The Pacific Coast Highway road trip has been on my bucket list for quite some time! The inner hippie in me has always wanted to rent a camper van (or live in one) and travel down highway 1 and see what the beautiful scenic route had to offer me.

And that is just what I did this past summer. Flew into Seattle, rented a camper van, and drove down the beautiful scenic highway all the way down to Los Angeles. Now, I understand that the Pacific Northwest has amazing food, tourist spots, etc but if you are wanting a hippie version that is chock full of hiking adventures, living/lodging in a camper van, and getting lost in the beauty of the pacific coast, then you are in the right place!

Before we get started on our road trip, let me spill the beans on the camper van company that I used. Since this was a one-way road trip, I went with Escape Campervans. After shopping around and speaking with friends that have rented a camper van in the past, this was the best option for us. We were able to pick up the camper van in Seattle and drop it off in Los Angeles. For two people, the Mavericks was the best choice to rent in my opinion. This model included a functional kitchen, “dining room” table and benches that converted into a big comfy queen-sized bed, and seats/sleeps up to 5 people. Bedding, basic kitchen essentials, lawn chairs, and curtains for privacy are included. Information on this specific model is here.

Our Camper Van Tour

One Week Itinerary

Day 1: Seattle, WA

Day 2: Mt. Rainer, WA and Cannon Beach, OR

Day 3: Portland and Crater Lake, OR

Day 4: Redwoods National Park and Fort Bragg, CA

Day 5: San Francisco, CA

Day 6: Carmel-By-The-Sea, Big Sur, Pfeiffer Beach, CA

Day 7: Los Angeles, CA

We stopped at many other spots along the way, so here are the google map locations that you can use when planning your one-week road trip!

Pacific Northwest Road Trip

Day 1

When planning a road trip on the PCH, I highly recommend driving from north to south because your vehicle is closer to the ocean. That is why our road trip begins in Seattle! Spent the entire day in Seattle, and I am so glad we did! There are so many things that you can do, especially during the summertime!

Seattle deserves a separate blog post on its own, but to recap the day:

Pike Place Market - First place to visit to beat the crowd. Grab a coffee at the first Starbucks and eat breakfast by sampling everything from the smoked salmon to the famous clam chowder. This is also where we grabbed food provisions to stock the camper van.
Gum wall at Pike Place - I’m sure you will have gum on hand since you have been eating seafood all morning. Located right below Pike Place Market, can’t miss it!
The afternoon was spent grabbing the camper van and shopping for provisions.
Salty’s on Alki: Amazing views of downtown and great seafood! You need to make dinner reservations beforehand if you want a table! Time to kill before your dinner reservation? Alki Beach is the perfect spot to walk along the water, watch beach volleyball games, or to watch the most picturesque sunsets.

Frankie & Jo’s ice cream: Why not end a perfect day with the best plant-based ice cream you have ever eaten!

Day 2

Now that we got the city life behind us, why not let our hair down and officially start this road trip, shall we!? About two hours south of Seattle is our first stop, Mt. Rainier National Park. Get ready for big mountain snow capped views because Mt. Rainier does not disappoint! Fingers crossed the weather cooperates for your visit though!

Regardless of what time of the year it is, dress appropriately, as there will be snow in the mountains. Fun fact: Mount Rainier is actually a volcano standing 14,411 feet in elevation. Great spot for hiking, picnicking, and snowshoeing. If you want to make a full day here, the park offers great lodging accommodations. We made reservations to camp inside the park but had to cancel due to temporary closures so make sure you check on park alerts.

Due to the campsite cancellation in Mt. Rainier, we had to get back on the road and drive south to Cannon Beach which takes about five hours. Cannon Beach is a quaint town located on the beautiful Oregon Coast. To be honest, other than seeing Big Sur, it was my favorite beach of all time and possibly a future place to live!

If you bypass Mt. Rainier, it’s about 4 hours from Seattle and 1.5-hour drive to Portland (where we will be in the morning!). Unfortunately, we only had the evening in this area so the only thing that made sense during the sunset hour is to check out Haystack Rock aka “Goonies Rock”! There are many RV/camping options around the area. We camped at this spot for the night.

Goonies Never Say Die.

Day 3

Unless you want to get morning views in Cannon Beach, we are driving to Portland, baby! Honestly, you could do both since Portland is less than two hours from the coast! I wish we had a few days in the city because like their slogan “Keep Portland Weird”, the city did not disappoint! But if you only have half a day, here are a few things you must do:

Grab a donut or two at Voodoo Donut.
Wash your donut down with a delicious coffee brew at Stumptown.
Stroll around downtown and visit Powell’s Books, Portland Saturday Markets, and Japanese Gardens.
Nosh on amazing Thai food from Pok Pok (make reservations beforehand or you will wait in line!)

Back on the road again. (Did I mention that you will be driving a lot!) This time, we are heading to Crater Lake National Park. We are packing this road trip full of experiences so taking travel time into account, we have two hours of hiking time at Crater Lake. Luckily, Crater Lake is very accessible and you can drive around the perimeter of the lake (Rim Drive). Fun fact: Crater Lake is one of the deepest lakes in the USA and quite possibly the most pristine on Earth! The lake is fed entirely by rain and snow (not from rivers), making the water as blue and clear as it’s going to get!

Want to see the clear waters yourself? Hike the 1.1 mile Cleetwood Cove trail that will give you access to the shore. You can also take a boat tour around the lake. Make sure you make reservations in advance! This area offers great RV spots. We stayed here for the night - favorite RV spot!

Tip: Make sure you check to see if the park is open since the park’s roads, trails, and facilities are closed seasonally due to snow.

Bonus Tip: If you decide to park by a stagnant lake or dense forest of trees during the summer, make sure you purchase bug spray or a mosquito net! When we opened the back of the van to cook, a swarm of mosquitoes came charging in. Needless to say, we became close friends for the entire week! Here is a great post on proper mosquito netting for your camper van!

Day 4

Just below the Oregon border is the Redwood National and State Parks. They are made up of the National Park, Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park (check out this map to see their locations.) Since the parks are spread out, the struggle was real as far as which one to visit.

Well, I’m a coastal girl so Del Norte Coast it is! Here are things to do in the park:

Hike Damnation Creek Trail (4-mile hike) - This hike is great for the adventurer since it’s challenging but very rewarding! The ability to see the Redwoods along the coast is a combination you can’t beat!
Hike to Hidden Beach, which is a secluded beach, lined with tide pools, piles of driftwood and weathered rock formations.
If you are traveling with family, visit the Trees of Mystery and soar through the trees.

Next stop, Prairie Creek! Like Del Norte Coast, you get a mixture of redwood and beaches, but one thing that sets this park apart from the rest is their Roosevelt Elk. We had the chance to spot some Elk on the Elk Prairie Trail (2.8-mile hike).

Another thing you must do is explore the beautiful Fern Canyon. Fun fact: Portions of The Lost World: Jurassic Park were filmed in Fern Canyon!

If you have more time in this park, I highly suggest hiking the Miner’s Ridge and James Irvine Trail (12.4-mile hike) It takes about five hours to complete but if you want to see the best views of Fern Canyon and Gold Bluffs Beach, then this is the hike for you!

Like most of the locations we have visited thus far, you could easily spend a week/weekend visiting all the parks. But alas, we have a lot of miles to get through so to end the day, we are heading four hours down the coast to Fort Bragg! Since we got in late, we passed by Glass Beach on the way to our RV spot for the night.