must-see spots with more relaxed stops (like the Oregon coast), I’ve landed on this itinerary—I’d love your thoughts!

Days 1 and 2: San Francisco Days 3 and 4: Lassen Volcanic Park Days 5 and 6: Crater Lake Days 7 to 9: Portland Day 10: Astoria or Cannon Beach Day 11: Ruby Beach or Forks (for the Hoh Rain Forest) Days 12 and 13: Port Angeles (for Hurricane Ridge) Day 14: Victoria (Vancouver Island) Days 15 to 17: Ucluelet (Vancouver Island) Days 18 to 20: Vancouver BC Days 21 and 22: North Cascades NP Days 23 to 25: Mt. Rainier Days 26 to 28: Seattle

Of course, there’s travel time built in—for example, the third day on Vancouver Island will mostly be eaten up by getting back to the mainland and Vancouver.

Do you think there are any extra stops or anything I’ve missed? A month feels like a lot and not a lot at the same time… Thanks!
VO Voyajou Globetrotter ·
Hi there,

A month seems really comfortable for this trip. Plus, aren’t transits part of the journey anyway? 🙂 Just for reference, from mid-September to mid-October, starting the trip like you, we’d wrapped up via Banff/Calgary, Montana, and Wyoming.
PE Peggy16 Globetrotter ·
Hi Vincent,

You’re missing Mount St. Helens—it’s a great stop somewhere along the way. We went in 2019 (travel journal on my profile) and hiked the west side (Johnston Ridge). It was a real highlight! We’re heading back next summer and will do the same side again since we’re bringing the kids this time, but we’ll also add the east side (Windy Ridge).

From Crater Lake to Portland, aren’t you passing through Bend? There’s plenty to do there for a few days too.
VL Vlo75 ·
Yeah, a month is comfortable but not *that* comfortable if you include transfers (without trying to rack up miles at all costs) and all the sites to visit! Calgary adds even more distance, right?
VL Vlo75 ·
Actually, even though a month might seem long, we’ve had to make some trade-offs—especially since we don’t want to push ourselves at a frantic pace but still want enough time to enjoy each stop. That’s why we’re deciding between Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier... I’ve noticed on the forum that opinions vary a lot about which one to choose. So, why do you think Mt. St. Helens should be the priority?

Thanks for the suggestion about Bend. I’ll add it! !
PE Peggy16 Globetrotter ·
Actually, even though a month might seem long, we had to make some trade-offs, especially since we also don’t want to push ourselves too hard but still have time to enjoy our stops. That’s why we had to choose between Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier... I also noticed on the forum that opinions vary a lot about which one to pick. Why do you think Mt. St. Helens should be prioritized?

Thanks for the Bend suggestion. I’ll add it!

I’m not saying Mt. St. Helens should be prioritized over Mt. Rainier—personally, I think you should do both! We’re actually going back to both next summer. I just think it’s a shame to miss out when the two parks are so close. You mentioned you don’t want to rush... I’d go less far north and spend more time in that area. But it’s your call, of course ;)
VL Vlo75 ·
Thanks for your reply.

Our route actually combines two wishes: enjoying the coast (hence the detour after Portland toward Cannon Beach/Astoria and the loop that follows) and spending 3 nights on Vancouver Island. Between the two, we figured there were also quite a few things to do around Olympic NP, but I’ll check if we can spend less time there to add a day at Mount St. Helens.
CA Caussat Globetrotter ·
Days 23 to 25: Mt Rainier Days 26 to 28: Seattle

I assume you're hiking. If not, I did Mt Rainier and Mount St. Helens over two days starting from Chehalis, arriving in Seattle on the second day.

Seattle didn’t leave an exceptional impression on me. I imagine day 28 is your departure day. You can save a day if you skip the aviation museum: Arrive in Seattle at the end of day 26 from Mt Rainier Day 27: Explore Seattle Day 28: Final visits before departure. In my opinion, that’s more than enough.

And my top picks in Vancouver: - The Museum of Anthropology - The "Sea to Sky Highway". Stunning landscapes all the way!
VL Vlo75 ·
Hi Caussat,

Thanks for your favorite spots—we’ve added them to our "to-do" list!

Yes, we plan to go hiking whenever we can so we’re not just sticking to road trips.

For Seattle, we’ve only budgeted 2 days, which seems like enough based on what I’ve read on the Forum.

Thanks again!
FP Fphilippe Veteran ·
hi there,

having done SF to the Canadian border a few years ago, it’s totally doable in one month.

I haven’t dug back into my archives, but we always stuck to the safest coastal route—whether it was a small road or a big one.

An unforgettable memory of the beauty of the places and the kindness of the people... Very few tourists. Northern California’s coast, far from the clichéd image of California. Oregon. You absolutely must visit Portland and the Columbia River Gorge. Seattle.

We didn’t make any reservations in advance and never ended up sleeping outside...

My only regret? Not being able to go to Vancouver Island or Vancouver since we were on motorcycles. Well, that’ll be for 2026—by car this time.

bye
philippe du lot
NA Nataly03 Globetrotter ·
Hi! For Mount Rainier, you’ll need to get pass tickets. Don’t forget to make the reservation, otherwise you won’t be allowed in. Also, plan some extra time—it can take one to two hours to get through.

When renting a car, make sure to ask for the insurance certificate to cross the Canadian border.
nathalie
VL Vlo75 ·
Thanks for these suggestions!

For Mount Rainier, it seems like reservations are no longer being offered—they don’t mention anything about them on their site: https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/congestion.htm
NA Nataly03 Globetrotter ·
I think it starts in May
nathalie
PE Peggy16 Globetrotter ·
Hi Vincent

Thanks for these suggestions!

For Mount Rainier, it seems like reservations are no longer being offered—they don’t mention anything about them on their site: https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/congestion.htm

Last year’s page: https://www.recreation.gov/timed-entry/10101917
VL Vlo75 ·
Thanks. For now, they’re only talking about 2024, but I’m keeping an eye on it!
JU Junkanoo ·
Hi there, to give you an idea, in one month (Sept '24) we did Salt Lake City, Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Portland, Bend, the entire coast from Florence to the Olympic Peninsula, and finished in Seattle. All while doing one or two short hikes in nature each day. Of course, we would’ve loved more time and had to make some choices, but overall we enjoyed it without feeling like we were rushing. Personally, I’d skip Portland entirely. I really wanted to go, but in the end, it’s not essential. Better to spend that time around Bend—great area with plenty of options. I assume you’ll take the ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria? Seattle is worth it, I think. We spent two full days there, which was enough to see the highlights. On that note, I still have some maps and guides for this region (Oregon Coast, Olympic, Seattle, Washington State) if they’d be useful to you. You’re in for a fantastic trip for sure! !
VL Vlo75 ·
Thanks Junkanoo! Yes, we’re taking the ferry between Port Angeles and Victoria.

Your route sounds amazing but also really long! We’ve already had the chance to explore SLC, Grand Teton, and Yellowstone on another trip. This time, we wanted to take it slow and not spend every day covering miles, but also enjoy some hikes.

Opinions on Portland are really divided... We’ll make up our own minds! !
JU Junkanoo ·
Yeah, opinions on Portland are mixed, but I kept that stop specifically to make up my own mind. You’ll do the same. On the other hand, I regret cutting Crater Lake and Smith Rock State Park to spend two nights in Portland—big mistake. I really liked a lesser-known state park south of Portland: Silver Falls.
NA Nataly03 Globetrotter ·
Hi there, Honestly, if we have to make choices, I’d skip Portland and do Crater Lake instead.
nathalie
VL Vlo75 ·
I’m definitely planning to do both 😉

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